Posted on 02/21/2009 6:09:12 PM PST by Born Conservative
D.C. Council member Marion Barry's kidney transplant surgery was successfully completed late last night, officials at Howard University Hospital said.
Barry "is doing well," the transplant specialist who led the operation said through a hospital spokesman. "Everything went well."
Officials said that a healthy kidney, supplied by a 47 -year-old female donor, had been transplanted and that it appeared to be functioning fine.
Barry was to spend the night in the intensive care unit; tests to assess the functioning of the donated kidney were to be performed this morning, said Clive O. Callender, founder and director of the hospital's transplant center, in a statement issued through hospital spokesman Ron Harris.
Officials said the donor, whose surgery was completed earlier last night, was resting and doing well.
Barry had indicated that he would hold a news conference today, but it was thought unlikely last night that the session would take place.
Earlier yesterday, flowers began arriving at the hospital and friends came to support the controversial four-term mayor, who garners praise as a champion of the disadvantaged and scorn for past drug use and continued tax problems.
Barry (D-Ward 8), who will be 73 in two weeks, has been on dialysis for nearly three months. He underwent dialysis yesterday morning because his potassium level was high enough to complicate the surgery, an elevation that is not uncommon for those with kidney problems, Harris said. If Barry's potassium level had not fallen, doctors would have had to postpone the surgery, Harris said. "We were checking and double-checking," he said.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
Guess he can pay up now !!!!!!!!
Bitch fixed him up.
While I wish the low life scumbag well, I can’t help but think somewhere out there a more deserving death row inmate is going without a kidney...
I mean, can my wife and I each contribute a kidney? I suppose that would mean just one kidney per year presumably.
And what about soliciting others for their organs? Could I get in trouble if I engaged in "bundling" kidneys? My children have tons of kidneys they never use.
Yeah, in China the death row inmates are expected to get by minus both their kidneys.
geez,
is there a stipulation somewhere that lets one determine what type of person his/her organ will be implanted into to?
there should be.
He received a kidney from a living donor, not cadaver. She volunteered her kidney and he took it.
In Soviet Russia, kidney transplants you!
A living donation has an entirely different set of rules, although, to the best of my knowledge, 73 years old wouldn’t necessarily preclude one from a cadaveric transplant. I do understand your point, though.
This is a good deal for him; if he takes care of it, being that his new kidney is “younger” than he is, the kidney will probably be good until he dies.
I just had a transplant last year. I’m 45 (44 at the time), and I received a 16 year old kidney (cadaveric). I had been on the list for almost 3 years, and had 6 prior “calls” for a potential kidney before the 7th, which was the “charm”.
Just to you make feel even better about it, IIRC, renal failure at any age, even if you have private insurance, qualifies you for full ride Medicaire and disability as long as you’re on dialysis and “The List”.
So “We the Taxpayers” just paid for this drug addicts transplant and his treatments.
please correct me if i’m wrong in my prior post.
I was involved with an alcoholic who had acute renal failure. That was how her situation was handled.
Personally, I never went on Medicare. I was on dialysis for 9 months and then got my transplant.
But as I understand it, Medicare “kicks in” 6 months after starting dialysis, and immediately upon transplant (if not already on it). However, once transplanted, it only covers the immunosuppresant meds for 3 years, and then, the person is on their own (again, I’m on private insurance). It’s much cheaper to maintain a person with a transplant than with dialysis. Dialysis is not something I want to do again (although I will if I have to)
As for acute renal failure, that reverses (IIRC), but can turn into CRF (chronic renal failure) and eventually ESRD (end stage renal disease).
ESRD is not fun. My sister is currently on dialysis for the same problem I have (Polycystic Kidney Disease), and missed a treatment on Monday due to her access being clotted off. When she went in Tuesday to get it unblocked, she almost had a cardiac arrest (heart rate of 30) because her potassium was in a lethal range (7.1). She’s fine now after getting emergency dialysis in the ER.
Glad your still around.... :)
My GF gave one of her Kidneys to her Mom.
As for disability, dialysis is not necessarily a criteria for dialysis. I frequent an online forum for kidney transplants as well as polycystic kidney disease, and there are a lot of people with legit issues (according to their posts, fwiw) that can’t get disability. Did your ex get SSI due to alcoholism? That would be my guess.
Personally, I continued working through it all. I had a kidney function of 8-10% for a year before starting dialysis (normal function is >60%), and even cut back from 7 to 6 days a week while on dialysis. But I am lucky, as PKD is my only problem, so I don’t have any of the other problems associated with diseases which cause kidney failure AND other issues (diabetes is a frequent cause of failure, and has multiple other problems along with it).
Me too :)
That’s great about your GF. Surprisingly, donating is not something that is likely to cause problems, even later in life.
I had some offers from several people to be tested, but turned them down. It was a personal preference, but I think it’s great for those that are able to get a kidney from a live donor.
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