Day 2 brought about the removal of my catheter. Yay! I was super stoked about that. It happened shortly after waking up on Day 2, after a breakfast of OJ again. The nurse simple came and said that she was taking it out, I was laying on my back, she reached inside the waistband of my PJ pants, grabbed the tubing and it was out. Simple as that. No pain or discomfort (other than having someone reach into my pants). I was now at a stage where I pee freely.
Which wasn't actualy true. I still had an IV, and my IV was plugged in behind my bed. So everytime I had to pee, someone (my husband during the day, a nurse at night) had to some and unplug the machine for me. But, it was great to be up and moving around even just that tiny bit.
Speaking of being up and moving around, I was also able to start taking short walks down the hallway (assisted of course by my husband), holding on to my IV stand which I rolled somewhat awkwardly alongside of me. Being able to take these short walks meant my days were not spent exclusively in bed, and that was a joy in itself.
Earl was always waiting for me when I got back, and I say always like I had more than 2 walks, which I didn't. Those simple walks of 50 and 75ft were exhausting. As the doctors, nurses, and transplant coordinators had been telling me, this was major surgery and I was not to underestimate the stress it would place on my body. Which I totally had, and that was my own fault.
My midsection was still quite distended, apparently it can take some time for the CO2 to be fully absorbed by the body, but I was more used to it at this point in time.
Day 2 wasn't very interesting. Day 1 my hubby, Earl and myself watched Toy Story 3, and today we watched Toy Story 2. Of which I slept through most of it.
It was almost easier to sleep during the day than at night, not sure why, but it was.
The other highlight of Day 2 was ice cream. I was almost on full fluids, which they tried at first with some vanilla ice cream in the afternoon. It was tasty! And I handled it well so I was able to have more than just juice and broth for dinner, and even had chocolate ice cream for dessert. Food got a lot better on Day 2.
Showing posts with label laparoscopic surgery. Show all posts
Showing posts with label laparoscopic surgery. Show all posts
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Anti-Bacterial Shower - Night Before Surgery
The last two days have been... waiting. Its been too bloody cold out to do much or go anywhere, thus we've just been hanging out and seeing the odd movie (or Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 as that was one that I wanted to see before surgery). The days have felt like we are waiting, and as its gotten closer and closer to D-Day (Donation Day), the air has become thick with anticipation. This has been 11 months in the making and it's finally here.
Tonight we got my bag for the hospital all together - pyjamas, slippers, toiletries, yoga pants, laptop, charger, phone, phone charger, books etc. Simple enough as most of it hadn't gotten unpacked in the first place, but still something weird to do. I've never been in the hospital overnight before, so this has been a whole new experience.
The final thing to do tonight was shower with a special anti-bacterial sponge. Two of these were given to me on Monday at the Pre-Op clinic, and I was given special instructions. One I was to use the night before surgery (tonight) and the other the morning of. I am to enter the shower as normal, wash my hair, face, whatever, then use the sponge to first wash the surgical area (left abdomen) then the rest of my body. The sponge had 3 parts to it. 1 was a soft sponge part that looked like it had been doused in some sort of liquid that had a faint red-ish colour, which I'm assuming was the anti-bacterial agent. The second part was a clear scrubber (attached to the sponge) with fine bristles that I was to use to scrub off the lather generated by the sponge part. The third was this light blue plastic thing that was sticking out of the soft sponge part. It came out and was a tool for cleaning under the nails. They weren't joking when they said they wanted all of me nice and clean.
It didn't smell like anything, and lathered mostly like regular soap, although some of the lather had a reddish-orange colour to it, It didn't colour my skin or anything like that, which was nice. And the bristles were soft and pliable, they didn't hurt at all, it felt like a very gentle exfoliation.
Not a big deal or anything like that, but was interesting to know I would need to do this as in all the research I did, I didn't find anything about a pre-op shower.
As for D-Day, my lovely husband will be blogging for me with his insights on how it went, any useful information he can find, and what the initial stages of the recovery process are like. I'll come back to the blog when I am coherent, as apparently this make take a day or so as I will be on some pretty strong drugs. I want to keep this as real-time as possible, and I hope that my posts as well as my wonderful husband's will help in whatever way. If there is anything specific that you would like either of us to take special note of and blog about, please comment and we will do our best to provide the answers you are looking for.
Many thanks for all of your support, and I am looking forward to blogging again soon.
