Having just donated a kidney, and being fairly aware of how hard the entire process is to get to the actual surgery date. when i read this in the paper today i really felt for the guy.

Hes given up years of his life with family whom he hasn’t seen in years because Tonga doesnt have the facilities to deal with it. The family pays over $2000 a week for just medication and dialysis and now has none left over for the kidney transplant which is booked for June!

Heres the herald article from http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10577753

A Tongan overstayer counting the days until a life-changing operation in New Zealand is looking unlikely to meet the $110,000 fee needed to make it happen.

Sosefo Lakalaka has been here for the past three years paying for dialysis treatment – both his kidneys are failing and Tonga does not have any facilities to treat his condition.

After years of paying for his medical needs, his family have nothing left over for a transplant operation scheduled for June 20 in Auckland.

But since late last month Mr Lakalaka’s supporters have been fundraising to make sure the operation goes ahead.

A radiothon in Tonga has raised 30,000 pa’anga ($20,256) and an earlier Herald appeal raised $9774.14.

Family advocate Ulualo Pouhila said that although the family were still hoping New Zealanders would continue to donate, they were also trying to apply for a bank loan to make up the difference.

“The money that has come through has been amazing. But their only hope is the loan, it’s a big struggle for them.”

Mr Lakalaka has not seen his wife or five children since he has been in the country, but a brother has moved here to help financially support his sick sibling.

Mr Pouhila said the extended family were exhausted by continual fundraising efforts over the three years which had gone towards paying for dialysis, which had cost up to $2559 a week.

If the operation costs were not met in time, Mr Lakalaka would continue to visit the dialysis clinic twice weekly, but it was an option which served nobody’s interests, Mr Pouhila said.

“It’s a hell of a job.

“This is an opportunity to send him home.”

HOW TO HELP
Donations to assist can be made through the ANZ bank account:
Sosefo Lakalaka and Family
01 0186 0379433 00

Please Forward this link to all your friends

Well the tummy swelling is down heaps and im back to normal in that respect, though im still bothered by pain under the left ribs, and im unable to lie on my back or left side for any kind of period. Its just uncomfortable.

I went to see my Dr about this, and being the paranoid guy that he was suggested blood clots, and sent me for a slew of blood tests. I got a bit paranoid about this after he called me back and i did more blood tests and had more appointments.

It was only painful if i had been leaning forward, beathing deeply, laughing etc or doing things that compressed the internals on left hand side. So yesterdays Dr appt he sent me off to the hospital.

I spent the better part of the day in the A&E at the hospital trying to avoid people with masks over their face, coughing, sneezing, looking like they were dieing. I could see them looking at me in that ‘What are you doing here? you dont look sick!’ type of way. Dispite apparently having blood clots I actually felt fine and didn’t honestly think I had them.

I have noticed that I seem to get some sort of priority treatment since donating the kidney, and I’m unsure if this is related to it or not. Whilst in the room of 4 people recovering, if others pressed the buzzer they often got ignored or it took forever to get service. If i pressed mine i had somebody friendly there really quickly! I noticed this yesterday at the Hospital also, i had to wait for 4 hours still, but once I was seen it was pretty quick, and they were most helpful.

The Dr at the hospital says that my internals are just still swollen and trying to heal. The pain is from them chafing against each other whilst healing (much like the Ulcer in your mouth you keep biting which stops it healing). So Im now taking a bunch of Anti-inflamatories which appear to be helping that out. Will see how it goes.

My brother is doing ok with the new kidney, hes happy to be able to eat cheese, raisens, and peanut butter amoung other things. His fav thing appears to be being able to go to bed without spending an hour setting up machinery and disinfecting things. He has to get up at 6am every morning to take medication (on the dot!), then be at the hospital 8am for blood tests, then hangs about for the Drs appointments till 10-11am. He does this every single day of the week so they can monitor for rejection etc. This means he cant really work or travel anywhere, So we are heading up to Auckland this weekend to catch up with them and see how hes doing.

Hopefully we wont catch anything before doing so, he cant be around anyone with any kind of illness whilst having no immunity (anti-rejection drugs).

Oh and I entered and was short listed for a competition for a PVR thing at http://www.ben.geek.nz/win-and-the-nominees-are/ – so if you are feeling nice towards me please go vote for number 3 so i have some Freeview to watch whilst getting better

ok bit more of an update.
went into hospital tuesday, surgery weds morning. I was up and walking thursday, and home friday (to the hotel). I have pain still, in the upper stomach area where they cut.
I would have thought they would cut down lower but i have a 3″ cut from bottom of rib cage to belly button area, plus 2 holes where laproscopic stuff went in on the left side.
Im healing ok, but i dont like the nasty painkillers that make me feel woosy so im stickin to mild ones which means im in a bit of pain still – mostly at night when they run out .
To do the surgery they pumped my stomach full of air so they could manuver, this means i have lots of air in my tummy which moves about and is uncomfy atm. The worst side affect so far of the surgery is that the cut is near my actual stomach inside my tummy so swelling prevents me from eating more than a couple mouthfuls of food at a time.

