THE UPS AND DOWNS

I will admit that the emotional swings are getting tough.  We get good news, then bad news, then good news and so on and so forth.  Yesterday was Piper’s CT scan, and although we got the best possible news in that she doesn’t currently have any tumors on her kidneys or lungs, it was a long and difficult day.

Piper was puffy yesterday morning when we took her to the hospital.  She’s been more puffy recently and has needed more of the medication she takes to reduce fluid retention.  It’s a sure sign of kidney trauma, but we were hopeful that a change in her medication would solve the problem.  Everything went fairly well yesterday leading up to the CT scan.  Erin took care of Piper and I took care of the Harper and Sophia and got them off to school.  Then, I got ready and went to the hospital for my blood work and to meet with Erin and Piper.

Our friend Des was at the hospital when I arrived and she stayed with me while I had 9 tubes of blood taken for tissue typing.  We were then taken back to the recovery room in the imaging department.  Piper and Erin were there and Piper had been given some Versed so she was pretty loopy and cute.  I played with her and distracted her while the nurses got an IV port in her hand and then took 9 tubes of her blood for typing.  After a while, I left to go to work and Des stayed behind with Erin.

Piper was given fluids for about an hour starting at 10 am, and by 11:30, the CT scan was done.  The initial opinion was that Piper had a lot of fluid in her abdomen and chest cavity.  It was severe enough that our nephrologist was concerned about it and wanted Piper admitted for the night for observation.  In the meantime, I was able to get an appointment to have an ultrasound of my kidneys done.  I learned that Piper was being admitted in the middle of the ultrasound at the outpatient imaging center near my office.

My contact with Erin had been spotty due to the fact that she was in the hospital and focused on Piper, but eventually I spoke to her and she told me that she thought that the CT scan had come back clear because the only thing the anesthesiologist mentioned to her about the scan was the fluid.  We still had to wait for the radiologist to look at it and write a report.  I was definitely not feeling very mentally settled at that point in the day.  The unknowns were just too much.

What were the results of her CT?  Why does she have so much fluid retention?  Is my kidney going to fit?

It was a lot to deal with and Erin and I cope with these things differently.  She was certainly feeling very positive at that point, and I was trying my best to do the same…but it was harder for me than for her.

I went back to my office to try and finish a few time sensitive things and then left around 4 pm to go over to the hospital.  Piper had been admitted at that point (to the same exact room we were in three months ago) so I went up and spent some time with her and Erin.  Des was still there and her husband, James, had come over as well.  It was nice to have the company and we’re lucky to have such good friends.

While I was there, we got some other good news too.  One of the unknowns became known. The ultrasound report came through and my kidney will fit inside Piper’s abdomen!  It was the answer to one of our many prayers.  I am a blood match, her father and most importantly, my kidney is the right size.  Unless my blood works comes back with something that is worrisome, we won’t have to rely on anyone else to donate or get on a list for a cadaver kidney!

So, while we were thrilled that she appears to be tumor-free and I am a match, we were (and are) concerned because she was exhibiting symptoms of kidney failure.  It was a complete coincidence that this occurred while we were there for a CT scan, but the puffiness, lack of urination and poor kidney function in her lab results are all signs of end stage renal failure.  There is a chance…and a chance is all we need…that her symptoms are a result of some complication with her medication and the CT contrast used.  We are currently waiting and watching to see what happens.  If she doesn’t begin to urinate more frequently and her blood work remains problematic, then the doctors believe that her kidneys are failing and they will need to be removed.  They are estimating that if that’s the case, they will be removed in the next 1-2 weeks and she will be put on dialysis until the transplant, which could be several months away.

Erin stayed with Piper last night, so this morning I thought it would be nice to surprise both of them with a visit from Harper and Sophia.  It was great to see all the girls so happy together.  It was also great because I got all three of them ready for tomorrow’s big game against Georgia!

We will see.  Although her faulty little kidneys may finally be giving way, it’s not as if we didn’t know this was going to happen.  If I look at the bright side, I’m happy that the CT scan came back clean and she can take one of my kidneys.  We have a plan and all of the pieces are in place.  The timeline might just have moved forward a bit.

I will keep you updated.  Thanks again for all the thoughts and prayers.

Love, Chris and Erin

Please follow and like us: