Trevor’s Medical Journey Continues; T-Rex is not extinct

08/28/2023

Started our Monday on a positive note. We had Trevor's 1 year check up today for his kidney transplant and he is doing excellent. They recommended to keep behaving, drinking water, taking meds on time, and getting labs monthly. I am so happy and proud of my husbands resilience and strength. Looking forward to a much needed getaway to Colorado to spend quality time together. Any recommendations in Colorado Springs is much appreciated. :)

10/03/2022

Good morning!

Quick update since Cassie and I just left my one month post op doctors appointment!

First off, everything looks great. All of my blood work has been coming back well inside the normal range and the central line incision is almost fully healed. The nephrologist feels comfortable letting me get labs once a week now instead of twice and I’ve also been cleared to return to work, albeit with some restrictions.

I had to ask while I was there…I have NOT been cleared to return to golfing, that’s another month away due to size of my incision, they want to make sure it has plenty of time to completely heal up. So hopefully these upper 70’s to lower 80’s temps will stick around for a bit longer!

As stated in my previous post, I was having issues with a steroid I’m on called Prednisone. I’m happy to report that now that the dosage has tapered off, I’m finally getting a little more sleep at night. I’m still eating everything g in sight and have gained about 12-15 pounds since I’ve been on Prednisone. Another side effect is thinning bones and a decrease in bone density. This is a big part as to why I needed a hip replacement in 2013. So to try to curve this issue, the nephrologist will be setting me up with an orthopedic doctor to do a bone density scan. He will also be getting together with the rest of the team to figure out if there is an alternative medication I can be put on.

That’s all I have to update for now. My next follow up appointment is on October 31st, but before that, I do have to go back in in a couple of weeks to have my stent removed. I’m both very happy and not looking forward to that appointment 😐.

Thank you to everyone that provided meals for Cassie and I. The meals were an absolute life saver for us and probably a great reason why I’ve been packing on the weight! Everything was delicious!

Also, thank you to everyone that donated monetarily. You’re generosity has helped us out tremendously as I’m trying to figure out Social Security disability as well as going back to work on a limited basis.

Finally, thank you again to everyone that has followed us along the 7+ months. It’s always nice being able to jump on this page and see all the love and support that you all have. I definitely could not have done this alone!

09/08/2022

Hello everyone and happy opening day of the NFL season 😁.

I wanted to post a quick update since I just left my first follow up appointment with the nephrologist. From the sounds of it, everything is looking amazing and the transplanted kidney is doing extremely well. All of my blood levels that measure the kidneys function are better than they ever have been.

As for me, I am feeling much better physically than I did prior to transplant. I feel like I have more energy, although I can’t really use all that energy until I’ve been cleared by the doctors. I am having some difficulty sleeping at night but the doctors say that is a side effect of medication I am on called Prednisone, which is a steroid. This medication will slowly be tapered off so the sleep will hopefully follow. I‘m no longer experiencing much pain in/around the abdomen area.

I want to give a real quick shout out to Amber Thiessen for setting up the meal train and to Danielle Petersen for throwing out the message regarding financial donations. The outpouring of support from those two posts have been overwhelming!

Finally, I want to thank everyone that has been following along on this page and sending positive thoughts and prayers. Obviously those positive vibes have got me to where I am today, out of dialysis and at home with a new healthy transplanted kidney!

09/07/2022

Good morning everyone!! This is Dani ( Trevor's Sister for those that dont know)

I've had a few messages since posting the Meal Train link last night asking if there is anything else Trevor & Cassie might need help with OR if there was a way to donate money to them to help with bills while Trevor is still not able to work. As many know Trev hasn't been able to work for several months (since Feb of this year & off and on several times last year) and unfortunately the way they calculate Short term disability for bartenders is backwards so that amount was very low and he had to fight most months to even get his payments. Those payments stopped in July and now he is waiting for SSI disability

With that said I reached out to Trevor and asked him to send me his Venmo and CashApp information so I could post those options for people that would like to donate

All money will go directly to Trevor's account for them to use for bills / meals until he is healed, healthy and able to go back to work.

Thank you all again for everything! Our family truly appreciates everything that is being done to help them on this journey!

09/06/2022

A friend of Trev and Cassie's, Amber , has created a meal train for Trevor and Cassie. I wanted to post the link as well for others to see, as many have asked how they can help. Thank you again everyone that has prayed and offered a helping hand so far!!

Trevor has just received his new kidney and is recovering at home. His wife Cassie is an amzing wife and caregiver, who has had to return back to work. I would like for us all to donate time to making them some meals so he can relax and heal and so she can help assist him in the evenings and not hav...

09/01/2022

HE IS FREE! T-REX IS ON HIS WAY HOME!!

09/01/2022

Day #3 Post Op!!

Another big day for Trev!! First, his labs looked better today! His creatinine level is officially in "normal" range!! This is huge and absolutely amazing! He continued getting up and walking the halls today and our mom even asked if he was able to go outside and they got the OKAY 👌 so Cassie took Trevor outside for a little bit this morning to get some fresh air before it got too hot outside!

