Posted on 02/21/2009 6:09:12 PM PST by Born Conservative
D.C. Council member Marion Barry's kidney transplant surgery was successfully completed late last night, officials at Howard University Hospital said.
Barry "is doing well," the transplant specialist who led the operation said through a hospital spokesman. "Everything went well."
Officials said that a healthy kidney, supplied by a 47 -year-old female donor, had been transplanted and that it appeared to be functioning fine.
Barry was to spend the night in the intensive care unit; tests to assess the functioning of the donated kidney were to be performed this morning, said Clive O. Callender, founder and director of the hospital's transplant center, in a statement issued through hospital spokesman Ron Harris.
Officials said the donor, whose surgery was completed earlier last night, was resting and doing well.
Barry had indicated that he would hold a news conference today, but it was thought unlikely last night that the session would take place.
Earlier yesterday, flowers began arriving at the hospital and friends came to support the controversial four-term mayor, who garners praise as a champion of the disadvantaged and scorn for past drug use and continued tax problems.
Barry (D-Ward 8), who will be 73 in two weeks, has been on dialysis for nearly three months. He underwent dialysis yesterday morning because his potassium level was high enough to complicate the surgery, an elevation that is not uncommon for those with kidney problems, Harris said. If Barry's potassium level had not fallen, doctors would have had to postpone the surgery, Harris said. "We were checking and double-checking," he said.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
too bad if in the future she developes medical problems attacking her one good kidney because this POS drank and boozed his to a withering sponge
In a medical ethics class I took we had some spirited and loud discussions regarding the questions you suggested. Since Berry had a ‘voluntary’ live donor the subject is moot in this case.
Given his extensive previous drug usage makes me wonder just how healthy is the rest of his body.
Good luck to both of you!
In a sense, my friend was lucky, one of the few who could actually go OFF dialysis after about 6 months. Still running at 15% and dropping slowly from year to year and will be on it agin someday. But after the third hospitalization in 6 months for alcoholism they finally removed her from transplant consideration.
Interesting story. Glad you are here with us.
As an undergrad in the ‘70s, I had a PT job at the Univ of Michigan hospital working the front desk of their clinical research unit. We had a set of twins, one with kidney failure.
Her twin gave her a kidney, and within days, you could see the difference in the other twin. It was remarkable how this girl went from barely alive to vibrant.
Yep, but hopefully she has figured out the potential abuse her former kidney may endure.
However, the odds of her needing that 2nd kidney in the future are very low. The one thing I can think of would be kidney cancer, which would maybe necessitate removal of her remaining kidney, but other than that, a person can do perfectly well with 1 kidney.
LOL!!!
Thanks; I’m glad to be here as well.
It’s difficult to appreciate how utterly crappy you feel without kidney function until you no longer have any.
The difference in just a few HOURS before and after transplant were astounding. Energy and mental clarity that I hadn’t had in YEARS. Since it’s such a gradual onset, I didn’t realize how bad I felt until I no longer felt that way.
I once saw a shirt that sums up part of it really well. It had a picture of a brain and a jar of applesauce: (brain)This is your brain (applesauce)This is your brain on dialysis
you see, i just woke up, kinda groggy, in a hotel room bath tub full of ice.
there was this note on the mirror....
At least they must’ve given you some good drugs...
Too bad he couldn’t have waited a little longer, as he would have been able to receive one of Teddy Kennedy’s booze-saturated kidneys.
Or some hapless tourist woke up in a bathtub full of ice...
Under the Barry Barrack healthcare system they could just clean it up and offer Marion's old kidney to some needy redneck.
BTW, did Marion Barry just have one kidney left? Just curious.
Heh, considering the subject, It wouldn’t surprise me. Although I meant there had to be a more deserving recipient for the kidney waiting to die in a federal prison.
Scum like barry are the reason I’d only donate my organs to those who I know personally and believe to be good and decent people.
If there’s a chance to prolong a life, let someone worthwhile see another sunrise, not a stinking crack addicted politician.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.