Sixteenth Floor

I wake up to not feeling well in recovery, I think I've been sick. The nurses are telling me they are going to administer more nausea medication. I'm still out of it. I ask if my dad is okay, they say he is in surgery, and I fall back asleep.

I have no idea how long I was back asleep. It could have been 5 minutes, 55 minutes, or 5 hours. Either way it felt like eternity. I wake up not feeling well again, how is my dad? The nurse comes over and tells me to take deep breaths, that they want to avoid more fluid getting caught in my lungs. I calm down, they say my dad is still in surgery. As they are rustling around me, they say they are moving me to the sixteenth floor. I immediately protest! I know for a fact I am to go to the eighth floor which is the transplant wing so I can be with my dad. They say I am scheduled to go to the sixteenth floor. I start to get upset and worried and with doing so I again do not feel well and OH SHIT my body hurts like never before. The nurse assures me when I get to the sixteenth floor they will figure out what's going on and move me from there. I don't know if she told me that just to calm me down or she was being truthful, but somewhere along the lines I ended up and remained on the sixteenth floor.

I am wheeled into the elevator that has access to the North Cardinal Carter wing, it does not link to the eighth floor of the South Cardinal Carter wing according to the nurse taking me to my floor. Freaking great, I can't even sneak down to see my dad. As I am rolled into my room, the assistant asks if I can walk. Um, I don't know, I'm not even sure I have legs. She gives me no choice as there is nobody else to help. So I get up and walk. Oh boy, I have legs but I don't think I should be walking. I feel like a mac truck has run me over, then backed up, than ran me over again. This is painful. I feel sick again. As I am being hooked up to new monitors my nurse is calling for reinforcements. Apparently my stats aren't too good. I am put on nostril oxygen and they are playing with my pain meds. I am exhausted.

I have no idea how much time has passed, but I think I've dosed off for a bit. The nurse is in again and is putting me on a oxygen face mask. She has a few other nurses/students with her and the on floor doctor. They are playing with my meds again. They can't find the correct dosage. They increase my oxygen level and its making me feel like I'm suffocating. I ask about my dad, he is out of surgery and on the eighth floor. I feel alone, and scared, I want to see him, I should be on the same floor. I then realize I won't be able to see my mom either as we are only allowed one emergency/family member accepted. Todd is my emergency contact and my mom is my dads. I feel alone and scared.

A team of doctors come in to my room. I recognize one from the OR, he introduces himself and the rest of the entourage with him as his students. I ask to take off the mask. He mentions it took him a while to find me. Well duh, I'm on the wrong damn floor. He sends one of the students to grab my nurse to ask for an update. They chat for a little bit and gives her further instructions. They need to lower my blood pressure and my oxygen intake will improve, he thinks its the type of main medication they are giving me. They grab a different drip and play with the dosage. Afterwards he checks out my incisions. I have four that are steri-stripped together. One is one inch long, two are about two inches long, and another is about six inches, all on my left side abdomen. He says he had assisted with both mine and my dads surgeries and despite the complication with my kidney, it attached well to my dads. He did not have to go to ICU. Great news!! "So that means I can see him right, and go to the eighth floor?" He says he will look into it and leaves.

WAIT - HOLD UP!!!! What do you mean complication?

Shortly after my floor assistant pops in. If it weren't for her I think I would have gone crazy. She gives me a facecloth and some water, and asks how I am. I ask to be moved to the 8th floor. She says she will look into it. She asks how my dad is and I say I don't know and start crying. She immediately goes and gets my dads room number, dials, and he picks up. It feels good to hear him however we are both very emotional, tired, sore, and medicated. We get cut short as his team walks in his room.

I facetime with Ash and Bryson. It's good to see them however I know they are worried still. I call my mom and Todd, its late now. Sometime after 8pm. They are on the way down....thank goodness. I need to know what the hell happened.

Todd walks in and its so good to see him. He has his worried look on his face although I know he's trying to fight it. He goes through the day for me. He's furious with the team as he had asked them not to say anything. That he would explain everything when he got here. It's not what I want to hear. There was a mistake removing my kidney. The artery was cut incorrectly, and they weren't sure if it will receive enough blood supply when attached to my dad. It also meant my dad only received two thirds of my kidney. He tells me dad was in preparation for surgery when they asked him to make the call whether he still wanted to receive it or not. I couldn't imagine how dad felt having to make that decision.

As you all know, he chose to receive the kidney despite unfavorable odds. Worry starts to set it. What if two thirds isn't enough? He will have to stay on dialysis until he can find another kidney. WHY US? Why couldn't it just go smoothly. We had waited so long, and followed everything by the book and then some in order to be as healthy as possible. I want to see him.

My nighttime nurse is now taking my stats, she is moving my meds to something else again. We kid around a bit as I'm on the lowest dose but it's still not making me feel well. She calls me "drug naïve" so Todd and I kid I'm the "drug virgin". I didn't realize you should up your drug use prior to surgery. It kills to laugh, oh boy, but laughter is my best medicine. I did warn them right from the beginning, my only concern, was that last time I had surgery (reconstructed jaw), I did not react well to any meds. An x-ray tech brings in the mobile machine to make sure my lungs are clear and more blood work.

Todd inquires if I can be moved to the eighth floor, they say I am scheduled to be moved down tomorrow. Patient assistant comes back in, and Todd asks if he can quickly bring my mom up. She says she didn't hear anything, smiles, and tells me she will be back in right before she leaves at 11.

My mom comes up, she looks exhausted.

Its after 11 pm now. I can wait to see my dad tomorrow. Tomorrow will be better.