A Kidney for Dr. Pickle

26/07/2025

I get two days off from Dialysis a week. I try to make the most of those days. Wednesdays I burry my full day into work to keep projects and things moving. And Saturday I like to go and do something to exercise and relax. Well, my current blood pressure is 84/61. I have zero energy and just want to sleep. I guess my free day isn’t going to be what I had planned. 😞

18/07/2025

MayoClinic is providing a free class this Monday for
Anyone who is interested in possibly becoming a living donor whether for me, or someone else, this is an excellentent course from an excellent hospital to learn a little more about kidney donation. Tjere is zero obligationtjon. Just something to consider if you want to learn more.

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You are scheduled for the Living Donor Transplant Virtual Education Class. The class takes place using the Zoom application. The purpose of this class is to educate you, your caregiver, and any potential donors on living donor transplant. Please share the link below with any friends or family that would like be a part of this process with you.


You are scheduled for this virtual class on: MONDAY JULY 21ST AT 9:00 AM Arizona Time

Please log on 15 minutes early at 8:45 AM Arizona Time

Click the underlined link below to Join Zoom Meeting:
https://mchealth.zoom.us/j/94660797910?pwd=bzdzNDBmOWI3Umh1K3NlUTQ2Q0J2UT09

Meeting ID: 946 6079 7910
Passcode: 935877

To join audio with your phone dial: 301-715-8592. You will be prompted to enter the Meeting ID and Password above.


If you have any problems connecting to the class, call 480-342-1010. Please explain that you are needed to attend a class so they connect you immediately.

Understand that you are attending a group class and other participants will be able to see your name. In order to protect your privacy, Mayo Clinic strongly recommends that you do not use your last name in our online class. As you connect, enter only your first name and last initial at the login screen. Unlike your other provider visits, you will join the online class through the link above. Please do not report to the clinic for this class.

Using a Mobile Device
Prior to your appointment, download Zoom by searching “Zoom” on your app store. Download the “ZOOM Cloud Meetings” app. You will also be asked to select your device audio. Please accept this option.

Using a Laptop or Desktop Computer
You do not need to download the software separately. After clicking the video appointment link provided below, follow the online instructions to install and use Zoom. You will also be asked to select your device audio. Please accept this option.

Testing Zoom
When you are asked to “Join with Computer Audio,” you'll see this option: “Test speaker and microphone.” If you select that, you will be taken through the steps to test your audio. If you are having trouble with audio, please use the call in number above and use the meeting ID and password to join the meeting.

Next Steps
On the day of the class, please join 15 minutes early to ensure you can connect. If you are unable, please call 480-342-1010 and report that you are having issues joining a class that is starting now. You will be connected to someone who can help you.

Once connection is successful, you may have to wait a few minutes for your education class to begin. Please wait to be greeted by a Transplant Coordinator. When you join the class, please use only your first name and last initial to protect your privacy. Video will not be used for the education class.

Security
Mayo Clinic uses Zoom technology, a technology that protects your privacy as it meets the standards required by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), a law that regulates how medical providers can share medical information so patient's privacy remains protected.

Zoom is the leader in modern enterprise cloud communications.

10/07/2025

Ok, I know this post isn’t about my renal failure, but life isn’t always about me. Jo’s Diner and Pizzeria is a great little place in Maine that is owned by a college friend of mine.

This post about Charlie really touched me. Could y’all take a moment to click on this post, and wish Charlie a Happy Birthday? I’d love to see birthday wishes from all over the country to this little guy!

Jo's would like to give a huge shout out to this sharp dressed little man, Charlie and the rest of his family looking great too!
Charlie is turning seven on Sunday and his special request was to wear his fancy clothes and enjoy a pizza at Jo's while watching the fish!
We not only wanted to say happy 7th birthday to Charlie but thank you so much for picking us to celebrate your birthday with! Hope you have a wonderful birthday weekend and year!

09/07/2025

Today marks the 3 anniversary of the day I was released from the hospital with my Renal failure diagnosis. Since then I have spent 2,730 hours on dialysis.

That’s about 114 days, or roughly 3.7 months of continuous time.

