I thought things were going to be different...

But it is looking like I was wrong.  After nearly 6 hours of appointments today, I am left with a disturbing feeling of deja vu; we are repeating events from the postponed surgery, and it's becoming very scary.  First, family that had planned on coming down last time had to cancel the trip due to unforeseen circumstances; same thing this time.  Last time, the hospital PREP center confused me with another donor by the same last name.  We straightened it out right then and there, but it shook my confidence a little bit.  Before we went today, Joe and I were told that our paperwork from the last visit would just need to be updated.  Not only did they not have mine (not sure about Joe's), but they had the other lady's in my place!!!  Talk about making my heart stop!  After all we have been through over the last couple of months, after the letters that were written and the phone calls that were made regarding the completely inexcusable botch job of the previously scheduled surgery, you would have thought that every effort humanly possible would be made for this thing to go off without a damn hitch.  I guess not.  I guess that things like this really aren't as serious a matter as the layperson believes.

Make no mistake, I am still unwavering in my commitment to donate this kidney to Joe.  If anything, my resolve is stronger.  We have done every damn thing that has been asked of both of us; imaging studies ad nauseum, more labwork than anybody should have to have done in a lifetime (7 tubes for me just today, just like the last pre-op appointment), lots of time off work for appointments (Joe), and major lifestyle changes (for both of us).  While these things aren't uncommon for many pre-transplant patients, the events that precipitated them could have been avoided like the plague.  Hell, they never should have happened to begin with.

So, we're just over two days out.  We are both ready for this to be a thing that happened, not something we are waiting to do.  I am ready for the anticipation, anxiety, and stress to be over, as is Joe.  He is ready to not feel like crap every day.  I don't blame him one bit.  We are ready to move on from The Surgery That Wasn't to the Successful Transplant That Was.  I am ready to look at both (or all 3, depending on circumstances) and all 6 (or 7) of Joe's surgeons and say thank you for doing everything you did to make my husband's and my friend, my son's Unca, better.  

And that, my friends, is all that we have been busting our asses for for all these months.