all is well (pt. 1)

I'm back!! :) I just got back to the transplant house about 1 1/2 hours ago. Just had lunch and took some vicodin. So if I misspell anything or if something doesn't make any sense, I blame the drugs.

Where do I begin? Well, I guess I'll start from the beginning:

Wednesday morning I woke up feeling really nervous. We got up at about 4:30 a.m. and I got my "luxiurious" brown terry sweatsuit on from Old Navy. After showering and getting a bag packed for the hospital, we were on our way. I held Drew's hand in the back seat as we drove to the hospital. Things were tense.

When we got there, Annie and Kendall and the news crew were already there, as well as the the main PR lady with the hospital. She had to shadow the news crew for liability reasons. She was real nice though. I can't quite remember her name. Anyway... Annie had the camcorder going and we all said a few words. I wasn't really in the mood to say anything. When I'm nervous, I'm pretty quiet.

We then checked in with the hospital and I gave them my last directives form and signed a consent form for them to treat me. They did the same for Annie. Michelle tried to interview me but I was a woman of few words. We all then rode the elevator up to the surgery waiting room: Drew and I, Annie, Kendall, my parents, Michelle and Alfredo (the photographer), and the PR lady. We had quite the group. We then checked in with the secretary and we sat down for awhile. My mom was taking pictures of everyone and causing quite a commotion. Alfredo was taking pictures, too. Everyone else in the waiting room was just staring.

Soon, Annie and I were called into the pre-op room so we could get our IVs in, give a urine sample, talk with the anesthesiologist (sorry, I just butchered that), etc. They worked on Annie first so I just kind of tried to relax in the nearby stretcher. That was easier said than done. I think during this point in time, it was all sinking in and very surreal. There was no backing out now (not that I wanted to). I was starting to get teary-eyed because I knew that what I was about to do was going to change Annie's life for the better. I was very happy, but extremely nervous at the same time. Soon a nurse was working on me. She had me remove all of my clothes and put on a hospital gown. It took her a few times to put the IV in because my veins just weren't cooperating. Everyone there was so nice.

Pretty soon we were all ready and our families were called in to see us. The nurses moved my bed closer to Annie's and removed the curtain in between us. Kendall and his dad came in, as well as mine. We were all doing fine until they wheeled Annie because she had to get an IV in her neck. My mom gently patted her face as she was wheeled off and apparently Annie had tears in her eyes. So did Kendall. My mom turned around and she was crying... which then made me cry. She came over and kissed me on my forehead, leaving lipstick ... which made me cry and laugh at the same time. But the crying just made me feel so much better. I knew that I needed a good cry before I went so I'm glad we got it over with. Soon it was my turn to go, so and it was tear-free. They wheeled me in to the OR. I rememer it being very white, and my doctor, Dr. Andrews, had his surgical mask on and was sitting at a computer. I remember saying hi to him. The last thing I remember is looking up at the bright lights above me and nurses standing around me looking at me.

The next thing I remember is being wheeled into the recovery room. I was pretty out of it, but I don't recall being in too much pain. One of the nurses (who graduated from Iowa State, believe it or not) came and said everything went fine. He said the kidney immediately started working when they put it in Annie. I remember being so relieved and happy that I started crying again. I was just overcome. He also said that at the last minute, the doctors opted to take my right kidney over my left one because Annie's surgeon didn't want to work with my extra ureter and liked his chances with my right one because apparently I had an extra vein (I guess I was just born with all of these spare parts!). But hearing that everything was good just made me relax. I don't remember how long I was in the recovery room because the next thing I knew I was being wheeled to my room on the fourth floor. I do remember being slightly annoyed with the guy that wheeled me in because he asked me if I was in the hospital for "girlie surgery". ??? I guess since I was young he assumed I was having breast implants or something. I don't know but I set him straight and said I donated a kidney. :P

I saw Drew on the way to my room so he followed us in there. It really sucked when they transferred me into my hospital bed. Holy cow, the pain!

I'm trying to remember what else happened Wednesday but it's a litle foggy right now. I remember when Annie was wheeled into the room next door to me. I was really excited to see her. I remember seeing my parents when they came up, and Kendall, his dad and Kendall's sister and brother-in-law, Jeannette and Tony, came to see me. I started looking better as the night went on. But I was constantly eating ice chips because the meds were giving me a major case of cottonmouth.

Ok, now it's time for pt. 2. Please continue reading! :)