Author Archives: Pendrew

With Covid-19 my medical situation has been in limbo. I learned today that Penn Medicine has resumed elective surgeries, so I’m on the schedule now to have a Ureteroneocystostomy on Wednesday, May 6. This procedure will reimplant my ureter so that … Continue reading →

I’m in limbo. Because my creatinine level (key indicator of kidney function) was rising back in February (in spite of getting a new stent in my ureter), I received a nephrostomy tube on March 3rd. For the uninitiated, this is … Continue reading →

I had the tube procedure yesterday (March 3). It was fairly straightforward, and it works like a charm. Although the procedure was quick and easy, about an hour afterwards I was in severe pain (7/8 out of 10). I can’t … Continue reading →

The nephrostomy tube procedure will be next Tuesday (March 3). The meeting with the Intervational Radiologist went very well. There should be minimal soreness and no work restrictions. I’ll just take a few days afterwards to get settled. The purpose … Continue reading →

As many of you know, I was diagnosed with a very rare disease called retroperitoneal fibrosis in January 2019. There is no known cause for this disease, however severe abdominal trauma seems to be a likely cause in many instances. … Continue reading →

Every three months the stent in my ureter needs to be changed. I’m here at Pennsylvania Hospital for the procedure. In January I’ll be having another CT scan of my abdomen to see how successful the infusions have been. Theoretically, … Continue reading →

I’m sitting in the waiting room at Penn Medicine waiting to get some bloodwork done. Then, immediately after, I will be going to get an infusion of Rituximab. This will be my third infusion (the first two were in May … Continue reading →

Last week I had a CT scan of my abdomen to see if the nodules pressing against my ureter had shrunk as a result of my recent infusion therapy. I’m happy to report that the nodules are smaller! The plan … Continue reading →

The Nurse Practitioner from the Urologist’s office contacted with results from the scans: “Stent is in the correct position but there is still some hydronephrosis in your kidney — we expected some hydro but I sent everything to Dr. Mucksavage … Continue reading →

Time to vent a little. Just got a message from my Urologist: “Your creatinine continues to go up slowly. I placed an order for a plain xray of the abdomen to check for stent placement and an ultrasound to check … Continue reading →