After my appointment, Jason, Sam and I had a nice lunch before Jason went to work. Sam and I came home for a nap. A nap, most days (these days), for me is a necessity. I say I am like a little old lady. I eat like a bird, I tire easy, I nap daily (if possible) & I always go to be early.
Because my appointment on Friday was a "big" one, I wanted to share a few details that I learned. It's a blessing to me that people are interested in what is happening, are keeping up with the details & are remembering to pray for me & my family. I want to honor that by writing enough to keep you all informed & even answering questions if you have them.
I found so little out there from anyone in my position, I would like to put my story out there for the next young woman that finds her self in my position: sitting at her computer in desperate moments, searching for information to give her hope. If my story can do that, it's worth me taking the time to write it down!
My appointment with Dr. Hull today went well. He believes that I am making the right decision to have both kidney's removed and didn't think there were any need (whatsoever) to leave one kidney in tact. I spoke with him about my concerns about bio-chemistry and the possibility of seizures. There is apparently no evidence that removing both would cause seizures- one of this pieces of information I got from combing the internet for information. I know he probably almost laughed at some of my questions, but he was very gracious and answered them all with great knowledge, professionalism & confidence.
Dr. Hull is very meticulous. He is very straight forward & to the point. A trait that I found gave me great confidence in his ability to perform my surgery. He doesn't pull any punches & I like that. He probably doesn't have the best bed side manner, I would imagine, but, that is a fair trade off, in my opinion, for his attention to detail and great expertise. Dr. Murdock, my nephrologist (kidney specialist) who is the primary physician in charge of my care does has a wonderful bedside manor, so I believe I will have the best of both worlds. I am very satisfied with how my "team" is coming together.
So, Dr. Hull said (and yes, this is a quote) that I will be cut, "from stem to stern." He wasn't kidding. He plans to cut me from my breast bone all the way to my pubic bone. Currently, with the size of my kidney bump, that will made the incision almost 20 inches. Yikes!
The good news is this. Some surgeons take kidneys out by cutting you on the sides, across the muscle. The way that Dr. Hull is planning on doing my surgery, he will not be cutting muscle. He will be going though the natural linea alba. This makes my recovery time significantly less painful & will make my hospital stay much shorter.
1. Linea Alba- he linea alba (Latin, white line) is a fibrous structure that runs down the midline of the abdomen in humans and other vertebrates. In humans linea alba runs from the xiphoid process to the pubic symphysis.
He says, if all goes as planned, I will only be in the hospital for 2 to 3 days. Although that seems unbelievable to me, I am happy for that news. Being away from my family will be the hardest part & I am happy that I get to recover at home sooner than I had expected. Thankfully, my Mama (who is a retired registered nurse) will be coming to stay with me for a while during my at home recovery.
I am going to be just fine!
Side Note: Dr. Hull will be performing my surgery robotically. He is going to do everything possible to remove them in tact. Plus, he will take photos of them once they come out so I can see them. :)
