Divine Intervention (pg13)

This day started at 5:06 am with Lynne asking me if I was awake, well I was sort of, all I know is I woke up kinda cantankerous, I was in the space between where you remember your dreams. I was having a conversation in my sleep about...ya that's another blog all together, single for good reasons here people!!!! Anyway after I throw my self out of bed and rush to get ready for 530am drive,(did I mention I am not a morning person?) I get "Mel, where's your extra key?"  Ya uhuh Lynne who has been multitasking somehow locked the Jeep with it running. Cantankerous already and high tensions this early was not so good. Call AAA? Oh please they take hours to get to you, so we called our town's police department and with in 10 minutes we are in the Jeep on the road. I think we did laugh at some point but I hid in my Ipod and slept.
Arrival half hour late  Lynne, Dad, and I (barely awake) get a Nurse in Pre-Op that was less than pleasant, she sends us to the lab, which me who is so well schooled and my People Denise and Maria are very meticulous about my schedule I knew this was wrong. So I appease the Cranky Nurse lady and head down to the Lab but email my Denise, she "fixes" the situation and we are sent back to meet another Nurse to get tutored on Anesthesia and sign consent , again I just feel this is over kill, I tell 'em. I will be asleep right? For 7 hours pretty much? Ya ok good where do I sign?  Really I understand all this need to tell, but me I live in don't ask don't tell. I will ask what I feel I need to know. Any way I learned I  will be wired like a car engine with a port out of  my neck, intubaded , have a catheter and have a drain sticking out my belly just below the incision and some other iv's...YEAH ME!!!  So I listen to all this information that just seems to swim all around my head. All I know is I will be sleeping when they are hooking me up and unhooking me except for the pee bag and drainage pump thingy. I will wake with 2 IV's and a pain med pump. My father was in the room next to  me getting the same information. Already on information overload I have to read the what "could happen" consent form...really!?!  I definitely did not need to know all of the complications of anesthesia on top of this major surgery. I, still being tired, am now feeling unnerved again.
Dad and Lynne head down to Xray and I head to my People for some giggle time. This was the most defining moment for me today yet.
I am chit chatting with Denise and I meet Lisa Sullivan, who is 2 weeks post LIVE LIVER DONATION. She donated a piece of her liver to her husband Sully, what a beautiful moment for me, to finally meet someone who just did what I am about to do. She shares some of her story and shows me her incision (totally not as bad as I envisioned) I cried just because, we group hugged and than we laughed like hell. Lisa was feeling queezy as this is a side affect of the surgery so she needed to go get some sustenance. Chatted up with Maria, Denise and Lois for a bit longer and went to the waiting room, where I met Sully Lisa's husband and her parents Pat and Dan. Lynne and Dad arrived and the conversations began to unfold. We learned of all the things that will happen after surgery from the Sullivan's from Essex Ma.  It was enlightening, comforting and very cathartic to meet Lisa and really get a good read on what I should expect. I know Lynne and my Dad were also pleased to meet with them hear their experience. We also met a Greek gentleman that I cant recall his name but he shared his story. He was the 8th person to receive a liver from a live donor, his sister. Today by far was the best day, these are the moments when you realize you are not alone. That we are all connected in some way and divinity has away to bring you what you need in times of worry and deep concern.  I have exchanged information with Lisa and am excited for her to share her story on this blog with all of you. What is really funny is that Lisa and her husband Sully, very much share our sense of humor and candor. I truly believe they were there today to help us really be ok with everything we are about to experience.  As much as my people like Denise and the doctor's have been informative and helpful, in this situation I encourage everyone to seek out a family that is like yours in personality to share their experience with you, Denise did offer for this to happen, but I think we get so wrapped up in all the testing and worry that you don't think that anyone else can relate or perhaps it will be to scary to hear. Well I can not express enough my gratitude for the divine intervention of the Sullivan's being in the office today. To have another person agree and relate to all that I have gone through in my own head was, ya made me cry. It as good for Lynne to talk to Lisa's parents to hear what they went through and for my  Dad to talk with Sully and crack jokes.
The rest of the day, while I love chatting and goofing with Denise I just felt the rest was redunandcy as nothing could compare to the meeting Lisa and Sully. Except for one thing, meeting my father's surgeon James Pomposelli MD,Phd, FACS Surgical Director, Transplantation.
He is the husband of my surgeon Elizabeth Pompfret, MD,Phd, FACS,Chair, Department of Transplantation.
Now there is something I find very comforting about this and amusing. Dr. Pomposelli is just as charismatic as Dr. Pompfret and his thorough explanation of how she will be cutting out my piece and he will be attaching it to my father was excellent but don't ask me to explain it all other than this analogy ...your liver has all these veins like tree branches and one main like the trunk of the tree. So I get to keep the trunk and some branches and Dad gets the branches to attach to his trunk. Get it? Family tree theory here people.  
Monday is the last day for Pre-op screening, Dad gets an MRI and than we get lab work. Family meeting with Dad's team and a meeting with my surgeon and than it is GO TIME!!!  My son Tommy who just became an EMT will be my point person for my friends and Mom's side of the family, Lynne will be left with just having to be present and taking in the information for herself as my brother Norman and my Aunt Sheila will be the point person for my Father. It is time for Lynne to take break and just be a worried wife and stepmum without having to tell our story over and over again.  On Wednesday the day of my surgery and for the next week while I recover my blog will be updated by Elizabeth Shaw, a kindred who shares my love for babble, humor and deep thoughts and will no doubt be telling stories of my drug induced "stupid talk" with you.
The intent of this blog was to educate, inspire, make you laugh, keep you informed and most of all keep me sane. So far my intentions have been well received , I hope it opens the door for others to share their stories on my blog with all the candor as I have and  for those that are seeking a real perspective and not just the clinical perspective find their way here. It is also my intent to become an active advocate for the Live Liver Donation Program for the Lahey Clinic in any capacity that I would be needed. If telling my story, our story can possibly save the life of another human being I will climb the highest soap box necessary...with my Denise and the rest of my Lahey People of course...
Merry Christmas Everyone!!!!