Tonight we got my bag for the hospital all together - pyjamas, slippers, toiletries, yoga pants, laptop, charger, phone, phone charger, books etc. Simple enough as most of it hadn't gotten unpacked in the first place, but still something weird to do. I've never been in the hospital overnight before, so this has been a whole new experience.
The final thing to do tonight was shower with a special anti-bacterial sponge. Two of these were given to me on Monday at the Pre-Op clinic, and I was given special instructions. One I was to use the night before surgery (tonight) and the other the morning of. I am to enter the shower as normal, wash my hair, face, whatever, then use the sponge to first wash the surgical area (left abdomen) then the rest of my body. The sponge had 3 parts to it. 1 was a soft sponge part that looked like it had been doused in some sort of liquid that had a faint red-ish colour, which I'm assuming was the anti-bacterial agent. The second part was a clear scrubber (attached to the sponge) with fine bristles that I was to use to scrub off the lather generated by the sponge part. The third was this light blue plastic thing that was sticking out of the soft sponge part. It came out and was a tool for cleaning under the nails. They weren't joking when they said they wanted all of me nice and clean.
It didn't smell like anything, and lathered mostly like regular soap, although some of the lather had a reddish-orange colour to it, It didn't colour my skin or anything like that, which was nice. And the bristles were soft and pliable, they didn't hurt at all, it felt like a very gentle exfoliation.
Not a big deal or anything like that, but was interesting to know I would need to do this as in all the research I did, I didn't find anything about a pre-op shower.
As for D-Day, my lovely husband will be blogging for me with his insights on how it went, any useful information he can find, and what the initial stages of the recovery process are like. I'll come back to the blog when I am coherent, as apparently this make take a day or so as I will be on some pretty strong drugs. I want to keep this as real-time as possible, and I hope that my posts as well as my wonderful husband's will help in whatever way. If there is anything specific that you would like either of us to take special note of and blog about, please comment and we will do our best to provide the answers you are looking for.
Many thanks for all of your support, and I am looking forward to blogging again soon.
Monday, November 22, 2010
Pre-Op Day
I am super excited. Made it this far, have my hubby with me (although that almost didn't happen due to a slight mix up with the flights and the reservations), have a place to stay and a jeep to drive around town. Thankfully the wonderful home we are staying in is quite close to the hospital which again makes life just a bit easier.
This lovely winter morning held a 10:30am appointment at the hospital for a few final tests and some pre-op stuff (more on that in just a moment). Of course there was a touch of confusion at admitting as I am out of province and therefore things like health care numbers are treated differently. Add in the fact that I don't have a current health care card in my married name (its been ordered several times and has never arrived) yet the coverage is, and it was a solid 25minutes to get through admitting.
Once that was dealt with off to the Testing Center we went. Spot urine test and a final cross match. Lovely 12 vials of blood (and for some reason unbeknowst to me, she did not use a butterfly and thus each vial managed a touch of pain and increased my hatred of needles). I keep hoping each blood test will be my last, yet I never seem to get that lucky.
From here we went up to the Pre-Op clinic where we watched a video on breathing, coughing, and leg exercises. Was beneficial. Apparently there are risks of pneumonia and whatnot if you don't clear the fluid and secretions (which can pile up if you lay in one position for too long, especially on your back). The video also showed how to support the incisions with a pillow or cushion when coughing. Good to know there is a wrong way to cough. The leg exercises are particularly important too. They help with circulation and post-op mobility. Simple exercises like pointing toes 10 times, making circles with our toes 10 times in each direction, at least once per hour while awake. Thankfully my husband was there and I know that he will take care of me and make sure I do the exercises because knowing me, I won't remember.
From the video we sat and chatted with a Nurse. We went over some specifics regarding the surgery (what to bring to the hospital, what not to bring, ie bring slippers, leave jewellery or valuables etc), as well as a rather intimate questionnaire. Similar to donating blood, these questions are to ensure that not only am I healthy, but that the recipient is getting a healthy kidney with no surprises. As for the actual procedure, I will arrive at the clinic the morning of the 25th, they will admit me directly and I will get changed, we will go to a pre-op room where they put me under and insert a catheter. From there into the OR and its a 3-4 hr procedure, a touch longer than if they were doing open surgery. Post-op I go into recovery for about an hour where the nurses will check my vitals and make sure I am good to go. From there I will be moved to my ward and my dear hubby will be allowed to see me. I'll be quite out of it and likely won't remember much.
