Transplant Surgery

Well, I can't believe it's been two years since I have posted on my blog. Life has just generally got in the way of that. Well, let me update. May 29, 2018 we took a job as Houseparents at The North Alabama Christian Childrens Home located in Florence, Alabama. We take care of 6 foster children in the home. We live in the home with them 24/7. It is such a rewarding job. Most of the time, it doesn't even feel like a job. Some times, it can be difficult. But, those times are few and far between. We never could have any children of our own so the setup works very well for us. The houseparents that don't work out so well, are the ones who have children of their own usually. We have made it a year next month and we can't see ourselves going anywhere for several years down the road.

DeWayne has continued to be on dialysis for the last 8 years. He had gotten listed at Vanderbilt Transplant Center 8 years ago. In 2016, he was placed on medical hold due to his prostate surgery. He had continued to be under the care of a urologist. He was finally released from the urologist this February. He was reactivated on the transplant list this March. Last Thursday, April 18th he received a call from a Transplant Coordinator around noon. She said they had a potential donor that the family was going to take care away from their loved one. They said that if DeWayne was a match, would he accept the transplant. She said it was a unique situation due to being a cardiac death. She said that meant when the family decided to end the life, the patient would have to be taken to the OR and life support taken away. If the patient died before 60 minutes was up, then the kidney would be viable. If not, then it wouldn't. So, it was just a wait and see. We were already planning on leaving the next day for Nashville for the weekend. But, they needed him at the clinic for blood work by 5pm. We left our house with the kids at 2pm. We made it to the clinic with 15 minutes to spare. He did the lab work and then called the Transplant Coordinator to see what the next step was. She said don't go home. We were to just stay in Nashville until we heard something else from her. We were coming to Nashville for a youth leadership conference called Lads to Leaders. It was being held at The Opryland Hotel. So, we already had rooms to stay in. About an hour later, we arrived at the hotel. We checked into our rooms to just wait till we got a call. About 10pm, we had already had dinner and settled back into our room. Around 11:30 that night, DeWayne received a call from the Coordinator that said he was a MATCH! We both had already had an ambien. When she called, I was already asleep. DeWayne had not, he was just nervous to even hope I think. But, the adrenaline kicked in. I started packing back what I had unpacked. We got several of the kids, houseparents, youth minister and his wife up and we had prayer before we left. After several hugs and well wishes, we left within 30 minutes. We made it to the hospital about 12:30 am. They started his workup including blood work, chest x-ray and ekg. They did a dialysis treatment on his also. Around 2 am, I fell asleep on the top of the soiled linen cart. At that point, I told him I am going out to the waiting room to try and get some sleep. I pulled two chairs together to sleep. Surprisingly, it worked. The nurse came and woke me up at 6:30 am, to say they had moved him to another room. I went in to check on him and the surgeon had come in. She said, they were taking him to surgery at 8 am. Our preacher, Adam came to the hospital about 9 am. He just came to wait with me during the surgery. That meant more to me than I think he will ever realize. At around 10:30, Dr Forbes his transplant surgeon came out to talk to me. She said the surgery went great. She told me up front that she thought the kidney would be slow about waking up. She said that was the difference with a cardiac death. He did great with his recovery while in the hospital. He did have to have one unit of blood to get his counts up. His pain was minimal. He got up the night of surgery and started walking the halls. The kidney just had not started working 100% due to being slow of waking up. They did an ultrasound to test the blood flow. It was excellent. Before the surgery, DeWayne might have urinated about 100ml daily. Immediately, after surgery he was making a liter of urine. So, those two things proved to the doctors that the surgery was a success. So, it was just a waiting game. The kidney doctors said, until the kidney kicked in completely he would need to do a dialysis treatment every other day. That would keep his electrolytes balanced out. So, he got discharged on Thursday, April 25th to go home. He just had to get lab work at home on Saturday and they would fax them to Vanderbilt. He also had his first clinic visit scheduled for Tuesday, April 30th. They told us he would have one clinic visit per week for the first six weeks. The ride home was very rough. He had a lot of swelling. I attributed that to just the ride and sitting up for two hours. When we got home, I set up his dialysis and he got hooked up thinking it would help with the extra fluid he had on. He did fair the next day. We got up early on Saturday morning for him to go get his lab work done. He was so very weak that morning. I was afraid that his blood counts might be low. I just didn't expect it to be that low. When his Transplant Coordinator called me around 1 pm, she said you need to get back to Vanderbilt. She said Dewayne had to be admitted to receive some blood. Also, they would try to investigate where the blood loss was coming from. I felt terrible about waking him up. But, I knew Nashville was the best place for him to be. So, we got back to the hospital about 5:15 pm. He got admitted about 5:30 pm. So, today he is feeling so much better after that unit of blood. Plus, the dialysis treatment he received helped too. It got two liters of fluid off of him too. So, when all the doctors came in this morning, they said they were going to keep him until they could find a balance for him with the fluid. Plus, make sure to investigate the blood loss. So, I am missing days of work but that is okay. DeWayne is my number one priority. We have extra help at the home to help with the boys. So, getting him well is what is important right now.

