Hello friends.  I wanted to post a quick update this afternoon to let you know how things are going around the Robinson household now 15 days after transplant . . .

We spent the morning at the hospital today doing lab work, a CT scan, and meeting with the doctor for our routine two week follow-up appointment.  The news we got today was very good.  Kimberly’s new kidney is doing great.  She still has the hematoma behind her new kidney (from the internal bleeding right after surgery), but the CT today confirmed that it has not really grown since it was drained by needle ten days ago.  She has a pool of fluid about two-thirds the size of her fist that is sitting behind the new kidney, but it is not putting pressure on her new kidney or causing distress.  They think this fluid will just absorb into her body over the next 4-6 weeks.  This is the source of the tenderness she has experienced, but they are confident that additional surgery will not be needed to correct it.  This is a major praise!  Also, the blood she experienced in her urine over the weekend has stopped.  Another praise!

Also, Angie had her first check-up since leaving the hospital.  Things looked good and she was released to return home!  After 20 days in the Sooner state she is boarding a plane in a few hours and headed back to her husband and kids.  We are praising God with them and looking forward to their reunion tonight.

Thanks for joining us in prayer.  Please continue to pray for recovery and lack of complications.  Things are looking good.

They say a picture is worth 1,000 words.  I am not sure if that quip is actually true, but tonight we had the joy of testing it out.  After 15 days of fun with his cousins, aunt and uncle, and grandparents, Josh returned home.

I met my parents at a local hotel around 4PM today to pick Josh up.  I wanted to take him to get ice cream, just the two of us, to talk about what was going on with Mommy before I brought him home.  For his entire life, Josh has accompanied Kimberly to doctor’s appointments.  Over the past 8 months, especially, Josh knew that Mommy’s kidneys were getting tired, and needed some help.  Before Josh left town, we told him that God had designed our bodies in such a way that someone could give Mommy one of their kidneys to help her’s since they had gotten tired.  When we told him this, Josh’s eyes got huge.  “Not mine!,” he exclaimed.  We reassured him by letting him know that Aunt Angie would be giving Kimberly one of hers.  He cheered.

We had told him that while he was gone, the doctors were going to give Mommy one of Angie’s kidneys, but we were unsure how much of that he really grasped.  Therefore, when he got home, I wanted to take him out and have a little man to man conversation with him to update him on what had happened, and to let him know what we could do to help Mommy.  So, over a cup of Braum’s chocolate ice cream, we started talking.

Me:  “Josh, a lot happened while you were gone.”

Josh:  “Yeah?  What?”

Me:  “Mommy got one of Angie’s kidneys.”  (I figured I should just get it out there.  Seems a bit abrupt in print . . .)

Josh:  “Alright!  Now hers won’t be tired anymore.”

Me:  “That’s right Josh.  Now Mommy is resting a lot as she gets better.”

Josh:  “Yeah, she can rest on the couch or in bed while you and I play Legos.”

Me:  “You bet pal.  The main thing we need to remember is that we need to be very gentle with Mommy.  She has a sore tummy and a sore neck, so we need to be very careful and loving to her, and help her out all we can.”

Josh:  “I can do that.  I can help Mommy out while she gets well.  Maybe we can watch some TV together?  That’s what I like to do when I am resting.”

And with that, we loaded up in the car and headed home.  When Josh got home, we heard all about his two weeks in a minimum of 1,000 words.  It was pretty sweet.  The pic of mom and son is also priceless.  So, at the end of the day, I got both a picture and 1,000 words.  I am just praising God that our family is back together again.  It just feels right.

In a side note, please be in prayer for Angie and her family.  She gets to head home on Tuesday after nearly three weeks to see her family again.  Her sacrifice was not just limited to her kidney, or even to her.  Kevin, Angie and the kids all gave deeply to us this past month, and we are forever thankful.

The past 10 days have been filled with a number of memorable moments for us.  Tonight, I am recording a “Top 10” of these moments for us in the form of memorable quotes from the week that was.  So . . .

From our home office in Norman, Oklahoma, here is tonight’s Top 10 things said concerning Kimberly’s kidney transplant in the past 10 days:

10.  “It just didn’t feel right.”  Dr. Samara, the lead surgeon on Kimberly’s transplant was closing her up when he noticed that the transplanted kidney felt a little limp. He trusted his instincts and redid the connection of the kidney to her artery.  When he did this, his instinct was proven accurate.  There was a small blood clot that had already formed.  If he had not caught this it could have been disastrous.  When Dr. Samara was updating me after the surgery, he said “It just didn’t feel right.”  So thankful to God that He allowed Dr. Samara to catch this complication and fix it!

