Discharge today

Hello Everyone!!

Thank you for the continued prayers .... I think they are working in my favor. I am totally exhasted as the last 36 hours have been packed full of tests. On Tuesday, day 1, I had an X-ray, an ultrasound (which took 90 minutes), and a GFR (a kidney test which lasted about 6 hours). They removed more blood from me than I can ever remember being sucked out at one time. I was sporting 2 IV lines as they needed one just for the push of a drug called Omnipaque, which is only secreted through the kidneys, to test my kidney function. Today, I had to undergo what they called a MMTT (mini meal tolerance test)..... that sucked!! I had to half my insulin intake at 6 this morning, and remain within a range blood suger wise, then at 8:25 we stopped my insulin intake completely and I had to drink this Boost crap which was pretty disgusting and had to suck down about 20 oz of the stuff in 5 mintues. From there, we had to wait 60 minutes, check my blood sugar to see how high it went, and remove more blood, again at 90 minutes and then one last draw. By the end of the 90 minutes my blood sugar was 549!! They were checking to determine if I had any production of C-peptide and glucogon. There is a range that I must remain in or I will be disqualified. It seems to be the general consensus that all looks VERY good for me to participate.

I met, in the 36 hours I was inpatient, the entire staff in which would take part in my care as a transplant patient. Deb met the two surgeons and the two nurses involved in the preliminary screening which has gone on for the past 6 months. I signed my consents, and took part in a Q&A on Monday. Today, I met the endocrinologist who will over see my care as part of the study, and yesterday, the nephrologist (kidney) who did the GFR. She happen to be from CONN. All of whom 1 came in contact with were professional, friendly, and very workable, even with my warped humor.

I will and should hear about results in a few days, maybe before I leave the SF area, if not by Monday or Tuesday of next week. The sort of depressing part is that I still need to complete 30 days of logs and not until that is complete, and can't get started until I get the call about the results of all these tests. After the logs are received and entered into the NIH data base will I be placed on the list. Deb's theroy is that I won't wait too long for a donor as the way they drive around here people must be dying at a pretty good rate. We were told that most of the donors have come locally. The whole process of how they extract the cells and the sensitivity involved in the handling of the pancreas given its fragility, is facinating!!!

Okay .... well ..... I am going to head to bed now, it is nice to be back to the hotel, having heat now after 3 nights without it and being told this is the coldest some have recall of being in SF.

Hope to post again when I get home this weekend with some photos of the area and some more info on if I got the call before leaving the area.

Thanks again to all who have continued to keep me in thier prayes. I can't thank you enough. Also, the whole staying in a hotel for 45 days is not going to be doable, so having been here to check out the area and where the hospital is located, I am thinking maybe an extended stay or monthly rental.

PEACE and love
et