An Amazing Day

Tuesday September 14th, 2010 will be a day I remember for the rest of my life.

It started at 4:00am when my alarm went off on my phone. The funny thing is I had actually put "kidney transplant" in my calendar on my iPhone and set an alarm to go off to remind me. I don't know what I was thinking when I put that in??? Like I needed a reminder. So I went back to sleep until 4:30am, when my actual alarm went off. In for a quick shower with special soap to really clean my skin.

My brother Jim wins the award for first contact. I got out of the shower to a text message letting me know he was praying already at 4:45am.

To the hospital. As I walked in, I met my donor and his wife walking in at the same time. We were both excited.

I checked in to the ICU, which is where I would be coming to after the surgery. Room 17, with a great view of Torrey Pines golf course and the ocean in the background. Scripps green has probably the best view from a hospital bed in the world.

After signing papers, changing into my back-less gown, and getting an IV. It was time....to wait. My wife Sarah was with me, which was great, along with my dad, aunt, and a friend Mary. We talked and the time went pretty quick.

My first dose of pills and injections. There were lots of them. A small price to pay. I was very used to taking lots of pills, but the injections I received in my stomach were a first. It amazingly didn't hurt, not as I had expected.

Of the 2 hours of sleep I managed to get the night before, all I dreamed about was the surgery being stopped or postponed. So I fell asleep in the hospital bed and replaced those dreams with much more positive ones.

The doctors and nurses steadily came in and introduced themselves. I was glad to meet them. They had originally told me I would be going down to the OR (Operating Room) at 7:30am, but that turned out to be the time for my donor to go down to the OR. I would go down to surgery an hour later.

It was time. I remember being very excited when the nurse came and wheeled me to the elevator. The anesthesiologist was walking and pushing me too. I noticed that when we got in the elevator he forgot to push the button to the first floor. So the 3 of us just sat in the elevator for awhile. Until the nurse realized we weren't going down, she pushed the button.

I was wheeled down to the surgery floor sporting a silver surgery hat on my head, it was like a filled Jiffy Pop, round and puffy. Everyone else had hats that were way cooler than mine. Camouflage, chargers bolts, duck patterns, stripes...but mine was chrome dome.

This is where things went fast. After going into the prep room, where I was given a "cocktail," which was really some injection to make me relax and start the anesthetizing process. The cocktail also made it so I didn't mind being shaved and washed with extra soap.

I was wheeled into the OR. And remember seeing the hallway that led to the other Operating Room where my donor was already in process. I wanted to call out his name and say something like "here we go," but I did not. In other operations and procedures I remember someone saying "you ready Mike?" or "here we go." But this time nothing. I was out like a light.

I woke up and remember trying my hardest to focus on the clock to see what time it was. How long had it been. I couldn't get my eyes to cooperate. I might have been cross eyed because there were two clocks, but even if I could get one clock, I still couldn't even make out numbers or hands on the clock. Later I figured out it was about 1:30pm.

Had it happened!? Yes!!!

I could feel soreness on my stomach. It felt like I had been doing 5,000 sit-ups all morning. My stomach was sore, but I was still very groggy. There was one more procedure for me to do, which involved inserting an IV into my neck. It actually went into the jugular artery and then went down close to my heart. This was necessary to give me certain injections that would immediately be passed throughout my body.

Then I was back out again. The next thing I remember was my wife Sarah walking in the room. It was about 3:30pm. I have no recollection of our conversation, but her sitting in the room with me was comforting and felt good.

When I woke up, I only could think of one thing, "is the new kidney working?" Well, the best way to tell is if I am producing urine. I know this is not the most pleasant of topics to talk about, but it is how you measure the production of the kidney. Well before the surgery I only produced about 150 mL per day. That translates into about 5 fluid ounces. After the surgery, on the first day alone, I was producing about 300mL per HOUR! Whoa! That is a lot of pee!

Every day after that I have been producing somewhere between 200mL - 300mL per hour and about 3,000mL per day. So yes, praise God the kidney works extremely well.