I will do my best to update when I get more news. I want to take this blog in the direction of my daily life and that includes my life as a foster mom and updates on DeWayne. That will include the good and the bad.

Gundy the Bear

Most of us as a child, had a blanket or a stuffed animal that psychologists term as a "transitional object". A transitional object is something that children cling to that makes them feel safe and secure. Some people feel that it is a bridge gap between the mother and the child. My object was a Gund bear that I named Gundy. I know very original, huh? Gundy was bought by my parents when I was about 9 months old on my first trip to Walt Disney World.

I carried Gundy everywhere I went up until about the age of 10. My most memorable memory I have with Gundy was on my second trip to Walt Disney World. I was six years old. The morning we left heading home, we had been gone from the hotel for about 30 minutes. I started looking frantically in the car for Gundy. He was nowhere to be found. My dad turned the car around and we drove back to the hotel. As I am wailing in the car, my dad walks back into the hotel and speaks to the manager. They walked back to our room, which of course the linens had already been pulled out and sent to the laundry. The manager took our information and promised my dad that if he was found, he would mail Gundy to us. I was so distraught, I just knew I would never see him again. I thought Gundy would be so lonesome without me. But, what I really knew deep down was that I was lost without him. About two weeks later, who shows up in the mailbox...that's right Gundy had made his way home and was safe at last. Now, that's what I call customer service!

Beauty and The Beast

This seems to be the most watched trailer of the week with over 127 million views. Of course, everyone watches this with memories of seeing the animated version years ago. Except me...I hate animated movies. Well, let me rephrase that I hate the animated movies after the 80's. Give me Fox and The Hound and I can watch it 2 or 3 times a day. But, I did break down and watch this trailer a couple of days ago. I actually liked it. I probably won't see it in the theatre but I see the attraction of the story now.

General Update

I haven't posted in well over a year. Life has been hectic beyond belief. I started a new job last October. I went to work for a local consignment shop. The name of it is Frugal Frog Consignment & Boutique in Muscle Shoals, Alabama. I loved working there but my feet revolted. Saturday, October 29th was my last day there.  I have neuropathy, stress fractures, gout and arthritis. So, sometimes it's a wonder that I even get out of bed. I have discovered the Wellpatch Medicated Menthol Backache pain patches. I cut them in half and place on my feet before I go to bed. They work wonders. 

My husband, DeWayne had prostate surgery in January 2016. Then, in July he had hernia surgery. So, dealing with his health issues on top of him still being on dialysis it has been a busy year so far. 

Now, the holidays are creeping back up on us. So, busy time approaches again. But, now that I am not working I will have more time to devote to the blog again. See you soon!

Father's Day

Father's Day means many things to different people. For my husband and I, it isn't a great day. Neither one of us have our fathers. Usually when you've lost a loved one, most couples have become parents themselves. So, it brings some joy back into their lives that they can celebrate the day with their kids. For those of us that never were able to celebrate the joy of parenthood, it is a hard day! But, as time passes you learn to celebrate the memories you had with your dad and make peace with it that way. Unfortunately, some never are able to make peace with the loss.

Jurassic World Craze

All the craze this past weekend was Jurassic World starring Chris Pratt. It grossed over 208.8 million at the North American box office this weekend. That is more than The Avengers (2012). I actually watched it at home streaming it unofficially. It was good but I don't get all the craze about it. It's just an updated version of Jurassic Park with a sub story in it that the original didn't have.  It did make me want to see the original one again. I won't give any spoilers for those who haven't seen it yet.

Bacon Wrapped Potatoes

I posted this picture on Facebook but was too tired to post on the blog. So, these make it on tonight instead. These are simply Bacon Wrapped New Potatoes.