They will have me up and walking the second day and I'm not to get up without a nurse handy (even if my hubby is there) the first few times. One thing they were quite adamant about its the pain post-op. I will be on a morphine drip and need to make sure that I am regulating my pain as if it goes unchecked or I let it get too bad, then it takes longer for me to come back to a good place. Communication with the nurses is also key. They need to know if something, anything, isn't feeling right. If I'm nauseated, if I hurt, am hot, cold, itchy whatever, I need to be telling the nurses as these may be side effects and we need to deal with them ASAP. Gotcha. Again, my husband was sitting there with me through all of this and rest assured, if I don't tell the nurses, he will. He is pretty worried about me not because he is scared, but because we are each other's world and he doesn't want anything to happen to me. I will be well taken care of, which I love.
If you can't tell, it was a long day at the hospital. From meeting the nurse and going over her checklist, we then met with the transplant coordinator for this center, and went over a few things. The most interesting one was the organ interview. Its a generic interview they have for all different types of donations, including cadaver donations. So my relationship to the organ is 'self'. That one made us smile. Again, a few more intimate questions, but nothing too scary. The interview with her lasted 30minutes or so, then a quick visit with the social worker, more so she had a face for the name and we were done.
At least, we were done at the hospital. The surgeon's office was not in the hospital and our appointment with him was later in the afternoon so a quick bite of lunch and a parking battle later and we got to meet the one who will be cutting me open. Well, not open. 4 'ports' for instruments and 1 incision on the lower left side of the physical extraction. Oh! Totally awesome, as we go to sit at their desk, my MRI is up and I actually get to see my insides, the veins and arteries. Very awesome (I'm a nerd like that). It was a quick visit, but was nice at least seeing this person before surgery. Not seeing them would scare me a bit I think.
Then we were done with the appointments. When we got home it was on the phone to book a flight home for my husband. Thankfully it was pretty easy and we are all taken care of. Returning home on the 30th, together. Then it was time to relax and I must admit it was nice.
So from here I have 2 days off, no appointments no tests, just hang out time in this beautiful city, then Thursday morning is the big day.
That's where we are as of today, and I do hope that if there is anyone that is reading this wanting to know what the experience is like, that this helps. If not, please comment and let me know what you would like to know more about. For those of you who have been through this, if there is anything you would like to add from your personal journey, would love to hear from you.
This lovely winter morning held a 10:30am appointment at the hospital for a few final tests and some pre-op stuff (more on that in just a moment). Of course there was a touch of confusion at admitting as I am out of province and therefore things like health care numbers are treated differently. Add in the fact that I don't have a current health care card in my married name (its been ordered several times and has never arrived) yet the coverage is, and it was a solid 25minutes to get through admitting.
Once that was dealt with off to the Testing Center we went. Spot urine test and a final cross match. Lovely 12 vials of blood (and for some reason unbeknowst to me, she did not use a butterfly and thus each vial managed a touch of pain and increased my hatred of needles). I keep hoping each blood test will be my last, yet I never seem to get that lucky.
From here we went up to the Pre-Op clinic where we watched a video on breathing, coughing, and leg exercises. Was beneficial. Apparently there are risks of pneumonia and whatnot if you don't clear the fluid and secretions (which can pile up if you lay in one position for too long, especially on your back). The video also showed how to support the incisions with a pillow or cushion when coughing. Good to know there is a wrong way to cough. The leg exercises are particularly important too. They help with circulation and post-op mobility. Simple exercises like pointing toes 10 times, making circles with our toes 10 times in each direction, at least once per hour while awake. Thankfully my husband was there and I know that he will take care of me and make sure I do the exercises because knowing me, I won't remember.
From the video we sat and chatted with a Nurse. We went over some specifics regarding the surgery (what to bring to the hospital, what not to bring, ie bring slippers, leave jewellery or valuables etc), as well as a rather intimate questionnaire. Similar to donating blood, these questions are to ensure that not only am I healthy, but that the recipient is getting a healthy kidney with no surprises. As for the actual procedure, I will arrive at the clinic the morning of the 25th, they will admit me directly and I will get changed, we will go to a pre-op room where they put me under and insert a catheter. From there into the OR and its a 3-4 hr procedure, a touch longer than if they were doing open surgery. Post-op I go into recovery for about an hour where the nurses will check my vitals and make sure I am good to go. From there I will be moved to my ward and my dear hubby will be allowed to see me. I'll be quite out of it and likely won't remember much.
