Jenny's Recovery: Kidney Transplant
Donation protected
After waiting 5 1/2 years on dialysis, I finally got my kideny transplant on October 7, 2016. A registered organ donor saved my life, and I am forever grateful.
At this point I am fundraising to help cover my upcoming medical expenses: return trips to the transplant hospital in Arizona (3 times in 2017), prescription medications (I'll be on them the rest of my life), medical bills, and to help me get into a new place to live. I had to give up my apartment to use all my funds & donations through November 1st to get the transplant done. I've been living in a friends's small spare bedroom temporarily, and need to move out as soon as possible.
I got the phone call that would change my life on the evening of October 6th. It was the BEST CALL OF MY LIFE!!! Thanks to generous donations, I was able to get on a plane by myself & get to the hospital in time to receive my new kidney. The doctors and nurses were ready for my arrival, and immediately put me in a gown, started poking me with needles and running a range of tests to make sure I was healthy enough for transplant surgery.
Less than 24 hours after "The Call", I went into the Operating Room. I recovered in the hospital for 4 days, and then was discharged. I stayed near the hospital for another 5 weeks (which used up all my money), because as a transplant recipient I had to be closely monitored for complications and rejection of the new kidney. There were some ups and downs, yet my overall experience was excellent. My kidney from a deceased donor kicked in quickly, and I did not need any more dialysis after surgery. This is remarkable, since many times donated kidneys take time to fully wake up.
This week marks 8 weeks after surgery, and I'm doing really well. My incision is healing, my PD catheter finally closed up, my weight is improving, and my kidney function is excellent. I still have activity and lifting restrictions, and I tire easily. All this is normal after such a major surgery. My main focus is to be as healthy as possible and to take loving care of my gift, my new kidney and chance at life.
Your contributions will get me back on my feet and enable me to move forward in this last important step.
"Please consider helping Jenny with your prayers, positive thoughts, and contributions. I strongly believe she is meant to guide and help many others in their lives." - Sally F.
SOME HISTORY ABOUT MY KIDNEY FAILURE:
Going through sudden kidney failure was a shock. I will never forget the sense of confusion and disbelief I felt, as I was told that my kidneys were done. Being alone in the ER at that time, hearing such devastating news, was one of the hardest moments.
From there I went to the ICU, spent over two weeks in the hospital, had 6 blood transfusions, endless tests, a kidney biopsy that caused me to scream & cry in pain, and a catheter surgically implanted into my chest. The next day I started hemodialysis.
There was no education about dialysis. No way to prepare. No counseling. I had no idea what I was getting into. The doctors told me not to worry; I would get a new kidney in six months. I don't have enough words to express the shock of it all. It would be 5 1/2 years before I would get a kidney transplant. I survived more than 25 trips to the hospital, surgeries, many close calls almost losing my life, so many needles that my veins are scarred on the inside, regular fatigue to a point that I didn't know was possible, abdominal cramping that causes vomiting, dietary restrictions, fluid intake restrictions, many medications, heaps of medical bills, and pain on the inside from the peritoneal catheter.
I never imagined that I'd go through kidney failure. There's no history of kidney problems in my family, and I was healthy up until an infeciton wiped out my kidneys in 2011.
I started out on hemodialysis for 3 years, but ended up with septicemia due to a dialysis nurse contaminating the access line. The infection raged though my body, and it took me over a year to completely recover. I had surgery and switched to peritoneal dialysis in 2014. Presently I must do 11 hours of dialysis at home every day - connected to a machine for 11 hours straight every day. I did this on my own, and many days I was exhausted from the effort and effects of it.
Dialysis and kidney failure are mostly about loss: loss of freedom, loss of strength, loss of sanity, loss of work, loss of assets, loss of relationships, loss of health, and inevitably loss of life. But as with all of existence, there is a Yin and Yang. There have been gains. I've gained new people in my life, more caring & loving people. I've gained the understanding of my tenacity, courage, will, and beautiful uniqueness. There has been no choice for me but to "know thyself" intimately. Kidney failure leaves no room for denial.
Some days I didn't think I could bear one more minute, one more hour, one more day. All I could do is take another breath and dream of a new kidney and a better life.
All fundraising dollars through November 1, 2016 went towards expenses to go to transplant hospitals and medical bills, including the lodging costs of staying near the hosptial and the rental car.
