J general update

Photo: Pancreas angel 'Frank' lectures on the evils of the pancreas with the help of visual aids.

J is doing 'eh' at the moment. They have her so drugged up with Phenergan and Dilaudid that she can hardly talk. It's really frustrating, as my visits with her frustrate both of us, if I talk to her she falls asleep, and when she talks to me she'll fall asleep mid-sentence...and sometimes she's not even talking about anything that makes any sense. She twitches a lot when sleeping, and mimes things constantly so I wonder how much actual rest she gets when this drugged.

To make her day cheerier, they've put in a roommate who is terminal from the sound of it. There are at any given time about 15 people coming in and out to visit her. Very uplifting.

The 'good' news her doctor passed on to her today is that because of the complications of her diabetic situation, she'll be on the top of the list when she's up for the transplant surgery (anywhere from 1-2 years).

I miss her at home...it's still feels like I'm visiting when I'm at home. At least I've got Bob (cat) to whine at me when I'm there.



Photo: My animé rendition of Bob (nicknamed Bjorb by J and I because of his Scandinavian tendencies).

Engrish and 28 weeks later

Photo: Just the funniest damned thing I've seen in ages, it's Engrish's photo of the day. If I saw this on a port-a-potty I think I'd probably have relieved myself before getting the chance to get inside.



Photo: One of the best ad posters for a movie I've seen for a while.

Movie review: 28 Weeks Later

I wasn't as huge a fan of the precursor to this movie, 28 days later...at least I was until the last 40 minutes. I kept thinking of a better way to do this movie, a better way to capture humans at their best/worst...

SPOILER ALERT - I will spoil the movie if you haven't seen it yet.

Well 28 weeks later captured just what I would have done in the first movie. I was pleasantly surprised that they for once got quite a lot right for a movie in the horror genre. Things that surprised me about this movie in a positive way:

1) The military. Unlike most movies where the military plays a central role, this movie captures soldiers acting like professional soldiers. I can't stress how important this is in movies like this to me...it creates a base of realism in a situation that is unrealistic (to a degree), which allows you to immerse yourself into that world. The doctrines they use are realistic, the weapons they use are correct for the role they fill, and there are no 2000 round clip guns like in most action movies. Someone did their homework here.

2) The people. Juan Carlos Fresnadillo (director) did a great job of allowing the characters to be actual people. I bought all the characters, from the anonymous guy getting eaten alive to the main characters. They weren't too rough or too polished.

3) The 'zombies'. I know, they aren't zombies but they might as well be. That being said, in this movie there's no attempt (other than the dad) to try and humanize them. They're pretty much animals, which I think is a social commentary that I agree with about the human race. They come at you fast, they attack everything, like a wave of human 'progression'.

4) The effects. There wasn't the usual overkill...just good 'ol blood and guts (and a tasty helicopter scene with a major nod to the original 'Dawn of the Dead').

5) Creepiness. The stadium scene was just damned creepy. Bravo to the director for making this scene play itself out the way it did.

If you like fast paced zombie flicks, this one ranks near the top. I give it four severed heads out of 5.



Photo: Is this overkill? I think not.

Update

Photo: A highland cow on the moor. This is one of J's favorite animals, so if there are any thoughts of gifts this is a winning topic in any medium.

J has being given a lot of anti-nausea drugs over the past few days and is semi-lucid, so has been unable to enjoy the laptop that I got for her. There is not a free Wifi network at the hospital unfortunately, just a password protected hospital 'staff-only' one so I guess web surfing and email are out. I am hoping that she is more awake this evening when I visit her so we can watch Ratatouille which I know she'll love. I also have some of her favorites like the Brak show and Eddie Izzard DVDs...hopefully it'll be better entertainment than the current 'what is my roommate's current mental status' game that she usually plays...

Yesterday her doctor mentioned that her diabetes may be reacting to the dialysis, making her blood sugar skyrocket and putting her at risk of ketoacidosis. I hope this isn't the case...

Things to consider

* A small percentage of the population (approximately .07 percent) are born with more than two kidneys. An even smaller percentage (about .02 percent) are born with only one kidney.

* The average adult kidney can process up to three gallons of liquid in a two-hour period.

* The first successful kidney transplant recipient was Donald R. Sugeman of London, England. He received his kidney in 1954 and survived 12 years after receiving his kidney.

* The youngest kidney recipient ever was 3-month old Aleisha C Christensen of the Netherlands. She was born with acute renal failure which necessitated the transplant. An 18-year-old cousin was the donor.

End-stage renal disease (ESRD)

Prevalence (2004): 472,099 U.S. residents were under treatment as of the end of the calendar year.

Resulting from these primary diseases:
Diabetes: 172,938
Hypertension: 114,481
Glomerulonephritis: 77,121
Cystic kidney: 21,397
All other: 86,162

Incidence (2004): 104,364 U.S. residents were new beneficiaries of treatment.

Resulting from these primary diseases:
Diabetes: 45,871
Hypertension: 28,132
Glomerulonephritis: 8,490
Cystic kidney: 2,295
All other: 19,576

Mortality (2004): Among U.S. residents, there were 170 deaths per 1,000 patient years. There were 84,252 deaths in all patients undergoing ESRD treatment.

Number of kidney transplants performed in the U.S.:
2004: 16,905
2000: 14,582
1995: 12,133
1990: 10,016
1985: 7,500
1980: 3,784


Number of people awaiting transplants (February 16, 2007):
Kidney (only): 74,000
Kidney and pancreas: 2,457

Dialysis survival (probability of patients surviving, from day 91 of ESRD, unadjusted):
1 year (2003–2004): 77.7
2 years (2002–2004): 62.6
5 years (1999–2004): 31.9
10 years (1994–2004): 10.0

Patient survival following deceased-donor transplant (probability of recipients surviving, from day 1 of transplantation, unadjusted):
1 year (2003–2004): 94.3
2 years (2002–2004): 91.1
5 years (1999–2004): 81.2
10 years (1994–2004): 59.4

Dialysis, the reality

Photo: Can you spot the dialysis machine in this picture? (Hint: Look more at the right side.)

Amazing how a little tiny organ's function can only be replaced by such a monstrosity. And judging by the picture, it seems everyone could benefit from such a relaxing and enjoyable procedure!

J has undergone two dialysis sessions now. In the first (which took 2 hours) they removed 2 liters of water from her blood. It has made a noticeable difference in her appearance already. The port is a bit painful, and the aftermath of dialysis leaves her sore and tired which is normal. She will have a treatment daily for the next few days, I am optimistic that she will have most of the excess water weight taken off within a week or so at this rate.

J's overall situation hasn't changed much yet, but give it time and I'm sure it will. I was able to take a short walk around the halls with her this evening which was nice. I'm concerned about her left foot though, as the calf muscle has atrophied in the extended position and it makes it difficult for her to walk. They are giving her physical therapy for that (when she is 'awake' enough) but I don't think it's nearly enough. One thing at a time I guess...