Transplant Orientation

Finally - after months of waiting, dad has been called down to St. Mikes for a transplant clinic information day!! Woohoo - about 5 weeks away (it will be September 9th), but that's okay. This means that were finally making progess. I promise to keep my mouth shut and behave myself. He insists on driving though, so I insist on making him take a picture.

September comes quickly and I have also been called into the clinic! Yipee! I can sit in on my dads clinic information portion, however, due to live donor confidentiality neither my mom or dad can sit in on mine. I'm actually okay with that as I feel like they might have reservations about me being the donor at somepoint.

As we sit in a very small board room, we are shown a slide presentation. All the same stuff we have already read. There are 5 other people in on it as well. A sibling duo and a son with his parents. They have a gazilion annoying questions that were aleady answered in the presentation. Does anyone ever listen or read anything anymore? I do not undersand how you couldn't do even the most basic research before attending this clinic. Oh well, I am very informed. The one thing we do learn (and I had read but didn't know this was a completely different blood test) is that eventhough we were a blood and tissue match, and we were both cleared for preliminary sugery, there could be a possibilty that I would carry or have been exposed to a virus that my dad hasn't. Which would mean his body would automatically reject the kidney transplant. Holy crap - what? Some viruses could be supported with medication, some can't. The list was a page long. There is an alternate option If this happens to be the case. Basically my dad and I would be entered into a pool of donors and recipients from across Canada, within that pool we would be matched with as many people as needed. Cross matching pools only happens 3 times a year. I sign the consent form and cross my fingers we are just a direct match. Time is of the essence.

At the end of the presentation, my dad is given a zip lock bag with 2 empty vials. He is instructed to go get those done at the lab downstairs today. He also has a Doppler Ultrasound and CT scan scheduled.

In the meantime, I get to go to my own donor clinic orientation. All of the information was presented the same way as the recipient presentation this morning (which again, I have read). It is again mind boggling to me that I am the only one in there (out of 4), who actually has read through any information. We are all handed waivers to sign which we do, and handed the same plastic zip lock bag with 2 empty vials with an extra urine sample jar. We are also instructed to go get those done at the lab downstairs today along with a chest xray and an ECG, then back up to our coordinators once were done. By this point it's around 12:30. I head down to the lab. Dad is still waiting for his blood work, so I grab a ticket. I'm about 10 people behind him. Thats okay because by the time he gets his ultrasound and CT scan across the street I'll be done and we can grab something to eat (I'm starving).

I have taken up listening to audible books since I do not take the time to sit down and read anymore. One chapter is done and I'm called in...that was quick. As I sit in the chair, the technician asks if I have ate anything today. I say I have had a coffee but no food. She says she will get me some juice and a cookie. I think, okay - but it's only 2 vials. No biggie. UNTIL she takes the requisition from my hand and starts piling all of the vials onto a tray. As I sit there I think, those cannot all be for me. A total of 16 vials and 2 urine sample containers are placed on a tray beside me. I say (and louder than I wanted) "Are those all of me", she says yes. Well I'm sorry, but the 2 vials given to me in the baggie are totally false advertising. I'm generally not qeasy at all, but around the end of vial #14 I started to not feel so great. I can do this.....eye on the ball (or more like the needle)! Only 2 more to go. After she is done, she hands me the juice (the cookie was not very appetizing). She hands me the 2 bottles to collect my urine sample and some instructions. They want me to discard the first little bit, fill that one up, then stop and switch bottles. Okay - so this could be tricky. By now I'm so hungry and giddy. After 2 kids, stopping the flow is going to be tricky. I'm laughing by myself in the washroom. This was not an easy task. I tried my best, lets leave it at that.

I leave the lab looking for my mom and dad in the designated meeting spot. As I walk off the elevator they are standing there. I simply state they owe me lunch right now! I show them the picture I took of the tray and they can't believe it. We laugh, cause as we all know, laughter is the best medicine. I scarf down a druxys sandwich, a bag of chips, a rice pudding and a gingerale in no time. Okay I feel better. I look at my mom and dad, they aren't even done half of theirs.

The rest of the day is fast. ECG and chest xrays are done in a flash. I go back up to my coordinators office and I hand her back in my ECG, blood pressure results, and tell her all test have been completed for the day. She hands me two more requisions for urine samples and insructs me to do them sooner rather than later. She will contact me if there are any issues.

And now we wait, again.