Most people can probably describe this year in one word: wow.
Yes, the whole world has been turned upside down and on it's side throughout this whole year. But holy shit, I have gone through so much. Enough for someone's entire life. So let's start at the beginning.
On December 31st 2019, I had to start hemodialysis at a center across town. It was HORRIBLE. In case you don't know what hemodialysis is, it is the cleaning of your blood through a fistula or a chest catheter. I have a AV Fistula in my left arm, which I had created in July of 2017. Dialysis, for me, lasted 3-3.5 hours three times per week on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. I hate every minute of dialysis. They say you will feel better, but I didn't notice. I would go home afterwards and just crash for hours. Awful, awful place. If you can avoid it, do. Then...Covid-19 became an issue.
Covid-19 became a safety precaution at dialysis with no visitors, masks (provided by the clinic), and temperature checks in late March. It made the process even worse than before. Wearing a mask for about four hours was very uncomfortable. But it did help me feel even more sympathetic to frontline healthcare workers. Have you seen how much PPE they wear? They have to wear that because the pandemic is fucking real and it is horrible.
There were eventually shut downs and quarantines, which caused anxiety within a lot of people. It caused weird shortages at stores and the closures of businesses. It is STILL a huge issue across the whole world, but the United States has suffered quite a bit because of lack of leadership from señor Cheeto Puff.
While still on dialysis in April or May (I cannot remember) I received a call from UCSF, who I hadn't heard from in months. I do know that I had a handful or two handfuls of people that had submitted their info to donate a kidney to me, but I figured everything was on hold due to Covid. The call was to tell me I had a matching donor. Queue in the shaking and tears in my eyes.
My friend Sierra, from high school, had submitted her information to donate late in 2019. She had been testing and going through all of the necessary processes. I didn't even know! She was a match and they were calling to check my schedule! It was SO much information at once! Sierra and I eventually settled on June 30th, 2020. I was nervous and excited and had so many feelings!
Eventually, we got to my last dialysis treatment. I still hated every fucking minute of it. But the end of June finally came! I had to go the Friday before surgery for information and Covid testing. Can I tell ya that is the worst test I have ever gone through?! The nurse, or whatever she was, shoved that giant swab into my brain. My nose even bled a little. Yikes.
June 30th, 2020 I had too many emotions, as usual in hospitals or medical facilities. I freaked out in the pre-op. But eventually Sierra and I went into surgery. Next thing I knew, I woke up in a room on the ninth floor. The Kidney Floor.
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