Time to Give a Kidney!

6/1/2011 – Surgery Day

I woke up much more calm and not nearly as starving as I had anticipated. I convinced Shane to shower and go down and take advantage of the continental breakfast before we had to leave. I showered, scrubbing for 10 minutes again, and carefully brushed my teeth making sure that I didn’t swallow any toothpaste or water while doing so. I had very clear instructions – nothing but spit after midnight the night before. NO gum, mints, water, coffee or tea, nothing to drink and absolutely nothing to eat.

I dressed in my new Kidney t-shirt, braided my hair in pigtails and painted my fingernails a nice olive-y green. All things that make me smile. I figured I needed to smile as much as possible surgery day. I tried to sit down with my very handsome husband Shane’s computer and write the morning of surgery, but I just couldn’t focus … hmm … wonder why?

We arrived at the hospital, parked in the garage under the surgery pavilion right next to my parents and went up to the second floor where they had arrived minutes before we had. I checked in and was told that there would be a little wait. Cherina, her boyfriend and aunt arrived minutes before I was called back to pre-op. We were able to take a few pictures in our matching kidney shirts before I was lead back to the curtained-off bed where I was to undress and get my IV started. The nurses LOVED my shirt and even took it out of my personal items bag so they could show it around the floor.

Dr. Batkha came in, marked my stomach with an arrow and his initials and told me that we were delayed a little bit. A deceased donor transplant was taking place in our OR. Kami had told me that she had only seen a surgery bumped 3 or 4 times in her 9 years as transplant coordinator due to a deceased donor surgery and I had told her that I would be happy to wait if that meant someone else was getting their miracle. We were bumped, and another miracle successfully checked off the Long, Long list.

My family was able to come back and visit one at a time and keep me company while I waited. Surprisingly, the time went by quickly. I was calm, and completely comfortable with what was about to happen. I usually have a pretty mellow disposition, but looking back on it now I am surprised how unaffected I was feeling. It was like I was waiting for a table at my favorite restaurant, knowing that I was about to have a great meal with all the satisfaction that comes with good food and good company.

Cherina came in to the pre-op room minutes before I was wheeled out, we hugged then I was given my “gin and tonic” through the IV. I made Cody give me a hug then off I went down a long hall with tons of equipment lining the halls and into the operating room. It was a big room, with a giant light in the middle and a big window to a room where they told me Cherina would be. Again lots of random machines making it look more like a storage closet than an OR, but seconds later I was out. I don’t even remember them telling me I was getting more drugs or asking me to count down.

I remember a very nice nurse standing next to me while waking up. I asked about Cherina but she said that she didn’t know anything. She asked me what my pain level was and I told her none – I couldn’t feel  a thing!  My husband came back first and told me that everything went very well. Dr. Baktha told them that my kidney was as perfect as they come. It turns out that Cherina’s surgeon was the one doing the deceased donor operation and he didn’t quite finish when they had expected so there was a waiting period while I was under and waiting for the kidney to come out, but Cherina was not ready for it.  My surgery ended up being more like five hours than the three to four that they had anticipated.

My mom came back and I remember laughing at the guy in the bed across from us who was sitting fully clothed on the edge of his bed belching louder than anyone I have ever heard. I am not sure if the drugs were causing me to laugh or if it was just really funny. While my mom was there the nurse kept asking if I was always this calm, and she kept saying that I was so easy, not always a compliment but I guess in this situation it is!  The nurse won lots of points with me when I heard her saying to the people upstairs that I was “really small” and would be easy to move.

I didn’t feel any pain until I was wheeled down the crazy labyrinth of halls and elevators to get to my recovery room. Lots of bumps in the floors and tight hallways not easily maneuverable in a rolling bed resulted in a bit more jostling than I was ready for, but I had a pain pump and was happy to push the button every six minutes until I was asleep.

