Blood Test – Weight Loss Diet Solutions

Kidney Transplant Donor Testing

Yesterday was a long and tiring day at the Foothills hospital in Calgary for me as I started the Kidney transplant donor testing in earnest

The journey for Michelle and I to become transplant donors started a few months back as we know that our daughter will need a new kidney sometime in the new year. A few weeks ago the kidney transplant staff here in Calgary sent us each a health questionnaire and had us take a blood test. The questionnaire was just about 15 minutes to fill out and the blood test was just testing our blood type to see if it was a match for Taylor’s blood type.

After checking through everything the transplant crew decided that they would start with me as the donor and if I fail at any point then my wife would do the same testing.

Once the decision was made I met with our transplant doctor (actually one of three for kidney transplants) and he asked me a couple of questions about my health and was available to answer some questions for me. The only real questions that I had were wondering what the chance of being selected were (good but based on health and tissue typing), and what the recovery will be like for me (fast if laproscopic and longer if open surgery is needed). And after meeting with the doctor the adult transplant department got me a date for testing

Health Testing for Kidney Donor

Yesterday was a long day getting lots of tests. At this point we know that I am a blood type match and that I am willing to donate a kidney to my daughter but yesterday they started assessing my health and the viability of both of my kidneys so that I could have a strong kidney and also be able to give a strong kidney to my daughter.

I started by having eight vials of blood taken so that I could be tested for many diseases, if I was a carrier for any diseases this would make it difficult for my daughter to fight anything since she will be on antirejection drugs after transplant.

Next I had an ECG. An electrocardiogram takes just a minute to do but is critical. It shows the medical staff how good my circulation is as well as testing heart function.

After this quick test I had a diagnostic imaging test. This was actually the longest test that I had and involved a dye being injected into me and at the same time there were pictures taken of it running through my kidneys. This test took about 30 minutes and after that I had to come after two, three, and four hours to have blood taken to see how quickly the dye was being pushed out through my kidneys. This will help the doctors find out the clearing rate of my kidneys.

Finally after this was all done I had a CT scan to see the blood vessels and tissues of my kidneys to see how tough it would be to extract and how healthy they are as well. And quickly after that I had a couple chest X-Rays and I was let go to come home.

Long day to say the least but the staff at Foothills hospital were all fantastic, helpful, and really confident in what they were doing shuttling me through the different parts of the hospital and making sure that I knew what each test was for and what to expect.

Last night I have to admit I was feeling a little beat up. Mostly I think that all of the poking and prodding was bothering me but mostly all the chemicals that were put into me were just working their way through my system. Feeling great today though.

What’s Next for Kidney Transplant Testing?

So now that I had this massive day of testing I am not done yet. I still have to get a Tuberculosis test. I need to do a 24 hour urine collection to see how well my kidneys are clearing over a whole day. I also need to get another blood test done 2 hours after eating breakfast one day as well.

After this is all done, maybe before though Taylor and I will need to do a tissue typing test. This seemed complicated to me but in fact it is pretty easy. I give some blood and Taylor gives some blood and then they mix it all together and see if there are any antibodies from either of us fighting the others blood. I was explained that this mainly happens in people that have had a transplant or blood transfusion before but it is of course important to do anyway.

This whole process for us seems to be long and drawn out but it is important. The last thing we would want to do is a transplant that is not going to have the best chance of success. Actually we should have the results for all tests down withing the next 4 to 6 weeks so not to much longer to wait to find out what our next step will be.

Fat Loss for Idiots is a great diet that gives you a menu. Review is here review. See if you can lose 9 pounds in 11 days.
Burn the Fat Feed the Muscle is an exercise and diet program. My review of Burn the Fat shows that it is designed and written for regular guys and gals. Teaching you how to workout and eat to lose weight.

Kidney Transplant Donor Testing, 5.0 out of 5 based on 1 rating

Related Blogs

Related Blogs on 15 Minutes

Related Blogs on Blood Test

Thank you guys for the support on yesterday’s blog entry. After deciding to start a “no factory food week” and being introduced to Paleo, I thought it only made sense. Paleo is minimally processed (depending on what you choose to eat) and that is what appeals most to me. It isn’t “low carb” or meat heavy like the name shows it to be.

It’s not that I’m convinced scientifically that this way of eating is better because of our long ago ancestors, it appeals to me for it’s lack of crap. The thing that bothers me the most and something that I will have to deal with in the coming months is criticsm to trying something new. But here is what bothers me the most…

A sample day on Paleo (not unlike what today promises to be):

Breakfast: eggs and fruit

Lunch: some sort of mixed greens salad with roasted vegetables, olive oil and lemon dressing

Dinner: (we’re going to a cookout) grilled steak and vegetables, sweet potatoes

This is how I aim to eat no matter what I call my eating plan: counting calories, paleo, tomato, tomäto

Now if I announced I’M ON WEIGHT WATCHERS AGAIN, and decided to go the processed food route. No one would say anything.

Please help me to understand this mentality?

When I try something new that is different from what you do it’s not my way of saying, you’re doing it wrong. It has nothing to do with you. It’s my way I trying, again, to find something that I can do long-term to lose weight. How I lose weight has nothing to do with anyone else, but me. And when I’m successful, it won’t matter how I got there. When my blood test shows better numbers, when I’m less depressed, when I’m less foggy, when I don’t have to hide food or lie about food, when I’m not trying to stuff my feelings with food, when I can fit into an airplane seat without an extender or shop in any clothing store I like— that is what will matter the most. Not that I chose vegetables, meat and fruit. But, I can’t have all those precious things without making a real decision about how much and what I consume. A decision that is very hard for me to make when staring bread right in the eye when I know I can have it, but not too much. Maybe one day, but not today. I’ve known this for a very long time.

In my day to day life I noticed I was eating way too much processed foods. My sandwich thins, mayonnaise, pickles, meat that isn’t local, cereals, frozen meals, nutrition bars…I could go on. This doesn’t mean I won’t have organic-nitrate-free bacon or pure organic bars if I want it, but I want less ingredients in my life.

Just yesterday we switch our cat food to a more expensive brand. About a week ago I noticed one of our cats was (how shall I say) leaking. It was gross and smelly, so I took him to the vet. She told me that he needed more fiber in his diet. Fiber that he wasn’t getting from his very commercial (and cheap) cat food.

I looked at the ingredients of his new cat food and could pronounce every single ingredient: chicken, oats, sweet potatoes, kale…you get the picture. And then we went to compare it with his old cat food that was half the price and out of a paragraph of ingredients I could pronounce two: corn and soy. I was stunned. We decided it was cheaper in the long run to give them better food with less vet bills, so fancy cat food is where we went. This story is not unlike our own.

What is better for us? Not you. Not the guy down the street. But us. I struggle with my weight. I struggle with overeating. This is why I’m here. I’ve been here way too long to not be somewhere different. The food that consumes my thoughts the most are the same foods I shouldn’t be eating except on very rare occasions.

Allowing refined flours and sugars in my life doesn’t work for me. I want it to work, oh help me, if I could control myself around pizza, hamburgers (with the bun), cereals, bread and anything remotely sweet, I would have done it by now. I just can’t for longer than a few days. And then I’m consumed again.

I’ve been down a similar road before, yes, but this road is one with less meat, more vegetables, more fruits and more planning and creativity. This is not the time for sideways looks, questions, doubt… all I ask is this: if you don’t agree, keep it to yourself. Trust that I will find my way myself. Unsolicited advice does not look good on anyone, it says: you know better. you’re doing better. you make all the right decisions.

But do you know better for me?

Related Blogs

Related Blogs on fat