The final countdown

Less than one month now til Bruce gets a kidney. Time is flying by. I know I have not posted in awhile, wish I could say all is well but it's the typical roller coaster ride with Bruce's health. I have been busier with work but still having to plan every day to the minute, juggling things just to get everyone transported and taken care of. I feel like I'm barely getting things done and I'm in constant panic of what else needs to be done. Of course the demands of the holiday season are not helping matters. I still have presents to buy and a million things to do. That would be normal this time of year except I would have Bruce to help and he could actually DRIVE! That aspect is killing us.

Last week, Bruce was very sick. He was throwing up a lot and the headaches continue. He saw Nephrologist on Thursday Dec. 10 because headaches were so bad and we were concerned about blood pressures being so high. Dr. Russo gave him a new blood pressure med. He started it that Friday. By monday he was throwing up and got swollen all over. He did his dialysis that night, but Tuesday and Wednesday were more of the same. Sick all day. Headaches too. I had to go get him from work early and take him to dialysis early 2 days. Dr. Russo saw him at dialysis center on Wed. and called me to tell me he thought he was having bad reaction to new medicine or as a combination with the other 20 drugs he's on. So he called in new one and told me to get it as soon as possible. It's a blood pressure medicine that is a patch. Dr. Russo thought the headaches were most certainly because of blood pressure being too high.

Thursday he was completely fine. Friday he had a little bit of a headache but after I brought him home from dialysis it was worse. Sad for him because Friday was his birthday and it was spent working and at dialysis. Oh yeah, they increased his dialysis time to FIVE HOURS! That happened about a week ago. It is because were not getting good enough clearance. Today we celebrated his birthday...we went out to eat, then he got one of the massive headaches and he had to lay down for awhile before cake or presents. So it seems new medicine is not working OR headaches caused by something else. He has eaten much less sodium and phosphorus this week but it hasn't made a difference yet. Have to wait to see how he does tomorrow and Monday morning, then call Dr. Russo. This is just another typical week of issues ever since he had kidneys taken out and went on Hemodialysis. He is so so so lucky to be getting a kidney soon. We just have to make it until then - make sure he stays out of the hospital and is able to function at work. Only a few more weeks...

Lifelink in Tampa (where he is having his transplant) has been completely undependable and deficient on what they need to do. I'll post about that soon. I am in disbelief.