I don’t remember much else of the night other than being thankful for my Foley catheter so I didn’t have to get out of bed and being really thirsty. I know Dr. Batkha stopped by before he left for the night and said Cherina’s surgery went very well, the kidney was producing urine before she was even all stitched up and that things looked so good that the surgeon felt comfortable removing her dialysis catheter inserted in her stomach. I convinced my husband that I was okay and that he could stay the night in the hotel. Around 10pm Cherina called and we talked on our cell phones until hers died 40 minutes later. I couldn’t tell you much of our conversation other than being so excited to hear her voice and know that she was okay. We both kept dozing off and having a hard time keeping up with each other's train of thought. I wish that conversation could have been recorded

 ~Kara

Surgery Day

June 1, 2011- Surgery date!!!!

This day will forever be ingrained in my mind. I cannot even believe the day has finally come. I woke up, showered with the special soap and threw on my new cotton shirt that had a large red kidney on it with a “+1” in the middle. Kara had a -1 on hers. A few days before surgery, her family made us these awesome shirts to sport the day of surgery.

They were quite the hit. All of the doctors and nurses seemed to like them. I got to the hospital around 7:45 am. I came a little early to meet Kara, since her pre-ops were a little earlier than mine. Our surgery was originally the first case of the day but then we were bumped to the second because of a deceased donor surgery. They explained that this is a rare occurrence but I found it a happy one because someone else was also getting their life changed. The nerves were settling in because of the extra wait time. I really hadn’t felt much anxiety or nervousness until this point.

Kara was called back about 10 minutes after I had arrived. We were able to snap a few pics of the two of us and family, then she was gone. I didn’t know what to feel when she left. I was a bit worried and excited. I prayed that she was in good hands because she was doing all of this for me!! What an overwhelming feeling. I waited and waited and then I too was called back. My family relocated to where Kara’s family had been waiting, the surgery waiting area. I was happy to know that the waiting families would be getting hourly updates or so to help ease their minds. When I got to the pre-op area I saw Kara there for a brief moment. She was laying in the bed, gowned up and cap on. We hugged and I think I told her I’d see her on the other side of the surgery. She was then wheeled away.

I was allowed one person at a time in the back with me until I was taken to surgery. I slipped into the usual surgery garb and waited for my first guest. I was visited by Cody, my parents, my aunt, my friend Sarah and her daughter Sammy and Cody’s parents Kay and Jim. I don’t think I’m missing anyone, then again my mind was going a million miles a minute! It was nice to spend time with all of them beforehand. Some cried, some told me I would be okay and some just talked about everyday things with me.

The anesthesiologist came and explained what he would be doing during the surgery. Nurses came and wrapped my legs in thick, constricting stockings, which would help with clots etc. I also had these “leg massagers” placed around each calf to promote circulation during and after surgery. Vitals were taken and an IV was placed. I was reminded that I would have a central line placed in my neck as well as a catheter to use instead of the bathroom for the first couple days in the hospital. A stent would also be placed.

After everything was said, they gave me some medicine, which made me feel a little loopy. I remember hearing a doctor say, “Kara is ready and we are waiting for Cherina. Are you ready?” Then the surgeon, Andre Dick stopped by. I had only met him briefly before, but not as my surgeon. I was anxious that I didn’t build any rapport with him. He was nice enough to call me a few days before surgery and answer any questions I had. He told me that my Dad was pacing in the waiting area and that he had reassured him that he was having a good day and that surgery would go well. I felt fine at this point. It was about to all happen and I knew that no matter what I felt, it wouldn’t change anything; so better just to let go of anything and feel good about it all.

They wheeled me back into the cold and bright operating room. All sorts of people surrounded me. Some familiar faces, some not. I remember seeing a huge TV screen in front of me. On it was a huge google map?! I asked why that was there because I couldn’t see why it pertained to my surgery. They laughed and said they were just looking something up. Funny really. I recall looking up at the bright light and then I was out for the count. It was about a four-hour surgery, but felt like I was out for only 15 minutes. Everyone waited the entire time, which was so nice. Cody was tired but didn’t want to leave, so he slept in the parking garage in his parents' van. The amount of support between Kara’s family and mine was really amazing. My friends have also been very supportive all the way from when I found out I needed a transplant, to the transplant and beyond.

