Kidney Failure - Upcoming Transplant with non-related donor.

Author

Upcoming Transplant with non-related donor.

Homefinders

2005-05-07, 10:52 pm

Hi all,

Many of you will be familiar with my infrequent contributions over the last
six or seven years. I had a kidney transplant in Brisbane, Queensland, at
the age of 27 which lasted for 20 years and next week, at the age of 52, I
will be having a second transplant in Adelaide, South Australia, although I
live in Tasmania.

This time, rather than a cadaver donor, I have a living, non-related living
donor. Here is a link to an article and colour photograph of us that
appeared in my local paper in March this year.
http://www.examiner.com.au/print.asp?id=277737

Unfortunately we have had a great number of financial obstacles placed in
the path of this surgery by the bureaucracy of the Tasmanian State Health
Department's Patient Travel Assistance Scheme and it wasn't until we managed
to get Ministerial intervention last Wednesday, with just one week left
before we flew out of the state, that we were given the financial support
that we were entitled to.

Still, even though the expenses of all the surgery and the airfares are
covered, we will still be up for a minimum of $4000 worth of costs for
travel to and from the hospital after discharge, and the accommodation and
living expenses while in out-of-hospital residence in South Australia.

Its unfortunate that at a time when Pru and I, as well as our support
persons, should all be supporting each other emotionally, we have been
distressed and torn apart by our unforseen financial problems to such an
extent that both Pru and I were extremely close to cancelling completely.

But we are feeling much more upbeat now. Rather than just sitting on our
hands, we have mounted a fund raising campaign with our friends and family
and people have been very generous. So far we have around $3000 in
donations with more coming in all the time. This has been a great burden
lifted from us and the generosity of friends, family and even strangers is
astounding to me.

We leave Tasmania on the 11th May for South Australia. We have appointments
at the hosptial in the week preceding the admittance on the 17 May to the
Queen Elizabeth Hospital. Pru will have her kidney removed the next morning
and, alll going well, I will receive it that afternoon.

Some of you will be familiar with how I am feeling. Excited at the prospect
of a life away from the time and travel restricitons of dialysis, as well as
the dietary restricitons and being able to have only 2 drinks a day, and yet
fearfull of putting my life into surgeon's and doctor's hands once again, as
well as the added worry of how well Pru will come out of all this. We have
chosen Adelaide, by the way, as the team at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital
have been doing laparascopic removal of kidneys for 10 years and so have the
most experience of this surgery in Australia.

Wish us luck and be assured that over the next 2 months I will be thinking
of the international community on this newsgroup that have supported me so
well over the last few years. If I can get to a computer in Adelaide, I'll
update you on how we are going.

Judanne
Tasmania

Larry Krzewinski

2005-05-08, 8:57 am

On Sun, 08 May 2005 03:43:19 GMT, "Homefinders"
<judanne@bigpond.net.au> wrote:

>Hi all,
>
>Many of you will be familiar with my infrequent contributions over the last
>six or seven years. I had a kidney transplant in Brisbane, Queensland, at
>the age of 27 which lasted for 20 years and next week, at the age of 52, I
>will be having a second transplant in Adelaide, South Australia, although I
>live in Tasmania.
>
>This time, rather than a cadaver donor, I have a living, non-related living
>donor. Here is a link to an article and colour photograph of us that
>appeared in my local paper in March this year.
>http://www.examiner.com.au/print.asp?id=277737
>
>Unfortunately we have had a great number of financial obstacles placed in
>the path of this surgery by the bureaucracy of the Tasmanian State Health
>Department's Patient Travel Assistance Scheme and it wasn't until we managed
>to get Ministerial intervention last Wednesday, with just one week left
>before we flew out of the state, that we were given the financial support
>that we were entitled to.
>
>Still, even though the expenses of all the surgery and the airfares are
>covered, we will still be up for a minimum of $4000 worth of costs for
>travel to and from the hospital after discharge, and the accommodation and
>living expenses while in out-of-hospital residence in South Australia.
>
>Its unfortunate that at a time when Pru and I, as well as our support
>persons, should all be supporting each other emotionally, we have been
>distressed and torn apart by our unforseen financial problems to such an
>extent that both Pru and I were extremely close to cancelling completely.
>
>But we are feeling much more upbeat now. Rather than just sitting on our
>hands, we have mounted a fund raising campaign with our friends and family
>and people have been very generous. So far we have around $3000 in
>donations with more coming in all the time. This has been a great burden
>lifted from us and the generosity of friends, family and even strangers is
>astounding to me.
>
>We leave Tasmania on the 11th May for South Australia. We have appointments
>at the hosptial in the week preceding the admittance on the 17 May to the
>Queen Elizabeth Hospital. Pru will have her kidney removed the next morning
>and, alll going well, I will receive it that afternoon.
>
>Some of you will be familiar with how I am feeling. Excited at the prospect
>of a life away from the time and travel restricitons of dialysis, as well as
>the dietary restricitons and being able to have only 2 drinks a day, and yet
>fearfull of putting my life into surgeon's and doctor's hands once again, as
>well as the added worry of how well Pru will come out of all this. We have
>chosen Adelaide, by the way, as the team at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital
>have been doing laparascopic removal of kidneys for 10 years and so have the
>most experience of this surgery in Australia.
>
>Wish us luck and be assured that over the next 2 months I will be thinking
>of the international community on this newsgroup that have supported me so
>well over the last few years. If I can get to a computer in Adelaide, I'll
>update you on how we are going.
>
>Judanne
>Tasmania

