Sharon, on the cover of our last Compass, called me from the Hospital at the University of Pennsylvania with the good news.She sounded fantastic. "I'm amazed," she said, "that it didn't hurt that much."
She was given a morphine drip but didn't need it by the end of the second day and only took a Tylenol for a headache.
Sharon, of course, lost kidney function from taking lithium, same as me.
She was only on the Waiting List for 2.5 years - instead of an average 5 in this geographical area - b/c she has one of the rarer blood types.
Her deceased kidney donor was a 31-yo man who died in an automobile accident. Sad.
His death is her life.
The doctors were frank and told her there was only a 50-50 chance his kidney would work right away b/c it was coming from a long distance. Until it worked, she might have to go on dialysis. This is the same thing that happened to Denis Hazam, also profiled in the Compass. Denis didn't need to go on dialysis and neither did Sharon.
"My kidney started working w/a vengeance!" she laffed.
"So what medications are you taking?" I asked. I couldn't wait to hear what antirejection meds Penn uses.
They're basically the same as the ones I take from Einstein Medical Center, except for the pain med after transplant. I was given Percocet.
It's totally overwhelming when you first begin your medication regimen.
Sharon said she needs to create her own system. I told her what I do.
It's easier for me to find the NAMES of the meds if I write them on envelopes. My antirejection meds are all in ivory-colored envelopes.As you can see, I take much less than at the beginning.
When Sharon is discharged, she'll stay w/her daughter Tisha, who lives in Upper Darby, for six weeks, while she goes into Penn for checkups.
I will definitely visit Sharon who now lives in the Poconos. Haven't seen her in 10 years.
Upper Darby is also where Scott works at the SEPTA carhouse. Visitors are strictly prohibited, so I'll never have the opportunity to help him diagnose problems when he goes underneath the train and looks at the wires. Darn!
Coincidentally, I just wrote a Guest Column for the Intelligencer, to be published on Tuesday, called "Make a New Year's Resolution - Become an Organ Donor and Save Lives."
Well, the Nameless Man certainly did a noble deed. Sorry he's not here to appreciate it.
UPDATE ON SHARON
Friday nite, Jan. 6.
Sharon was discharged today. She's staying w/daughter Tisha in Upper Darby. When I called she was in the middle of trying to take her evening pills.
While at Penn, which, as you can see below is the no. one transplant center in the Philly area in terms of volume, the care she received from the nursing staff was wonderful. Sharon, herself, is a nurse, and said that while she's been gone from work, the staff has been so supportive and frequently texts her.
The food at Penn was, typically, "terrible. How can they mess up scrambled eggs?"
I said the same thing about the Einstein food. The only good thing I had was Rice Krispies and Milk. Milk had been a forbidden food for me cuz it contains phosphorus.
Sharon would walk around the "huge" unit, which is for kidney and liver donations and bariatric surgery, to get exercise, w/her intravenous tubes attached by the rolling mechanism.
They called her "the Poster Girl."
She was exhausted, she said, and would go to bed early.
While doing research for the Guest Column on Becoming a Donor, Jill Finnie of United Network for Organ Sharing sent me these interesting stats:
Breakdown of organ donations by hospitals 1988 - Sept. 2011:
13,128 – UCLA Medical Center
13,039 – Univ. of Pittsburgh Med. Center (Thomas Starzl)
10,040 – Univ. of Calif. San Francisco Med. Center
9,887 – Univ. of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics
9,762 – Univ. of Alabama Hospital
PHILADELPHIA TRANSPLANT CENTERS
7,112 – Hospital of the University of PA
2,928 – Thomas Jefferson University Hospital
2,399 – Albert Einstein Medical Center
2,206 – Hahnemann University Hospital
Where's Temple?
906 – Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
479 – St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children
Great news! I wish Sharon the best of luck!
ReplyDeletejust talked to sharon, who has been discharged & is staying at daughter tisha's and said coach iris sends her regards. am going update this post later tonite. scott and i ate at an italian rest. and i've gotta go on my bike for 20 mins!
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