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Photo: The car that I would love to get for J!

This morning J's nephrologist informed her that her kidneys need to be 'killed off' in order to try and get her system back in order. I'm more than a little worried and want to get a second opinion before they try this. After all, it's not like you can go back once they go down this road. After her kidneys are 'dead' they will try to get her healthy enough to get the pancreas/kidney transplant. The problem is that there is no real guarantee (plan anyone????) that she will get that healthy once her kidneys are gone.

Now everything I've read regarding the surgery has been positive, but it still scares the crap out of me.

There are so many problems...I'm hearing few solutions.

On an up note J's old office mates sent her a very nice gift box filled with some of her old trinkets from her work space and a few gifts. She loved it, it was a mini-Christmas for her.

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