6 Days to go

Today was my last day of work before the surgery and leaving was much harder than I anticipated. I started to cry, shortly before leaving and continued to cry all the way home and for sometime after that. It was surprising to me but given the roller coaster you go through in this process, it's quite a normal thing to happen. Yesterday marked 1 week until my surgery, today there are 6 days to go. I spoke with the transplant coordinator yesterday and found out I don't have to be "cleaned out" the night before, like so many other people have told me they have to be. I guess the procedures are different at each different hospital, but I am happy about it for sure! I am still feeling great about everything, no worries as of right now. I can't believe that there are only 6 days to go, the time has gone by so fast and this time next week it will all be over and we will be recovering, that's an amazing feeling. I just know that my kidney will kick right into gear for my dad and there will be no complications. I have faith in that. I always knew I would be the one to donate my kidney to him and all through this process things have just fallen into place. When something is meant to be, the rest just takes care of itself. I know that my dad is getting anxious and nervous, he worries that his past and current health problems with complicate things, heart disease and diabetes. But I told him, the cardiologist was confident and said his heart is strong and if he can make it through a quadruple bypass without his diabetes complicating anything, then he can do this too! I know he is going to be fine, as will I. We both have a lot of people in our corner and that makes all the difference. Having the love and support of your family and friends gives you the strength and emotional blanket you need to get through this thing, both of you. All of our family and friends are rooting for us and praying for us and that's all we need (and excellent surgeons of course :) But I know with all that love and with God's love, we are good. I have yet to pack my bag, I keep putting it off as there always seems like there is something else to be done first and that can wait another couple of days, but I really will need to get it done this weekend. No excuses. The message boards continue to provide a constant source of comfort and knowledge. There is no better resource than someone who is going through, or who has gone through what you are going through. For anyone who is reading this and is going to be or thinking of becoming a potential donor, the two best sites for chatting I have found are http://www.livingdonorsonline.org/cgi-bin/dcforum/dcboard.cgi (be sure to sign up and become a member) and http://www.kidney.org/fusetalk/forum/index.cfm?forumid=6 There are also some great stories you can read about other people's experiences at http://www.kidney.org/transplantation/livingDonors/shareStories.cfm and http://www.livingdonorsonline.org/experiences/experiences.htm I have found all of these to be invaluable in providing me with information and support. The other piece of advice I have is never to be afraid to ask your Transplant Coordinator anything. No matter how silly it seems, that is why they are there and if it will put your mind at ease, it is worth it. My transplant coordinator even said to me that I have some of the strangest questions she has ever heard, but she still answers them. The better informed you are, the better off you are. I have learned that throughout this process. Well, 6 days and counting, bring it on! Just an add on, I had my meeting today with the HR group regarding my short term and things seem to have went okay. I have a bunch of forms for my surgeon to fill out and then I have to fax them back but I think things will work out great!