"If you’d like to be a Living Donor for anyone, then she has a website with the details: www.ShareTheSearch.com .
At this point I am fundraising to help cover my upcoming medical expenses: return trips to the transplant hospital in Arizona (3 times in 2017), prescription medications (I'll be on them the rest of my life), medical bills, and to help me get into a new place to live. I had to give up my apartment to use all my funds & donations through November 1st to get the transplant done. I've been living in a friends's small spare bedroom temporarily, and need to move out as soon as possible.
I got the phone call that would change my life on the evening of October 6th. It was the BEST CALL OF MY LIFE!!! Thanks to generous donations, I was able to get on a plane by myself & get to the hospital in time to receive my new kidney. The doctors and nurses were ready for my arrival, and immediately put me in a gown, started poking me with needles and running a range of tests to make sure I was healthy enough for transplant surgery.
Less than 24 hours after "The Call", I went into the Operating Room. I recovered in the hospital for 4 days, and then was discharged. I stayed near the hospital for another 5 weeks (which used up all my money), because as a transplant recipient I had to be closely monitored for complications and rejection of the new kidney. There were some ups and downs, yet my overall experience was excellent. My kidney from a deceased donor kicked in quickly, and I did not need any more dialysis after surgery. This is remarkable, since many times donated kidneys take time to fully wake up.
This week marks 8 weeks after surgery, and I'm doing really well. My incision is healing, my PD catheter finally closed up, my weight is improving, and my kidney function is excellent. I still have activity and lifting restrictions, and I tire easily. All this is normal after such a major surgery. My main focus is to be as healthy as possible and to take loving care of my gift, my new kidney and chance at life.
Your contributions will get me back on my feet and enable me to move forward in this last important step.
"Please consider helping Jenny with your prayers, positive thoughts, and contributions. I strongly believe she is meant to guide and help many others in their lives." - Sally F.
SOME HISTORY ABOUT MY KIDNEY FAILURE:
Going through sudden kidney failure was a shock. I will never forget the sense of confusion and disbelief I felt, as I was told that my kidneys were done. Being alone in the ER at that time, hearing such devastating news, was one of the hardest moments.
From there I went to the ICU, spent over two weeks in the hospital, had 6 blood transfusions, endless tests, a kidney biopsy that caused me to scream & cry in pain, and a catheter surgically implanted into my chest. The next day I started hemodialysis.
There was no education about dialysis. No way to prepare. No counseling. I had no idea what I was getting into. The doctors told me not to worry; I would get a new kidney in six months. I don't have enough words to express the shock of it all. It would be 5 1/2 years before I would get a kidney transplant. I survived more than 25 trips to the hospital, surgeries, many close calls almost losing my life, so many needles that my veins are scarred on the inside, regular fatigue to a point that I didn't know was possible, abdominal cramping that causes vomiting, dietary restrictions, fluid intake restrictions, many medications, heaps of medical bills, and pain on the inside from the peritoneal catheter.
I never imagined that I'd go through kidney failure. There's no history of kidney problems in my family, and I was healthy up until an infeciton wiped out my kidneys in 2011.
I started out on hemodialysis for 3 years, but ended up with septicemia due to a dialysis nurse contaminating the access line. The infection raged though my body, and it took me over a year to completely recover. I had surgery and switched to peritoneal dialysis in 2014. Presently I must do 11 hours of dialysis at home every day - connected to a machine for 11 hours straight every day. I did this on my own, and many days I was exhausted from the effort and effects of it.
Dialysis and kidney failure are mostly about loss: loss of freedom, loss of strength, loss of sanity, loss of work, loss of assets, loss of relationships, loss of health, and inevitably loss of life. But as with all of existence, there is a Yin and Yang. There have been gains. I've gained new people in my life, more caring & loving people. I've gained the understanding of my tenacity, courage, will, and beautiful uniqueness. There has been no choice for me but to "know thyself" intimately. Kidney failure leaves no room for denial.
Some days I didn't think I could bear one more minute, one more hour, one more day. All I could do is take another breath and dream of a new kidney and a better life.
All fundraising dollars through November 1, 2016 went towards expenses to go to transplant hospitals and medical bills, including the lodging costs of staying near the hosptial and the rental car.
"If you’d like to be a Living Donor for anyone, then she has a website with the details: www.ShareTheSearch.com .
Organizer
Jennifer Vasilakos
Organizer
Santa Barbara, CA
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