I believe I got out of surgery around eight in the evening. I stayed in the post-op recovery area for at least an hour or two until I woke up. I was then sent to my room and don’t remember much from there for the rest of that night. I was on major pain medications. That night as well as the next few were quite a blur.

~Cherina

Day Before Living Kidney Transplant

May 31, 2011 – Day before surgery:

5:45am – wake up and eat as much breakfast as humanly possible. I had two big waffles with peanut butter and honey and a big cup of tea. I forced myself to eat every bite I could, since that would be my last meal for the next couple of days. I took my kids to a family friend’s house for the day and headed off to work. It was a fairly slow day at school, but kept myself busy and not too hungry by drinking a half-gallon of juice. I then realized I was on pace to drink the whole thing, which was going to be 1500 calories and more carbs and sugar than I had consumed in the whole week leading up to it. The last thing I wanted was a sugar high on top of the empty stomach and nerves so I switched back to water, and drank only a few more diluted glasses of juice.

The nerves I was feeling for the day were mostly stemmed from the bowel prep that I was about to go through. The nice thing about where I work is that most of my co-workers are in the colonoscopy age range so I spent my spare time asking each and every one of them about their experience. I can honestly tell you I have never talked about poop more in my life. I wasn’t so nervous about the pooping as I was about having to get to Seattle that night, and hoping that I would be able to make it w/out incident (or should I say accident?). Each of my co-workers were so nice, I was expecting to be laughed at, called a sucker or taught the secret handshake of those in the colonoscopy club but I was just reassured that it was not that bad and that you need to stay near the toilet while the magnesium citrate works its magic then I would be able to travel after that. There was definitely a range of times people thought it would start working- some said 20 minutes and others said an hour or two. And the same was for how long it would last, but all assured me that they were able to sleep through the night without having to get up and go, so it would come to an end at some point.

As the students left for the day I hurriedly cleaned my desk and took care of last minute details that needed attention. I snuck out the door and tried to avoid teary-eyed hugs from work friends. I knew if I started crying I might not be able to pull it together. One of those days!

As I was picking up my two little girls from the babysitter the most amazing (need a different word) thing happened. As I mentioned much earlier in the blog, my college roommate’s dad had a heart transplant now 23 years ago and that greatly influenced my decision to donate. Well, that man lived two houses down from where my children regularly play for the day. In the last 10 months of picking up and dropping my kids off three times a week I have never seen him until that day. He was standing at the fence between the yards and I saw him as I pulled in. I was on the phone with Cherina and we were both nervously talking about our days. I hung up with Cherina and I walked over to John to give him a huge hug and tell him about how he inspired me to give life the following day. He was thinner, a little greyer, and looked a little less healthy than the last time I saw him but he insisted that he was doing well. He told me that he was just at UWMC the week before and his cardiologist couldn’t believe how well he was still doing. John said that they had expected him to live five years at most after the transplant and that if he died tomorrow he would be okay with it because he has seen all of his kids graduate, become a grandpa and had 23 more years than anyone had expected. He said that he was one of the first transplants that his surgeon had ever done and he’d been going to the same doctor all these years. He told his doctor that he couldn’t retire until he died because he didn’t want to have to “train another one of you” and he said his doctor’s reply was, “you’d better hurry up then”. I hope that I can some day look at my life and say that I was thankful for every day, that I wasn’t afraid of the unknown, that I was content with what I had and who I was.

Talk about seeing God’s plan unfold in front of me. God put John at that fence on that day for me to hug and see first hand how one incredible gift can shape the future. God put John there to ease any nervousness I may have had, to fill my heart with hope and to understand His plan and feel His love. We might be looking at a situation and ask how God could let someone like Cherina have so much pain in her life, but what he is really doing is showing us how perfectly he can orchestrate her recovery. She may have been born, for lack of a better word, broken but through His grace He put her back together.

