Thursday 25 April 2013

Operation Complete

I had my operation yesterday afternoon. Sadly there were complications removing the left kidney because blood vessels were difficult to get to because they were buried under large cysts. This resulted in the left kidney taking 3 hours to remove and at this point the anaesthetist brought a halt to the operation as she felt a further 3 hours for the right kidney would be too long for me and the surgeon to cope with. So its possible I will need another operation in the future to remove my right kidney.

But without the left kidney I should have significant pain relief and hopefully most of my back pain will be gone.

I stayed in recovery overnight after the operation as my blood pressure was very very low averaging 80/35. At one point they thought I might have a bleed and considered returning me to the operating theatre - but a surgeon was called out and decided there was no bleed.

My haemoglobin levels fell significantly after the operation due to blood loss and they ordered 2 pouches of blood to transfuse into me - thankfully I woke up as they were setting this up and managed to bring a stop to this. The nurse looking after me was unaware that a transfusion could limit my chance of getting a kidney in the future. Hopefully over the next few weeks my blood levels will return to normal without any blood transfusions.

The surgeon took a photo of my left kidney that he removed. It's here for your delight! Notice the ruler which is 15cms long and he said the kidney was actually bigger than in the photo when it had blood flow in it. I'm glad that's not in me any more and am keen to get rid of my right one if its anything like this one.

I had an epidural for my pain relief so am relatively pain free. This gets removed tomorrow so I hope alternate pain relieve is sufficient. Here's a few things to pray for :-
1. Thanks for the success in removing my left kidney
2. That swelling and bruising goes down quickly
3. Effective pain management
4. That Blood Pressure and Haemoglobin goes back to normal quickly

Thanks all for making this possible so quickly
And for your ongoing support and prayers.

Rob & Joybelle

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