Well that was an adventure!

Well wasn’t that fun!  So for those who weren’t able to see the last 15+ hour adventure in the lives of the Thornes on FaceBook/Texts etc.  I apologize.  I had no access to my Blog Update Group emails and I’ll try to remedy that before the next adventure.

Here’s the short version:  Received “the call” from Stanford last night.  Got to Stanford by 7:00 am per transplant team’s request.  Waited.  And waited some more.  Did I mention we waited?  14+ blood vials drawn, EKG done and then more waiting.  Then it was determined I could not accept the heart due to one of my medications & we drove back home from Stanford today.

Story Version:  While at a BBQ at our neighbor’s house last night, I was staring up at the blue sky and whimsical clouds and the thought popped in my head, “If I get the call in the next week or two, perhaps I should decline so it can go to someone who is sicker than I am right now.”  Then I rationalized it was probably better to accept a heart while I was relatively “healthy” and hopefully have less chance of complications because the prospect that a heart would become available this soon after listing would be slim-based on my size etc.

We came home and got the kids to bed at a fairly decent hour for summer because we were going to attempt to go to the early service at church on Sunday.  I finished packing my bag for a little getaway that Leah and I were going on Sunday afternoon through Tuesday for a girls’ retreat-just the 2 of us.   I’d wanted to do this retreat for months now, but never arranged it.  Finally, 2 weeks ago, I decided to just do it and booked a hotel for us in Folsom and after getting on the list I kept thinking, please don’t let the call come before our retreat.

After I finished packing, Scott and I settled down to watch the sermon for last week that we missed, and Scott ended up falling asleep as he’d been working on our kitchen remodel all day.  I watched the sermon based on portions of James 4; and this is the verse that was settling on my heart as I gently woke Scott up to go shower and got myself ready for bed.  “Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city….Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow.  What is your life?  You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.  Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.” James 4:13-15

Just as Scott got out of the shower, my phone rang.  It was just past 10:30pm.  The caller ID showed a Palo Alto phone number.  “You’ve got to be kidding me.” I exclaimed out loud just before answering the call.  Yep!  It was “the call” letting me know they had a heart for me.  I was to be at Stanford at 7:00 am.  The team was still running tests on the other organs.  The doctor said, “Try to get some rest and we’ll see you in the morning.” 

So we made a few phone calls, went to bed and woke the kids up early in the morning to head to Stanford.  As soon as she saw it was still dark outside when we woke her up, Leah sat up and said, “Is it Code DL” our nickname for “Code Donate Life”.  I nodded and she scrambled into action.  Nolan didn’t quite catch on as quick.  But soon both kids had their duties completed and were ready to go.  Mom and Dad were a bit slower.  We picked up Mema (Chris) on our way out and headed out on the road to Stanford by 3:15am.

We arrived at 6:30 and realized their admitting (where I was told to go) wasn’t open until 7am.  I made contact with the Fellow who contacted me the night before, and was told to go the ER.  From there, they said a room was ready for me, so we were escorted to a Patient Unit and into a room. 

My family was ushered out for a time being while I changed into the required hospital attire, and was hooked up to the monitors.  Then, Scott was brought in and stats were recorded, questions asked and then we waited.  Between updating FaceBook, text and email, the kids came to visit, my mom and step dad showed up, Chris made an appearance and still, we waited some more.   At some point an IV was put in and 14+ vials of blood and a urine sample were taken.  And an EKG was recorded. Then we waited some more.  I hadn’t eaten since the BBQ the night before and I was starving.  The family went to eat breakfast sometime close to 10am. 

A research analyst came and asked if I’d participate in a study on genes and heart failure, which would entail them taking samples of my current heart (after it was removed of course).  I wholeheartedly (no pun intended) agreed and signed the papers.  We waited some more.  My stomach was growling. 

A doctor came and asked me if I was Jill Thorne.  I responded affirmatively.  She then asked if I took Plavix.  Again, I responded affirmatively and told her my last dose was yesterday morning.  She thanked me and I asked if everything was still moving forward.  She then explained to me that the surgeons were a bit concerned about the Plavix and me bleeding out due to this case being a “re-entry” from other surgeries.  They had already told us that the opening of the chest would probably take the longest time and with Plavix it would be hard to stop the bleeding.  She said it was still being discussed and she was told to come verify if I was taking Plavix or not.

About 20-30 minutes later, two Fellowes, including the doctor who had made my “call” came to tell me I was being discharged on aspirin and to stop the Plavix.  The surgeons were not going to risk me bleeding out.  “I have a question.  Will the heart go to someone else?  Is it still viable?  It wasn’t wasted was it?”

My “caller” doctor said, “No it’s not wasted.  We are re-allocating it now.”  And the other doctor said, “Wow that’s very thoughtful of you to be concerned about that.”  Wouldn’t any other potential recipient be concerned?  I’m pretty sure we’re all rooting for each other even though we’re in a competition for organs.  We don’t want any of those precious organs donated to be wasted!

So…after waiting a bit to be discharged, we all headed straight to PF Chang’s for lunch, where I devoured the entire appetizer of Dynamite Shrimp!  And then, we came home.

Whew!  If you made it through my crazy day-congratulations.  This is known as a “dry run”.  It was my first.  May or may not be my last.  Thank you to all who sent messages of love, prayers, well wishes etc. to us today!  The love was felt, and with all your exuberance and excitement, I was disheartened (again no pun intended) to have to share the news that it was a “no go”.  We’ve certainly had a few of these on this journey haven’t we.

And this song made it to the top of the share list for today!

http://www.sorthits.com/afters/lyrics-1138751.php