Back to my day– I picked my kids up, was home minutes later and started drinking the magnesium citrate – the sparkling lemon laxative according to the label. It was AWEFUL. Super bubbly like an extra fizzy pop, super lemony and sour and excessively salty. Like someone poured all of the salt into the margheritta instead of putting it on the rim, and then left out the alcohol and replaced it with a laxative. I drank about half of it and was struggling to go on so I sent a text to my family asking them to cheer me on. After funny replies about remembering my college days, or suggestions about pouring it into margheritta or martini or shot glasses I was able to get it down and immediately had to go to the bathroom. Turns out that was just nerves getting the best of me because I certainly FELT it when the they hit about an hour after the bottle was emptied.

I spent my time at home that night trying to throw stuff in an overnight bag, hug my kids and using the bathroom. We were able to catch a 7:50 ferry to Seattle and we just sat right next to the bathroom. By that point it had tapered quite a bit and I was able to just quickly go and then get out. At 8:00 I was supposed to drink two liters of water/juice in the next four hours. So full Nalgene in hand the water consumption began, and my bathroom trips were upped again. We got to the hotel a little after 9 and we tried to relax. Cherina and her Aunt Swedini (the one who started it all!) stopped by around 10 and we visited for 20 minutes or so. Mostly just nervous chatter. But it was really good to see her! After she left I showered and used the special antibacterial soap that they gave me, scrubbing for 10 minutes is a long time! Showered, water consumed, bathroom usage subsided and asleep just a little after midnight with an alarm set for 5:30

~Kara

Closing In On Surgery Day

May 30th, 2011 – Dinner at the Baumgartner House:

It probably seemed like a mundane Monday or Memorial Day holiday for most, but for me it sure wasn’t. It would be the day my parents would meet Kara’s family. I knew her immediate family, but I would be meeting many more people near and dear to her. I was definitely filled with nerves. I naturally wanted them all to like me and genuinely approve of me. I mean after all, their beloved Kara was going to go under the knife for a stranger! I felt a pressure, a pressure I of course put on myself. I told myself to just be myself; that was all I could do and hope that I wouldn’t accidentally say anything stupid! When do you ever meet people under these circumstances? There are no guidelines or rule books to look to for help. It’s just an uncharted thing that you navigate the best you can.

I knew everyone would be nice, that wasn’t a concern of mine. So my family hopped in the car and drove the whole two minutes over to Kara’s parents house from ours. We pulled up to their gorgeous home overlooking the water and knocked on the door. Her dad Tim welcomed us with open arms. From that moment on, I knew it would be a great evening. Everyone was so friendly! They all seemed so excited to be a part of this. It was very reassuring for me that her family was so supportive of what we were going to do. We shared a delicious dinner outside, filled with good conversation and even better company. It was a very relaxed atmosphere and vibe, which I knew my parents appreciated.

It was so nice to see all of the children too. Kara’s children, Ainslee and Elise were there, as well as Kara's niece Ella and nephew Kohen, whom I taught at the school I worked at. It was so nice to see them all. The presence of children always puts me at ease. It made me feel so good that little Ainslee was excited to see me, because I was excited to see her too! She is the sweetest child and I was glad she had warmed up to me so quickly. I’ll never forget what Kara’s mother Nikki had said. She said how excited they were to be doing this and that they were glad I was doing it too!! This blew me away! She was happy I was doing this!? These few words spoke volumes to me. These people were some of the most down to earth, kindest people I had ever met. God’s plan really is the best.

Early on, I hoped my donor would be someone I knew really well. Probably because I thought it would’ve been easier or something to that effect. I would have never dreamed it would be someone I didn’t know! I’m so overjoyed that it worked out the way that it did. Kara was for sure divinely picked. The fact that she answered her call, was the true miracle that took place. She comes from a wonderful family that I’m glad I now know and she is such a good hearted person that I really see as a friend! I lucked out, better yet I’m truly blessed. The countdown continued, only 48 hours left until the big event!



