In addition to caring for our individual selves, we can help improve the overall health of our entire community. If we make the effort to educate ourselves about donating vital substances while living (blood, bone marrow) and vital tissues upon our ascension- our collective health will improve many times over. Check out the information from our Health Channel Sponsor The California Transplant Donor Network...and improve the health of an entire community!
Improve
Our Collective Health
Ric Bussey, 27 yr old Kidney Recipient (Con't.)
By waiting two years before I signed up, I basically put myself back two years on the waiting list. Waiting times for transplants can generally last anywhere from 3-7 years depending on age, and blood types.
As my sixth year of dialysis approached, I had been given a pager by the transplant department. This was in case I wasn't home and a kidney became available, I could be reached at a moments notice.
Well, the pager wasn't needed because on Sat. Aug. 5th 2000 at 03:15 am, I received a call at my home to report to the hospital at 9:00am. for a transplant! I remember feeling calm but I couldn't go back to sleep so I started to clean up my house. That’s right! I was cleaning house at 3 a.m. I also went online to let everyone know the good news and where I would be.
For some odd reason, the thing that made me feel good about the operation was, I didn't think of it as a transplant, I thought of it as an implant! Strange as this sounds, I figured nothing was getting taken out, just put in. It didn't matter to me where it came from! This actually put me at ease prior to the operation.
After checking in and meeting the doctors, I was prepped for surgery at around 2pm. I was telling jokes as they wheeled me into the operating room. (“Time for an Oil and Lube job”)
The doctors were doing their final preps on the kidney. They had it pinned up and were looking at it through the little scopes over their eyes. I remember thinking, "what a weird colored organ".
At 7 pm, I awoke in ICU and immediately asked for the television to be turned on to ESPN. It was the first week of pre-season football and my Raiders were on. Imagine that, major surgery and I want to see The Raiders.
I was pleasantly surprised that I had no pain. There would be no need for pain pills! I only had some slight discomfort from the catheter against my bladder. My surgery was a success! My labs would be closely monitored for several days afterwards and I would have to take several anti-rejection drugs everyday.
Wow, pills, as opposed to dialysis and time lost. A no-brainer!
I was released after 5 days and after a few months of recovery, I was back to my old self. I felt wonderful and energetic! I report to the transplant department every 6 months just to monitor the progress and I check my labs monthly.