Pre-Op Appointment and a Few Answered Questions

Surprise!  I already finished my pre-op appointment.  The hospital in New Jersey was asking for some pretty random blood tests that can take up to 5 days to get the results back.  Rather than keeping my appointment for next week and crossing our fingers that the results would come back in time, they went ahead and moved my pre-op up a week. 

My first stop was "pre-admit".  I registered and waited for the donor coordinator to come with the special blood vials that would make their way to New Jersey.  Once I signed a bunch of forms I was taken back for blood work.  This was a new personal record for me...19 vials of blood drawn in one sitting.  Good thing I had my protein bar for breakfast.   Not sure what all of those are for but I know one is to make sure I don't have West Nile Virus, which would be a real bummer. 

 Next they ushered me into another room for an EKG.  The EKG technician was a super nice lady named Vera.  I noticed that there was a plaque on the wall honoring her for her 45 YEARS of service at Baylor.  Wow!  I told her that was awesome and congratulated her on her 45 years.  She said, "Thanks, but it's actually 48 now."  BAM!  Even though I was only in there for a few minutes it was fun to hear her talking about the old times and how much things have changed.  She said even though it has been 48 years, it feels like she started just yesterday.  Kudos to Vera for being so stinkin' cool.

Last stop was a chest X-Ray which lasted approximately 2 seconds.  They cut all of my cool paper bracelets off and sent me on my way. 

While the donor coordinator was there, I took advantage of the situation to get a few of my questions answered.

1. At what point after surgery will I be able to sleep on my stomach? Answer: Whenever I feel like it.
2. When will I be able to see my family before and after surgery? Answer:  They can stay with me up until they wheel me off to the OR and I will be able to see them again in the recovery room.  I was also pleased to find out that the surgeons really try to keep the family informed about progress even during the surgery.  They will be able to call my husband and give him progress reports, so that's nice.
3. Uh, do I need to bring slippers or something? (I was really coming at them with the hard hitting questions) Answer: If I want to I can.
4. What time is surgery and when do I need to arrive at the hospital?  Answer: 7:30am and 5:30am. 

I also asked for some information about the recipient.  I know they can't tell me too much due to privacy issues but I am hoping to at least know gender and approximate age.  I'm expecting an email later today with some more schedule information as well as a few tid bits about the recipient. 

My only remaining appointment before surgery is a meeting with the surgeon next Wednesday.  I'm looking forward to meeting with him.  Only 13 more days people!