Letter from Linda Kozak Linda Kozak 8:17 PM (19 hours ago) to It has been a month since the last update and this Saturday it will be two months since Marks kidney transplant. Since the last update, both Mark and our good friend, Tony, who donated his kidney to Mark, have been recovering from the surgery. While Mark has been in Seattle full-time, Tony went to Brazil for his recovery and is scheduled to return in April. They both recovered without complications and are feeling good. Mark says that he has more energy now than he has had for several years. Mark had his second surgery a week ago for the catheter removal. It is a much less invasive procedure and only took about an hour, but still left quite a hole in his side, which will be mostly healed within a few weeks. He took it pretty easy for the first few days and then has been able to get around pretty good. He does have lifting restrictions again for awhile, but it wont nearly be for as long as it was for the transplant surgery. We are so blessed to have Marks cousin, Ed and his wife, Gail, come from the warmth of Arizona to help Mark out for a week while I was scheduled to be out of town attending fishery meetings. Mark and Ed had a great time visiting and recalling hunts they went on together, and they were able to do a lot of walking on the trails nearby our apartment. Mark really enjoyed the time he had with them while they were here. They left yesterday for their retirement home and the sun. Mark and Eds cousin, Jerry Simurdak, who lives in Tacoma, came to visit on Sunday and they were able to go to dinner with him. Mark has had no rejection issues and has tolerated the anti-rejection medicine fairly well. His creatinine levels have not gone down as far as the doctors want and so they have completed two ultrasounds, a bladder scan, and a kidney biopsy, to try to determine the cause. They have found nothing to indicate a problem and believe that it may be due to some factors dealing with differences between Mark and Tony, or it may also be the anti-rejection medicine itself. There are two primary types of anti-rejection medications they give as part of the group of pills and both have different kinds of side effects and potential issues. One is harder on the kidneys while the other inhibits healing, as well as a variety of other differences. Mark is on the first kind and they cannot consider switching him to the other type of anti-rejection medicine until he heals from both surgeries. This Thursday morning, Mark will have a four-hour kidney function test at the radiology department which gives a detailed and precise reading of the kidney function. This test is considered the ultimate in defining exactly how the kidney is working and can help the doctors determine a course of action. On Monday, we have an appointment to meet with the nephrologist at which time well know what his recommendation will be. They may just keep him on the current medication and as the levels drop at about six months, expect the creatinine to drop as well, or they may decide to switch Mark to the other medication in a few weeks or at the end of April. If they decide to switch him to the other medication in a few weeks, we will be required to stay for a bit longer in order for them to closely monitor him for rejection issues as his body gets used to the new drug. If they wait until the end of April, we will likely be able to go home by the middle of the month and hell be monitored by his Anchorage nephrologist. At this point, we dont know what the transplant team will recommend, but we are very confident in their judgment and trust them completely. Our lives have had quite a bit of turmoil lately as my father passed away on February 22nd and my step-father had a heart attack about ten days ago. He is 99 years old and when taken to the hospital, they discovered that he has an invasive form of cancer and does not have long to live. He is now in an end-of-life care facility in Walla Walla very close to where they live and so my mother can be with him as much as possible. This has been very difficult for her as she is also in her late 80s and the stress and lack of sleep has really worn her down. I was able to go to Walla Walla to spend time with her for four days and returned to Seattle on Sunday to be with Mark. There are a lot of relatives there and my brother and his wife live across the street, so my mother has quite a bit of support right now. My step-father is a strong Christian and they are at peace with what is coming. It is my hope and prayer that Mark can be released to go home soon so we can get back to Kodiak and then I will be able to go back to be with my mother as needed. Weve been promised that we can do all things through Christ Who gives us strength and Im definitely claiming that promise now as we are dealing with the loss of loved ones in our lives. I thanked Mark yesterday for not having any complications from the transplant and causing further stress. He said he was happy to help out. It was about 68 degrees here in Seattle yesterday and in the afternoon we walked over to the university square where there must be 30 crab-apple trees in full blossom. It was beautiful and we just walked around enjoying the beauty of spring. A lot of people were there taking pictures and enjoying the sunshine and warmth. Its good to take a break from our troubles and daily struggles and appreciate the beauty around us. When we spend time appreciating His creative power, we are reminded that He also made us and cares for us more than we can imagine. Thank you again for keeping Mark in your prayers as he heals from the surgeries and we pray that his body will continue to accept the new kidney and it will function as needed.
Posted on: Wed, 26 Mar 2014 23:54:26 +0000