Today Samuel had another nuclear medicine scan. It is also called a flow study or profusion study. This is a test that tells us how the kidney is functioning. A radioactive solution (MAG-3 and Technetium-99m) is injected through Samuel's catheter into his bloodstream. A very large gamma camera then takes a series of 124 pictures over 30 minutes - 1 picture every 15 seconds - to record how the radionuclide is taken up and excreted by the kidney. Samuel's job is to lie very still. The amount of radioactivity in the syringe is measured before injection and then again after the injection to determine exactly how much he received. The pictures are processed and many calculations are done to give us specific information about the function of Samuel's new kidney.
Samuel had his first nuclear medicine scan done on November 8th - 8 days after the transplant. That study showed less than 1% function. Scan #2 on November 12th showed a 15% uptake, but very little excretion. We don't yet have the test results from today. I'll write again when we know more.
Tomorrow Samuel is having a biopsy. This is to check for any signs of rejection. The biopsy that he had 3 weeks ago showed no signs of a problem. Praise the Lord! One-third of the sample that was taken was dead tissue and 2/3 was "viable and regenerating" tissue. That one small sample isn't necessarily representative of the whole kidney, but it was still good news - the first we've had in a while.
I'll let you know what we learn from tomorrow's biopsy. Till then.........
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Hi Nancy, i'll check in often. Our prayers are with you daily, for you and Tom, Sam and Katie, and Hannah, Grace, Esther and Lydia holding down the home front. May God grant Samuel's kidney to get to at least 50 % function. Love, Anje.
Isaiah 26:3,4 You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you,because he trusts in you.
Trust in the Lord forever,for the Lord God is an everlasting rock.
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