I talked with my transplant coordinator today and she said she'll be presenting me to the transplant board on March 14th! I'm excited... After I'm approved my brother will have to make an appointment at LifeLink to come for his physical.  Because he lives in Colorado it might be a month or so before he can come out.  If all goes well with that, then we can schedule the transplant - maybe by April or May!

Ever wonder where you can find me elsewhere on the 'net? I'm all over the place, baby! Check out these other sites and send me a little 'hello' if you visit me there:

LiveJournal.com Personal Blogging
http://krississippi.livejournal.com/

LiveJournal is a simple-to-use communication tool that lets you express yourself and connect with friends online. You can use LiveJournal in many different ways: as a private journal, a blog, a social network and much more. LJ is built on open source software. Joining LiveJournal is FREE and then you, too, can read more about me!

Krissi Web (krissi-web.com)
http://www.krissi-web.com

Krissi Web is my personal home page and blog that covers the other aspects of my life aside from being a kidney patient. I talk about all kinds of things such as parenting, society, political issues, products I like and don't like and all my other general opinions about whatever I feel like writing about. Come and be amused!

Alek's Ukrainian Adoption Story
http://www.worldadopt.org

We found our son, Aleksander Thomas Krisopher, at the Solnyshko Baby House in Zaporozhye, Ukraine when he was four months old in November 2000. This is his adoption story

More Places on the Net to Find a Krissi

Flickr is almost certainly the best online photo management and sharing application in the world (at least I think so!) See my Flickr photo stream by going to http://www.flickr.com/photos/krissib/ You can do cool stuff there by browsing my photos, leaving me comments and even place "sticky notes" on the images. You can even get your own account FREE or just browse my images as a guest.

YouTube has been an overnight sensation: on YouTube you can broadcast yourself! I have a few funny video clips (and more to come) that you can amuse yourself by following this link http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=klb0013

MySpace is a "place for friends" and if you're my friend you'll wanna check out my MySpace and follow this link http://www.myspace.com/justjayyne

Did I hear you say you want to 'chat' with me?

AIM - MissKrississippi
Yahoo Messenger - MissKrississippi
MSN Messenger - MissKrississippi (at) hotmail (dot com)
Google Talk - MissKrississippi
Gizmo Project for LJ - Krississippi (at) livejournal.com
IRC - EFnet nick Jayne/[Jayne] (find me in #jeep)
ICQ - #10699648

Or, if you'd like to keep your sanity, use Trillian and chat with me on all those programs combined without having multiple chat programs running. Trillian combines them all into one!

You still haven't gotten enough Krissi?

Send me an email

If you really REALLY want to talk to me in person or over the phone, use the above link to contact me and I'll do what I can to have a little more personal visit with you.
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I updated the About Krissi page - Enjoy

I'm anemic again, I know I am. When my h&h (hemoglobin and hematocrit) fall, they fall so fast and so hard that I bottom out around the low 30's or upper 20's. A 'normal' healthy adult's hematocrit is anywhere between 38 - 54%, depending on age and sex. I think mine is probably around 30 right now. Below 25 they start considering blood transfusions.

I will be happy to have a functioning kidney to keep me "not anemic" when I get my transplant.

So, yesterday I slept from the time I got home from dialysis around 11 am to 2:15 pm (almost missed waking up to pick my son up from the bus), came home, fell back into bed and slept from 3 pm until sometime around 9 pm. Woke up and ate dinner, fell back to sleep at midnight and just now woke up at 11:30 am. And I feel like I could still sleep all day. *yawn*

Also, I got a call from the hoo-hoo doctor with a thumbs up (no abnormal anything from the exams/tests) to go forward with the transplant.  I asked them to forward the PAP results over to my nephrologist's office immediately so  they could forward it to LifeLink.  We're getting really close!!!

The visit with the new coochie doctor wasn't too bad.  I liked the place, actually (didn't like the exam, but that's a given).  I was impressed - no weird questions like "how do you have a kid if you've never been pregnant" or the sort.  She actually seemed to understand the whole adoption thing and my not wanting to ever get pregnant... she didn't even skip a beat, actually.  I was glad.  I think I will go to them again.

So during the visit we chatted a lot about my upcoming transplant.  The doctor suggested we test me for every possible thing under the sun, including the standard PAP plus HPV, STDs, and do a uterine ultrasound to check my inside parts.  They also took some blood for lab work.  While she was feeling me up she mentioned that my uterus was slightly bigger than normal since I've never been pregnant.  She said it was probably nothing to worry about but wants the ultrasound to cover all bases.  I liked the fact that she was keeping my over-all health in mind, not just that of my nether-regions.

