We are coming up on the one-month anniversary of the transplant surgery!  In some ways it seems like yesterday, in some ways it seems forever ago.  We continue weekly or bi-weekly blood draws checkups for Jackson with his post-op team to monitor the kidney function.  So far, so good!  We are so grateful and happy J.  Both boys are doing awesome and both are in great spirits!

One of the questions we are frequently about is about the acceptance of the new kidney transplanted from Brady to Jackson.  While I am far from an expert, I have learned quite a bit about kidneys over the years and now medications that are needed for transplanted patients.  Here is my interpretation in layman’s terms:  As we know, our bodies are equipped with an immune system whereby nature does its best to protect the body by fighting foreign objects/germs/viruses in our body that it does not recognize.  You can imagine that when something as significant as a new organ enters our body the immune system is like “What the heck is this???  Fight it!”.  (Stranger Danger, right?)  Because of this, through the use of medication, doctors control the immune system of a transplant patient by dialing it back – way back – to allow the body to accept the new organ and allow it the opportunity to establish itself and its function within the new body it has been put into.  This medication is anti-rejection medication, and something that a transplant patient will continue to take for life.  Because the immune system during this time is so very weak, other shorter term medications to fight infections are given as well. 

As time goes on, doctors monitor the body’s acceptance of the new organ and then the dosages of anti-rejection medication are adjusted.  This is the period of time we are in with Jackson.  Through the weekly bloodwork, doctors are monitoring the kidney’s function, and once it shows that it is plugging along, the dosages of the various medications can start to be scaled back little bit by little bit. 

Now, kidney issues can cause high blood pressure and high blood pressure can cause kidney issues.  Jackson’s blood pressure has been running a tad bit on the high side of normal, so that is another medication he is currently taking.  In all we currently have 10 different prescriptions we are working with – he gets to take 13 pills in the morning and 6 pills at night.  From what I understand, after we hit the one-month mark we will get to graduate from some of those!  So while the amount is high now, our understanding is that it will decrease with time – but never all go away.  Perhaps we will be down to 3 or 4 different ones as time goes on.

Because the body will continue to try and fight against the kidney, after time it may wear it down.  The life of a kidney received from a ‘live’ donor (such as Brady) has historically shown it can last between 20-25 years (organs from a deceased donor last 15-20 years).  So a second transplant down the road is likely for Jackson.  But now we continue to celebrate all of the current success and are incredibly lucky to work with such a wonderful medical team. 

As a side note, our youngest son got his driver’s license last week.  When we were at the DMV, I was watching other young drivers excitedly get their permits or licenses.  And in the process, I would hear the employee ask them if they would like to register to be an organ donor (you know, that designation on your license).  You can imagine how we now feel about the meaning of this question, and how deeply that decision can affect someone else’s life.

We so appreciate all of the calls, texts, and messages people send checking in on Jackson and Brady.  Thank you so much for your gifts of food, donations towards COTA in honor of Jackson to assist with ongoing transplant-related expenses, messages of care and concern, for thinking of our family and for offering up prayers for continued healing.  We are so lucky to have friends and family like all of you!   I’ll post a picture this week of the boys when they hit their one-month mark J