May 31st, 2011 – The day before surgery:

Of course the surgery was on my mind at every turn. I was also extremely busy packing for the hospital and my long hotel stay in Seattle. I decided I would recover in a hotel with my aunt Swedini, the aunt that wrote the initial email that was sent out to everyone. I stayed in Seattle because after surgery, I had clinic appointments two times a week for about the next 3 months. The plan was to stay close until I recovered a bit and could make the commute. Living in a hotel seemed easier too because there was no cleaning or cooking etc. So I stuffed my car with all of my dialysis stuff, a months worth of clothes and all of the other things I rationalized as necessities. I kissed my mom goodbye and hopped in my car and headed to Seattle. My aunt flew in early that day and had been waiting for me at the hotel. I was so happy to see her waiting for me! I was glad she came to take care of me. She is one of the best advocates I know. If you want someone on your side, it’s her.

We unpacked, got some food with my boyfriend Cody and his dad Jim. After our delicious meal, we returned to the hotel to unwind before the big day. I did my last round of dialysis the night before which was sooo liberating. If I could’ve bottled that feeling, I would have. I think to myself all the time how grateful I am to Kara that I don’t have to dialyze anymore or plan my life around it. I tried my best to get some sleep before the surgery. I wasn’t exactly successful seeing that I got a whopping two hours worth! It was one day or less until the surgery now!

~Cherina

Transplant Surgery Date Set

5/6/11           

For the third time I will try to sit down and write this entry. Friday, April 29^th, I received a call from Kami and she said that the transplant team reviewed my file and approved me for transplant. She told me I was a very healthy person and was an excellent candidate for kidney donation. The next step was for them to contact Cherina’s transplant team and set a surgery date. If all is going well with her then we could have surgery as early as June 1^st. She asked if I wanted to call Cherina, or if I would rather have them call and notify her. Of course I opted for telling her myself.

I called cherina and left a message, and waited impatiently for an hour or so for her to call back. She called from her car in the parking lot of a restaurant where she was having dinner with friends and we talked for 30 minutes or so, and even cried a little. We thanked God for his miracle that he is letting us live, and decided that we would forever be friends.

On Tuesday, May 3, I was at school talking with a co-worker about a surgery date, and not two minutes after our conversation I received an email from Kami with a letter attached on official UW letterhead thanking me for my generous gift of life. The letter was to inform me that the surgery date was set, and the operating room was booked for June 1^st. Irene from scheduling would be notifying me soon with more specifics. For now I should stop taking birth control pills (as it can increase the possibility of blood clots in some women) and two weeks prior to the surgery I am not to take any Ibuprofen, aspirin or the like.

Immediately after reading the email, tears welled in my eyes and I had to blink them away as I wrote Cherina the following texts:

I got you a present for your birthday

A Surgery Date!!! June first!

Immediately Cherina replied:

Omg! Omg! Can I call u?

I was at school, but stepped out on the front porch of the portable to take her call. We both cried and again rejoiced in God's plan. As we talked, Cherina told me about her dialysis class she is in right now, learning how to administer at-home peritoneal dialysis. She said that she would certainly be able to do it, because that is what was going to keep her alive, but my kidney was going to be able to save her from doing it for long. She said “if you only knew what you were saving me from doing every day…”. What a joy this is to give her. I have always felt that our purpose in life, our one job as humans, was to make each other’s lives easier. To work together and figure out how to keep life from being too much to handle. To share ourselves with those in need…

My work held a Bon Voyage kidney party for Sydney my kidney. The kidney that I will be giving to Cherina. They made placemats with clever sayings and a picture of a kidney, a kidney-shaped red velvet cake, Rice Krispy treats with two red jelly beans that looked like kidneys, cards adorned in Kidney’s and two of the staff members even preformed a song about my kidney. There are some pictures below. It was a beautiful celebration of the extra organ that God gave each of us so we might be lucky enough to one day be able to share

~Kara