Home Again, Home Again!

Owen made it home on Friday, April 13. (Whoever said that was an unlucky day, anyway?!) His time in the hospital was under two weeks, and doctors were actually ready to release us 1 week post transplant, but we needed to get a better handle on his bladder and urine output before we made our trek back home. Needless to say, this boy is a trooper. He was on pain meds as needed when we were released and two days after coming home he didn't need them at all. :)

Ready to go home! His shirt says "I Contain Recycled Parts" :)

I am amazed at how fast his recovery has been! Once we made it through the first couple of days and were able to find the best "recipe" for pain meds, he was a happy camper, and ready to get out of that hospital crib! We had PT, OT and speech come by to fill our days with playtime and strengthening. Although, Owen seemed to have picked up right where he left off and his first day playing on the mat he was already pulling up to his knees and getting into the crawling position on his own!

Playing bubbles on the mat with Daddy. :)

Owen's recovery from a nephrology (kidney doctors) standpoint has been amazing. His labs are just beautiful. The first set of labs that were taken about 1 hour after transplant already showed normal levels. I was amazed! I had no idea that the kidney would kick in so quickly! His labs have remained great and we are just working out the appropriate "maintenance doses" for his rejection medications. Our first week home we got labs three times and went to clinic twice. We will be on a twice weekly schedule for a while and slowing wean down.

Aunt Carrie is doing wonderful as well. We were able to meet up at our appointment in Cincy on Friday, as she was there as well. Everything looked great for her, and they are working on weaning her pain meds, but still adequately managing pain! This is the part where you hear about the recipient healing faster than the donor...but Aunt Carrie sure looks great to me!

Aunt Carrie was discharged on Friday, just 3 days after surgery!

Speaking of our appointment on Friday...it was nothing short of wonderful! We met with nephrology and urology (bladder doctor). For those that have followed Owen's story you know that his bladder as caused a world of turmoil in his precious body, it being the reason for his kidney failure. So, meeting with urology is generally not our favorite, as we are constantly reminded of just how badly damaged Owen's bladder is and how it will likely require future surgeries.

During transplant, our urologist found that not only is Owen's bladder very tiny, but it is also very, very thin. This made connecting the new kidney to his bladder quite difficult. Our urologist told Owen he " knocked off a few years of his life" during transplant. haha! He was not expecting his bladder to be like this. In most cases, babies like Owen have very thick bladders, which also makes transplant difficult. But our urologist clearly said this was one of the most difficult bladders he has ever worked with during transplant. Well, that being said, we found out on Friday that Owen's bladder has thickened! Just since transplant the doctor was able to see thickening from the ultrasound on Friday. I should tell you that our doctor is all business, and very serious. However, he had a big smile on his face when delivering this news! Every night as I pray over Owen I ask that the Lord will choose to strengthen and stretch Owen's bladder. I invite you to do the same, as we are already seeing the beautiful results of God's hands working in Owen's body! To add to that wonderful news, our doctor admitted he was quite surprised at how well his kidney is adjusting to Owen's being in Owen's body. I don't understand all the "lingo" used during the ultrasound, but he said that at this time he generally does not see such perfect perfusion and wavelength activity. He said that our donor must be "very healthy, with a great resting blood pressure." He said that one of the more difficult tasks of managing an adult kidney in a baby is the blood pressure The adult kidney is used to a higher blood pressure than what a baby's would normally run. So, the fact that Carrie is indeed healthy with good blood pressure has been such a blessing. :)

We came home to a new schedule of medications (with very strict times and guidelines) and a new, rigorous cathing schedule. While we were quite overwhelmed in the hospital, it's totally doable. :) We started out cathing Owen every 2 hours and placing a foley catheter in overnight. The kid is making urine like you wouldn't believe! He started out making 3-4 liters of urine daily! It's slowed down to about 1 liter a day, with lots of wet diapers! This is so new for us. Owen made very little urine before transplant and we are now changing lots and lots of diapers and loving it! After our rock star appointment on Friday we were able to reducing cathing to every 3 hours, and also instructed to leave the foley in for only 8 hours per night. Since we are on "lock down" and not going anywhere, except the hospital it really hasn't been too stressful. How could it be? We are watching a miracle grow before our eyes!

Munching on a couple of cookies. Owen isn't too interested in eating just yet, we have to get on a more manageable feeding schedule to allow for more hunger during the day.

We immediately went for a walk when we made it home. Sweet Owen saw his car in the garage and immediately begin saying "brrrmm brrrmmm" He was ready to go!

Many have inquired about the changes we have seen in Owen since transplant. The most noticeable change is his amazing energy level and drive to MOVE! The boy is crazy! He is crawling all over the place and literally picked it up in about two days. He is so much stronger and has energy to spare for days. In fact, he went SIX days straight in the hospital with no nap. He played and played until about 10pm each night and would finally pass out. If you know my Owen, you know the boy loves his afternoon nap (as does his Mommy!), but there was just no stopping him! It's been touch and go with napping since we've returned home. We attempt to have an hour of quiet time each afternoon, at least for Mommy's sake. :) We've also noticed lots more babbling, singing and talking! He is just so happy all the time and loves to sing and make noises. :) He has his own, special sign for "please". We worked very hard one night trying to teach him to sign please, rather than grunt or whine for something he wants. Instead of patting his chest, like we were instructing him, he just brings he sweet hands together in front. Not a clap, but similar. However, he caught on pretty fast and he is signing please for everything now! :)

Thank you, thank you for your prayers covering Owen and our family. We have been blessed beyond measure and everyday is such an adventure! I love to sit back in complete awe of what God is doing while I watch Owen crawl, explore and move all over our floor. Something we most definitely were not promised to enjoy. While our days are super, super busy and this pregnant Mama and ever expanding belly struggle to keep up, I just wouldn't have it any other way!

2 Timothy 4:17

"But the Lord stood at my side and gave me strength, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed..."