June 15, 2010 - Day 1 (surgery) - Laparoscopic Live Donor Nephrectomy

1. Was up until 1:30 a.m. Had the alarm set for 4:28 a.m. because we had to be at the hospital for 6. Can you believe I had my cell phone on silent and just *happened* to wake up at 5:22 a.m.! Frantically, my husband and I got up and drove downtown Toronto and arrived exactly at 6 a.m. Whew!

2. Checked-in; de-robed and got to wear a couple of hospital gowns and pair of disposable slippers. Several nurses come to prep me.

3. Surgery at 8 a.m. I'm wheeled down a few halls into a large, chilly Operating Room. Looking up from flat on my back I see those huge lights above me ready to illuminate my body for surgery and I feel a pang of nervousness. The O.R. nurse, Julie, is helpful and kind. She gives me a mask to breathe into deeply. I take several - nothing seems to be happ...

4. I awake! I can't remember if I wake up in a recovery room first then my room or just my hospital room. It is very fuzzy. My husband has waited the whole time. Apparently the surgery took a little longer than expected because I have intricate blood vessels or something so they needed more time. Also recovery was a couple of hours but my husband saw me around 2 p.m.

5. My husband returns a couple hours later with our daughter. She happily snaps photos which she kindly shares with our Facebook world. :) I feel like I can get up and walk. The nurse says I can't right now but I've been lying for several hours and I start to feel uncomfortable.

6. No nausea whatsoever. I'm on an I.V. for fluids and pain medication (morphine). They will only give me ice chips. I'm *so* thirsty!

My Photo Journal