Part Thirty Seven: Well Wishers and Candy Heaven

The mailman just stopped by with a few more Get Well Soon cards and it reminded me that I wanted to express my thanks for all of you who stopped by the hospital, brought me candy, sent care packages, or simply left encouraging words by email or blogger comment.

I'd been meaning to give a shout out to Carrie's mom and dad for sending me this lovely pepto-bismol pink robe to wear around the hospital. (FYI: The appliqued rabbit says "Let's Focus on Me.")



Note: Hey Y'all! This picture was taken the day after surgery at the hospital! I'm not normally super-vain about my looks but... I must insist that I'm lookin' pretty rough here. Karol is right, if I look like I was double-dippin' the vicodin, it's probably because I was at that point! Ha ha...

In the days before the surgery I also received a squishy package that was bursting with socks socks and more socks from C's sister Annette. I will never ever run out of new socks, I think. I feel like I should donate some of these to sockless children in Bulgaria or somewhere colder and decidedly less fashionable.



You saw the happy Cardinal balloon my grandparents got me in the hospital, but I also have to throw in the giant rainbow balloon that my niece Mina brought me on surgery day.



Another pleasant surprise was the Golden Kidney Award package received from my friend Heather. (Also included in the package was an awesome selection of candy... skittles, nerds, blow-pops, candy-corn? Fantastic!)



I got an unexpected "Thank You" bag and balloon from the Saint Louis University Hospital. It came with a donor bracelet, a certificate of appreciation, crossword puzzles, life-savers candy, a Bluebird of Happiness, and more.

My friends know that I love candy and there was plenty of that received... but I guess they were smart enough NOT to send me my one true love... Mountain Dew. Not a good gift for a kidney donor, I guess... but that would've been awesome!

There were a couple more very special handmade gifts received from BD and my niece Mina that I don't have pictures of yet... so be on the lookout for an update with those later.

THANKS TO YOU ALL!!!! I never could have gone through with this without your support (and candy).

Part Thirty Six: Early Mornings and Attack Dogs

Since the day of my surgery, I've been in the habit of getting up super early. Wednesday, we had to go in to the hospital at 6am, and the next two mornings I was woken up early by nurses who interrupted my slumber with a thermometer in my mouth and a blood pressure cuff on my arm. When I got home, I got up early because I wasn't sleeping too well. And Daylight Savings Time hasn't helped the matter much... Even when I think I'm getting up late(r) the clock still says it's early.

Every day when I wake up I feel a little bit better. Unfortunately for C, the more I am able to move around, the more restless I become at night. I guess she didn't sleep very well last night. Meanwhile, I got up all perky and feeling good at 6:00 this morning. I got my comfy sweatpants on and walked down to St. Louis Bread Co. to get a couple of bagels and a newspaper. I used the bagels to make egg and cheese sandwiches for breakfast.

I encountered a couple of large dogs on my walk. Fortunately, they were on leashes. But I couldn't help but wonder what might happen if one got loose and tried to jump on me. I found myself guarding my incision site with my arms as I passed them on the sidewalk, prepared for any potential attacks.

Today is probably the last beautiful day that we'll have for awhile and I'm glad that I was able to get out and enjoy it early this morning. My younger brother has the day off work and plans to come up to visit me and my dad. I'm hoping that he might be able to swing by and pick me up before he goes to see my dad so that I might surprise him with a visit.

It sucks not being able to drive anywhere. I'd walk but most places are too far and there are too many big dogs roaming the streets that could attack me (and rip open my incisions) at any time. As a young female living in the city, I also have to be on the watch for muggers and rapists and aggressive panhandlers. Sometimes it's easier just to stay home as a simple trip down the block can turn out to be exhausting.

After having the weekend off, and being in and out of work the few days following my surgery, Carrie returned to her first full day of work today. I think she's growing tired of her role as a caregiver. The novelty has worn off. I've gone from being a cute, whiny, heroic, needy little porkchop-head to a lump in the living room who keeps demanding things and is constantly needing help up to go to the bathroom. Hopefully things will return to normal soon, because I don't like burdening people.

