My Transplant, by the Numbers

(With apologies to the Harpers' Index)

Average creatinine levels in an adult without kidney impairment - 1.0
My creatinine level immediately prior to the transplant - 4.3
Correlating level of kidney function for a 44-year-old female - 11%
My creatinine level 24 hours after the transplant - 1.5
My creatinine level last week - 1.2

Duration of my brother's surgery - 3.5 hours
Duration of my surgery - close to 5 hours
Amount of weight I gained during the surgery - 15 pounds
Amount of water weight I've lost since the surgery - 12 pounds
Presumed weight of my brother's kidney - 2 pounds

Level my blood pressure dropped to immediately following the surgery - 85/50
Number of hours I spent in Recovery as a result - 5
Frequency of nurses checking my vital signs for the first 24 hours post transplant - every 60 minutes
Amount of sleep I got the first night - 0
Fever I spiked two days following the transplant - 101.1

Number of days my brother spent in the hospital - 3
Number of days I spent in the hospital - 5

Number of hours I waited between being told I was being discharged and actually being able to leave - 5.5

Number of new medications I'm taking - 5
Number of pills I swallow daily - 15
Retail cost of my first month of new meds - $2445
Likelihood that I will experience at least one acute rejection episode in the next year - 50%
Likelihood that an acute rejection episode can be reversed medically, if treated immediately - almost 100%

Number of post-discharge check ups I've had - 2
Number of hours I spent waiting for an ultrasound at my last check up - 2

Number of books I checked out of the library to read during my recovery - 6
Number of books I've read during my recovery - 0
Number of "Grey's Anatomy" episodes I've watched during my recovery - too many

Length of my incision - 4.5 inches
Number of kidneys in my body - 3
Number of months until my native kidneys will be surgically removed - 6-12