Surgery a No-Go

I got a call from UCLA this morning, and the transplant is not going to happen, at least not between Janet and Bob, and Maria and me. As those of you who read my blog know, Janet, my next-door neighbor, volunteered to be a donor over a year ago, after only knowing me two months. It took over a year for me to jump through all the hoops to get on the list (including heart surgery and recovery from hip surgery). Finally, Janet could be tested to see if she was healthy enough to be a donor. She finally passed all her tests. But she's an A and I'm an O. O's can only receive from other O's.

By a beautiful turn of events(see previous posts for full story), I was introduced to another mismatched pair--an O donor and an A recipient. Usually an O can donate to anyone, but Bob has antibodies to Maria because of his previous transplant. So we were going to do a paired donation--Maria would give to me, and Janet would give to Bob.

We had dates set--next Thursday for Janet's and Bob's surgeries,and August 10 for Maria's and my surgeries. But we knew that we were still waiting for the final word on the compatibility of Janet and Bob. We heard this morning that Bob has antibodies to Janet, and the process to make two incompatible donors compatible, known as plasmaferesis, basically a plasma exchange, would be too dangerous for him.

I have the option of undergoing plasmaferesis in order to be compatible with Janet. This would involve surgically putting a shunt in my arterry (as in hemodialysis) and undergoing four weeks of IV plasma exchanges several times a week prior to surgery. On face value, this sounds like a lot of extra strain on the body, so I am attempting to make an appt. with the UCLA surgeon who is in charge of plasmaferesis to weigh the risks.

For right now, Janet and I are in a computerized data base of approx. 113 mismatched pairs in So Cal. Whenever a pair is added, it has the potential to change the dynamics of many people within the pool. I've heard various estimates as to how long it might take to get a match--tomorrow to 18 months, again, because you never know how a new pair could change things.

As with all supposedly "bad" news, I take it exceedingly well. No tears, no hand wringing, no whining, no worries. It's as if I am detached from the outcome. That probably doesn't make sense to a lot of you, but it is a way that works wonderfully for me. To give my all and then let it go. There is at least one advantage to delaying surgery that I can see: It will give me more time in cardiac rehab to get my heart in top shape.

But it does mean continuing to do dialysis every night for the foreseeable future.