Right now the plan is for my brother and his family to stop by later this afternoon, unless I can convince them to take me with them to see my dad. I need to straighten the house some. Then I'll probably just sit a little more.

*sigh*

Part Thirty Five: "Slow Down, You Move Too Fast..."

I was feeling really really unbelievably good this morning. Of course, my abdomen is still achy and at times I just have to stop whatever it is I'm doing because the pain is so intense. But the rest of me was feeling back on track. I figured, Hey... now that I'm poopin' again... there's no stopping me.

The Cardinals World Series victory parade was this afternoon and I was determined that a trip downtown would be my first real outing since the surgery. I got all decked out in my cardinal red and replaced my stuffed green hippo with a stuffed Fredbird doll to hold against my belly.

At first I thought I might be able to go without something pressed up against me. I tried to abandon Fredbird on a couple of occasions. But I didn't make it very far from the vehicle before C had to run back and grab the little guy for me.

We rode downtown and parked in the Union Station parking lot which marked the beginning of the parade route. Lots ands lots of people parked a lot farther away and there were hordes of people walking in from all directions. I decided there was no way that my body could handle such a walk and I decided that we would pay whatever they wanted at Union Station. (Fortunately, it turned out to be only $5 as we left.) I was glad that we parked relatively close... as we were able to go in Union Station and get some food and then walk back out to the parking lot quickly to catch the parade. We never even bothered to leave the U.S. parking lot... and scored a decent viewing spot in their courtyard, just off of 18th street. There were only about three people, a sidewalk, and large bushes between me and the parade route... which was nothing in comparison to the 15-20 person deep masses that lined Market Street the rest of the route. I was grateful to be in an obscured area where I didn't have people bumping into me and my now incredibly throbbing achy belly and shoulders.

I was trying to clap and yell but it was hard. The area on my left wrist where they had placed the IV is now bruised and started to hurt quite a bit after a few minutes of clapping. I found that if I stand too long or walk around too much, my shoulders start to ache from the awkward way that I've been standing. C helped by rubbing my shoulders as the parade went by and by hurrying ahead to get the car after the parade was finished.

At one point, my eyes were burning and there were tears running out of them because I was so tired and sore. I'm sure the people next to me thought I was just really really moved by the Cardinals first World Series win in 24 years. Either way, I'm glad that I went. There's no way I could have been down here so close to the action and in reasonable health and not made it to celebrate. Plus, I wouldn't have gotten to see the Clydesdales in person! Can you blame me?



P.S. Medicine Update
I haven't taken any Vicodin today and don't plan to do so unless I have trouble going to sleep. I also did not take a Pepcid today. I did take one of the Dulcolax lablets because I was so freaked out by my dormant bowels. But, FYI, I've now pooped nearly a half dozen times since this morning. Sure, it may have been from all of the excitement and stress on my body... but I'm gonna shy away from the laxatives for the time being. Long story short... four days after major surgery and I'm nearly drug free. HOORAY!

Part Thirty Four: Back into the swing of things.

I spent a lot of time yesterday sitting in my chair. So much that my back started to get a little wrinkled and C started to tease that I was going to get bed sores.



For the first time since college football started up, I was able to sit and watch the Missouri Tigers play on national television. Unfortunately, I picked the wrong day to watch, as they lost to Oklahoma in an error-filled game.

After football, I carefully navigated my way into the shower. We have an old claw foot tub which has high sides and is kind of hard to get into. C had to turn the water on for me because I couldn't lean over to do so. She also stood outside the shower curtain and handed me the shampoo and soap so that I wouldn't have to reach for them. It felt nice to take a real shower. The one at the hospital was kind of awkward and seemed wrong somehow... like I was breaking a rule.

After cleaning up, I put underwear on for the first time in days (ha!) and bundled up for a trip outside. The weather has been gorgeous and I couldn't stand to be clammed up in the apartment anymore. C and I slowly crept down the steps and made our way over to the park across the street. Here's a picture of me on my first trip outside since I returned home.