9.  “I’m so glad we weren’t having this transplant 30 years ago.”  Reflecting on the advances in transplant procedures in recent years, I mentioned to my father-in-law that I was so thankful we were doing this transplant now instead of in the 1970’s or 80’s.  He reminded me that they thought Kimberly would need a transplant in the mid 1980’s.  So thankful to God that her kidneys hung on for 27 years to allow us to benefit from 30 more years of medical advancement.

8.  “I can wear his Captain America shield on my belt for protection.”  Kimberly was thinking about how to protect her surgical site from our very active 5 year old.  She decided that his frisbee like Captain America shield attached to her belt would do the trick.  I reminded her that a Captain America shield to a little boy is a target not a protective pad.

7.  “I was there for her tracheostomy in 2010.”  Dr. Buyten, Kimberly’s ENT acquired special privileges to perform her tracheostomy on the morning of the transplant at Integris Baptist Medical Center.  As the Anesthesiologist was preparing to talk to Kimberly about the plan for sedation during surgery, we overheard him talking to Dr. Buyten just outside our room.  It was so reassuring to us that Dr. Buyten (who really understands Kimberly’s throat) was able to secure her airway and answer relevant questions concerning her anesthesia.

6.  “Grandma is still here.”  One of the first things I told Kimberly in post-op was that her nearly 100 year old Grandmother was still in the waiting room.  She had been there all day.  Hulda Atwater is one of the most amazing women we know.  It was a joy to be with her in the waiting room all day.

5.  “Dad, are you missing me on my trip?”  I called to talk to Josh who was staying at my sisters house in Arkansas.  He said exactly one sentence to me . . . he wanted to know if I was missing him.  He did not even wait for an answer to his question . . . he ran off to play more with his cousins.  I was not offended . . . I was so happy he was having a good time.  Thanks Joe, Debbie, Jenna, and Emma!

4.  “I named him Obi Wan Kenobi Dog Robinson.”  My sister’s family totally wined and dined Josh all week.  They even took him to Build a Bear Workshop where he built a dog dressed like the famous Star Wars Jedi master.  He was all too proud to tell me his name.

3.  “You guys have gone viral on Facebook.”  We were totally blown away by the number of people who followed our saga on Facebook, Twitter, and this blog in the past two weeks.  On the morning of surgery a friend mentioned to me that many were talking, following, and praying.  Thank you!

2.  “Your creatinine is .8”  At Kimberly’s 10 day follow-up appointment today, her new kidney seemed to be working perfectly.  One of the key toxins they look for in your blood that determine if your kidneys are working correctly is your level of creatinine.  Today, Kimberly’s creatinine was .8, well within normal levels.  In fact two physician friends today told me that Kimberly’s creatinine is lower than theirs.  Amazing!

1.  “Cookie Cake?”  Before the transplant, Angie spent a few days with us while they were doing pre-op meetings.  One night, Kimberly, Angie, and myself were sitting around talking.  I said, “How do you thank someone for giving you their kidney?”  We all three sat there pondering this question for a few moments.  Kimberly broke the silence by declaring “With a cookie cake.”  We all got a good laugh at that.  Incidentally, we sent Angie a cookie cake yesterday afternoon.

 

There you go!  A Top 10 List.

Here are a few prayer requests tonight:

• Though things are looking very good with Kimberly’s transplant, she still has tenderness at the surgical site.  This most likely is due to the added complications that Kimberly had with the internal bleeding following transplant.  They plan to do a CT scan on Tuesday of next week to see how things look.  Pray that they will find nothing wrong, and Kimberly will heal quickly!  Also pray that we will have wisdom to understand if her recovery process is normal, or if we need to alert the doctors that something is wrong.  In light of this, also pray that we will have peace during this healing process.
• Continue to pray that Kimberly will not have any complications with the trach.  She has had some air that has been trapped under her skin near the trach site.  This is not a major issue, but is a bit uncomfortable.  Pray it does not continue and clears up naturally and quickly.
• Pray that Kimberly does not catch any illness.  She is on heavy immuno-suppression medications, and is always at risk of catching something.
• Pray that the surgical transplant team will be able to understand quickly if further surgery is necessary.  If they can determine that soon, we will be able to remove the trach.
• Continue to pray for Angie’s kids and Joshua as they deal with mom’s who are healing.
• Pray that Angie’s follow-up appointment goes great next Tuesday.

A few days before Kimberly’s transplant, Kimberly, Joshua, and myself had a “family fun day.”  We went swimming, ate ice cream, played video games, mini golf, and more.  It was awesome.  Knowing we had a a few weeks of hard road ahead of us, we wanted to kick-back and enjoy a day as a family before it all began.