24 new baby potatoes, washed
12 slices bacon, cut in half


1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2. Take a bacon slice and wrap it around the potato, secure tightly.
3. Cook at 425 degrees for 45 minutes.
4. Voila!

Sicilian Chicken

I am going to change gears a little tonight. I am always on the lookout for frugal and quick meals. I bought this packet of sauce several months back. It is McCormick Sicilian Chicken Sauce. I had all of the ingredients listed except for the bell pepper. I used rice instead of pasta. Also, I diced the chicken up after it browned. It seems to cook faster that way. This is the recipe from the back of the sauce packet.

1 package of McCormick Sicilian Chicken Sauce

2 T olive oil

1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast

2 cups sliced mushrooms

1 bell pepper, cut into thin strips

1 onion, cut into thin strips

Heat oil in a skillet on medium-high heat. Add chicken; cook 5 minutes or until lightly browned, turning once. Remove from skillet.

Stir vegetables into skillet; cook and stir 5 minutes or until tender.

Stir in sauce. Return chicken to skillet. Reduce heat and simmer for 2 minutes or until heated through. Serve with cooked pasta, if desired.

I paired this with some Garlic Roasted broccoli. It was all done within 30 minutes 

Frank Castle is Back

Marvel released yesterday that Jon Bernthal is being cast to play Frank Castle (Punisher) in Season 2 of Daredevil released on Netflix. It is slated to be released in 2016. For those like myself, who didn't recognize the name he played Shane in the Walking Dead. Punisher's character is a little crazy. Shane's character was also crazy. So, should be a good fit. Looking forward to seeing Season 2. We started a little slow watching Season 1 but about half way through it, we zipped right through the last of it. 

Marvel hasn't released whether Punisher will be a friend or not to Daredevil. I would like to see them cross each other as Daredevil/Punisher but Matt and Frank be friends. That would be an interesting turn of events. We shall see!

Nerdy quote of the Day

We're all a Geek about Something!

All of us geek out about something. Some of us many things, some of us not so many. My biggest geekdom is Wonder Woman, Winnie the Pooh, Star Wars, Star Trek and Game of Thrones. It is also great when you can share this with your other half. I have to say that is one of the greatest things that DeWayne and I share. Two years ago, DeWayne and I went to our first sci fi/Comic Convention. It is actually located about 2 miles from us. It is The Geek Gathering. 

31 Days of Social Issues - Hunger in The Unites States

It has been a couple of days since I have posted. I have gone back to work and I will use the next four days to get caught up.

This is the Second day of 31 Social Issues and I will be blogging about Hunger within The United States. Since the US is considered one of the richest countries in the world, the previous statement is so ludicrous to me. We produce more than enough food in the US to feed our hungry. But, I believe our government is more concerned with feeding the poor and hungry of other nations. We have a real need in our own country. We need to take care of our own before we hand our provisions out to other countries.

31 Days of Social Issues

In an earlier post, I said that I was a die hard conservative and that is very true. But, I do have a tender heart towards social issues. So, I have decided to devote 31 days to a different social issue each day.

DAY ONE -WORLD HUNGER

With my conservative viewpoints, most people would believe that I was against every social injustice in their world.  Not, always the case.

In this day and age, there should never be a reason for world hunger. One definition of world hunger is the want and scarcity of food in a country. The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization estimates that over 870 million people of the 7.1 billion people in the world, or one in eight were suffering from chronic undernourishment in 210-2012.

Children are the largest number of victims of undernutrition. Due to their undernurtition, childen suffer over 160 days of illnesses. Undernutrition is responsible for at least over 5 million deaths a year within the world.

Homeless in Alabama

Homelessness is something none of us like to talk about. It makes most of us very uncomfortable. Wikipedia defines Homelessness as a person without a regular dwelling. People who are homeless, for whatever particular reason are unable to maintain a secure and safe dwelling.

The total Homeless population for the State of Alabama is over 4,600 people including over 500 Veterans. No one deserves to be homeless especially not someone who put their life in danger to defend our nation. In the Shoals Area, including Franklin, Lauderdale and Colbert County there are over 200 children. In my opinion, that is a travesty and an embarrassment.