You might notice the lump under my hoodie. No, it's not a colostomy bag... It is my little hippo friend that my Aunt Rainey and Uncle Roger brought me the day of my surgery. I had read the suggestions on the various kidney donor websites that it is good to have a little pillow to press up against you after surgery. Well, the hospital didn't provide such a pillow and I didn't bring one with me. So immediately after my surgery, when I was alert and unsuccessfully trying to move from side to side, I grabbed the first soft thing that I saw... the green hippo... and pressed it up against my stomach. It was really soft and seemed to keep my insides from squishing out my incision when I got up or walked around. I took it with me everywhere at the hospital and slept with it pressed against me at night. Here we are after I arrived home on Friday.



For all of you out there who are getting ready to donate a kidney soon, I highly recommend making sure you have something similar available to you before you get to the hospital. If my family hadn't brought me something soft and fuzzy to hold to my stomach, it really would have been rough. The other nice thing was that it matched my hospital gown.

I slept in C's bed last night and was much more comfortable than on the futon. My gas pain has eased up enough that I am now able to sleep on my side somewhat. It's a nice change when my back really starts to hurt.

Some of my readers may be interested to know what kinds of instructions I was given after I was released from the hospital. Here is a summary of my discharge orders:

Restrictions
1. No lifting greater than 5 lbs.
2. No tub bath.
3. No driving.
4. No sexual activity.

Diet
High Fiber Diet

Skin/Wound Care
Leave incision site open to air

Follow-Up Care
See Dr. S on 11/2/06 @ 3pm

Medicine
1. Pepcid (Acid Reducer)
2. Dulcolax (Stool Softener/Laxative)
3. Vicodin (Pain Killer)

So I have three incision sites on the left side of my abdomen. The surgery was done laproscopically so they made two small cuts up near my ribs to put their instruments and camera in. The larger cut is down near my waistline. It's probably about 4 inches long... just big enough for my surgeon to get his hand in and pull the kidney out. I've been trying to take pictures but they're not that great. The cuts were sealed up with glue and are kind of itchy. So most of the incisions look kind of white and flaky from the glue and some of my skin is still stained yellow from the iodine wash.



The reason that they have me on a high fiber diet and stool softeners is so that I will start pooping faster. I've been eating a lot of oatmeal and prunes and bread. I've also been trying to drink a lot of water. Yesterday, C let me have a little Mountain Dew with my lunch and dinner. I was sooooo happy.

I've passed gas a few more times since the inaugural fart during the World Series game... but didn't actually poop until this morning. Although it was pretty soft, it was still kind of painful to get it out... I was grateful for the stool softeners that had been prescribed.

Today the Cardinal's World Series Rally and Parade is happening downtown and I am itching to go. I want to see Tony LaRussa riding on the beer wagon behind those beautiful clydesdales. Suzi says she has a wheelchair. Maybe if we slap some kidney donor signs on it I can weasel my way to the front of the crowd. Here's me in my new too-big-flat-brimmed-Anthony-Reyes-styled World Series cap. YAY!

Part Thirty Three: Home Again

Hey everyone! I'm back at home and doing well. Thank you all for writing in with your words of love and support.

After days of dreary drizzly weather here in Saint Louis, the skies are clear and the sun is shining down on this city of World Series and Kidney champions.

C did a nice job reporting on the day of surgery, but I will add a few observations of my own. I'm sorry if this update is long and disjointed... but I have a lot to say and I'm still feeling a little woozy this morning.

Let me start by saying that I was still pooping quite a bit Wednesday morning! I mentioned this before, but it really did continue up until I was wheeled into the operating room. I guess I will never know if I pooped on the nurses and doctors during my surgery (unless they took a picture for me).

My dad was in the little holding room next to mine, so most of our visitors would multi-task and come to visit us at the same time. It kind of sucked though because it meant there would be periods where I was laying in there all alone! My brother Anthony came back and read me a scripture and said a prayer and kissed me on the forehead. It made me cry and after that I was pretty weepy. I managed to pull myself together when the doctors came in and wheeled me out into the O.R. We paused for a second by my dad's area and my mom came out and hugged me and my dad said something like, "I'll see you on the other side." At that point, I wasn't too nervous... mostly just ready to go back and get it all over with.

