Heading home until Monday!

The scan of the transplanted kidney indicated that there is still blood flow. The perfusion is poor, but the kidney is receiving some blood. Despite the blood flow and use of anti rejection medications, Mark's blood work is continuing to show that the transplanted kidney is not working as well as we had hoped. His creatinine levels are back up to where they were before the transplant-around 5.0. Although the kidney is not functioning perfectly, we are thankful that there is still blood flow. We're happy to be going home with Justin's kidney as this means that there is still a small chance that it may one day recover. It will be a "waiting game" for quite a while as the Transplant Team will continue to monitor Mark to decide if the use of anti rejection medications and other treatments (which carry their own risks) are really helping and if continued use of the medications is worth the risk involved. The Team will also monitor Mark to determine if and when he'll need to go on dialysis. So, at this point, we're heading home until Monday.

The Transplant Team has sent Mark's kidney biopsy and blood work to several other Transplant Clinics in hopes of learning what seems to be going wrong. Please pray that some type of answer is found. If this transplant is deemed unsuccessful and no type of conclusion is found, Mark may no longer be a candidate for transplantation. This would mean life on dialysis.

Mark's issues with digestion are getting better. He is no where near feeling "normal" or ready to eat three meals a day, but things are improving slowly. Mark is feeling weak. He's lost about 25 pounds. His spirits are low as well. We're hoping that he can regain his strength as he is able to eat more and rest more comfortably at home.

Please don't stop praying!