To put it in perspective:

- It’s like watching TV for 8 hours a day for nearly a year (341 days)
- About the same as a full-time work schedule (40 hours/week) for 1.3 years
- If you slept 8 hours a night, you’d be awake for 2,730 hours in about 6 months
- It’s roughly equivalent to the total time many people spend commuting in 3-4 years (assuming 1-2 hours daily)

Or think of it this way: if you started something today and worked on it for 2,730 hours straight without stopping, you’d finish sometime in mid-November.

27/06/2025

Day 9 post op. Well, we are officially at the itchy incision stage. Pain has been minimal the last few days. Usually only with touching the incision, or with prolonged pressure on the incision when I’m sitting too long.

The initial scabbing is also starting to fall off, so the risk of infection is pretty much over.

As far as how I feel with one kidney instead of two? Literally zero difference, but they weren’t functioning, so others might experience something different.

I’m back to doing everything I was doing prior to surgery, except I am avoiding some heavy lifting and swimming until the doctor clears me. I meet with them next week for post surgical evaluation, and I may ask about swimming a week earlier because I miss swimming laps.

24/06/2025

Just got the call from my urology surgeon who removed my kidney. The biopsy results revealed I had small cell renal cancer, but they caught it early and were able to remove it all. He says I am clear to get a transplant as far as urology is concerned. Mayo has requested a liver fibroscan on July 18th just to be sure everything looks good there.

I wasn’t up on my cancers, so I asked Claude to give me an abridged version of what we are dealing with. Here is his response.

Small cell renal cancer, or small cell carcinoma of the kidney, is a rare, aggressive type of kidney cancer. Unlike the more common renal cell carcinoma, it’s characterized by small, round cancer cells that resemble those in small cell lung cancer. It often presents at an advanced stage, with symptoms like blood in urine, flank pain, or weight loss. Diagnosis involves imaging (CT/MRI) and biopsy. Treatment typically includes chemotherapy (due to its aggressive nature) and sometimes surgery or radiation, but prognosis is often poor due to rapid spread. Always consult a doctor for personalized advice.

18/06/2025

Slept most of the night, in 1-2 hour increments because this is a hospital, and they check on you regularly. My RN has been awesome. I’m still groggy and feel like I could sleep some more. I’ve been up and walking but I’m pretty sore. I can’t wait to finally eat something. It’s been since 7:00pm Monday night. I did drink some cranberry juice and a container of Jello last night at 9:45, but that’s it.

18/06/2025

Thank you everyone for the kind thoughts and prayers throughout the day. I have been completely out of it till about 9:00pm.

After surgery, I woke up for about 10 minutes in recovery, but my potassium levels were very high. Rather than give me binders and more meds, they just sent me to dialysis. I slept through most of dialysis, only waking up from pain, to ask for more meds. You all knew everything went great before I did.

I got to My room about 9:30, and Liz was here waiting for me to fill me in on what happened. I’m still a little groggy from the anesthesia, but that’s good, because I’ve got all night to try and sleep some more.

12/06/2025

Just had another consult with Mayo, this time for the transplant. They reviewed all my tests and studies, and have packaged my file up to present me to their transplant board next week. They reviewed all NP noted that as long as there are no surprises with the right nephrectomy next Tuesday, she felt I was a perfect candidate for a kidney transplant, and she sees no issues that would prevent me from being approved.

Now if I can just get over this last hurdle with the nephrectomy, and the platelet medications dont cause any further delay, I should be in the clear. It’s hard to believe this all started 3 years ago on July 1st.

11/06/2025

Anesthesia consult this AM. This is for the Laproscopic nephrectomy, not the transplant.

05/06/2025

Just had a consult with one of the transplant surgeons at Mayo Clinic. He said with 11 surgeons on his team, he may not be the one performing the surgery, but it’s his turn to review cases and determine the appropriateness for the team this week.

He chatted, we laughed, we discussed the issues like colleagues, and in the end, we are both comfortable with approving me for transplant as long as everything looks good after the nephrectomy on the 17th.

This is the type of consult we all want. Someone who is knowledgeable, and clearly an expert in his field, but also has a personality, relaxed, and can interact with patients without sounding pretentious or arrogant.

I know I am in good hands here at Mayo. I have much more confidence in that than I ever had at Banner, or at Honor Health. Yes, I’m still nervous to have my nephrectomy in less than 2 weeks. It’s my first major surgery in my life, but I know it won’t be botched by my surgeons and their team.