We've got a date

We were warned that once everything was in place and we met the surgeon we would be given a date pretty quickly for the transplant. Well, that is exactly what has happened. We went into the hospital on Wednesday and after both of us had separate conversations with our lovely surgeon Dr Bagul and Tara had stopped making jokes about breakfast items performing surgery they turned to us and said - the 13th of April. Just like that. All Sarah could think was that we've not yet sorted out the spare room for people to stay who will be helping look after us - that was going to mean an IKEA trip and that required planning, taking the right car, being in the mood for meatballs and the 13th was less than two weeks away. Tara wondered if the 13th was a Friday and whether this would in fact prove to be unlucky. Neither of us really thought about what the reality of getting the all important date would be until we were in the car on the way back from the hospital. The big scary date means that after the 13th Tara will start to get better. All the reasons that we have chosen to go for a transplant and not dialysis so that our quality of life will be better, so that all the places in the world that we want to visit we can, so that all the 100s of dogs Tara sends to Sarah from various rescues across the country we have a hope of actually rescuing one day, all of these things can happen - we've just got to get through the 13th April. Funny how dates that will have meant nothing at certain points in your life can come to mark one of the most significant moments of all.

Are we nervous about the operations? Yes. and no. No because of the reasons above, yes because it is an operation and for both of us it carries a risk. The best part about being the donor is that you get to go into hospital completely well, nothing wrong with you and then you get to have major surgery and come out feeling like shit. Hurrah. Sarah is really very pleased about this. She is also delighted that her scar will be the size of the surgeon's hand, which he gleefully showed to her as he demonstrated reaching in and pulling out the kidney. However, if the op goes as it should (keyhole) Sarah will only be in hospital for 2/3 days and then will be home to recover, binge watch Netflix and get a PB on Guitar Hero. Tara will be in for 4/5 days and will have to take fairly strong immunosuppressant drugs afterwards to stop her over zealous antibodies attacking Sarah's kidney. She will have a pretty impressive scar to show off on her right side. They are attaching the new kidney near her bladder and if anyone is wondering they do leave the old ones in. So technically Tara will have three kidneys, although two of them are crap and don't filter shit.

We have one final hurdle before the op, the legal interview. This is the bit where we have to go and Sarah has to convince a serious person that she is not being paid to do this or forced to do it or anything like that. We also have to have one last 'crossmatch' this is where they put our blood in a petri dish and let us fight it out - Tara has to win every time not because she'll get upset if she doesn't but because if she doesn't they call the whole thing off. Fingers crossed it all goes ok next week and then we are on count down.