Sorry for the delayed update on Ken, but I was waiting on the outcomes of some recent doctors’ appointments before I sent out another blog. Ken is home and has been since October 4th. Recovery has been slow and we have been traveling back and forth to the clinic for labs and doctors’ visits. He now goes to a new lab weekly called the Coumadin clinic. There they check the level of Coumadin (a medicine that keeps his blood from clotting easily). This has to be monitored closely and they want a therapeutic level of 2.5 in his blood. Presently it is at 2.2 so they will continue to adjust the dosage of medicine.
Ken also went to see a vascular doctor who did another
ultrasound on his leg. He said the clots
are starting to dissolve in some of the veins in his leg, but one or two are
still blocked. He told Ken that he may have
pain, varicose veins and swelling in that leg down the road. He told him about a procedure where the
doctor injects medicine directly into the veins that are clotted to help
dissolve the clots. However, since it would be on the same side as his new
kidney, it could affect the new kidney.
Ken said he did not want anything jeopardizing that kidney. So instead the doctor prescribed a
compression stocking that Ken will need to use on that leg. Ken and I could be on America’s Funniest Home
videos trying to pull that thing on every morning!! One piece of great news is that
the nephrologist told Ken that his new kidney continues to be functioning
beautifully. He has graduated to clinic
visits every two weeks now. They will
still follow him closely with weekly blood tests. A second piece of great news is that Ken
drove the two of us to his clinic today.
He smiled the whole way there. I
think he was tired of being in “my carpool.”
I was thrilled to be chauffeured for a change. His next goal is going back to work on
Monday. This will be the beginning of a
normal life for both Ken and me. Ken and
I have learned that this journey is not a simple one. It will have bumps along the way some are
bigger than others but we know that we always have friends and family like you
to count on. We know there will be more
challenges but we have decided to live each day and to be thankful for that
gift from God. It is so hard not to
worry about the future, but we know we have no control over that. 
If you want to walk with us you can go to:
http://donate.kidney.org/site/TR/Walk/Louisiana?pg=entry&fr_id=5120
You can register as a member of our team – “Renal Roigs” and walk with us. Our team is listed on the right side under the Family/Friends teams. If you can’t walk with us and want to donate to the National Kidney Foundation, you can make a general donation by clicking the tab “Make a General Donation.” This year we will be walking in honor of living donors like our hero, Alex, and hope to inspire others to give the gift of life to someone in need. We hope you can join us on this very special day!
Until the next time may the Lord carry us on our journey,
Pat
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