They will have me up and walking the second day and I'm not to get up without a nurse handy (even if my hubby is there) the first few times. One thing they were quite adamant about its the pain post-op. I will be on a morphine drip and need to make sure that I am regulating my pain as if it goes unchecked or I let it get too bad, then it takes longer for me to come back to a good place. Communication with the nurses is also key. They need to know if something, anything, isn't feeling right. If I'm nauseated, if I hurt, am hot, cold, itchy whatever, I need to be telling the nurses as these may be side effects and we need to deal with them ASAP. Gotcha. Again, my husband was sitting there with me through all of this and rest assured, if I don't tell the nurses, he will. He is pretty worried about me not because he is scared, but because we are each other's world and he doesn't want anything to happen to me. I will be well taken care of, which I love.
If you can't tell, it was a long day at the hospital. From meeting the nurse and going over her checklist, we then met with the transplant coordinator for this center, and went over a few things. The most interesting one was the organ interview. Its a generic interview they have for all different types of donations, including cadaver donations. So my relationship to the organ is 'self'. That one made us smile. Again, a few more intimate questions, but nothing too scary. The interview with her lasted 30minutes or so, then a quick visit with the social worker, more so she had a face for the name and we were done.
At least, we were done at the hospital. The surgeon's office was not in the hospital and our appointment with him was later in the afternoon so a quick bite of lunch and a parking battle later and we got to meet the one who will be cutting me open. Well, not open. 4 'ports' for instruments and 1 incision on the lower left side of the physical extraction. Oh! Totally awesome, as we go to sit at their desk, my MRI is up and I actually get to see my insides, the veins and arteries. Very awesome (I'm a nerd like that). It was a quick visit, but was nice at least seeing this person before surgery. Not seeing them would scare me a bit I think.
Then we were done with the appointments. When we got home it was on the phone to book a flight home for my husband. Thankfully it was pretty easy and we are all taken care of. Returning home on the 30th, together. Then it was time to relax and I must admit it was nice.
So from here I have 2 days off, no appointments no tests, just hang out time in this beautiful city, then Thursday morning is the big day.
That's where we are as of today, and I do hope that if there is anyone that is reading this wanting to know what the experience is like, that this helps. If not, please comment and let me know what you would like to know more about. For those of you who have been through this, if there is anything you would like to add from your personal journey, would love to hear from you.
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Another day, Another Blood Test
I hate needles. Like, a lot. Ugh. *shudder*.
I thought last week when I went and had fresh blood pulled for the cross-match that I was done, but no such luck. That blood went to the hospital I am going to be donating at for a cross match, which went well, and today's blood stayed at my local hospital for another cross match. Apparently the double check is making sure that each lab gets the same results. My local hospital's policy is that they do a final cross match 1 week before surgery, but apparently the hospital I am going to be donating at won't need that as we just did a confirmation.
So, hopefully I am done with needles until the 22nd. The 22nd is the day of my pre-op clinic, which is essentially a full day of tests to confirm that I am healthy and that all the information they have is the latest and greatest. Chest Xrays, EKGs, etc. I can do that.
I did have a chance to talk with my coordinator just after the test today and we talked about some of the specifics relating to pre and post op. Again, the different hospitals do things a bit differently, but she did give me a general idea of what to expect.
My surgery is on a Thursday, so I will either be admitted on Wednesday or even Thursday morning. The surgery is typically first thing, and I will be pretty out of it right after due to the anesthetic. Apparently most patients report nausea after surgery due to the drugs and anesthetic, and they pump my abdomen full of CO2 to give the surgeons room to work so I will be really bloated. I will be in the hospital until my bowels start working, but apparently will also have a catheter in. Yay. The good news is they put that in just before surgery when I am already out. Apparently they need to monitor what is coming out as well as what is going it.
From the sounds of things, once I am out of the hospital I am good to return home and will have my 2week post-op appointment here.
As for what life is like immediately post-op, there is no lifting (nothing over 10lbs), no bending, lots of rest, and it will take a while to get my appetite back. I will need to make sure that I am walking and not in bed all the time but still resting when I need to. I can do that.
Apparently it is 3 holes for the surgery, 1 for the camera, 1 for the instruments, and 1 for the kidney removal. Oh! I totally forgot. Apparently it is a urologist who will be doing the surgery, a doctor who deals with nothing but the kidneys and kidney surgery. Just another one of those slightly different things, but still worth noting. Anyways, back to the holes. The one for kidney extraction is right by my bellybutton, and the others are one on each side. Apparently these take up to 6 weeks to heal (they heal from the inside out), which is one of the reasons why bending and lifting are out of the question for the first few weeks.
