Happy New Year from Henry Ford Hospital

Howdy folks, Dave O here

(hey everyone-Phoebe here- Dave O went to take a call from Grandma Jennie- I hope everyone is having a fantastic New Year's Eve! Dave and Doug are both really doing great. Doug was just moved out of the ICU today and is now in his own room in another part of the hospital. Dave and I are getting ready for our own New Year's "celebration" which will probably involve flat warm soda pop, the Return of the King DVD extras and turning in by 9 o'clock or so. Not the most exciting of parties, but everyone is happy and well, and that is the best start to the New Year that we can think of. Love to all and see you soon-- -Phoebe)

Okay, now it's really Dave O here. Not much I can add to what Phoebe said. It's been great having all of your love and support. We're probably going to go see Doug here in a little bit. I can't tell you how much better he looks. More details will follow, but for now, Happy New Year to all!

Dave O. Reports Dave O. Is Doing OK!

Phoebe (& Dave ) called to report that Dave is doing well and is preparing to spend the night at his hospital digs. Doug is also well and is currently in recovery. He will be spending the night in the ICU so that they can monitor, medicate, etc. as needed with greater ease.

Everything seems to have gone well and it appears that the kidney started functioning as soon as it was placed in it's new home. Dave mentioned that he'd like to find the guy that "punched him in the gut," however. We're assuming that feeling will fade in the near future. Congratulations and all our best to Dave and Doug.

Lefty's On His Way

Phoebe reports that Dave O. is out of surgery and recovering. Now it's Doug's turn for Lefty (after an about face to make him Righty).

A Big Thank You

It's Monday and the public libraries are open again, but I find myself with precious little news to share. Instead I'd like to talk about other people and how great they've been. Folks have done a lot of things; throwing early Christmas parties, traveling great distances, providing support of all kinds; all to make this possible. You know who you are. I hope you know how much it's meant to me. Christmas has always been about friends and family, and the circumstances of this year, tough as they are, only underline that. Thank you, one and all.

God Bless Barnes & Noble!

And I don't just say that because I am a loyal employee of the last (almost) nine years. Have you tried their new wireless access in the cafes? It's peachy. On to the news:

The polls have closed, the other organs have all voted and, drumroll please, IT'S LEFTY!

Yes, Lefty has to leave the body. He only has himself to blame, what with his longer urether and better blood vessel connections. I warned him. Latinists will join me in rejoicing that the left, or sinister kidney is the one departing. Wouldn't that augur ill for Doug though, you say? Well, first I'd point out that my left-handed brother is already sinister, but here's the kicker. They're putting it on his right side, so all ill omen will be averted. Poor Lefty, though. He's going to be confused.

Yesterday, after fighting a major (for Detroit) blizzard on the way to the hospital, we had blood drawn for the final cross-match (okay), met with a member of the surgical team (so young!), and talked with Doug's nephrologist (nice man. His son was president of the Junior Classical League, but abandoned Latin for medicine. Sucker.) I also formally signed my consent. No backing out now. What did we learn? Well, here's what the future holds:

Monday
Starting at noon I start taking a super-laxative. It's so super that they don't call it a laxative, they give it the cringe-inducing title of oral enema. I ask you, could you think of a worse name? The idea is that, since my part of the operation is laproscopic, they need all the room in the abdominal cavity possible. So it's my job to empty it out. No special requirements for Doug yet. But me, I was told, "Make no plans for Monday night!" Yay. Then it gets better on...

Tuesday
I don't get to eat on Tuesday. Oh, all the clear liquids and jello I want, but no food. Just to make the lazy doctors job more easy. No, I kid, I kid. This will be the toughest part, I imagine. Doug has to skip dinner, the poor boy. They deliberately did not tell me about the fasting until I got here. What will make it better? Phoebe arrives on Tuesday.

Wednesday
Up at the crack of dawn. No, well before, actually. By the time dawn starts spreading her rosey fingers across the sky Doug and I will have showered with our special anti-bacterial scrub and headed down to the hospital with Phoebe to keep our 5:30 check in time. Uffda! I go under the knife first, obviously, and they expect the surgery to take 3-5 hours. Then, after checking Lefty out to see that he's okay, they put him in Doug, which will require another 2-4 hours. They say that if all goes well, it should start working right away and he could be making urine again before he's sewn up. Gross, but isn't that what this is all about? Making urine?

