FIL is getting a trans operation
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He's 75. Wife is 72. They live about 20 minutes from us.
In 2011, when he was 63, he woke up one day with blood in urine, among other indications of something wrong. Goes to doctor, finds out he has a 12" (or 12 pound, I can't recall) stage 4 cancerous tumor on one kidney, or somewhere close, I don't recall all the details. Immediately he goes for surgery, they remove it, chemo, etc... fast forward 2 years of the fight and he is cancer free, which is cliché to say but even the doctors didn't expect that. So he was both unlucky and very lucky in the span of a few years.
As part of the process, he lost both kidneys (gets up at 330am for dialysis 3 times a week), lost his bladder (wears a colostomy bag), and his fingernails never recovered from the chemo. Prior to the cancer, he and his wife had just entered semi-retirement and had begun traveling 4-5 times per year around the world, but those trips were no longer possible, only 2-3 day local trips were.
Anyway....at 1am he got a call from the Mayo Clinic where he's been on a transplant list.
Wait, what did you think when I said trans?
Has been seeing doctors, doing tests, and staying healthy in the off chance an old fart like him can get lucky. So it sounds like he is... they went down at 4am today and are doing more tests. But fingers crossed the transplant operation, and resulting recovery process, goes well for him.
No need for well wishes here, I already know how kind you all are! If anyone has experience with post-trans(plant) recoveries, I'd be curious how it goes.
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Don't have a clue, other than the meds. But these people might...
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Sounds like it was a bladder, not kidney, cancer. Those frequency present with hematuria - though, of course, so do renal tumors.
When you say he "lost" his kidneys, I assume you mean he lost kidney function, not that the kidneys were actually removed. Perhaps a complication of the chemo.
A kidney transplant is a relatively small, and (believe it or not) simple operation. Hook up an artery, a vein, and the ureter, and you're good to go. The fact that he no longer has a bladder might actually make it easier since the "sewing" part might be simpler for that hookup.
OTOH, if there's lots of scarring after his big operation, things might take a bit longer.
Regardless, best of luck to him!
"Now look here, you Baltic gas passer... " - Mik, 6/14/08
The saying, "Lite is just one damn thing after another," is a gross understatement. The damn things overlap.
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I know what it’s like to identify as a person with fully functioning organs after being assigned end stage organ disease in middle age.
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I know what it’s like to identify as a person with fully functioning organs after being assigned end stage organ disease in middle age.
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Sounds like it was a bladder, not kidney, cancer. Those frequency present with hematuria - though, of course, so do renal tumors.
When you say he "lost" his kidneys, I assume you mean he lost kidney function, not that the kidneys were actually removed. Perhaps a complication of the chemo.
A kidney transplant is a relatively small, and (believe it or not) simple operation. Hook up an artery, a vein, and the ureter, and you're good to go. The fact that he no longer has a bladder might actually make it easier since the "sewing" part might be simpler for that hookup.
OTOH, if there's lots of scarring after his big operation, things might take a bit longer.
Regardless, best of luck to him!
@George-K said in FIL is getting a trans operation:
Sounds like it was a bladder, not kidney, cancer. Those frequency present with hematuria - though, of course, so do renal tumors.
When you say he "lost" his kidneys, I assume you mean he lost kidney function, not that the kidneys were actually removed. Perhaps a complication of the chemo.
A kidney transplant is a relatively small, and (believe it or not) simple operation. Hook up an artery, a vein, and the ureter, and you're good to go. The fact that he no longer has a bladder might actually make it easier since the "sewing" part might be simpler for that hookup.
OTOH, if there's lots of scarring after his big operation, things might take a bit longer.
Regardless, best of luck to him!
Thanks George. I believe one kidney was removed as part of the cancer surgery, but indeed he does still "have" the other kidney, albeit barely functioning. From what I've heard, the doctors will indeed be placing the new kidney into "an available space" inside and connecting t3h tubez (veins, etc). He'll continue to use the col bag for pee/poop so from a simple perspective, this transplant will basically allow him not to require dialysis as his (new) kidney should help filter the blood... at least until he's closer to 90.
It's remarkable how fast the process is. 1am call... at Mayo (which is 90 minutes away) by 4am, and the procedure I think is happening as we speak (around 10-11am).
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I know what it’s like to identify as a person with fully functioning organs after being assigned end stage organ disease in middle age.
@Jon said in FIL is getting a trans operation:
I know what it’s like to identify as a person with fully functioning organs after being assigned end stage organ disease in middle age.
Indeed! Do you take medications today, such as anti-rejection meds?
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How much did you tip the surgeon?
@LuFins-Dad said in FIL is getting a trans operation:
How much did you tip the surgeon?
555 LuFins. Depends on how good the service was!
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Best of luck. The “available space” is always the iliac fossa and the vessels connected are iliac vessels. It’s an easily accessible anatomical space and doesn’t involve messing around in the peritoenum so as far as surgery goes it’s not so morbid. The big issue is of course immunosuppressants to prevent rejections. But the quality of life is much better than dialysis.
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Best of luck. The “available space” is always the iliac fossa and the vessels connected are iliac vessels. It’s an easily accessible anatomical space and doesn’t involve messing around in the peritoenum so as far as surgery goes it’s not so morbid. The big issue is of course immunosuppressants to prevent rejections. But the quality of life is much better than dialysis.
@bachophile said in FIL is getting a trans operation:
Best of luck. The “available space” is always the iliac fossa and the vessels connected are iliac vessels. It’s an easily accessible anatomical space and doesn’t involve messing around in the peritoenum so as far as surgery goes it’s not so morbid. The big issue is of course immunosuppressants to prevent rejections. But the quality of life is much better than dialysis.
Good info, thanks!
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Good news indeed. Kidney transplants are a “mature” technology. I remember doing them 40(!) years ago when they were a big deal - at least from a immuno suppression standpoint. As I said, the surgery is not all that complicated.
Glad things went well and here’s hoping that he continues to recover.