One of our last stops on this family fun tour was a place called Andy Alligator’s Fun Park.  If you are not from Norman and have never seen this place, it looks exactly like it sounds:  arcade, mini-golf, bowling, go karts . . . the works.  This place is one country music show away from Branson.  We spent most of our time in the arcade.  We played a bunch of games that Josh really enjoyed.  After a while playing the “kiddie games,” Josh wanted to go for broke and hunt deer on one of the “big boy games.”  Thankfully, there were two guns that came with this game, so we each grabbed one to play together.  When I looked at the cost of the game, however, I saw that it was $1 per game.  Knowing that Josh would not be able to hit the targets, I paid for only one game . . . mine.  I did not tell Josh, though.  When the game started, we both fired our fake weapons at the screen.  Josh (of course) took credit for each big elk shot.  Because I love him, I never told him otherwise.  Someday, when he gets older, he will understand more of what was going on.  For now, I loved watching him enjoy his part in the game.

I mention this story tonight because I am having somewhat of a hard day.  We have certainly had a hard week, and that has contributed to my feelings tonight, but my anxiousness tonight goes somewhat deeper.  Like many “type a” people, I revel in getting things done.  I excel in giving my time and energy to accomplishing something.  In many of the key areas of my life, however, I currently feel totally out of control . . . and that is bothersome to me.

On a macro level, Kimberly’s transplant is going great.  The new kidney seems to be working great, every day we see small progress, and we have just spent our first 24 hours out of the hospital.  However, as I have transitioned into the “nurse” role at the Robinson house, I have found myself unable to be able to do what I most want done . . . help my wife feel better.  No matter what I do, I can’t help her sleep, cough, breath, or feel better.  The combo of the trach (which makes her cough) and the incisions (which hurt when she coughs) makes parts of her day miserable . . . and I can do nothing to change that.  Her stomach is rumbly but no food I bring to the table can make her stomach accept it well.  These are normal issues following the kinds of surgeries Kimberly had last week, but it is hard to see those situations play out and not be able to do anything about it.

Also, I am the kind of person who always carries the responsibility I feel given to me, so I have struggled with being gone from my post at the church during the “fall kickoff” that is August.  Especially in a season where we have a lot of things we are trying to launch for this fall, and our staff team has been scattered for most of the summer.  I feel the inner (not external, but internal) pressure to reengage at the church to push things forward.  (Don’t worry . . . I am taking time off, but I still feel the tension.)

As I was getting dinner ready tonight, I found myself tensing up over these feelings of being out of control.  That’s when God reminded me of my time with Josh at Andy Alligator’s two weeks ago.  It was as if God was whispering in my ear, reminding me that in all the areas of my life, he is the One who is always pulling the trigger.  Though I spend much of my time with my “weapon” in hand firing at the screen, ultimately, it is always only God who is hitting the target.  He allows me to stand beside Him and play because He loves the Father/son time it brings . . . however, He does not need me to accomplish His work at home or at church.  I feel as though in this season God has taken the gun out of my hand and asked me to watch Him work . . . in my wife and at church.  These are tough lessons to learn, but important ones nonetheless.  It is a humbling but important reminder . . . a push to trust in Him.  Someday soon, I will be asked to pick the gun back up.  When I do, I need to remember that it is my Father who bought the game, and it is my Father who takes aim and does the work in every area that really matters.  He wants us in the game, but without His work, we can accomplish nothing.  Sometimes, we have to have the gun taken out of hands to remind us of that.  It is a tough, but beautiful reminder.

I don’t know if any of you can relate to this.  The experiences you are going through are probably different . . . but the principle still holds true.  We are all less important than we think . . . but we all get to stand beside our Father who equips us and invites us to watch Him work around us and through us to accomplish His will.

As Jon Bon Jovi says, “Who says you can’t go home?”  The good people at Integris Hospital certainly did not say that today, therefore, we are home sweet home (another 80’s rock anthem for those of you keeping track at home).  Great to be back home tonight.  Kimberly is totally wiped out, but is resting on the couch.  I am trying to organize our new life.  The picture attached to this post shows only the medicines, equipment, etc. that we came home from the hospital with today.  Kimberly has more meds, etc. that she was taking before.  Needless to say, it is a bit overwhelming.  You can pray for us as we transition back home.

One other thing you can pray for concerning Kimberly has to do with her digestive track.  As with many who undergo abdominal surgeries, she is having a little harder time getting back on track.  Please pray that everything starts working normally there.

Angie made it to Darrell and Kaye’s house today without major problems.  Thanks for praying for her!  The text I saw said that her pain was less today.  Praising God for that!

I’ll share some more thoughts later, but wanted to update you on the trip home for those of you who were praying today.  Thanks for lifting us up!  We are truly “livin’ on a prayer” and hope we don’t get any “bad medicine” . . . ok, I’ll stop.  (For those of you who didn’t listen to the hot new Z104.5 in high school in the 80’s, this post probably was a bit confusing.)