Skip to main content

Laparoscopic Kidney Biopsy

Well, that was interesting.  As you are probably aware by now, kidney disease runs in my immediate family.  I have only one kidney, and its not doing all that well (Stage 3 Kidney Disease).  The real problem is that the doctors don't know why my kidney is failing to do its job.  After years of tests, we finally arrived the "last" option.   The gold test for kidney disease is a biopsy.  Since I only have one kidney, and I don't want to risk damaging it any further, we decided on a laparoscopic biopsy.  Now that's real surgery.  In fact, its scary how similar it is to a nephrectomy, where the doctors remove a kidney.  (mine is still there!)

So I went in on Sunday night, and of course, there were no beds.   They performed the basic admission tests and sent me home to sleep in my own bed. Monday morning, bright an early we arrived that the hospital and the biopsy began.  Actually, its was not SO bad.   It under full anesthetic, so I didn't feel a thing before or during the surgery.   I was pretty wiped out for the next twelve hours, being awake for a few minutes at a time and then drifting back to sleep.

The person next to me in the hospital was very impressive.  He had neobladder reconstructive surgery (you really don't want to go there) about a week ago and he still has at least two more weeks of hospital stay ahead of him.  What was most impressive was his outlook.  He was happy, chatty and positive about his future.   I learned that he is a rabbi/teacher and based on hearing him, I think his classes are probably very good.  I wish I had his name, other than Baruch.  If anyone knows who he is, I would be grateful for the lead.

The hospital discharged me around 10am the next morning.  I am walking like a little old man, because my side feels bruised.  Its getting better every day and I expect that by Shabbat, I'll feel like my old self.

As far as the biopsy itself, there is nothing yet to tell.  It will take 2-3 days to get results and then the doctors will need to discuss the results.  I have an appointment at the end of next week.  At a minimum, I will have some diagnosis.  At best, some therapy.  In any case, we will know more than we do right now.

It is important to maintain a positive and happy outlook.  I'm in awe of RivkA, who keeps moving even through chemo and many other challenges.

Refuah Shelema (a complete recovery) to all
Elliot


Comments

SuperRaizy said…
Refuah Shleimah to you, Elliot!
Anonymous said…
Hi Elliot, how are you right now?
I'm going to have my own kidney biopsy next week and i'm kinda anxious about it. I'm in stage 2 CKD but i hope they find out what's wrong with my kidneys as early as possible. Thanks for your blog.
Elliot said…
John, be strong. While I still don't know the specific cause of my problems, at least I know that its not acute and will take years to really manifest. For now, I'm trying out a low protein diet and exercising in moderation. A lot has to do with your outlook. Good luck,

Elliot

Popular posts from this blog

A change of pace (Kidney Failure)

I have been trying to keep this blog focused on hospitality and food.  God though has other plans for his creations and I find now that I will have to expand the scope to cover new topics.  I'll try to continue blogging about my menus and our guests, but expect more posts that have little or nothing to do with food. In February of this year, My second oldest son, Asaf was diagnosed with Chronic Renal Failure. Simply put, both his kidneys are damaged and scarred from some infection or defect that happened years ago.  They will likely cease to function sometime within the next six months. The good news is that there is no immediate danger to his life.  Kidney Dialysis is a viable option and can maintain his health for up to ten or more years if necessary.  Unfortunately, the process is not easy and there are potential side effects. Given Asaf's generally excellent health and age, Kidney Dialysis is considered only a stop-gap measure and not a long term solution. The best solutio

Unusual pesach meals part 2: Zupa Chrzanowa

What was I going to do with the horseradish root that I used for the pesach seder?  5 inches of spicy goodness.  Then I found this recipe for Zupa Chrzanowa,  Horseradish soup. I tried to keep close to the version in the link.  I made my vegetable stock from kitchen leftovers, carrot peels, onion skins, the green parts of leeks, celery and artichoke trimmings.  All parts that I would usually just throw in the trash.  They too contributed to my cooking today. Ingredients 1 carrot diced 1 stalk celery diced 1 onion diced 5 inches of horseradish (2 in diameter) grated 1 large potato diced 8+ cups of Vegetable stock 2 Tbsp olive oil Instructions Saute the carrot, celery and onion in hot olive oil until soft Add the diced potato, grated horseradish and vegetable stock (or water) simmer for 1-2 hours puree using an immersion blender or food processor Serve hot Update: Major failure.  The soup came out very very bitter and I'm pretty sure the culprit was the vegetab

TX +2 days

The transplant was on Monday afternoon. As I write this, its Wednesday afternoon. Call it 48 hours since my son received his new kidney. My wife and I are taking shifts at the hospital. She had the first night, I had the second. Tonight is her turn again. I just got back from the hospital and that's why there have been no posts. There is no Internet in the transplant ward. Medically, my Asaf is doing VERY well (as is the donor). When we went in, Asaf's creatinine level was about 6.4 mg/dL (GFR: 12). It means that his kidney was pretty much not doing anything. Today, we got the latest results. His new creatinine is 2.03 mg/dL (GFR: 46). That's better than my own and almost in the normal range (0.9 - 1.2 mg/dL). Each day its getting better and better. What this means is that his new kidney is working! He is able to eat a normal meal and is no longer on a restricted diet for kidney disease. This is great news! Our next hurdle is to make sure that his body does not reject the n