The nurses swarmed all around me in the operating room and quickly put a oxygen mask on my face and asked me to breathe in deep. They then told me they were giving me a shot and that is all I remember.

I woke up in the recovery room. I vaguely remember a nurse who kept shouting across the room at me to BREATHE DEEP. Breathing deep was really really hard. She had to tell me to breathe lots of times.

I woke up in my private room a little bit later with a bunch of people around. I think my brother Alex and his girlfriend Dawn, and Carrie and Beth, and maybe my grandma... I don't even remember now. I kept closing my eyes and then I would wake up and there would be more people there. Doctors came to visit me and lots of different nurses and care partners. They took my blood pressure and temperature and pulse a lot. All throughout the first night my nurse came in every hour and checked on me. She said my blood pressure was really low. Also, there were some problems with my catheter. It wasn't draining correctly.

That night I was able to get up and walk to my dad's room. The walking part wasn't too bad... but the getting up part was really difficult. It felt like all I was really able to do was lay there. If I tried moving to the left or right it would hurt so bad.

I didn't visit with my dad for long. He kept dozing off and I was tired and felt dizzy... so I walked back to my room.

The next day is even more of a blur than the first. I was so incredibly tired and groggy on the second day. I think the anesthesia finally caught up with me. I couldn't keep my eyes open and if I tried to get up I felt like puking. I think I did end up throwing up a little bit. They gave me medicine for nausea and some for pain. I tried to watch the Cardinals game but kept falling asleep and couldn't focus. I turned if off somewhere around the third inning. I was glad to wakeup and turn on the TV and see that they had come from behind to win.

Thursday, they were really pushing for me to go home. Or at least the surgeon was. He came in and talked to me and told me that I couldn't lay around all day and that I would only feel better if I got up. After he left I started crying because I was so frustrated. A super nice nurse came back in and saw me crying and told me that they wouldn't make me go home if I wasn't ready. She took the bandages off my incisions, which really hurt and I cried a little more. I noticed that they'd had to shave my stomach a little bit for the surgery. Sweet.

Friday morning I got up early and got out of bed and put my housecoat on and went for a walk. I had gotten up several times during the night to pee on my own. They made me pee into a hat so that they could measure it and make sure my one kidney was doing okay.

On Friday, I really started feeling the pain from the air trapped inside my body. At first, I was just noticing pain in my abdomen but then it shifted up to my left shoulder and eventually to my right. It got to the point where I wasn't really able to lay down because it hurt too bad, and I could hardly sit still because of the pain.

They allowed me to brush my teeth and take a shower that morning and I put on a clean gown. A short while later, I was able to get some real clothes on. My mom and grandpa gathered up all of my balloons and gift bags and flowers and took them to the car, while I waited for the nurse to return to take the annoying IV out of my wrist and bring my prescriptions and discharge papers.

Carrie had gone into work for a few hours and returned to the hospital in time to ride home with me and my mom. The ride home was kind of rough, as the city streets are bumpy and I had lots of balloons knocking into my head. We got in around 2:30pm and C got me quickly settled into to a comfy chair in the living room with warm fuzzy blankets and a heating pad on my abdomen to help alleviate the gas pains.

I pretty much stayed planted in the chair from the time I got home until the end of the Cardinals game. I had tried to lay down for a little bit but the pain from the trapped air proved to be too intense. I occasionally got up to go pee. I've been peeing just fine, but still had not had a bowel movement, or even been able to pass gas! I can't even express how annoying this is... knowing that you have all this air in you and it won't come out. I've been burping a lot though. Somewhere in the ninth inning of the Cardinals game I felt that familiar sensation in my butt and I let it collect long enough so that it would make an audible exit from my body. *FAAARRRTT!!!* My brother Anthony, and my friend Suzi, and Carrie were here watching the game and they cheered as I passed my first gas since the surgery. It was funny.