At some point on this day Phoebe will check into her snazzy efficiency apartment at the hospital. I'll be stable and in a regular, private (!) room by the end of the day. My stay will be brief, and I may even get to leave the next day, but probably Friday. Doug will spend the first night in Intensive Care for sure. They expect him to move to a regular room the next day or so, about the time I'm leaving.

After
Phoebe and I will stay at Doug's apartment while he's in the hospital. She leaves on Sunday, he should come home by Monday, at which time it'll be me and him at his place. The doctors will have a look at me about ten days after the surgery and decide if I can drive home. Once I take off Doug is going to stay with his friend Rick until he's okay to be on his own. That may be a couple weeks.

Packed and Ready

Okay, that's a lie. I'm not quite done packing. It's all laid out on the floor waiting for me to go pick a suitcase out in the basement. But I'm ready. Phoebe and I had a wonderful dinner tonight at French Meadow, our favorite restaurant, courtesy of Grandma's generosity. The plan is to hit the road tomorrow at oh-dark-thirty, as my father would say. I'd like to make it to Michigan by 10. Curse the time zone change! I'll post when I arrive.

How to Look Skinny in Photos

First, hold your arms above your head. That helps a lot.
Then (and this is the most important part), remove all flesh.



Notice on the second x-ray you can see some pretty branchy things on my lungs. Are they blood vessels? I don't know, but they took a really pretty color picture of them too, which you can see here.

Two Weeks to Go!

Well, one week from today and I'll be on the road, passing Chicago about now. Two weeks I'll be on the operating table getting that quick, one-pound weight loss surgery that's so popular these days. Not much new to report, nerves are still under control, but I'm starting to realize how much time I'm going to be apart from Phoebe, and how tough that's going to be.

Nervous Yet?

I get asked this a lot. The answer is, "Not really." I feel pretty calm about it all and, if anything, a little excited. Hopefully this is going to make Doug's life a lot easier. I can't imagine being on dialysis this long. My job is simple: show up when asked and do what I'm told. I can handle that. It's not a very risky surgery, no real side effects, and recovery is only supposed to last a few weeks at most. And I love road trips. Give me the free time and I'll drive to Michigan just to cross the Mackinac Bridge. I've got a lot of movies picked out to sit and watch, books to read, and music to listen to.

They say you bounce back more quickly the better shape you're in, and I do find myself exercising a little more franticly lately. Nothing like trying to cram at the last minute. Does that sound like me? I just get a little grossed out thinking of them having to cut through layers of belly fat. Skin? Muscle? Doesn't bother me. But the thought of a scalpel slicing through thick, yellow (It's always yellow in my imagination, at least.) fat? Gross. And a little embarassing. So I'm trying to minimize that.

Now, I am a little nervous on Phoebe's account. She's a born worrier and this is going to be rough on her. It looks like she'll be able to stay at the hospital while she's out there, though, so that'll help.

Cuter Than Baby Photos?

Maybe not. But they are pretty cute. I hope they don't miss each other when they're separated.



I had the CAT scan over a month ago here at the U and, while they sent the results off to Detroit no problem, they didn't send off the actual film. So I have this snazzy cd-rom to bring to Detroit with me, full of wonderful photos of my insides. Here are some of my favorites. You can click on the thumbnails for a better view.

Off and running

Howdy folks! If you're here I hope you're looking for info on the Great Fraternal Kidney Transfer of 2004. I'll try to use this as a tool to keep far-flung friends and family informed as to the latest.

The basics are as follows: the surgery is scheduled for December 29, and they want me out there a week early. So I leave on the 22nd and it'll be Christmas in Michigan with my brother and niece. You could do worse. Phoebe will fly out on the 28th and back on the 2nd, by which time I ought to be out of the hospital and recovering at Doug's. Within a week or two (or maybe three) I will hopefully be back myself.