So weds i ate 0 calories, thrsday i had half cup cornflakes for breaky with milk, lunch was a few pieces of fruit, dinner was couple pieces of brocoli etc.
Breakfast friday was 1 small pottle of yogurt (and even that made me so full i felt i was gonna burst), lunch was a couple slices of fruit again, dinner was half cup of soup and 1 slice of soup.
great weight loss diet, but if i have an empty stomach i feel all the wind when i down. Ive resorted to the cheese slices twice to settle the tummy pain. I guess its like a gastric balloon somewhat, only more uncomfortable.
Got to drink heaps too, which is fine.

My brother ws up and walking yesterday, he will be out of hosp on monday or tuesday. Dr said he had never seen a couple heal so quick and be up and about so much.
Ironicly my mother started a thread on a dating website forum, and somebody asked me if it was me, because they dont do that many transplants in nz. She had said that I was doing well and my brother was doing crappy. My friends who had seen me on twitter had said ‘what are you talking about they are both doing excellently!’, then i posted and agreed (from my hospital bed no less lol).
It was amusing to say the least .

oh yeah, funny things in hospital

When coming out of theatre i was stoned on drugs and tried making a joke. I said “So you got the appendix out ok?’ horrified look on the faces was most amusing, but i had to let them know ‘no you were definatly supposed to take the kidney its ok..’

Old man in opposite bed who thought he was being stoic by not taking pain relief and moaned and groaned and grunted all night long, when he wasnt doing that he was snoring so bad it sounded like he was cutting down a forest (sawing logs).
He was fairly large man and laid on bed with no blankets and feet spread wide so i got a great view up his hospital gown of all his family jewels (which i didnt want to see!). He peed all over the floor in the toilet, burped galore, and was generally as obnoxious as possible.

Luckily he was removed after 24 hours and i got the stoner lady who talked to herself all night. Her phone would ring and she would answer it ‘hello? …… hello?……hello?……hello?….” this would go on for 5 mins.

Another lady in the room was this little old lady who never told the doctors anything. So shes in pain and doesnt tell doctors, but as soon as her grown kids came in she moaned about how much pain she was in, so the docs would hear and come and give her medication, then the medication would make her sick. So i got to her her puking repeatedly, and not telling the Dr again just waiting for her kids to arrive so she could moan.
Nothing makes you feel healthy like waking up at 4:30am hearing somebody puking then demanding  to call her kids so they could come in and go mad at doctors for not reading her mind.

the other person in our room was a nice quiet little asian lady who had blood transfusions and went to the loo every 5 minutes. She was quiet and never said anything.

I presume the hospital food was ok, i was unable to eat any because of the stomach swelling. 1 banana completely filled me up. 1 pottle of yoghurt etc.
They did have a really nice fish pie, i soo wanted to eat it but could only manage 1 tablespoon of it which made me feel totally full

Well still not sleeping, its been getting progressively worse over the last couple weeks. Stressed and worried to the max about the whole kidney donation. Everyone seems to want to visit me but ill only be in 3 nights of which ill probably be zoned out weds night anyway.
I finally got an early night to bed last night but woke at 2am and didnt get back to sleep again till about 6am for an hour.

The place the hospital rented for us is ok, but has some cheap oddities. The plug in the bathroom presses in but you have to figure out there is a button behind the tap to get the plug up, so im sitting there with the knife trying to pull the plug out to get the water out. Then i finally get that going and knocked the toothpaste lid down the drain so now we have no lid for that.

The shower this morning was also interesting. there was a bath tap and the shower and only the one lever for both. it had one of those push in things to redirect it to the shower head, only that didnt seem to work. After about 20 minutes fiddling i was about to give up when i realized that you had to push the damned thing in before you turned the tap on and the water pressure holds it in and then water comes out the shower.

Today also is my daughters birthday party, shes 13 today. So we went to the mall for breakfast.  I drank 500ml coke, then a mocha with breakfast, then more coke. Just trying to wake up more because im so darned tired.

I figured I wouldnt need as much clothes in hospital so i unpacked half my stuff and ill leave it at the hotel.  Means i have less garbage to troll through if i need things in hospital.

So 7am i go in tomorrow, and out by 10-11am, then my brother goes in. I presume ill be out of it on a morphine pump weds arvo (woot!).

This is my last post for a bit unless i do one from the iPod Touch

Those that know me, know that for the last couple of years ive been trying to donate a kidney to my older brother.

Hes been on dialysis for around 5 years now. I lost 80kg to be able to do this, and have gone through rigourous testing. I’ve had to battle a retarded genetics Dr amoung lots of other things.

So finally now 3 years later, its happening. I head up to Auckland on monday, where we will try and sort out WHO is paying for the hotel. Talk about battling govt departments. They have booked somewhere for partner and kids to stay but cant agree whos going to pay for it. So unsure if we even have a place to stay monday night.

Tuesday 19th I go into hospital. Weds 20th at 7am they take me away to surgery, 3 hours later i come back with 1 less kidney, and hopefully alive. Then they take my brother into surgery, and 3 hours later he comes back with 3 kidneys (they dont remove his other 2, just give him an extra).

Friday I should be able to checkout of hospital, and then i get to hang around for another week in Auckland being somewhat bored and healing.

Im planning on doing the Harbour Bridge walk over if Im up to it. Debating if ill take the bike, or walk it (depends on if the kids go). Walking is good for recovery from surgery so encouraged. Thats probably the option ill go for.

Anyway, I may not update my website much in the next bit of time for that reason, but im taking my ipod and cell and i’ll be on twitter at http://twitter.com/velofille