Karina’s Story

Site created on May 30, 2010

On behalf of Karina (Lammers) Dickinson and Family:

Welcome to our CaringBridge website. We've created it to keep friends and family updated about our loved one. Get started by reading the introduction to our website, My Story.

Visit often to read the latest journal entries, visit the photo gallery, and write us a note in our guestbook.
Most importantly, please take some time to lift them up in prayer.

**Karina and her family love to hear from you! So, please sign the guestbook and show your support!!!

Karina (Lammers) Dickinson is a beautiful 34 year old Mom and wife to Scott Dickinson. She is the mother of 3 daughters Kaylee, Alaina and Jillian born 8-17-10. Karina was pregnant at 21 weeks of gestation with Jillian when diagnosed and in the ending stages of renal failure. She found out that she has Berger's Disease or Iga Nepropathy after being hospitalized starting May 22, 2010. There are many complications and side effects that come along with this disease and being pregnant added more difficulties.

After fully recovering from having Jillian, Karina had a kidney transplant March 2011. Her sister Jenny Benedict was the gracious donor. They are such a loving, God-centered family. I know they are loved by so many people literally around the world. So, hopefully this can help update everyone on how the fam is doing and how to pray for Karina and family. Here is the address if you would like to send a card of encouragement.

SCOTT & KARINA DICKINSON
1526 Horsey Rd
Defiance, Oh 43512

Newest Update

Journal entry by Karina Dickinson

 I was able to talk with Dr. G from CC late yesterday and gain more insight on where we are at and where we are going.
I found it nearly a miracle in itself that all the biopsies and records got there in such a timely matter.

Dr. G  and the team of Nephrologist were able to view the biopsies and were in agreement that my disease (IGA Nephropathy) is in my new kidney but there are good indicators that its not acting aggressively.
With IGA a big contributor is the amount of protein secreted through your urine and there is hardly a trace in mine-PRAISE GOD!! Who knew you would be so excited about the details of your pee!! :)

Dr. G wants me to continue my treatment plan which consists of the LARGE dose of steroids I am on and will scale back slightly in several months and hopefully be able to continue to decrease over time. He has said I will never be able to fully be off of the steroids and would want me to maintain taking them along with my other anti-rejection medications.

A friend of mine described to me in the hospital the amount of steroids as a "crazy juice", I now know what he means!ha
For all who know my sister/donor, Jenny, you may not be surprised that her/my kidney is loving this "crazy juice"!haha
My kidney is responding well to the treatment so far and my creatinine level has dropped some which is very encouraging!!

I will continue to keep a close eye on my lab work and at our next appointment they will likely add another medication, ACE inhibitor to try to help relieve my kidney.

Scott and I our doing our own little fist pumps over here for any and all great news! All praise to God and the many prayers you've all covered us with!!

We know that each month can have its changes, that's just life but we are celebrating today!

*Continued prayers for the progression of treatment to continue well. For me personally, its been very difficult being on these new meds and while I am so overjoyed that my kidney is responding well the rest of my body and mind is still in complete shock!
How I've been feeling has been really extreme. I'm either feeling really great or really not. It can feel like a roller coaster over here and then I just don't feel like myself at all.
I usually don't like to share in such detail about that but it is effecting me enough to really ask for your prayers concerning this.

Thank you all again!

((HUGS))



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