With feeling better comes a bigger appetite! Today for lunch he got to enjoy some Chicken Enchiladas. With more food intake & moving around, he has been successful in getting the bowels going and for being post op & on pain meds he is being a champ with getting things moving and out 💩🤣! He also gets to move to a new room tonight because his toilet has been having issues since day one and they are finally deciding to fix it so he doesn't have to walk down the hall to a working toilet, but fixing the toilet will require them to remove it from the wall.

He was also able to get his catheter out today (whew.. huge relief) and is successfully getting urine out on his own. He did get the Stent placed and that will stay in for 6 weeks.

Another big removal today will be his central line! It hasn't been removed just yet but the plan is for that to be removed sometime tonight. The current plan is that Trevor will be released at some point TOMORROW to head home to continue his recovery from the comfort of his own bed, couch, and toilet with Cassie and Goose keeping tabs on him!

With them planning to hopefully relsease him tomorrow they had meetings with a lot of people today to go over home care needs. They met with pharmacist about all the meds he will be on once home, met with Post Op Dr. about what needs to be done at home and everything that needs to be tracked and written down. It is definitely a lot to take in information wise but thankfully UNMC has a great team and will definitely do whatever they can to make the transition from hospital to home as easy as possible for all involved!

Thank you again to everyone that has reached out with prayers, well wishes, and asking how they can help. It means a lot to all of us to know how many care about Trevor!

08/31/2022

Post Op Day 2
After a long night with very little sleep, Day 2 ended in a huge success. Late yesterday, an attempt was made to adjust Trevor’s pain medication. He went from a morphine pump to oxy. By this morning, it was obvious his meds needed another look and some refining. This afternoon, the pain was much more tolerable, and life was better.
His morning labs revealed a couple things. #1. His hemoglobin (red blood count) level was just below 7. This required him to receive two units of blood. The doctors told us this is not unusual after a kidney transplant, and more than half of kidney recipients need a transfusion. #2. Trevor’s creatinine level continued to decline. So, the level of waste in his blood went from over 8 on Sunday pre-transplant, to just over 4 yesterday, and 1.68 today. His new kidney is a rock star!
Trevor has been drinking enough fluids on his own that he is no longer on iv fluids, and the docs put orders in for a general diet. Not having a huge appetite yet, lunch consisted of cottage cheese, peaches, grapes, and chocolate pudding, but dinner included a cheeseburger and ice-cream.
Trevor was very active today. He went between his bed and the reclining chair a few times, and walked the halls twice. After his second unit of blood and proper pain management, he had a lot more energy, and his second walk exceeded expectations. Trevor’s goal for tonight is to get more than two hours of sleep.
Finally, we would like to give a special thank you to Jessalee for dog sitting Goose while we are away. And thank you to our neighbor, Jerry for edging and mowing our lawn, and Dana for flying over this morning when Cassie needed her. We appreciate all the prayers, love and support. Our friends and family fill our hearts with joy. The prayers are being answered, as each day has been a miracle.

08/29/2022

Post op Day 1
First Trevor & his family want to say “THANK YOU” for all the kind calls, texts, and messages. We feel so much love and support from all our family and friends. It is an amazing feeling to know we have the love and support from many loved ones near and far and it is truly remarkable.
We are beyond blessed, and this is a true miracle that occurred yesterday. We are still wrapping our heads around the whirlwind of events that has occurred over the last couple of days.
Unfortunately, UNMC is still not allowing anyone to stay with their loved ones overnight and kick all guests out at 8:00pm and allow them to return at 6:00am. Upon my arrival this morning they had Trev sitting up in the chair. He is feeling very tired today, but we all know how that goes, you do not get much sleep in a hospital & he had a very eventful day yesterday! He is experiencing pain here and there, but that is to be expected with a major surgery & they are doing what they can to keep him comfortable.
Every day the doctors and nurses will create a care plan as well as some goals that they would like him to achieve. Trevor will do all that he can to achieve those goals and show us all how strong and brave he is.
The transplant team came in to talk to us this morning and let us know that everything is “so far so good”.
One level that is routinely checked in someone with kidney failure is their Creatinine levels. Creatinine tests measure how well your kidneys are performing their job of filtering waste from your blood. These levels have dropped a significant amount already just from last night which is great! They have also stated that they are happy with his blood pressure & how much output he is having from his new kidney.
We will continue to take everything one day at a time. Our goal for tomorrow is to try to walk the halls and get the blood flow moving. We know we have a long road of recovery ahead but we also know that with all the love and support from family and friends, as well as Trevor’s strength we will make it through this. Trevor knows that it is nothing short of amazing to know how many are behind him during this journey.
We would also like to give a special thank you to all the staff at Nebraska Medicine for their exceptional care and commitment to our family.

08/28/2022

LONG POST, BUT WORTH THE READ! Trevor received his new kidney!!

