November 7 I had an appointment with Dr. Moulton, my nehrologist. My friend Debbie Phelan and my husband both went with me to the doctor. The outcome of this visit is that he recommended I make an appointment with the surgeon for the implantation of a peritoneal dialysis catheter. I asked if I could wait until after the Christmas holidays, and he agreed. I go back to the doctor the first week in December, at which time he'll schedule the surgery. The cath needs to be in place at least 4 weeks before dialysis can start, so I imagine I'm looking at starting dialysis sometime in February. I also asked him about getting on the transplant list at hospitals other than UAMS; he recommended the Dallas Transplant Institute (DTI), and the hospital in St. Louis, where he trained. I have the paperwork ready to fax to DTI; the paperwork for St. Louis likely won't be mailed until after I have been contacted by DTI.
This morning at breakfast my friend Debbie told me that she and her husband had talked about it, and that she is ready to donate a kidney to me. Needless to say, it brought immediate tears to my eyes. As a kidney donor myself, I understand the sacrifice this means, and I am absolutely blown away by the idea that someone not related by blood or marriage would even consider doing this for me. I hope I don't have to take advantage of this offer; perhaps there will be a donor somewhere else. I am crying as I write this, so I'll stop for now. But I love her more than any words can express.
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