I'm A Big Fat Zero!

I'm thrilled to report that I'm a big fat zero.  It's taken me most of today to recuperate from the trip to the Toronto General Hospital but now I can report a few things.

First of all, I wanted a kidney transplant related photo for today's post.  You can thank me for finding one of a typical container used to carry a harvested kidney. 99% of the other available pictures were of surgery and pretty ooky to look at.  You get the idea.

I'll try to keep this short so I can move on back to my favourite topic.  Cards, what else? 

Yesterday's visit to the Transplant Unit at the hospital completely reassured me about what is to come.  I can honestly say that any fears I was still harbouring are gone.  Bring it!  We talked about being prepared for the call.  Having our arrangements made and being ready to drop everything instantly and get to the hospital.  We talked about the time I'd spend as an inpatient and what to expect physically during recovery.  We talked about lifelong after care with the various drugs involved and the need for very regular blood labs and twice a year checkups in Toronto. 

I learned that I will most likely receive my organs from a young male.  Life being life, they are the most likely to die in accidents or due to just plain Darwinian reasons.  We talked about feelings about receiving organs from someone who had the misfortune to die.  (That's always going to be a tough one). 

Now why am I saying I'm a big fat zero?  Because I AM! and it's a very good thing surgically speaking.  It all has to do with antibodies.  Besides having gone through all sorts of pre-transplant testing, they take your medical history into account and I'm unusual for a woman of my age.  I've never had the events in life that typically build up antibodies.  Things like blood transfusions and childbirth.  (All of my children are adopted.)
This means that while I may be 2 years away from transplantation on the list, I will most likely jump the line because of my 0 antibodies!  Isn't that a fantastic twist of fate?  Since I've been getting sicker and sicker and can only live about 6 or 7 years at this rate, the sooner I get transplanted the better!

The coordinator told me of one case where a 'zero' got their beeper and 45 minutes later it went off! Wild huh?  Well that won`t happen to me, but you get the idea.  I`m feeling very buoyed up with this info.

Okay, nuff about transplants.  I`m dying to get downstairs and play.  I`m not able to right now.  The girls have both gone out and Kennedy is his high maintenance sweet self.  I received a box of bling in the mail this morning and it`s just about killing me knowing it`s on my desk and I can`t concentrate on it.  Besides the burning desire to create something, I need to make my first ever page layout.  I have a new (to me) magazine of layouts so I`ll content myself with a cup of coffee and pouring through the designs.  Lately it seems that every time I most want to be in my craft room, the rest of the family has other plans.

There`s always tomorrow!  Happy scrapping everyone and thank you so much for the well wishes and prayers and notes.  It means so much!