My dad is still at the hospital and is doing okay. His incision site is oozing a little bit which is causing some concern. Right now, the doctors are hoping it will heal up on its own but there may be a need to go back in and close it up better. His creatinine levels had been around 17 before surgery (the doctors were amazed that he was still able to pee some!), and by the time I left, they had dropped to 5. Just to give you an idea of what this means... Creatinine is a waste product and a good indictator of kidney function. A normal adult with two kidneys would probably have between .5 and 1 mg of creatinine in their system. Someone with just one kidney would probably have somewhere between 1.5 and 2. So it is pretty crazy that my dad's was up to 17, but encouraging that it has dropped below 5. I'm still waiting for his most current report. He is able to walk around on his own now and has finally had his catheter removed (which is a relief for a guy, I imagine!). I think they are feeling like he'll be able leave the hospital today.

I took one vicodin last night during the ball game and another before I went to bed. We have a futon that I was trying to sleep on, but I found it to be rather uncomfortable during the night. I got up to go to the bathroom and came back and tried to sleep on my side a little bit. My mom came over to stay at my house last night and I woke up when she started puttering around at 8 this morning. I felt pretty crappy this morning... my back hurt and I wasn't sure if it was more gas pains or just soreness from the futon. I sat down in my chair and felt like I was going to throw up. Carrie started brining me water and instant breakfast and ginger tea and bananas and crackers. I felt a little better after eating, but still needed a little more sleep, which I found in the comfort of my chair and heating pad and blankets.

One thing I'm noticing is that every time I get up to go pee, I get really shaky and weak and very cold. It's kind of annoying.

My incision sites are exposed but sealed shut with glue. They look kind of gross, especially the bigger one near my waistline.

Time to get up and walk around. I've always found that spending too much time inside makes me feel lethargic... so I think the more I'm up and around, the quicker I'll heal up. The Cardinals victory parade is tomorrow afternoon. Maybe Carrie will drive me down there.

PICTURES TO COME SOON

Part Thirty Two: Surgery...Pre and Post

Hello! After spending 17+ hours at the hospital, I'm here to report that Amanda and her dad are doing quite well.

We arrived at the hospital a little after 6 am, meeting her parents and older brother in the lobby. We made our way up to the surgery floor and settled in for a wait. Around 6:40, the kidney folks were called back into the pre-surgery prep area. There, they donned finery such as this:



Then, they got to do things like answer a million questions, turn over living wills, give blood and urine samples, and watch TV. Amanda and her dad had a rotating roster of visitors: siblings, aunts and uncles, grandparents, and so forth. A few brought Amanda to tears.

It was an emotional time for all.

Amanda's mom made these signs so that there would be no confusion about who was who:





Even so, Amanda was marked with a circled K on her left side to indicate what was happening.

Amanda was wheeled back for surgery a little before 9 am. We were given periodic updates and were quite relieved when her surgeon came out to speak with us. Everything went just fine for our little Porkchop!!! What a big relief! They even finished up earlier than we expected, and Amanda was in the recovery room by 11:30.

Amanda's dad's surgery started around 10 am. His, of course, went much longer. Another wave of relief was felt when we learned that the kidney was hooked up and producing urine! I don't think anyone has ever been more excited about pee! Awesome!!

We checked in on Amanda around 1 pm. As expected, she was in and out for quite a while. It was a joy to watch her snooze and snore. She started perking up mid-afternoon and felt well enough to banter with her family.

Here she is with a cardinal balloon from her grandparents:



Her dad's surgery wrapped up mid-afternoon as well. Unfortunately, his blood pressure is quite high, so he is staying in the ICU for a couple of days (her dad had double-bypass surgery a few years ago, so this wasn't really a surprise).

He isn't able to have any liquids yet; the nurses can only give his mouth a sponge swab. Luckily, Amanda has been downing ice chips, broth, and jello!

Also, around 10 pm, she took a walk around the floor, visiting her dad in the ICU. I find this quite incredible! But, she is experiencing moderate pain around the incision sites and had a couple of Vicodin around 9 pm.

The doctors say that she could come home Thursday afternoon, but we all think this is too soon and will probably insist that she stay another day. Judging from her walk around the ward, I don't think she's in any shape to climb up all the stairs to our apartment (we live on the second floor, and the house is atop a small hill....lots of stairs required).