While at dialysis yesterday, Trevor received a call from his transplant coordinator. A kidney was to become available, and Trevor was named a backup recipient. In other words, someone was in line ahead of him, but if anything fell through, Trevor would be the primary recipient considered. They needed Trevor to stop dialysis, and get to the Med Center ASAP. New lab work was needed to ensure all was okay. After drawing multiple vials of blood, they sent Trevor home to wait… He and Cassie went to get a bite to eat, and they called him again. He was still considered the backup, but they wanted him to be admitted to the hospital. This would allow them to check him out thoroughly, and he would be onsite if anything happened.
Last night was one of the longest nights ever. There was very little sleep for Trevor, Cassie and the families, as everyone waited to see how things would unfold. At 8:30 am this morning, Trevor received the word that he was now considered the primary recipient for a kidney. He learned shortly after that surgery was being scheduled for 3:00 pm. By noon, things were moving a little faster than planned. They needed Trev to shower and get ready for surgery sooner. By 1:30 pm, Cassie was giving him kisses and sending him off to surgery.

By 4:15, Trevor was out of surgery!! The doc says it all went very well. It is nothing short of a miracle how this all played out. The donor was on life support, and agreed to have organs donated. His/her family also supported this decision. The original plan was for one kidney and pancreas to go to another recipient at another facility. That doctor did not like the pancreas, so the kidney became available. Trevor went on the "list" just eleven days ago. He has a PRA score of 92%. That means Trevor would react or probably reject 92% of the potential donors out there. This kidney fell into the 8% that Trev will hopefully not immediately reject. This is amazing, and a gift from God. Trevor will be in recovery for a couple of hours. We hope to see him before they kick us out. Will update as we know more and hopefully see him. We are asking for prayers not only for Trevor, but also for the person who has given Trevor the gift of life, and the family left behind who also saw organ donation as a true gift to strangers in need.

08/21/2022

Good morning and happy Sunday! It has been a couple of months since we have posted any updates but today seems like a great day to share some updates.
Summer has flown by but Trevor has made the best of his situation and enjoyed every minute of the season. He has been out golfing a few times, continues to work in his garden, and loves to just sit out on the deck with the dog. Despite the basement project nearly being completed, we went with our brother-in-law's advise and tore down the entire ceiling so everything looks cleaner and installing lighting would be much easier. Needless to say, Trevor has spent quite a bit more time in the basement than anticipated, but has also learned a lot about running electrical wires. He has not returned to work yet however does plan on returning on a limited
basis in the next week.
This last week, Trevor's brother Walker, came in town and the two were able to spend quite a bit of time together catching up. They went and golfed on the simulator a coupe times, and then as a family, we went to late nights at the zoo and had a family dinner/game night. Trevor loves spending time with his family, especially his brother he doesn't get to see too often.
Finally, the real reason for this update and post... After going through his two day work up and piles of paperwork, Trevor has finally been added to the United Network for Organ Sharing List (transplant list)! His first official day on the transplant list will go back to his first day on dialysis back in February. As stated prior, unfortunately I am not a match, but I am part of the exchange program. So for now, it is just a waiting game but Trevor has been taking everything in stride. We want to thank everyone for their continued love an support and we will post again once we have any further updates!

06/19/2022

***Long Post ahead***
Happy Father’s Day to all of the dads out there, including the best dog dad I know, Trevor Payton. It has been a while since we have posted any updates, and Trevor continues to be a fighter. Trevor has received the gift of life not once, but twice, and has enjoyed a relatively normal life thus far. June 21st will be the anniversary of his first transplant in 1996, and June 23rd will the anniversary of his second transplant in 2010.

There was no doubt in my mind that I wanted to see if I was an eligible donor for my husband. Over the last couple months, I have gone through a very thorough medical evaluation to see if I was a match for Trevor. I knew the longer Trevor was on dialysis, the higher rate of medical complications in the long run. Living donations of organs vs waiting for a cadaver organ decreases the wait time and increases the recipient’s long-term health and their quality of life.

Despite my desire and best efforts to be a living donor for Trevor, the flow study determined that his body has built up some antibodies, making the match a little more difficult. We have learned I am not an eligible donor for Trevor, due to these antibodies.

Nebraska Medicine has been very successful in kidney paired donation. This involves two or more pairs of potential living donors and recipients who are not compatible. The candidates will do an exchange so that each candidate receives a kidney from a compatible donor. These paired donations have greatly increased the number of recipients that have received kidneys, who may not have been able to find a match.

I have committed to this exchange and we are hopeful that we get this opportunity. That being said, we have had many inquiries from people interested in seeing if they would be a compatible donor for Trevor.

For those who are interested in learning how to see if they may be eligible, they should call Nebraska Medicine at 800-401-4444 to talk to one of the transplant coordinators. The coordinators will discuss the evaluation process. This can be completely anonymous if you would like.

In the meantime, Trevor has been continuing dialysis three days a week and remaining in good spirits. He is still unable to return to work, but he stays busy by keeping up with the house and yard work as well as the inflow of bills, emails, and phone calls from all the hospital and doctors he has visited in the last 6+ months. We have been working on a basement remodel that is very nearly done…finally! We will be celebrating our 7-year wedding anniversary on June 26th by going to a nice dinner and possibly 9 holes of golf if its not too hot.

As always, we feel blessed to be surrounded by such great friends and family who have offered us continued support, prayers, and well-wishes throughout this process. Thank you!! If anyone has questions, please message us on this page, text or call.