Please Sign Here ---->

Today I signed on the dotted line. I signed and initialed and signed and initialed and then the doctors signed and then the coordinator witnessed and then.....the deal was sealed. It was like signing for a mortgage.

And its official.

My kidney will be oh-so-gently placed within Nathanial very very soon.

My day started out very early. Geoff and I had to be at the hospital by 7:30. I had been fasting for 12 hours prior to the appoitment so they could test my blood sugar first thing. yay...more needles. What I didn't realize, was that after the initial blood drawing, they were going to trap Geoff and I in a closet sized windowless room for the next five hours with nothing more than a TV and two chairs. B-O-R-I-N-G! A lab tech explained that I would drink this extremely sugary drink (that tasted like orange soda) and then they would draw my blood an hour after the drinking. And then two hours after drinking. And then three hours after the drinking.....you get the picture. I don't mean to sound like a baby, but I am going to whine just a little. I have been sick the last two days...killer sore throat, headache, body aches...just yuck. So prior to todays visit, because I had to fast, I couldn't take any medicine. Also, this meant no coffee for me this morning. Me feeling sick and not having my morning coffee made for a very unpleasant and uncomfortable morning for me. And my poor husband was trapped in there with me! Not only was he trapped in the small, overly heated room with a grouchy wife, but the lab tech actually thought he was my dad! (Geoff had just a rough of a day as I did, bless his heart)

By 12:45 I was shaky and I needed food and cold medicine badly. The lab tech finished the final draw just in time for me to run down to the cafeteria and get a baked potato before heading back up to the sixth floor of St Francis. I have to admit, I was a little anxious to meet this doctor. I have heard he is quite the stiff, old fashioned type guy that doesn't like to BS. I felt quite the opposite upon meeting him. Dr Shields made Geoff and I feel right at ease. He first went through a flip chart that begun like this: Renal Failure Options. Option #1 Do Nothing = death. (note the picture I took of the lovely flip chart above) We went thru the proceedure and he answered all of the questions Geoff had for him. We told some jokes and I found out that when they remove my bottom rib, they will let me actually keep my bone for a souvineer!! HOW TOTALLY AWESOME IS THAT!?!?!?!!!!! I was a little surprised to find out I wasn't the first one to ask if I could keep my rib bone. I just have to think of a good way keep the bone after I get to take it home. I doubt Geoff will let me mount it and hang it on the wall. I dont think it would look good hanging around neck. Oh, I'll think of something....

After meeting with Dr Shields, we met with the neprologist who is very concerned about my gestational diabetes. Although, my glucose test came back almost perfect (even better than most normal people) he still had his doubts knowing I had gestational diabetes. He recommended that I see a diabetes specialist prior to the surgery so that he can look over my records and make a recommendation. Just between you and me, even if they say I am in a higher risk catagory for diabetes, it won't stop me. I've made it this far with no problems, I'm sure I can skip some sugar and exercise regularly and be just fine the rest of my life. But I understand, from a neprology side of things, why the doctor wants to at least educate me.

Its been a long day. And I'm so glad to be back home! Now I can take my cold medicine and then go watch my daughters concert and then try to get some rest.

Peace Out Bean Sprouts~
Hilary

Urine My Heart, Urine My Soul

My mom is worried sick. When we met with the nephrologist and the kidney donor coordinator a couple of weeks ago, she was teary almost the entire meeting. I don't blame her....as a mother myself, I know worrying about your children comsumes 90% of your life. I can't fathom if two of my three kids were going to be having major surgery, in the same month, on the same day, at the same time!! My mom doesn't handle stress well anyway. My dad is the calm one in moments of stress. He just acts goofy and tells bad jokes :) But he keeps my mom grounded and calm-er when they're together. Unfortunately, I just found out my dad is getting ready to leave for about a month for work......which means he will be gone when Nathanial and I have surgery.

I don't know how this will work out exactly for my mom. I'm very worried for her on that day. She will have my three kids to keep her company in the waiting room. She'll have Kristian, my youngest brother, to keep her company. She'll have my husband there with her. And I'm sure she'll have my granny Doris also. But she won't have my dad....her rock.

I know my dad, and I know dad will make every effort to make it for part of the day somehow. His job sends him all over the country and when he's on a 'mission' he can't just call in for a personal day. Even when his excuse is that his daughter AND his son are both going to be having major surgery that day. I know it will kill him not being there as well. Do you really think he will be focused on work that day? Hardly. Fortunately, I don't think dad will be too far away for this mission. I just hope they go easy on dad that day and let him leave a little early or something.

You know, really, when it all comes down to it, its really my parents fault that Nathanial and I will both be in surgery at the same time. They only have themselves to blame. Mom and dad are the ones that ALWAYS made me share with my brothers when we were younger. All the time as a child I was told to share. Share, share, share. Sometimes I even had to share dumb things like my Barbies! I would whine about how the Barbies were mine and they were in my room so why should I have to share with Kristian when he came in and wanted to play. (yes-Kristian used to want to play Barbies with me!) We would have to share our toys in the playroom..... and share the Nintendo...... and share our snacks.... and share our blankets when we would camp in the tent in the backyard. Mom and dad bred us to share. So when I hear someone make a remark on how brave I am, all I can say is "my dad always told me to share".

~Hilary