Three Beautiful Things 11/19/19: Transplant Decision, Tests and Interviews, Bento Box and Dirty Martini Trivia

1. First, transplant news: I had a long talk a couple of weeks ago with Sheri, the nurse who works as the pre-transplant coordinator of my case. I told her I've been feeling really good, that my lab results have been stable, and that I was starting each day hoping I wouldn't get a call for a transplant because I didn't want to go from feeling the way I do now into the realities of post-transplant life with all the medications, check-ups, recovery time, and so on. I told her I was also uncertain about who could provide support for me post-transplant during those two weeks or so that I would need someone with me, most likely in a hotel/motel room, to monitor my medicine, transport me to appointments, and all the other things that need to happen post-transplant. Carol can provide secondary, but not primary support; as she is now, Debbie will be spending a lot of time with Adrienne, Ellie, Josh, and Jack in New York; Christy might be looking at a knee replacement in 2020.

Her response? "Why don't we take you off the active list and you can be inactive for a while. You will still accrue time on the transplant list, but you won't even have to think about getting a call. I can change your status in an instant and it would be just as easy to change your status back to active when the time is right."

I loved this idea and so I am on the transplant list, but currently inactive.

Now, being listed -- whether active or inactive -- requires, at Sacred Heart, that I come in annually to be evaluated to make sure I am fit for a transplant.

Today was my day for evaluation and I arrived at the hospital at 6:30 a.m. registered, and, until about 3 p.m., was poked, ultrasounded, and x-rayed and then spoke with each member of the transplant team.

2. Just for the record, here's what I did today:

• I had about a dozen vials of blood drawn
• I was administered an EKG
• A radiologist X-rayed my chest
• I relaxed during a Carotid Duplex Ultrasound
• I relaxed some more during a Bilateral Lower Extremity Venous Doppler Ultrasound
• I got to lie down and relax some more during an Echocardiogram

As was the case a year ago, each of these procedures was made far more enjoyable than I would have thought they'd be because every single person I worked with, whether those registering me or the medical people doing their jobs, every one of them was positive, efficient, conversational, eager to be of help, kind, and upbeat. 

I enjoyed myself and I knew the best was still to come.

Starting shortly after 11 a.m., I had a series of meetings with the transplant team. Here's who I saw:

• The Nurse who weighed and measured me and coordinated my conferences today
• Sheri, Pre-Transplant Coordinator
• The Surgeon
• The Dietician
• The Nephrology P. A. (Her phone rang during our conference. Her ringtone? "Crazy Train" by Ozzy Osbourne. Awesome.)
• The Pharmacist
• The Financial Coordinator
• The Social Worker 

These were superb conversations. I especially enjoyed discussing details about life after a transplant (medications, cost, recovery time) and I was heartened by the universal support I got for my decision to be inactive for the time being. 

I left the transplant center stimulated, happy to be working with such superb people.

Therefore, I was not dismayed when the Nephrology P.A. told me that I might be asked to return and redo some tests. 

Today's blood work revealed that my kidney function was at 13%, the lowest it's ever been (it was 17% just two months ago). She told me their were some oddities in the echocardiogram as well. She wondered if I might have been dehydrated today. I definitely thought that was a likely possibility for a variety of reasons. 

I think it's possible that I will be asked to return soon for repeated blood work and possibly another echocardiogram. I should find out in a couple of weeks.

3. I left Sacred Heart and decided it was time to eat some raw fish. I went to Ginger Asian Bistro and ordered a bowl of miso soup and a Nigiri/Sashimi Bento Box. It featured tuna and salmon nigiri and sashimi, pickled ginger, wasabi, four won tons, and several pieces of tempura shrimp and vegetable pieces with two bowls of liquid dipping sauces. 

I left full and satisfied. I returned to my room/apartment and took a nap. I roused myself, hopped back in the Sube, and drove to Rock City Bar and Grill where I joined Mary, Kathy, and seven other people at a large table. We joined forces as the trivia team, "Stayin' Alive", and did pretty well, but, alas, we lost some of our points because of technological malfunction. Sigh. The malfunction helped me appreciate how much simpler things were at the Bon Bon with no possibility of something going wrong with some device. 

I enjoyed a couple of dirty martinis and arrived back at my room/apartment very happy that I'd decided not to drive to Spokane, have a day at Sacred Heart, and then drive back all in one day. Instead, I made a vacation out of my day of evaluation and it buoyed me, kept my spirits uplifted.