Skip to main content

Transplant Day #1

Asaf received a kidney today, May 11th, 2009 from one of our neighbors. We thought this day would never come. The system currently in place is well meaning, but certainly makes it hard and stressful to find a donor and complete the transplant process. It has been about six months since the donor began the process. She was subjected to numerous tests, both physical and psychological which of course, she passed with flying colors. I doubt that I will ever understand her dedication to her altruistic donation, but I will always appreciate it and treat it with the respect and awe that it deserves.

Our day began at 5:30am. The donor was hooked up to a drip line last night to make sure that she was hydrated. Asaf was shaved around 5:45 and then had to take yet another shower with antibacterial soap. Around 7am, the donor was wheeled down to pre-op. At 7:15, she was taken from pre-op to surgery.

We had a crowd with us at the hospital. The donor's husband, myself and my wife, my sister and her husband, our dearest friend Caryn and my third son, Boaz. It was good that we had such a strong support group. Surgery is stressful for the patient as well as for those in the waiting room.

We heard nothing until about 11am, when they told us that Asaf would be going to pre-op. He arrived there around noon. We took this to mean that the donor's surgery was complete and successful. While we were in pre-op, the transplant surgeon came by and said that the kidney was ready and that everything was looking good. Asaf went into surgery around 12:30pm.

We had a stressful time wondering where the donor was. We were waiting with her husband outside of the recovery room and there was no indication that she was even in recovery. Around 1pm, we learned that she was in recovery, but that they were busy and could not let anyone in to see her. At 2pm, she came flying out of the recovery room on her was up to the transplant ward. We were all relieved to know that she was ok.

Asaf's surgery took a bit longer. Around 6pm, the surgeon came out and told us that the procedure has went well, Asaf didn't lose too much blood and that he was starting out on the right foot. Then we waited to see him in the recovery room.

Around 7pm, Leiah went in to see Asaf. He was on a ventilator and looked pretty scary. The recovery room is a busy place and they don't let visitors stay there for more than a few minutes. Leiah was ushered out and promptly cried in relief and in pain at seeing our son in that state.

Around 8pm, Our son Boaz who is 16 and a half wanted to see his brother. Boaz has just finished the 60 hour MDA (Magen David Adom) course and felt that he was prepared. Boaz is very close to Asaf and the process has been very stressful for him. It turns out that seeing Asaf was also stressful. We sent Boaz home with a friend to get some sleep.

Around 9:30, I finally got to go and see Asaf. By that time, he no longer needed the ventilator and was able to talk. He said that he was tired and hungry! What a wonderful thing to hear, particularly since once of the side effects of kidney disease is a loss of appetite.

Asaf now has three kidneys. The surgeons leave the old kidneys in place because to take them out would be more traumatic. Since they are not necrotic, just inactive, there is little risk in leaving them in the body. The new kidney is positioned just about the groin on the right side. Its a good place to put it because there is room in the abdomen and its close to the bladder and major blood vessels. We hope Asaf has a long and healthy life with his new kidney.

Thank you for all your prayers and positive thoughts. They have been a blessing and support for all of us during these challenging times.

With love and respect,
Elliot and Leiah Jaffe

Comments

Bruce Krulwich said…
Absolutely amazing! B'H!
Talia said…
Wonderful news! Asaf and the donor are in our prayers. Hope everything countinues going well. Keep us posted!
Brenda said…
Thank you for this blog and keeping all of your friends updated. If you need anything please let us know.

Brenda Lauer

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