On to UCSF...More Testing

We finally get a call from the UCSF coordinator (Melissa) that we have been cutover to them now. This was good news. And from my understanding we were part of the first batch to go over....

I talked to the coordinator and she explained to me their procedure and all and she informed me that I would need to take a few more tests again. More blood, more urine. Some were the same, others were not. I scheduled my appointments with her directly and waited patiently for the results. Once I got them, I would move to the next one. I met with one of the nephrologists and the social worker. We had good meetings and they were very supportive. They answered all of my questions and concerns.

A few weeks later, I got the results from the tests I took since moving over to UCSF and all was good. I was cleared again and ready to move forward. The last and final test I had to take was the CT scan (angiogram). It took a couple of cancellations but I finally got my appointment in and took the test. It was pretty weird. For starters, I had to fast from dinner until I got there to UCSF. My appointment wasn't until 10:00am (considering the traffic) so I was pretty starved by the time I got there. It's good I ate BIG the night before....LOL As soon as I checked in they gave me two HUGE glasses of water to drink to fill my bladder while I waited to be called on. I almost lost these two glasses....keep reading.

They finally called me in and I must admit that while I was putting my gown on I started to get nervous. I guess I was just thinking too much. I knew this was the last and final test on whether or not I could donate to my sister. Pretty much the deciding point, you know. This is the test where they see my kidneys and decide which one they're going to take and how.

I had to lay flat on this table and they sild me in to this machine that takes pictures of my organs (kidneys). Almost like those tubes you see in shows where they slide people in, just this one was half the size. They had an IV in me that they filled with saline. She told me to listen to the machine and just do what it says. It basically tells you when to breathe, how to breathe and when to hold your breath. Next thing was to shoot the dye in me so they could get a different image of my kidneys. She told me I would feel warm or hot inside when the dye was released and boy was I. It felt like my whole body jumped 100+ degrees instantly. I felt the sensation all throughout my body. I almost pee'd on the table cause of the heat...LOL After the dye was released they took more pictures. Man, I couldn't wait until they were done. I had to go the bathroom. I asked her how many they take and she said about 1000. The machine takes so many per second. Pretty amazing stuff....

The whole procedure was done in about 30 mins. I put my clothes back on was on my way to lunch...or brunch....after I went to the bathroom of course. LOL I was starving. My wife and I grabbed a bite to eat at Fisherrman's Wharf and made the best out of the rest of the day. Thank you again for accompanying me...:-)

They told me the results would be in in about a week or so...