It will also take a while to get my appetite back and also to be on solid foods. I'm okay with that. My father-in-law (FIL) will be coming to stay with us for about a week when we get back (which might be sooner than expected) and the good news is that he makes fantastic soup. If I'm not up for solid foods or anything like that, at least I will have tasty soup waiting for me. Plus he is great company and since its getting cold out I will be pretty much confined to the condo. Will be really nice having someone there so I don't go stark raving mad because I'm alone too much.
I think I can handle everything thats going on, and know that between my husband and my mother I don't need to worry, they are doing enough of that between themselves.
I'm excited, I really am. Just not for needles. I really hate them. Hate everything about them. I'm not a fainter, but I do need to stay distracted when they take blood or it does make me light-headed and weak.
So here's my question to you: What was life like for you immediately post-op? What did it feel like? Any tips/tricks for making it easier? If you got a kidney, could you feel the change when you woke up? I'd love to hear about any/all experiences, the more I read the better prepared I am for my own.
Thanks!
I thought last week when I went and had fresh blood pulled for the cross-match that I was done, but no such luck. That blood went to the hospital I am going to be donating at for a cross match, which went well, and today's blood stayed at my local hospital for another cross match. Apparently the double check is making sure that each lab gets the same results. My local hospital's policy is that they do a final cross match 1 week before surgery, but apparently the hospital I am going to be donating at won't need that as we just did a confirmation.
So, hopefully I am done with needles until the 22nd. The 22nd is the day of my pre-op clinic, which is essentially a full day of tests to confirm that I am healthy and that all the information they have is the latest and greatest. Chest Xrays, EKGs, etc. I can do that.
I did have a chance to talk with my coordinator just after the test today and we talked about some of the specifics relating to pre and post op. Again, the different hospitals do things a bit differently, but she did give me a general idea of what to expect.
My surgery is on a Thursday, so I will either be admitted on Wednesday or even Thursday morning. The surgery is typically first thing, and I will be pretty out of it right after due to the anesthetic. Apparently most patients report nausea after surgery due to the drugs and anesthetic, and they pump my abdomen full of CO2 to give the surgeons room to work so I will be really bloated. I will be in the hospital until my bowels start working, but apparently will also have a catheter in. Yay. The good news is they put that in just before surgery when I am already out. Apparently they need to monitor what is coming out as well as what is going it.
From the sounds of things, once I am out of the hospital I am good to return home and will have my 2week post-op appointment here.
As for what life is like immediately post-op, there is no lifting (nothing over 10lbs), no bending, lots of rest, and it will take a while to get my appetite back. I will need to make sure that I am walking and not in bed all the time but still resting when I need to. I can do that.
Apparently it is 3 holes for the surgery, 1 for the camera, 1 for the instruments, and 1 for the kidney removal. Oh! I totally forgot. Apparently it is a urologist who will be doing the surgery, a doctor who deals with nothing but the kidneys and kidney surgery. Just another one of those slightly different things, but still worth noting. Anyways, back to the holes. The one for kidney extraction is right by my bellybutton, and the others are one on each side. Apparently these take up to 6 weeks to heal (they heal from the inside out), which is one of the reasons why bending and lifting are out of the question for the first few weeks.
It will also take a while to get my appetite back and also to be on solid foods. I'm okay with that. My father-in-law (FIL) will be coming to stay with us for about a week when we get back (which might be sooner than expected) and the good news is that he makes fantastic soup. If I'm not up for solid foods or anything like that, at least I will have tasty soup waiting for me. Plus he is great company and since its getting cold out I will be pretty much confined to the condo. Will be really nice having someone there so I don't go stark raving mad because I'm alone too much.
I think I can handle everything thats going on, and know that between my husband and my mother I don't need to worry, they are doing enough of that between themselves.
I'm excited, I really am. Just not for needles. I really hate them. Hate everything about them. I'm not a fainter, but I do need to stay distracted when they take blood or it does make me light-headed and weak.
So here's my question to you: What was life like for you immediately post-op? What did it feel like? Any tips/tricks for making it easier? If you got a kidney, could you feel the change when you woke up? I'd love to hear about any/all experiences, the more I read the better prepared I am for my own.
Thanks!
Monday, November 1, 2010
Skydiving this Saturday!
