Good morning everyone, this is Tricia! I've been getting a lot of questions over the past few days about my upcoming procedure. So, I thought I would provide a few details...
The action begins tomorrow, September 28 at the Med Center. I report at 7:30 a.m. for bloodwork, a physical, and meetings with the surgeon and anesthesiologist. Starting at noon, I'm restricted to clear liquids for the rest of the day, so that means I may have to indulge in a Runza cheeseburger and fries tonight!
On Tuesday morning, I report back to the Med Center at 6:00 a.m. My surgery should begin around 7:30. It's expected to take 4-5 hours. How does one remove a kidney from one's body? It's done with a procedure called "hand-assisted laparaoscopy." They'll make four small incisions near my belly button and will do the scoping and cutting that way. Then, when the kidney is ready to come out, they'll make a larger incision. Piece of cake!
My husband and my two daughters will go with me - and my two lovely sisters will also be there. I will be in the hospital for about 4 days and then it's home to my comfy bed, remote control and lots of books!
Delmer will have to fill you in on what his experience will be like, but I do know that he will also be at the Med Center tomorrow for pre-op testing so we will undoubtedly have one big party!
I am so ready for this - and am very much at peace with it - all because of family, friends and faith. Thank you for coming along on this ride!
Okay Delmer...now it's YOUR turn!
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Tricia's turn...
Okay - this is my first time on the blog, so I hope I do this right...
Wow...the big day is almost here! As many of you know, I caused a 3-week delay from the original date of Sept. 9 because of a minor gum infection - but that turned out to be a blessing in disguise. Having that extra time allowed me to better prepare at work, at home, and even mentally. Yesterday, I had a scare when I thought the infection had returned. I couldn't imagine telling Delmer we had to postpone it yet again! But a trip to the dentist this morning brought immense relief when I learned all was fine. That experience made me realize how much I need and want to do this.
So...that brings us to tonight. Father Connor, the priest at our neighborhood parish, came over for dinner. He's been a very special connection through this whole experience as he donated a kidney to his nephew this past April. Following dinner and great conversation, he led me in confession and gave me the annointing of the sick to help me prepare for surgery (if you're Catholic you'll appreciate this). He also prayed for Delmer. Afterwards, I asked if that was the first time he had given confession with 70's classic rock in the background and a dirty sock at this feet that the dog had dragged in!
Delmer and I both have so many special people in our lives to help us through this experience. So thank you - for all the support and prayers!
P.S. - I have to say thanks to my friend Jackie who sent a package that I received today in the mail. It contained three cans of kidney beans and a container of "kidney stones" plus a few other assorted goodies. It made my day!
Wow...the big day is almost here! As many of you know, I caused a 3-week delay from the original date of Sept. 9 because of a minor gum infection - but that turned out to be a blessing in disguise. Having that extra time allowed me to better prepare at work, at home, and even mentally. Yesterday, I had a scare when I thought the infection had returned. I couldn't imagine telling Delmer we had to postpone it yet again! But a trip to the dentist this morning brought immense relief when I learned all was fine. That experience made me realize how much I need and want to do this.
So...that brings us to tonight. Father Connor, the priest at our neighborhood parish, came over for dinner. He's been a very special connection through this whole experience as he donated a kidney to his nephew this past April. Following dinner and great conversation, he led me in confession and gave me the annointing of the sick to help me prepare for surgery (if you're Catholic you'll appreciate this). He also prayed for Delmer. Afterwards, I asked if that was the first time he had given confession with 70's classic rock in the background and a dirty sock at this feet that the dog had dragged in!
Delmer and I both have so many special people in our lives to help us through this experience. So thank you - for all the support and prayers!
P.S. - I have to say thanks to my friend Jackie who sent a package that I received today in the mail. It contained three cans of kidney beans and a container of "kidney stones" plus a few other assorted goodies. It made my day!
Doing Something Great
We have the potential to do something great every day of our lives...I thought of Tricia's gift to me next week, and how I could repay that gift. Doing something great in the lives of others is one way to do that....I found this passage by Steve Goodier especially poignant.....
DOING SOMETHING GREAT
When was the last time you were challenged to do something really...
well... great?
President Abraham Lincoln helped me to understand that there is a
bit of greatness within all of us. It is said that he often slipped
out of the White House on Wednesday evenings to listen to the
sermons of Dr. Phineas Gurley at New York Avenue Presbyterian
Church.
He generally preferred to come and go unnoticed, so when Dr.
Gurley knew the president was coming, he left his study door open.
On one of those occasions, the president quietly entered through a
side door of the church, took his seat in the minister's study,
located just off the sanctuary, and propped the door open just wide
enough to hear the preacher.
During the walk home one Wednesday evening, an aide asked Mr.
Lincoln his appraisal of the sermon. The president thoughtfully
replied, "The content was excellent... he delivered with
eloquence... he had put work into the message.."
"Then you thought it was an excellent sermon?" questioned the aide.
"No," Lincoln answered.
"But you said that the content was excellent, it was delivered with
eloquence and it showed much work," the aide pressed.
"That's true," Lincoln said. "But Dr. Gurley forgot the most
important ingredient. He forgot to ask us to do something great."
