We are on this ride for the long haul

**Another long post coming your way with a few typos probably thrown in. I also jump around a little bit, sorry about that**

Remember how I said in the first post that we are on a roller coaster ride? Well, just imagine the highest, fastest, most terrifying ride and that is just a little bit of what we are feeling right now. I hope we can get on that love boat ride soon.

It all started first thing this morning when we had to take the van in and get new tires.  We got stuck twice in the driveway and in the process, wore what tread was left off the front tires, so new tires where in order. We go to a place where when you buy 3, the 4th is free, and since the back tires were also in need, we bought 4 new tires. A sensor also needs to be changed as well as the tire rod alignment tightened? Fixed? Not sure, just that it is more money in a time where we seem to be bleeding it out. I was incredibly nervous this morning, but with waiting to go to Lot's follow-up to his kidney biopsy, I calmed down and was fine. I should have seen the things going wrong with the can as a sign.

Now cut to waiting for the doctor to come in. They took blood pressure, and  it was awesome! The left arm was 101/69 and the right arm was 105/72. Lot's blood pressure has never been this low, so the new meds that he was put on are doing their job very well. I just wish that we had more good news to share. In all honesty, it is down right terrifying. We have both done our share of crying today, but not to the point that I have to take out my contacts. Not yet, anyway. There are still a few hours left in the day in which to ruin another pair of contacts:)

The somewhat short version is that Lot NEEDS a transplant and soon. Unfortunately, with no insurance at the moment, we cannot even begin to think that far. He will not even be considered for one without insurance. We have filled out more paperwork and are working with some awesome ladies to get Lot approved for Medicare. In the mean time, Lot will be parking his butt in a dialysis chair 8 hours a day, 5 days a week for the next 3-4 weeks.

We leave for Blackfoot in the morning for a catheter to be placed in Lot's peritoneal cavity. That is the cavity that surrounds your stomach, I think. It will be a permanent fixture for the foreseeable future. Once that is done, we will be staying the night and Lot will be receiving his first dialysis treatment overnight. When he is released sometime Thursday morning, we will head back to Idaho Falls for round 2.

With this catheter, he will be able to do dialysis at home and at night. We just have 2 weeks of going to the office to get it done, again for 8 hours a day. Lot is going to be very bored, as will I. I will be able to come home, though. After the 2 weeks, we will both receive training for a week or two on how to do the dialysis at home.

We have still not been able to see the orthopedist, and with all that is going on and the time it will take, I am not sure we will be able to. I am not so sure that we will need to either. We learned today that this severe form of IgA Nephropothy can cause gout and that is most likely the cause of Lot's knee pain. We will still try to go, but it is anyone's guess as to when we will make it in.

Kidney function is at 7%, down from 9% last week. Lot is in what they are calling stage 5 renal failure. If we do not do any of this, it is fatal 100%. He has a ton of scarring and there is no hope of saving his kidneys.

He is going to have what is called peritoneal dialysis and it is a gentler form. He will be getting blood draws once a week or once a month, I can't remember. He will also need to take a special vitamin as along with all the junk in his system that will be drained, vitamins will also be lost. He cannot drink a lot of fluids, as that will actually make it worse. This includes water that is in foods such as fruits and veggies.

We have not talked to a dietician about what he can and can't eat, that comes on Thursday and Friday. We have had a ton of information dropped in our laps today, information that is normally given over a 6-8 month period.

We will NEVER be able to express our gratitude to everyone that has helped us out, are organizing fundraisers for the transplant, and have said prayers on our behalf.

If you would like more information on the fundraising, I can get you the information of the people that are spearheading it. The barest of details is that there is going to be a Potato bar and silent auction on the 23rd of February. I am not sure of a time or where it is going to be held. There is also a Paypal account being set up.

Due to time restrictions and just general tiredness, I will also have my sister typing up updates for our blog. She will also be sending out small updates on facebook, but the details will be here. If you have any questions, please feel free to add them in the comments and we will try to answer them as soon as we can.

Again, we thank all of you that have taken time to pray for us and check on us. There is not a lot to be done right now, but your prayers are felt and a huge comfort to us and our family.

I am so thankful that we are a forever family and have the guidance of our Father in Heaven to help us. We have been asked to go on this roller coaster ride and, while we will not enjoy it, it is humbling to know that we can handles. He does not give us anything we cannot handle. That does not mean that we will not get discourages, as I am sure we will, but He is always just a prayer away.