Surgery Date Set

Yesterday was another long travel day for me, so apologies for not posting sooner.

On my flight yesterday I got a call from the donor coordinator. They finally set a date: January 2. It’s so soon, just a few weeks away. So I told my family, told my boss, and requested leave for my recovery. I’m very grateful for how flexible my work has been with this, and allowing me to use Short Term Disability so I can still get paid while I recover.

Additionally, the hospital sent me an email with instructions on how to prepare for the surgery. I will have a 4-5 hour pre-op hospital visit on December 30, just a few days before the surgery. It also said that the surgery will be done laparoscopically. Honestly, I’m not sure how that’s going to work with the kidney being so big, but I was told it’s the most common way they do these surgeries now. There was also stuff about what to eat and drink beforehand (AKA nothing, even gum), medications I can't take beforehand, what to bring to the hospital for surgery, stuff like that. If you want a full copy please feel free to email me at ryan@kidneydonationdiary.com.

It's almost surreal to finally have a date, and one that's so soon. This time next month I'll be at home recovering. It's pretty crazy to think about.

Anyway, this will probably be my last post for a little while, since there probably won't be much to update on before my pre-op appointment. If there are any updates, I'll post them here.