Surgery Day

We had been told to be at the hospital a 5:00 am on March 8. James, myself, and my mother-in-law were all there, although we were about 10 minutes late. The waiting area around registration was packed full of patients and families waiting for surgery. Every few minutes someone in scrubs would come down, read off a few names, and take a group up to pre-op. By 7:00 am, there was just us and another couple left. We started talking to them and found that their surgery involved the same group of doctors that did our surgery.

After sitting there for 2 hours, we finally realized that we weren't the first surgery of the day after all. I'm not quite sure why they asked us to be there at 5, but oh well. We pulled out our favorite card-game, Rook, and started half-heartedly playing. I called my transplant coordinator and found out that we were second in line for the day.

A little after 8:00 am they came to get us and it was like winning the lottery! We got up to pre-op and they let James and I be next to each other. There became some confusion about which doctors were going to perform the surgeries and that was the only time I really got nervous. Dr. Cashman performed my mother-in-law's surgery, and had been treating James, knew his brother, basically our whole family. He was supposed to my my doctor! I don't know how they worked it out, but he came through for us and I was so relieved. I put a lot of trust in his hands.

We like Dr. Cashman because he is compassionate, aggressive, but also has a sense of humor. When he came to see me before surgery he asked if I had any questions. I only really had one and I wanted to know if my kidney went right into James and if not, where did they put it. He responded that they have up to 6 hours to get it into James, but it wouldn't be that long. "In the meantime, we put it on ice in a bucket. I move my beer to the side to make room for it."  I laughed and thought, "What a kidder." Then, not 5 minutes later, the O.R. nurse passed through my room to get paperwork and was carrying a 5 gallon bucket full of ice that read "KIDNEY" on the side. I couldn't believe it! I exclaimed, "Is that where my kidney goes???" She looked down, and basically ran out of the room. We all just burst out laughing.

My surgery was at 11:00 am, but James' wasn't until about 2:30 pm. I was glad I was first. I finally got scared when they wheeled me down the hall because I did not want to see the surgery room. I don't think I could have handled that. They gave me twilight medicine to make me fuzzy. I remember getting wheeled to just outside the O.R. doors, where they scrubbed in. They had to stop me to let another patient through and that is the last thing I remember until I woke up in recovery.  I guess I was in recovery for a few hours, but I only remember waking up a few times and there was no one around. There must have been a nurse around, but I never saw one. My mouth was incredibly dry from the intubation tube and it also gave me a fat lip.

From what I've heard, as soon as they hooked the blood supply from my kidney up to James', it started working. We had heard it could start working at a minute, but mine was immediate. The surgeon told my nurse that my kidney was "beautiful" and she had never heard him say that before. James had carried so much fluid without having kidneys for 6 weeks, that my little kidney started working overtime and he went through six catheter bags the first night alone. We call it "Liquid Gold".

James came out of recovery smiling and waiving to him mom, but when she came in to see me, I wouldn't even move. I was afraid to move because of the pain. I've never experience pain like that and was pushing my pain pump every six minutes. I would watch the clock. Bless his heart, James walked down 2 floors from ICU that night to see me. He looked so different. I could already start to see color in his face and he just looked amazing. At that moment, I didn't care what kind of pain I was in because it was worth it to see him and know I had saved his life.

Last Night

We have made it! It is now the night before the big day. Kim, James and I drove down to Phoenix yesterday. It was tough saying goodbye to the kids, especially LJ who is only 2 and doesn't know why mom and dad are leaving. The girls are taking this all very well. I explained to them that it's ok to be nervous. We are all nervous, but we aren't scared. Daddy and mommy are going to be just fine.

We took our time driving to Phoenix and had a nice last meal. We stayed the night at a little hotel on the hospital grounds. It's really just a hallway of rooms inside a medical plaza, but it's right next to the hospital. We will be staying there again when we get released.

We got a great call first thing this morning saying that not only are James and I totally compatable, but also that our surgery has been moved up to 7:00am. That means we need to check in at 5:00am. I'm so glad we don't have to sit in pre-op all day.

James and I are nervous, but mostly just grateful that this has worked out and it almost over. "Tomorrow, tomorrow, I love ya tomorrow..."

Preparations

My mom Claudia flew in yesterday. She has come to take care of the kids while James, Kim, and I are down in Phoenix. It is so nice of her to come and having her here has really made it seem real. This surgery is really going to happen! James is at dialysis for the last time here right now. He is scheduled one more time at a center in Phoenix on Monday.

The three of us, James, Kim, and I are leaving on Sunday so we can take our time and relax before this. On Monday I am on a liquid diet and James has to eat light. Then neither of us are to eat on Tuesday. We check into the hospital at 11:00 on Tuesday. My surgery is scheduled to start at 2:30 and then James goes in at 4:30. He has to wait in that pre-op for a long time, poor guy. 

Just a few more days now!

Hurry Up and Wait

March 1 has come and gone. It was difficult to not spend the day wishing we were in the hospital. Who actually says that? It's just so hard knowing this could have been all over today if I had gotten my wish, but I didn't. Hopefully now that today is over, it will be easier to look forward to next tuesday when we really will be in the hospital. At least that is for sure.

I say hurry up and wait because I know that this week is going to just drag on and on. James goes to dialysis in the morning and only two more times thereafter. We have actually heard that every day of dialysis can take up to 5 years off your life, it is that hard on your body. It is not the solution. James is being brave, though, and I really admire him. People are calling me a hero and I'm so grateful to be able to give James my kidney, but he will always be my hero for enduring his PKD.