The count down continues...

It is now two days before I am scheduled to have my kidney transplant. This is the closest I have ever been before, which makes this an exciting time. Two months ago I was scheduled to have the transplant but four days before, I was postponed.

I went to the doctor for all my pre-operation stuff on Thursday and it was a pretty routine set up. The lab for blood-work, meet with the surgeon, get admitted to the hospital, EKG and x-ray. I was also pre screened for the bloodbank and am now wearing a bracelet with some number on it to quickly be able to match blood in case I need it for some reason. I am hoping that will not be an issue.

The doctors gave me a small blue bottle of soap that I am supposed to use the night before and the morning of the surgery. Although with a 5am appointment to show up at the hospital, I am not looking forward to waking up at 4am to take a shower with special soap. But a small sacrifice is worth it for sure.

I did go to church today. It was a great day. So many people supportive and offering prayers for me. My favorite line was from Lori, "We are gonna give God a headache on Tuesday with all the prayers." Many people were surprised to see me at church, since I am taking the immune-suppresive drugs already. I was extra careful though, after shacking hands with people making sure to wash my hands or use antibacterial gel.

I wonder when I will start to get really nervous. I am not nervous yet, especially since I go to the doctor and/or hospital so much that it just seems routine so far. I am willing to bet that Tuesday morning may be the time for the butterflies to start fluttering around. I wonder if I will sleep well on Monday night? At least I will have the chargers game to keep me distracted while on my final dialysis session.

Ah, final dialysis session. Now that has a nice ring to it!

Well, the countdown continues...

Dreams

Only five days until Sept. 14th, the date my kidney transplant is scheduled. It is really an exciting time for me to dream about all the possibilities that the new kidney will bring.

The things I dream about are not having to be tied down to a machine 6 nights a week on dialysis. I have always told people that six nights per week on dialysis didn't seem that bad. But now that there is the possibility of it ending, it is an amazing amount of time that I was on that machine. It almost seems overwhelming to think back about how much time I have had to endure on the couch at our house, but even more so how much time my wife has gone through prepping the machine, waiting while I dialyze, and then the end of the treatment process too.

Don't get me wrong, I am thankful that they technology exists to keep me alive, but will be thankful when I am no longer dependent on that.

I dream about going out in the evening. This is something that I of course used to take for granted. A quick trip to the store to pick up milk, dinner with my wife at a restaurant, going over to a friends house. Even just driving with my headlights on. I love the feeling of warm summer nights with the car window down and the air being pushed through the car, sometimes cheating and putting the heater on to balance the temperature. Ah, I miss that.

I dream of being able to do projects around the house after the kids have gone to bed.

To actually have an evening of reading, with two hands on a book. I used to try to read on dialysis, but it is tough to hold a book with one hand and turn the pages. Not that it is impossible, but it can be challenging, especially when your hand cramps up.

I dream of drinking as much water as I want.

A couple of years ago, before I found out my kidneys weren't working, I worked at an Audio/Visual rental place. One show we had to set up for was, ironically, the National Kidney Foundation Fundraiser. It was on the lot of Warner Bros and it was an easy gig. I remember one of the main speakers at the fundraiser was George Lopez. He tells the story that he needed a kidney and his wife donated one to him and the one thing he was totally amazed by was the amount of energy he suddenly got back. I wonder what that is going to be like. Will the same happen to me? So I dream about energy.

I also dream about surfing more. I have been surfing since I was 12 years old and love it. I love surfing on short boards, long boards and just sitting in the water with friends. But with my kidney failure I just don't have as much energy as I once did. So I dream about the times in the future that I will have paddling out. A great addition is that the donor who is giving me the kidney loves surfing too. Although it is not verified I am hoping that some of the surf "stoke" gets transferred over to me through the kidney.

But some of the dreams that I am most excited about I am not even aware of yet. The new aspects of life that will be revealed to me after the transplant, but in my kidney failed perspective can't even imagine yet. I am sure that many of those dreams will be revealed to me as I go through them.