OMG! Santy came!

Wonderful news to hear you are getting well, eoinmn. A transplant is the best gift of all, whatever time of the year. Let's hope the recovery continues apace.

Thank you cactus flower and Kate!

I was very fortunate to be only waiting 3 months. 3 years would not be unusual. Quite a surprise for me then!

You were indeed fortunate, but that's the luck of the draw when organs become available. It boils down to blood and biology and waiting lists mean nothing if it's a likely match. How long before you can be confident it won't be rejected?

Kate P wrote:

You were indeed fortunate, but that's the luck of the draw when organs become available. It boils down to blood and biology and waiting lists mean nothing if it's a likely match.

True. And the matching uses all kinds of variables such as blood type, tissue type, weight, age and more.

Kate P wrote:

How long before you can be confident it won't be rejected?

Within half a day we could see it was working.
There could be some small rejection over time which is hard to predict. This is actually my second kidney transplant. The first was 7 years ago but suffered various problems over the last 18 months.

Eoin congratulations and hope you're feeling great and I'm amazed you didn't mention this already. I had some friends and neighbours who would travel to Galway twice or three times a week for dialysis which was pretty gruelling for them. One got a kidney after a while and was in fine health afterwards though you need to take some anti-rejection drugs.

We mustn't be far off the day when we'll be able to grow kidneys with our own cells. Wasn't an oesophagus grown for a Columbian woman there recently and very successfully transplanted.

Thanks for sharing that with us and delighted you're ok.

Quote :

Within half a day we could see it was working.
There could be some small rejection over time which is hard to predict. This is actually my second kidney transplant. The first was 7 years ago but suffered various problems over the last 18 months.

No wonder you have a smiley face - you must feel whole again. Great stuff.

eoinmn wrote:

I got the best present of all.
A kidney transplant.

Seriously, I'd been on dialysis for 3 months but was called suddenly at 1am to Dublin a few days before Christmas. An organ had been found!

I'm recovering quite quickly now.

Of course this means that somewhere out there someone, some generous family, is missing a loved one. The organ recipients like me can never properly thank them. But we'll think of them.

Very best wishes for your continued recuperation Eoin, and may I propose you as the man to carry the MachineNation flag at the next transplant Olympics?