I wish you and Pru all the best of luck, Judanne. Please let us know
how you're doing when things settle down after the transplant. I know
how hectic life can be for a few weeks following a kidney transplant
with all the doctors visits and labs.

Larry

Homefinders

2005-05-08, 8:57 am

Its pretty bloody frantic in the lead-up, too!!!

Judanne

"Larry Krzewinski" <Feerless_Freep@madmagazine.com> wrote in message
news:sk7r71hs3vtavt77ur9kdbvtbgeo2lkfhd@4ax.com...
> On Sun, 08 May 2005 03:43:19 GMT, "Homefinders"
> <judanne@bigpond.net.au> wrote:
>
>
> I wish you and Pru all the best of luck, Judanne. Please let us know
> how you're doing when things settle down after the transplant. I know
> how hectic life can be for a few weeks following a kidney transplant
> with all the doctors visits and labs.
>
> Larry
>

Peter McLeod

2005-05-18, 11:47 am

In article <rVffe.6358$31.2283@news-server.bigpond.net.au>,
judanne@bigpond.net.au (Homefinders) wrote:

> *Subject:* Upcoming Transplant with non-related donor.
> *From:* "Homefinders" <judanne@bigpond.net.au>
> *Date:* Sun, 08 May 2005 03:43:19 GMT
>
> Hi all,
>
> Many of you will be familiar with my infrequent contributions over the
> last
> six or seven years. I had a kidney transplant in Brisbane,
Queensland,
> at
> the age of 27 which lasted for 20 years and next week, at the age of
> 52, I
> will be having a second transplant in Adelaide, South Australia,
> although I
> live in Tasmania.
>
> This time, rather than a cadaver donor, I have a living, non-related
> living
> donor. Here is a link to an article and colour photograph of us that
> appeared in my local paper in March this year.
> http://www.examiner.com.au/print.asp?id=277737
>
> Unfortunately we have had a great number of financial obstacles placed
> in
> the path of this surgery by the bureaucracy of the Tasmanian State
> Health
> Department's Patient Travel Assistance Scheme and it wasn't until we
> managed
> to get Ministerial intervention last Wednesday, with just one week left
> before we flew out of the state, that we were given the financial
> support
> that we were entitled to.
>
> Still, even though the expenses of all the surgery and the airfares are
> covered, we will still be up for a minimum of $4000 worth of costs for
> travel to and from the hospital after discharge, and the accommodation
> and
> living expenses while in out-of-hospital residence in South Australia.
>
> Its unfortunate that at a time when Pru and I, as well as our support
> persons, should all be supporting each other emotionally, we have been
> distressed and torn apart by our unforseen financial problems to such
an
> extent that both Pru and I were extremely close to cancelling
> completely.
>
> But we are feeling much more upbeat now. Rather than just sitting on
> our
> hands, we have mounted a fund raising campaign with our friends and
> family
> and people have been very generous. So far we have around $3000 in
> donations with more coming in all the time. This has been a great
> burden
> lifted from us and the generosity of friends, family and even
strangers
> is
> astounding to me.
>
> We leave Tasmania on the 11th May for South Australia. We have
> appointments
> at the hosptial in the week preceding the admittance on the 17 May to
> the
> Queen Elizabeth Hospital. Pru will have her kidney removed the next
> morning
> and, alll going well, I will receive it that afternoon.
>
> Some of you will be familiar with how I am feeling. Excited at the
> prospect
> of a life away from the time and travel restricitons of dialysis, as
> well as
> the dietary restricitons and being able to have only 2 drinks a day,
> and yet
> fearfull of putting my life into surgeon's and doctor's hands once
> again, as
> well as the added worry of how well Pru will come out of all this. We
> have
> chosen Adelaide, by the way, as the team at the Queen Elizabeth
Hospital
> have been doing laparascopic removal of kidneys for 10 years and so
> have the
> most experience of this surgery in Australia.
>
> Wish us luck and be assured that over the next 2 months I will be
> thinking
> of the international community on this newsgroup that have supported
me
> so
> well over the last few years. If I can get to a computer in Adelaide,
> I'll
> update you on how we are going.
>
> Judanne
> Tasmania
>
>
>
>
>
Good luck on the transplant, hope it goes well for you both, sorry for
delay in responding, been on holiday.
The thought of my transplant failing scared the wotsits out of me, I
have some signs of more diabetic damage after 11 years going strong.

Pete Mc