The Full Workup
I received my appointment to visit Miami Transplant Clinic 3 weeks later, for a full day workup.
I’d spend the 24 hours leading up to this appointment with my urine sample jug! How fun. This requires a special collection container that will be provided to you by the hospital. Usually you will do your first bathroom visit in the morning, and then use only the collection container after this. You will collect your first morning sample the following day, to finish.
If I remember correctly, I was told to skip my coffee that day because it is a diuretic. There may be some foods you are to avoid as well, but I don’t recall being given any instructions on this. This 24-hour sample is a great way to see your kidney function in more detail. Of course you can’t have poor kidney function if you are going to be a living donor!
Okay, it’s workup day, May 22, 2023. If all these places are the same, you’ll want to wear something warm! I’m already cold all the time, so I layered a thin sweater with a fleece on top, probably with jeans and sneakers.
The main reason for this, is with all the testing you’re doing, simple clothing and minimal jewelry will make your day go a lot smoother. Their processes are quick and routine, and you want to go with that flow, from one exam room to the next. I kept to my wedding ring, and my mama’s necklace I wear every day.
We decided to spent the previous night in a nearby hotel, to avoid waking up at 4am just to make it in time for my first appointment. Thankfully the hotel was just a few blocks from the hospital campus and often furnished rooms for medical patients and students. The front desk would always wish you luck for your appointments and then I’d say “see you next week!”
First stop, the laboratory! 22 vails of blood. I felt the life sucked out of me as my left hand began to feel cold.
As the recipient, Jeff also had to have blood drawn today. So we both got a patient bracelet! His sample would be needed for the cross-match test, to see how his blood reacted to mine. Isn’t science fascinating?!
Between each test, someone in scrubs will walk you from one room to the next so you don’t get lost! I love this part because each and every member of the staff is so kind, and they will do anything at all to help and make you feel comfortable.
To continue after the lab, I started with an EKG, and proceeded to a chest/abdomen/pelvic X-ray, and a CT combo scan for the same. I also spoke with a nutritionist and a social worker. I’ve included a screenshot of my appointment plan, but if you can’t already guess, it didn’t happen in this exact order! You just go with the flow of which technician is available first, and start your day with the mindset that each person’s experience may be slightly different.
When I met with the nutritionist, she gave me notes on main food groups to focus on, what I was doing right, and ways I could improve my overall diet to prepare myself for a potential surgery, and keep myself strong and healthy post-op.
My social worker was wonderful, we spoke about why being a donor was so important to me, and she asked lots of deep personal questions about why I’d chosen to go down this path with my husband. “Give me an answer besides ‘because he’s my husband’, and make it good”, she said. I couldn’t help but explain how I felt like this was my calling; what I was being pulled to do. I wasn’t scared, partly because I had already experienced such a kind and supportive team just in the first few hours of that early morning!
As a potential living donor, you should never ever feel pressured. This is a very heartfelt and private choice that you’re going to make! Personally I can’t imagine what it’s like for donors who have to approach their friends or family and ask this question. I saw so much about this in our paperwork, but I guess I never gave Jeff time to ask me. I was so ready to throw myself into the process!
Others may have an opinion, but right now you just need support! I never asked my friends or family if it was okay, and a lot of people didn’t know we were seeking out the options until half my testing was already complete. This is a great time to look inward and focus on yourself.
If nothing else, I was in the hands of some of the most talented medical professionals in the country, and I was getting top-tier medical testing to make sure my general health wasn’t in question.
My Dad had extremely high blood pressure to the point that I don’t know how he survived as long as he did, leading up to dementia which eventually took him from us. 4 years later I lost my mom to late-stage breast cancer, so you can imagine the fears I had built up about what my genetics might hold for me.
Final note for your workup day. Granted, you’re not fully cleared as donor yet! But you will find that they have lots of paperwork for you to sign throughout some of these appointments, to keep track of things and get your approval for a lot of the testing and procedures. There’s some fun ones towards the end but I won’t skip ahead just yet!