Before I conclude, I wanted to share this photo, which illustrates how nasty GoLytely is. This photo was not staged or posed...it's an authentic expression of disgust:



The attendants in Amanda's surgery took a few photos for Amanda of her kidney. We will hopefully get those photos developed and posted soon. I mean, how cool to have a photo of your kidney!

Good night, and thank you all for your thoughts, well-wishes, and love. It is very much appreciated.

-CF

Part Thirty One: KIDNEY DAY!!!

Hey Y'all! It's early and I'm getting ready to head out the door for the worst/best day of my life.

I was able to get some sleep last night... probably 4 or 5 hours worth. I didn't drink as much of the GoLytely as I was supposed to because I started gagging quite a bit when I drank it. I couldn't get down more than an ounce at a time.

Sounds like my dad was having a rough time on his end. He drank half a cup and threw up three times.

I drank four more ounces before going to bed and was up every hour or so going to the bathroom. My stomach sounded awful and was gurgling and groaning. But there wasn't much coming out of me.

I'm still going this morning and I don't know how long it will keep up. I'm sure I'll poop all over everyone. Great... something new to worry about.

See you on the other side.

-Amanda

Part Thirty: GoLytely

I hadn't really planned on eating much today, but I ended up going to lunch with my friend Nurse Megan. While looking at the menu, I joked that we should choose the meal that would be the most interesting coming back out of me a few hours later.

My parents were throwing around the idea of going to dinner with my grandparents this evening, but I opted to go home and start the pooping process while watching the baseball game.

The GoLytely came in a powdered form inside of a 4-liter jug. I was instructed to fill the container with lukewarm water and shake until the powder dissolved. I mixed it earlier in the day and threw it in the fridge to chill. I was told by multiple parties that the solution was more palatable when cold.

The instructions indicate that I'm supposed to have 8 ounces every 10 minutes. All I have to say to that is, "YEAH RIGHT!"

Around 7pm, I started drinking the stuff. At first, it seemed rather tasteless... then I started to notice a kind of vegetable-like aftertaste. After the first 6 ounces, I started gagging and spat up the remainder.

Over the next hour and a half, I managed to gag down another 16 ounces. I started pooping around 8pm. I've gone several times since then and after the first few times it went from squishy to wet to me peeing out of my butthole.

I can't stop drinking the stuff until the stuff coming out of me is completely clear.

I'm not sure if I'm going to make it.
The surgery will be a piece of cake compared to this.

Part Twenty Nine: Corpus Distraction

A short while ago I returned to St. Louis from my weekend getaway to Corpus Christi. As expected, it turned out to be a wonderful distraction.

I wasn't able to escape the impending surgery completely. The wedding allowed me to be reunited with many dear friends and it was only natural for them to inquire about the upcoming events. We went out for celebratory drinking nearly every night I was there and there were many comments made about how there would be so much alcohol passing through my kidney that my dad would feel drunk after the transplant. Also, every time I ate, I couldn't help but think about how much fun it is going to be going poop on Tuesday.

There was a period, though, on Saturday where I somehow managed to completely forget about the surgery. I spent the day helping the bride's mother prepare for the wedding. I was later rescued from the wedding craziness by my friend Phil and his fantastic puddle pounding rental SUV. As we rode back to the hotel, I glanced down at my right arm and the slowly healing hole from my last crossmatch. Then I remembered Wednesday and it occurred to me that I hadn't thought about it at all that whole day. It was another one of those times where I didn't realize how anxious the situation was making me until I was relieved of it for a little while.

On our last night in Corpus, we watched an installment of Miami Ink, which is a show about tattoo artists in Miami. Sometimes I think I might get a tattoo of a kidney on the left side of my back after I give mine away. I'd probably never have the nerve to do that though...

Of course, who would've ever thought I'd have the nerve to donate a kidney?

Tomorrow, we poop.

Part Twenty Eight: Bath Tubes and Hospital Food

I spent a little time this morning getting ready for my weekend trip to Texas and then headed over to the outpatient clinic a little before noon.

