http://www.sarajaynegeorge.blogspot.com/ maybe Sara will continue to blog.....
I am not quite sure where to start. I wrote an entire post then thought of the repercussions of people reading what my thoughts were this week and then deleted it. It is very hard for me to share the deepest parts of my life with anyone and I think I really did share a lot since last fall. Although if you read my blog and you actually hang out with me weekly or daily you would know I only told 1/4 of my story as the rest was just too hard to share- like how sick I was really was- how close my kidney's were to shutting down completely.
So here I sit again, not wanting to share what is going on but needing to finish this blog and what I started as I am not a quitter. It isn't that I want to leave anyone wondering or guessing it is just I like my private life private, I have never been one to talk about my problems with even my friends. So I will end my blog with a brief idea of how my week has been and then share an article of a story written on us for the NATCA Insider. I think Courtney has written our story better then we could have said it ourselves. Not sure if I will ever blog again as I just don't know what it left to share.....
WELLLLL....Sunday was father's day and Alexa's birthday so I knew this was not a day I was going to relax. when I woke up in the morning I felt just as I had years past- like I had the flu and out of breath, Had to sit down in the shower. This was going to be a very long day. Needless to say I made it through and Monday wasnt much better. By Tuesday I was getting nervous and called my doctor. My creatine is up but not too high- so it is to be expected a bit. I went from .08 to 1.19 - right before surgery I was at 9.0 but I don't want to see this number rising ever as it is scary that the kidney could fail. And since my other kidneys are shriveled up as there was nothing left what would I be left with...3 kidney's that do not work!
OK- so took the girls to Hard Rock Pool today as Rumi was there with her family. I was not feeling well again but pushed through. Then I received a call from my Mom that my sister just found out her Creatine is rising also. I just about lost it, it would be one thing for me to be sick but if something happened to Sara I would never forgive myself or be able to live with what I have done. I text My Doctor at UMC Tucson which said this could be normal and she just needs to be tested again next week. So Sara is going to see my Kidney Doctor just to make sure.
And that's my freaking rollercoaster- even though things are probably fine and my chances of rejection are very very small it doesnt make it any easier to swallow the pill when they say the numbers are going up. And Sara can live a normal healthy life at 1.19 creatine but it still makes us both nervous that it increased in the first place!!
Still keeping my sense of humor and was able to joke around all night with Alexa and Jordan so that was my therapy. But I have to say I had many moments today I wanted to fall on someone's lap and just break down, however the opportunity never arises so I just have to keep going.
OK- now you see why I dont want to blog anymore- I could do this every week for months- my numbers are up.... my numbers are down..... I dont feel good...... I feel great. If anything ever happens that could be a sign of rejection I will post but until then....goodbye...and I hope to not post again!!!!
Here is the article:
A Member's Selfless Act to Help a Loved One
In an April issue of the NATCA Insider we covered the gracious actions of Las Vegas TRACON member Sara George, as she prepared for an upcoming transplant surgery in hopes of helping her sister, Molly. Molly had been diagnosed with a kidney disorder that soon escalated to full kidney failure, and in response, Sara selflessly donated one of her own. Now, several weeks post-operation, we are excited to announce the procedure’s overwhelming success.
On the early hours of Thursday, May 12, the sisters entered University Medical Center (UMC) Tucson side by side to begin the long transplant process. In pre-op rooms directly across from each other, the two sisters prepared for their separate surgeries, which would ultimately keep them in Tucson for a full week from start to finish. Sara headed out first for her laparoscopic surgery which would consist of four incisions, and early afternoon, the surgeons finished connecting Molly’s new kidney as Sara headed to the recovery room.
Following the operation, Sara’s pain was horrible, as pain killers and IV drips filled the hours. While one sister faced excruciating pain, the other faced the overwhelming struggle of increased daily maintenance. Though it meant more immediate work for Molly due to her new 27-pill dose of medication and extreme vulnerability to germs, it meant 100 percent improvement in the long-run once the healing concluded. “No matter what we have to go through during recovery, it is all more than worth it,” said Sara of the rough days that followed. “Making Molly’s quality of life return to a mostly normal state is so worth any pain involved in the process.”
It’s a “rock star kidney,” as the doctor’s refer to it, and Molly’s body adjusted perfectly. On Sunday, Sara was released from the hospital, followed on Monday by Molly. They relocated to a hotel where they stayed in recovery for a few more days before finally heading home to Vegas. Before leaving, they were even asked to attend a press conference for UMC’s transplant program, where they highlighted their experiences and learned from others with similar inspiring tales.
Considering the seriousness involved in such a procedure, during which complications and rejections from your body can so easily occur, the process couldn’t have gone much smoother. “Molly and I were so lucky that we were not only a match, but a perfect match, and on top of that, the transplant and our recoveries (so far) have been perfectly smooth,” Sara posted to her blog on her first night back in Vegas.
“I think when you are in the situation that we were in, you try not to think of the gravity of the situation. That death is a very real possibility. Now that we are one week out of transplant and my kidney is doing so well in Molly’s body I can really appreciate all of the odds we overcame and how blessed we are...”
Graced with the talent of the facility’s two best surgeons, they couldn’t have asked for a better experience, according to Sara. “Molly and I were able to do something really special and something that is going to have a very positive impact on both our lives,” she shared. “I will forever be grateful to have such an amazing strong sister. I am so happy that I could be the one to help her get better.”