I asked her if getting my tubes tied during a transplant would also be possible and she thought it would be.  Since the transplanted kidney goes in the abdomen area, I'm gonna be opened up in the front so why the heck not?  It would save me from an additional surgery.  Of course I have to decide for certain that I for sure don't want any biological kids, but I've pretty much always not wanted to get pregnant.

One more step down and one more closer to transplant.  I'm getting really excited!!!

know first mothers have to deal with this, and its somewhat weird and uncomfortable. How does one answer a questionnaire for a doctor's office that includes the questions:

"# of pregnancies? # of living children? Date of last pregnancy?"

I'm sure its easier for me to answer than it is for first parents, but damnit, my son is a PERSON who deserves to be listed on the form (just like Ken is listed as my 'emergency contact/spouse') even if I didn't squeeze him outta my own coochie. I've tried to put it both ways in the past "1 child" or "no pregnancies, 1 child" and I always get this big run-around complete with blank stares and the expression of "wtf?" And what about the fact that I don't WANT to ever get pregnant... now *that* raises eyebrows. GODFORBID a woman doesn't want to conceive and have a biological child. Saying that to some nurses/doctors is like saying you would rather be a man.

And then I always get "OMG you don't use birth control?!?" to which I always have to explain why - only 1/2 of 1 percent of women of child-bearing age who are on hemodialysis get pregnant. Compared to forty percent of women the same age who are healthy and not using BC. That's pretty much why I don't use birth control. The bad side-effects (for me) from the birth control pill far outweigh the benefits so why bother? The pill is 99.9% effective, so I figure its just about the same as my 'natural' chance of getting pregnant.

I suppose after I get a transplant I'm going to have to start using BC again. Not that I'm looking forward to it. I'm hoping to find a non-medicated way like an IUD or something. I was on the pill for 10 years before I took myself off of it 3 years ago and I feel much more 'normal' not taking it.

Aside from the fact that I really don't want to ever get pregnant, if it ever DID happen, it would be fine - another child in this family would only make things more perfect. And, heck, we are adults in a stable relationship with a stable home environment, so why not? I guess I don't mind the gamble.

I'm trying a brand new OBGYN this time as the last one was just stupid and I couldn't understand her accent to save my life. This new one comes highly recommended, so we'll see.

I hate "well woman" exams. I am NOT looking forward to it tomorrow morning, but I have to do it. Don't we all?

My fistula arm has been hurting. A couple of the nurses said that it looks more swollen than usual. I wonder if I have a problem? I'm going to ask the doctor on Wed at my next treatment. I DON'T need problems with my access this close to my getting a transplant. NO THANK YOU!

I have my very last appointment on Thursday (2-8-07) and then I've completed all of my requirements for a transplant.  Of course I saved the "best" (NOT!) for last, and put off my visit with the hoo-hoo doctor for my regular annual PAP/well-woman exam.  Darn I hate those visits!  If all goes as planned then my case will be presented to the transplant board within the month, and if all THAT goes good, then we'll be ready to schedule my transplant by March.  I'm thinking I'll probably schedule it for May so my son will be visiting his dad for summer break while I'm in the hospital.  That way I don't have to worry about him while worrying about myself, and of course my brother, who will be my living donor.

I'm getting excited at this point - a new kidney!  Three years on dialysis has taught me a lot about myself and about life and I think I'm as ready as I could ever be for a transplant.  I am glad I waited for a time, though, even if some others don't understand why... it was my decision, anyway.

I'm most looking forward to feeling not so tired all the time so I can spend more time (and energy) with my son.  I feel he's missed out (me too) on so much with me having kidney troubles all his life and for so many years before.  I will always have to be mindful of my kidney(s) and I know a transplant is no cure - but I'm hoping it will buy me a lot more time to feel better and be with my son.  I also want to travel more (I still travel a lot in the US but not overseas on dialysis) and go back to places like Ukraine, Poland and Germany.  I'd also like to take a vacation to Hawaii and actually feel well enough to enjoy it (the last time I was there I felt miserable).   And, I can't forget all the things I want to have the energy to do with Ken, too ;)

Its getting closer.  It makes me anxious and excited all at the same time...