The Waiting Game

I started a post a few days ago to catch y’all up from Wednesday, but that’s scrapped with the good news and my expedited trip to Nashville. I did have part of that post that I will leave. I was discussing why they may reject a heart offer and how it could prolong our wait. Obviously not as long as we thought, I guess.

There are several reasons a team may reject an offer. In our case, it’s the antibodies right now, but it may progress to different issues, such as being too old, not the best option for longevity, bruising, and so on. As our inpatient coordinator put it, with the first transplant, we were waiting for the Mercedes of hearts. I feel that we may need a better analogy, though. After owning a couple of high-end European cars and vowing never to own another, I feel like Amanda’s heart was too much like one. The minute the 4-year warranty is up, they tend to start having issues and rarely last for a long time. Amanda’s heart hit that 4-year mark and was like, ‘ Let’s pop that expensive check engine light on now! ‘ I drive a Suburban with 285,000 miles on it, let’s go with that, or maybe a Toyota, they last forever, but I think we’ll shy away from any fancy European brands! Who cares about high-end leather, sophisticated design, and German engineering, we just need something that will run forever with regular maintenance!

I got in a little later than my posted arrival time yesterday. We sat at the gate for a while before departure and had a little weather landing. I got an Uber to the hospital and was there just a little over 4 hours from the time Amanda woke me from a dead sleep, not bad time! Since they pushed Amanda’s surgery till Sunday, she was off NPO, so she was able to eat. I ordered a good meal, and she wanted a steak, so I had one with some sides and dessert delivered for an early dinner. Afterward, I ran to the Yukon, which has become a storage unit. As I left, a nurse said, ‘Congratulations,’ as I walked out. He went in to talk with Amanda right after. I grabbed some extra clothes stashed in the “storage unit”, enough to get me by for a bit. As the night went on, we had different nurses stopping by to say congratulations. Even the nurse we had the first night, who we haven’t had since, stopped by, excited about the good news.

We went to sleep early. Amanda slept ok, but off and on, she said. I slept like a rock till the sun came up. I was exhausted after only a couple of hours of sleep following an all-night trip. The housekeeper was about the most giddy of everyone when she heard the news. Amanda had just gotten out of the shower and was sitting in a chair drying her hair. The housekeeper just had to go in and give her a big hug! Not long after the doctor came in, I liked him. He was happy to see Amanda up and finishing her hair. He wanted to know if we had any questions and mentioned she was still on the schedule for 2 pm. I asked about the donor. I knew he couldn’t give us much, but I was wondering if it was a man or a woman, their age, or anything else, but he had nothing for us. 

Before Amanda finished her hair, our Nashville heart friend, Beverly, came to see us. It wasn’t long before a surgeon came by to get the consent signed. He presented everything well, going over the procedure and all the risks, including the possibility of death. He covered everything better than most we’ve ever had. By the time he was done and leaving, Beverly’s eyes were wide open after hearing him go over everything! 

I urged Amanda to pack some of her stuff and separate what she wanted in the ICU before we returned to the floor. There was a storage room behind a locked door where we could store some items until we returned to the floor. That was a relief, as I wouldn’t need to move everything out; after all, we had moved in, furniture and a fridge included! I had already gotten the night nurse to show me where it was, so I could get an idea of how much room we had to work with. Amanda got everything sorted out, and we all just sat and chatted for a while. When Beverly left, she said, “Give ’em hell!” Amen, sister!

It was just waiting after that, 2 came and went with no news. The nurse came in and said she’d check with the team about when it might happen. She came back with no news, but only to say that they were waiting. She left, saying how patient we were. I think it’s just that we are experienced! The anesthesiologist arrived shortly after. That experience we’ve gained told us that things were getting close then. After they come by, that means it’s close to game time, from what we’ve learned. We were right, it wasn’t too long after that when the anesthesiologist fellow came by to transport her to the OR. He acted as if I was going to say goodbye in the room; I guess my look told him I would be following them. As we left, one nurse whom I didn’t recognize asked Amanda where she was going. When she replied, “I got a heart,” she squealed and came running to give Amanda a big hug. It was fanfare after that, with a ton of nurses and care partners excited about the news. I followed them to the surgery entrance, and he showed me where the waiting room was on the way. Oddly, it was on a different floor, but it was where the recovery was. I gave my kisses and goodbyes. Amanda was in good spirits, not solemn at all. I stood and waited for them to get out of sight before I left, hoping to see her face one more time. As they turned a corner, she looked over and I got a big wave and smile from her.

I left and went back to pack up the room. Being able to put things in storage made it so much easier. Costco had a sale on folding rolling carts a few weeks ago. So I bought one and had it shipped to Beverly’s house. She dropped it off last week when she visited Amanda. I took the dresser and just manhandled it fully loaded into the cart, which unfolded to 3’ long, I had room to spare. I wheeled it to the storage room, along with Amanda’s snack/craft cart, and the flowers. I followed that with the fridge. I was able to pile what was left on the cart with a backpack on my back to make it to the car in just one trip.

I parked the cart at the security desk and got the Yukon. The area is under construction, and it was easier to bring the car over versus the opposite. As I was driving out of the garage, I noticed something on my windshield under the wiper. It was a citation from security that read ‘Patient and Visitor Parking Only.’ The fine showed zero at least. I guess they thought I was staff; see if I give directions to anyone again! I wheeled up to the back entrance, which had little traffic, and unloaded everything. I organized a few things, repacking some bags. I had thrown a few loose things into the cart, so I needed to get them into bags. It was a good thing I consolidated stuff the night before. The cart was worth its weight when I was able to fold it up and fit it nicely in the back of the car. I left and headed to a hotel to get checked in. I didn’t want to mess with a late night/early morning checkin, and I needed to drop off the stuff from the fridge. It was a hotel within walking distance, but I drove over since I was already out. 

The hotel lobby was a bar. I don’t mean a bar was connected, I literally checked in at the bar! Even with all my travels, that was a first. It’s a Marriott property called the Moxy. I even got a couple of poker chips to redeem for free drinks at the bar. I asked for an upgrade right after he thanked me for my brand loyalty and mentioned my status. He obliged, but I was surprised when I got to the balcony suite and it didn’t have a fridge. We didn’t have much in the cooler, so I chucked most of what I had, keeping back a hummus pack for a snack. I didn’t stay long and headed back to the hospital not long after unpacking my bag and hanging up a couple of shirts that had been folded up for over a month in my backup bag. After I parked in the garage, I sat in the car and partook of my hummus snack, the last remaining Babybel, and some crackers.

As I arrived in the waiting area, it was packed. On my flyby to see where it was, it wasn’t nearly as full. An ok waiting room that had an outside seating area, a first I’ve ever seen. The chairs are butt grooved and uncomfortable, but I have my eye on a recliner in a corner! There was one family that had 15-20 people with them. More than five is a problem in my opinion, depending on the family, more than two sometimes! These were loud and obnoxious, dropping F bombs and cursing, just what I didn’t want to be around. They finally moved to the other end of the waiting room, but still annoying. Usually, there is a rule that only a certain number can wait at a time. It has since thined our considerably, only two families left plus me.

At 5 pm, I received an update that they had started the procedure. The nurse said he’d call every hour or two with updates. It was a welcome change; I think I received one update last go round. I got my Mac out and started working on this post, working on it on and off. At 7, I got an update that she was on the heart and lung machine, and they were working on getting the old heart out. Surprisingly, an hour later, at 8, I got a call from another nurse who had just taken over. The old heart was out, and they were working on putting the new one in.