I have a list of things to do before I die and every opportunity I try and cross an item off the list. I am always adding item to the list, places I want to go, experiences I want to have; there is an entire airborne section of which I am proud to say that I will be crossing a long-standing item off my list: Skydiving.Skydiving is something I've wanted to do for a very long time, and for whatever reason I decided that before surgery I wanted to cross something off my list, and the airborne section seemed most attainable. The other option was going on a discovery flight, however the real item on my list is get my pilots license, not just fly a plane. So I decided that skydiving was the way to go as it was an actual item on the list.
So this Saturday at 12noon I will begin the 30minute training before ascending to 9,500 feet where I will do a tandem jump with a 30second freefall. My lovely husband will be waiting in the drop zone (he refuses to be in the plane when I jump), I'm sure praying that I will land safely. I am a bit of a klutz (actually I am so much of a klutz that it has factored into what we look for in a home), so I do understand his fears.
Not gonna lie, I don't think it has sunk in quite yet that I am going to jump out of a plane on Saturday. Right now it just seems like I made an appointment for Saturday, similar to how I would make a hair appointment or something of the like. I am a bit of a chicken, so this is going to be very interesting... its sending shivers up my spine right now.
It's the whole 'live like you were dying' thing, the 'what if' scenarios that haunt me late at night have made me think about the life that I have, the time that I have, and what I want to be doing with it. Surgery is not without its risks (I really need to stop watching Greys Anatomy) and even routine surgery can go wrong. If something happens to me I want to have lived a life I can be proud of, a life where I have seized the day, made something of who I am and the time I have been so fortunate to have.
Thus, this Saturday I skydive. I don't know how I am going to actually do it, but I am going to find a way. And I can't wait to tell you all about it.
Until then, here is a question for you: What's on your list? Completed items? If you had the opportunity to do any 1 thing from your list right now, what would it be?
Friday, April 30, 2010
Timelines
I called the Transplant Center this morning and spoke with the woman who has been coordinating everything for me thus far. I was looking for information on timelines and a bit more about what to expect.
I am still waiting for my psyc appointment, but that should be in May (apparently the Dr is bringing in another Dr to help with his course load as he is overwhelmed with all the refferals he is getting). The appointments with the nephrologist and the surgeon will follow within about 2 weeks, but right now they dont have an Operating Rooms open until July, so the wait time for surgery is about 3 months. I'm kinda hoping I can get scheduled for July as that still allows me to have the time off work that I need without infringing on our busy time. I know I will have to take as much time as I need to heal, and that with laparoscopic surgery I could be back within 3 weeks, but I need to be back at work, and be back 100%, before September.
My other question was about staying local vs going national. I am not opposed to going where I am most needed, but I think I would prefer to stay at home. Here I have my husband to take care of me, as well as a friend or two. I will have my own bed, and not be racking up a hotel bill. Apparently there is a very high demand for Kidneys, almost 1000, so as long as I am a match I should be able to stay here.
Part of me is still coming to terms with some of the reactions I have been getting, and although they do not have me doubting my decision or anything like that, they have made me wonder why I think so differently than other people that I know? The reactions I'm speaking about are not just ones that I have gotten personally when talking to people about my specific choice, rather from when talking about living organ donation in general. Things to ponder as I get back to my day...
I am still waiting for my psyc appointment, but that should be in May (apparently the Dr is bringing in another Dr to help with his course load as he is overwhelmed with all the refferals he is getting). The appointments with the nephrologist and the surgeon will follow within about 2 weeks, but right now they dont have an Operating Rooms open until July, so the wait time for surgery is about 3 months. I'm kinda hoping I can get scheduled for July as that still allows me to have the time off work that I need without infringing on our busy time. I know I will have to take as much time as I need to heal, and that with laparoscopic surgery I could be back within 3 weeks, but I need to be back at work, and be back 100%, before September.
My other question was about staying local vs going national. I am not opposed to going where I am most needed, but I think I would prefer to stay at home. Here I have my husband to take care of me, as well as a friend or two. I will have my own bed, and not be racking up a hotel bill. Apparently there is a very high demand for Kidneys, almost 1000, so as long as I am a match I should be able to stay here.
Part of me is still coming to terms with some of the reactions I have been getting, and although they do not have me doubting my decision or anything like that, they have made me wonder why I think so differently than other people that I know? The reactions I'm speaking about are not just ones that I have gotten personally when talking to people about my specific choice, rather from when talking about living organ donation in general. Things to ponder as I get back to my day...
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