Medical news . . . not good

 

I had a consultation with my urologist yesterday.  She gave me bad news.  The nuclear medicine test last week revealed that my left kidney is doing 90%+ of the work in my body;  the right kidney is moribund, doing less than 10% of the work.  In so many words, there's nothing more they can do to save it, and it'll have to come out.

I'm disappointed by this news, but I can't say I'm surprised.  Given the amount of trouble I've had from it over the past couple of years, this was always on the cards.  The only thing that makes me mad is that, if I'd had this nuclear medicine test right at the beginning, it might have revealed the dimensions of the problem without my going through four kidney procedures last year, and all the associated pain and extended discomfort.  Unfortunately, the local doctors I initially used did not prescribe that.  If I'd gone to the (much better) urologist in Dallas much earlier, things might have become clearer much sooner, and we might even have been able to save the kidney.

Anyway, onward!  My urologist will be on maternity leave for the next few months, and when she gets back we'll decide on dates, etc. for the removal.  If anything goes wrong in the interim, I'm to contact her and she'll have another urologist (one she would trust to work on her, which is a very good recommendation) do the removal, but as things stand at present that shouldn't be necessary.  Only if the "bad" kidney shuts down altogether will immediate removal be needed, and I'm told the signs of that will be obvious.

However, this means I'm going to have to find more money for the kidney surgery, plus continue saving like mad to put towards a double spinal fusion in the not too distant future.  I'm going to do a GiveSendGo fundraiser soon to help out with that, and my wife and I are in the throes of applying for a second mortgage on our home to raise more.  Fortunately we have a fair amount of equity in our house, so that won't be too difficult - but at today's interest rates, it'll be expensive.  (In brief, I can't rely on medical insurance and/or workers compensation to pay for that, due to a long and complex set of circumstances.  I'll explain more when it comes to the fundraiser.)  I'm not going to do the spine surgery until the kidney surgery is over and done, and I'm fully recovered from it.  Two such operations in quick succession would, I think, be very unwise!  I'll just live with the back pain, as I have for years, and pop a few more analgesics to cope.

Many thanks to all of you who've kept me in your thoughts and prayers, and to the very generous reader who helped to cover an onerous bill last year.  It's a humbling thought to know that so many people care about me.  I'll keep you posted - and please keep the prayers coming!

Peter