Forgive others

Forgive....hmm. That is one of the most difficult things for all of us to do no matter the circumstances. We must always forgive others for the wrongs they have caused us. Not for them, but for our sake. If you consider yourself a Christian, then you have to forgive what you consider to be the inexcusable offense. Because God has forgiven you for all that you have done. To be able to heal from the pain you have felt, you have to let it go. If you don't and hold onto that pain, you are giving others control over you. I am not saying their actions were acceptable at all, but I am willing to move on. I need to realize that I am just as much to blame for all the hurt and I have to forgive myself too in the process. During this process, I realize that the anger that I have held onto for so long has made me toxic. It affects every thing about my life.

So, I forgive and every day I become stronger and more at peace. Lastly, forgiving someone doesn't mean that I forget. It just means that I won't put myself out there to be hurt like I did again.

Give Freely

When I hear the term "Give Freely", I tend to think of giving to a cause or a charity of choice. But, I think what's more important in that term is giving freely of my time. I look after DeWayne, my mom and in the middle of job hunting...my time is much more valuable to me than giving a $10 monthly donation to a charity. I have always had a fondness for volunteering even since high school. When I was a senior at Deshler, I volunteered for the Tuscumbia Main Street Project. Since then, I have volunteered for several organizations including The American Cancer Society, The Alabama Kidney Foundation and The William Porter Foundation. Several years ago, DeWayne and I were members of the Florence Jaycees. Charity work was the foundation of the work we did there. As part of the Jaycees, we were involved in several local charities including The American Cancer Society and Safeplace.

The following is the Jaycee Creed:

Express Thanks

By definition, expressing our thankfulness as we focus on the present moment, on appreciating our lives as it is today and what has made it so. There are a multitude of things that have happened in my lifetime that I am thankful for. I am thankful for the wonderful and loving parents I was blessed with. I had two wonderful brothers who were 11 and 9 when I was born. I remember this story with Scott the youngest of the two. I was probably about 4 or 5 at the time, I didn't understand that he had homework and couldn't play with me. So, I told him that Mama would buy me some homework. I thought their purpose in life was to play with their baby sister. The oldest, Mike passed away years before he should have. I have always thought that things happened for a reason. But, I have been tested with that after Mike died. Losing a sibling is much harder than losing a parent. You expect to bury your parents but you don't expect to bury a sibling at 36. My dad owned his own business until I was about 13. We were what most people would have considered "well to do" back then. I was teased mercifully about that growing up. My mom drove a white Mercedes Coupe back in the 1980's so it was hard to fight that back then. I can remember at Christmas asking my dad for money for presents. It was nothing for him to pull out $300 and give to me. But, I didn't understand what that meant. Money had no value to me at 12. I think everybody thought I was this spoiled brat, that got everything she wished for. Looking back, I don't think I was spoiled. I have always been overweight and I had a cousin tell me that if she had parents like mine that could afford all these clothes for her, she would lose weight. She just couldn't understand why I wouldn't do whatever in my power to lose the weight and get good clothes. The reason....the clothes and the money didn't matter to me. The fact that my family loved me was enough.

I am back!

I am back again! DeWayne and I have had a lot of things going on the last few months. I went back to work full time, his sister was tested to see if she was a match for him for a kidney transplant. She was a blood match. About a month ago, we went to Vanderbilt with her to support her while she was getting the rest of her testing done. She found out about three weeks ago that she is a diabetic, which keeps her from being a donor for him. So, needless to say we have had a lot going on the last few months. But, hopefully I am back now...woo hoo! See you all tomorrow.

Dream

Dream....what do you dream of? Do you dream of a better career? Do you dream of a better life? There are a lot of things that I would like to accomplish in my life. But, the one thing that I have always dreamed and aspired to be is a writer. I have decided at the ripe old age of 42 to give it a try. I may never get published but I am going for the gusto to see my dream through.

Count Your Blessings

Do you remember to count your blessings? I try so hard to remember to count mine on a daily basis. Even with DeWayne on dialysis, I try so hard to remind myself that things could be so much worse. This June, DeWayne will have been back on dialysis for four years. He's only had one hospital admission during that time. Last June when he was in the hospital with the peritonitis, Dr. Boorgu told him that most patients have a bout with this particular infection within the first 18 months. DeWayne had made it 36 months before getting it...so I count that as a huge blessing. I remember when DeWayne had to go to UAB for his regular doctors visit, we would always be reminded how blessed we were. There were always tons of patients much worse off than DeWayne ever has been. We should always remember....there is ALWAYS someone much worse off than ourselves.