A Post From Kim

Kim in her own words...

"We are both healing, have hit a plateau (or Frank has) I have more energy than I can remember having in a very long time. Davis called today and reduced another medication, boy do I love love love Tuesdays when my labs come in and they start removing meds from the piles that I take at 9 and 9. That shows me how rapidly there is progress. Have a minor surgery on Monday (January 3, 2010) for a "stint" in the kidney and bladder that was put in during the transplant. It is usually taken out in six weeks, but is being removed on Monday, guess I am doing better than I thought. I am blessed and am ever so thankful for the skill in knowledge of the doctors at Davis. Thank you God for answered prayers. They were right, it is harder on Frank. but he is a real trooper about the whole thing, even after I accidentally hit his incision getting up this morning. Just got to love that guy."

The medical team moved her surgery from the 14th to the 3rd.  Please pray, friends.

Because of His great, great love,
Melissa Culver

All Over The Place

Wow!  It looks like the news on Kim and Frank made it all over the place.  So far I've found it in these places (and a few others).  Click on each image below to be redirected to these sites.

The Kidney Group (on Facebook) ran their story.  Browse the wall to find it.  Click image to be redirected to the site.

In His grip,
Melissa Culver

Progress

Everything is progressing along according to schedule.  Wahoooo!  Praise the LORD.

• Frank's energy, appetite, and mobility are growing steadily.  He's doing GREAT.
• Kim's pill schedule is tapering off fantastically.  Whoo!
• Kim's energy level has been through the roof ever since she received her new kidney.  And yet she's smart enough to take naps every day.
• Kim's appetite is huge.  A good thing, I guess.
• The incision area for both of them is repairing beautifully.

Kim has a small procedure scheduled for Friday, January 14.  It's a standard procedure for kidney recipients.  In order for the new kidney to fuse correctly to the "input line" and the "output line" (artery and urine waste line) a tube had to be surgically implanted.  It's how this surgery goes.  Normal.  It was always the plan for this to be temporary.  Kim will need to go back to UC Davis for a very small surgery so that this stint may be removed.  In light of the last hurdle we just passed, this is peanuts.  However, your prayers for this small surgery would be lovely.

Thank you, friends.

Because of His great love,
Melissa Culver

Thank You, Thank You!

Along the way I made sure to say thank you quite frequently.  But, I wanted to add one specific post to thank all of you.

• Thank you to Wanda for visiting us in Sacramento more than once.
• Debie, thank you for visiting Kim in the hospital.  Such a sweet encouragement.
• Jim and Jan Clark.  Thank you for coming, for staying, for visiting, for spending time with all of us.
• Bill and Fran.  Thank you for spending time with Frank while I was still caring for mom in the hospital.  It gave me such peace of mind.  And he LOVED the visit.
• Thank you to Phil for praying with us at the hospital all day on Monday (December 6).
• Thank you to Phil and Beth for coming to Sacramento to have breakfast with us (December 12).
• Thank you so Rebecca Wilson for helping out with Kim's laundry.
• Thank you to the Sparks Team for making get well posters for Kim and Frank.
• Thank you to the T&T girls for making cookies for Kim and Frank.
• Thank you to the Merced Sun-Star for writing to VERY beautiful articles on Kim and Frank.
• Thank you to Sarah Hobbs for updating the church on Kim and Frank's journey.
• Thank you to Janie Melin for updating the Encouragers Sunday school class as the journey unfolded.
• Thank you to the Hoffmann Family for EVERYTHING you did for the Culvers.
• Thank you to Sandy Nelson for doing some Culver laundry when Jason and the kids returned to Merced (absent Melissa).
• Thank you to the entire First Baptist Church community for praying for, caring for, loving, and serving us in this season.
• Cards, phone calls, and visitors.  Thank you to everyone who has cared in these ways.
• Testimony.  Thank you to all of you who have forwarded this blog to others.  And thank you for sharing with us what a beautiful encouragement this has been to others who are facing this very situation--organ failure.
• Andrea Beene.  Thanks for taking the kids on Saturday so that Jason could get some rest.  The kids had a blast.
• Mandy Schoonhoven.  Thank you for homeschooling my kids for two days (in addition to your five) so that we wouldn't fall behind.
• Thank you to Grammy for loving your grandkids a bunch when Jason needed it most.
• Paula Dawson.  You called me.  Thank you for crying with me and praying for me.
• Deanna Donaghy.  Thank you for calling me.  I think we cried.  It's hard to remember all the details now.  I love you.
• Facebook.  For all of you who followed this journey on Facebook.  Thank you for posting.  Thank you for caring in all the ways that you did.

I know I'm leaving some other thank you's out.  I'm sorry.  And you didn't do it for a thank you.  So, you probably don't mind that you're not up there.  Thank you.  Thank you.  Thank you.

To everyone who cared: we say 'Thank you.'

Because of His great love,
Melissa Culver

Local News Article

The Merced Sun-Star did a follow-up article on Kim and Frank.  Click on the image below to be redirected to that article.

Joyfully,
Melissa Culver

We're Home!

Just a short post to say, "We're home!"  It feels so good to be home.

And one short bit about post-op clinic.  Kim's Live Donor Transplant Coordinator said, "In the 20 years I have been in medicine I have NEVER seen patients look this great after surgery.  You both are in the top 5%.  Seriously.  Wow!  I am absolutely blown away.  This is amazing!"

Prayer works, beloved.  Prayer works.

In awe of His awesomeness,
Melissa Culver

Breakfast Anyone?

When we left the hospital I was educated in what Kim's pills are called, when she takes each one, and why she needs to take certain ones at certain times.  I was overwhelmed at first, but after doing it a pinch I fell more confident in what is required of me.

These are the meds that Kim needs to take so that her body does not reject the new kidney.  Technically, the kidney is foreign matter and the body wants to attack anything that does not belong to it.  These meds are designed to shut down the body's desire to attack the new kidney.  Kim is now back on INH and doing great with it.  Thank you, LORD!

This is what she takes at 9:00am each day. 
She takes more with lunch and has another cup worth in the evening.

Humbly grateful,
Melissa Culver