Recent memories, too…
…This is about how I did once I got home from the UK Med Center from the kidney Transplant. The photo of Fred in my room” was really my first day back home and trying to get my meds worked out. The next one “Fred and Ron” is where my good friend walked me outside the house. The next one is “Fred at meeting” is about 3 months later and I am feeling and looking a lot better.
When I was first told that my kidneys were failing me, kept going to the DaVita Dialysis Center in Louisa getting checked and they told me that I had only 29% at that time and they told me they would keep checking me and would let me know when it was time to start treatments for it. When the time came I was working out on how to use PT dialysis using a tube inserted into my stomach thru the left side where I would connect to a machine each night for 8 hour taking a back of special fluid flushing me out, this worked pretty good for me for about one year and then I had to go on regular Dialysis I called it, inserting two needles into my arm pulling the blood out cleaning it and putting it back in, I did this for around 3 years. I was getting weaker and weaker all of the time and it was getting to point that once I took the 4 hour treatment at the center, I could just about not get home, at times my brother would have to come and take me home. I did not want to eat and just wanted to sleep all of the time and this was not good at all. I was getting anything done and slowly getting depressed.
Then one day I was getting ready for treatment and I got a call from Dr. Berger at UK he asked me how I was doing and I told him not good at all, he then asked me if I could get to UK in Lexington in about 3 hours, I told him I think so then he said I think I have you a kidney. Well I just did not know what to say I thanked him and told him I was on the way. I had something’s packed anyway and I contacted my friend Bud Preece and asked him to drive me and he said I am ready to go so off we went. Once I got there and put into a room they told me that I would have to have dialysis, so off we went to have that done for 3 hours and then put into a room where I was told all about what was to be done and some things about the kidney that I was getting, Dr. Berger explained this all to me. I was just so excited and thanking him and the good LORD. Also Angie Zimmerman my nurse coordinator there for about one year came in and talked to me, plus introduced me to my new nurse coordinator taking her place, Angie was going to a new job.
Well that night they started giving me different meds and checking my blood sugar levels and blood pressure levels to. Ask me many questions and was I really ready for this surgery and I told them been look forward to it for 4 years.
Once I got the kidney there were many that I had told you about that were very helpful in my recovery there and really treated me with the upmost respect and just great to me. The meals were really good you could select what you wanted for each meal and that did help a lot to. One of the nurses that helped me a lot was a guy name of Shannon, don’t know if that was his first of last name, just knew that it seemed liked he really did care for me like he wanted me to get the best of care. He talked to me a lot aways had me cold water and would say, “do you feel like walking some now.” I think about him all of time and he made me feel easy about things. All of the nurses were good to me as well no one did I have a complaint about at all. The team of doctors would check on me and Dr. Berger would check in and tell me I was doing good, that made me feel good to. Then I started at KY Clinic where I would do my checkups at and there was Shannon, he had moved to that clinic and it was nice to see him again. My Nurse there was Donna Argus and she really kept up with me all of the time. I would call here when I had my Home Health Nurse checking on me and she would talk to the nurse and explain just what we wanted Mr. Jones to be doing and wanting to know my vital signs at that time and if I needed refills. I could always call for my refills at KY Clinic and ask for Justin and he would right off let me know where I stood and what I needed. Donna connected me to Mrs. Francis the social worker and got me lots of help on paying for my Senipar that I needed, which cost a lot of money. I am just so grateful to so many that it is hard to remember every body that was of help to me.
On my return trips for checkups twice a week was hard and but much needed in what they had me to take in line of meds. Now I only go like about every other month and that is good and I feel like it really helps me to, just to catch something before it gets bad.
My life now is better than it was 10 years ago, my health is much better I feel better in the mornings and get out and do things that I haven’t done in 6 years or so. I still go to my dialysis center here and visit with some of the ones that are still trying to get a kidney.
I worked for 30 years at ARMCO Steel in Ashland, KY we made steel for Toyota. I work also a for Lawrence County Emergency Management 12 years had office in courthouse here. Have been Ham Radio operator for more than 50 years that is my main hobby and now writing a book about growing up in Eastern KY area. I went to a one room school only my brother Bill and I were there until 1954 we went to the White school then, it was a big change for me at that time I was in the 5th grade.
To me the University of Kentucky Medical Center and the KY Clinic have been really a life saver to me giving me the chance to live and a longer better condition of life to. Doesn’t matter what your color is, they treat everyone there the very same.
“Thanks for everyone’s prayers and they do work that is for sure and the good LORD was with me all of the time I know that for sure.”
God Bless,
Fred Jones