There is nothing wrong with average lives and average
accomplishments. Most of the good of the world is built on the
accumulated efforts of everyday people. But, as Lincoln seemed to
know, a life should strive for some greatness.
Are you part of a relationship that, if given more effort, could be
outstanding? Or do you volunteer for an organization which is truly
doing something excellent? Have you joined a cause that is
attempting something great? Or have you ever said to yourself
concerning a beautiful dream, "I could never do that," while knowing
that if you were to attempt it and succeed, you just might
accomplish something significant?
If Abraham Lincoln is right, then every life should strive to reach
a little further today than it did yesterday, for there is some
greatness in each of us.
-- Steve Goodier
DOING SOMETHING GREAT
When was the last time you were challenged to do something really...
well... great?
President Abraham Lincoln helped me to understand that there is a
bit of greatness within all of us. It is said that he often slipped
out of the White House on Wednesday evenings to listen to the
sermons of Dr. Phineas Gurley at New York Avenue Presbyterian
Church.
He generally preferred to come and go unnoticed, so when Dr.
Gurley knew the president was coming, he left his study door open.
On one of those occasions, the president quietly entered through a
side door of the church, took his seat in the minister's study,
located just off the sanctuary, and propped the door open just wide
enough to hear the preacher.
During the walk home one Wednesday evening, an aide asked Mr.
Lincoln his appraisal of the sermon. The president thoughtfully
replied, "The content was excellent... he delivered with
eloquence... he had put work into the message.."
"Then you thought it was an excellent sermon?" questioned the aide.
"No," Lincoln answered.
"But you said that the content was excellent, it was delivered with
eloquence and it showed much work," the aide pressed.
"That's true," Lincoln said. "But Dr. Gurley forgot the most
important ingredient. He forgot to ask us to do something great."
There is nothing wrong with average lives and average
accomplishments. Most of the good of the world is built on the
accumulated efforts of everyday people. But, as Lincoln seemed to
know, a life should strive for some greatness.
Are you part of a relationship that, if given more effort, could be
outstanding? Or do you volunteer for an organization which is truly
doing something excellent? Have you joined a cause that is
attempting something great? Or have you ever said to yourself
concerning a beautiful dream, "I could never do that," while knowing
that if you were to attempt it and succeed, you just might
accomplish something significant?
If Abraham Lincoln is right, then every life should strive to reach
a little further today than it did yesterday, for there is some
greatness in each of us.
-- Steve Goodier
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
The first one...
This is the first in hopefully many posts I will create over the next couple of months and beyond. Tricia and I, my wonderful friend and giver of life :-) , wanted to pass our stories on to you, our family and friends, to give you an idea as to what we would be dealing with in our journey. This is a first for me in so many different ways, the first thing being that I have never had major surgery before. I had an initial operation when they created my fistula in my arm (check this link if you don't know what a fistula is http://www.vascularweb.org/patients/NorthPoint/Dialysis_Access.html ) but this is the first where I will be on an operating table for an extended period of time. One of the common questions I get about the surgery is "are you afraid?" My answer to that is no, I am not afraid. In this 3 year journey, I have not been afraid of anything. It may sound unusual, but God took that fear away from me a long time ago. It was the fear of finding out about my kidney disease in its beginning stages that made my condition more worse than it had to be. So I learned from that mistake, and now I submit myself totally and fully into God's hands, and the hands of the surgeons, nurses, and anesthesiologist that will care for me. I certainly want to help create an environment of positiveness and faith as I face this, but I can't operate on myself, you know? LOL I have to trust others, and I trust God to guide the hands of the surgeon as they operate on me. I've described to others in this way....it's like jumping off a cliff into the beautiful ocean. You submit yourself to gravity and it's pull on you as you fall, knowing that the safety of the water is below you. There is freedom in that act of jumping into the unknown, knowing that whatever happens, God will be there as my "ocean".
The best way to describe how I feel is that I am eager. Eager to begin my new life with a new kidney. Being on dialysis has been a blessing in so many ways, but I am gone from my family 3 nights a week at 5 hours at a time. That's 15 hours of my kids lives that I have missed over the last three years that I can't get back. I've missed numerous concerts, games, Halloween celebrations, laughing and hanging out with them. I am eager to regain that part of my life again. I'll talk about the food I've missed in another blog entry :-), but having the freedom to eat or drink what I want again is an added bonus. No more having to worry about setting up treatments when we go on vacation to see our families and friends. But most of all having a new lease on life is the most awesome part of this tremendous blessing Tricia is giving me. A future...thank you again Tricia for this. Your gift will not be taken for granted, I can guarantee you that.
The best way to describe how I feel is that I am eager. Eager to begin my new life with a new kidney. Being on dialysis has been a blessing in so many ways, but I am gone from my family 3 nights a week at 5 hours at a time. That's 15 hours of my kids lives that I have missed over the last three years that I can't get back. I've missed numerous concerts, games, Halloween celebrations, laughing and hanging out with them. I am eager to regain that part of my life again. I'll talk about the food I've missed in another blog entry :-), but having the freedom to eat or drink what I want again is an added bonus. No more having to worry about setting up treatments when we go on vacation to see our families and friends. But most of all having a new lease on life is the most awesome part of this tremendous blessing Tricia is giving me. A future...thank you again Tricia for this. Your gift will not be taken for granted, I can guarantee you that.
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