The regular desk guys were out to lunch when I arrived and as a result, I didn't get my normal quick service. First, they seemed confused and couldn't find my file. Then they thought they found it and told me to have a seat until someone could register me. Meanwhile, my dad walks in and up to the front desk. They fumble for his paperwork and then realize that the name sounds familiar. The desk guy's eyes scan the room and land on me.. "Didn't we just check someone else in with that name??" My dad gestures to me and says I'm his daughter. He's checked in at that time and given a wristband and told to wait to go back.

Meanwhile, I still have no wristband and am still not officially registered. I know the routine and know that this is out of the ordinary. I saunter up to the desk and inquire as to whether or not I'll be getting a wrist band today.

The guy looks at me blankly. "Are you having something done today too?"

Despite the fact that I've already indicated that I am there for preadmission testing for a kidney donation, he still questions me. Like I could somehow be unclear about why I am there.

Eventually, they get it figured out. Khristy, my favorite blood-sucking nurse, comes and fetches my dad and tells me to come on back whenever they finish with my paperwork.

By this time, my dad has already given his blood samples and is in the process of getting his EKG. I am already hopped up into the pistachio green adult high chair when they emerge from behind the curtain. Khristy remembers that she bruised me before and used a nice small needle. She needed at least five or six tubes of blood today and as the first sample comes out I think that it really looks a lot like chocolate syrup.

K next hands me a urine cup and points to the restroom. My dad wonders out loud why he didn't have to give a pee sample too. Khristy remarks, "Well, we already KNOW what kind of sample we're going to get from YOU!"

After peeing into the cup I came strutting out of the bathroom and plunked it down on the counter proudly. "See there!" I said to my dad, "Now THAT'S quality right there. That's what you have to look forward to!"

We go in the back for the EKG and I realize that I'm wearing one of the tightest shirts that I own. It makes it hard for Khristy to maneuver around and stick things under my shirt but she manages and after some readjustments, is eventually able to get a good reading for me.

While we're doing my EKG, the x-ray technician comes to get my dad and eventually I join him down the hall to get chest x-rays. This time, I was able to see my x-rays pop up on a monitor after they processed and it was pretty cool! My breasts looked incredibly perky in the side shot.... and my heart looked bigger than I expected.

I thought we were finished at that point, but we were next directed into a little exam room to meet with the Anesthesiologist who was a super nice younger lady. A nurse asked if we had eaten yet and we were each given a little container of hospital food. It contained an apple juice, apple sauce, cookies and a cold moist turkey sandwich. We nibbled away while discussing what to expect on the morning of surgery. The doctor asked if we had any questions and I came up blank. My dad said, "Amanda just wants to know if she's going to be able to watch the World Series that night in the hospital with me." The doctor smiled and said, "I sure hope you'll be able to watch the Cardinals play. And if you're feeling okay, I don't see any reason why you won't be able to go in and visit with your dad some that night."

The next stop was the Doctors Office Building to meet with the transplant team. I wasn't expecting any more physical exams, but when we got there, we were almost immediately whisked away to separate exam rooms for more inspection. After getting our vitals checked, I waited alone in a little room for at least an hour and a half before anyone acknowledged me. A physicians assistant came in and did a brief exam, feeling my abdomen and throat and groin and breasts. After a quick question and answer session I was asked to sign a consent form for the surgery.

A few minutes later, one of the surgeons came in to talk with me about the operation. From what I had been told, this was not the surgeon that would be performing my surgery, but he had been following my case from day one and told me, in his thick accent, that I was one of the healthiest patients he had ever had come through the evaluation process. We talked about the risks and the things I would need to do after surgery. At one point he was saying that I wouldn't be able to take a bath for a while and he said that I would not be able to get in "the bath tube." I was momentarily confused but then realized he was referring to the bath tub.

I'm feeling less anxious today than I was yesterday and am once again thankful for the distraction of this wedding weekend. It also helps that the Cardinals won game 7 of the NLCS tonight to make it to the World Series once again. Although I probably won't be able to make it to a WS game this year, I think it will be even more rewarding to watch the World Series on hospital TV with my dad and his new kidney.