LifeLink is my transplant center but my surgery will be performed at Tampa General Hospital.  Here's what their website has to say about their transplant services in conjunction with LifeLink:

TGH is one of the busiest organ transplantation centers in the nation and the only hospital in West Central Florida performing adult heart, lung, kidney, liver and pancreas transplants. In addition, pediatric kidney transplants are also performed at TGH. From October 1, 2005 through September 30, 2006, TGH transplanted 65 hearts, 33 lungs, 186 adult kidneys, 12 pediatric kidneys, 17 kidney/pancreas, 65 livers, six liver/kidney and three pancreas.
TGH is one of six centers in the nation to have performed more than 700 heart transplants and in 1985 performed the first successful heart transplant in Florida. Our heart and liver transplant programs were the first in the nation to receive t disease specific certification from The Joint Commission.

Click Here for link to LifeLink.

My brother, sis-in-law and mother will be here from April 22 - 29 for my brother to complete his evaluations and get final approval to be my living donor.  He has several appointments at both LifeLink and Tampa General.  I'm hoping he'll be OK with my tagging along to TG since I've never been there (I've only been to LifeLink, which is about a 1/2 mile away).

Please keep your fingers crossed for us so that this testing will go smoothly.

With everyone having babies recently, is it wrong of me to be fearful of becoming pregnant after I get a transplant? Ugh, I've put a lot of thought into that one. A big part of me hopes that my period will just stay away (I haven't had a real period in months, common with women who have kidney failure) or that maybe I'm in early menopause; another big part of me wonders what it might be like to have another child. I don't think I want another, I've never planned to have another, or even really ever given it proper thought.  Its not beyond possibility (the getting pregnant part) - I know several women who have had transplants and then gone on to have one or more successful pregnancies. The very idea of being pregnant scares the living crap outta me, actually. Another thing - I always said I wouldn't have any more children after I turned 30 and I'm turning 31 this year - plus, I'd have to wait at least another year after my transplant to TTC, so that makes me what, 32 with a newborn and a 9 year old? I don't think so. I've thought about getting my tubes tied when I get a transplant (since they'll be in that general area for the surgery, anyway) but the thought of 'regretting it later' wavers out there.

To put it bluntly, I've never been able to plan my life out longer than 6 months (at the very most) at a time. I don't even know what its like to be 'healthy' or how I'll feel about wanting/not wanting another child after my new kidney.  I have always been perfectly fine with adopting and I have no preference between a biological or adopted child - but how will I feel when my "biological clock" starts to tick?  Or maybe that's broken, too?

Huh, so my heart-rate kept racing really high during my treatment on Friday.  At one point it was up to 145 bpm!  Other than the weird pounding in my chest, I felt fine.  The nurses were concerned, though and put me on oxygen, which helped a little and brought the bpm down to around 120.  When I was finished with my treatment my heart-rate was still high and never really went down.  Then this weekend I've noticed my heart pounding in my chest whenever I walk around or do anything other than lay on the couch.  My blood pressure is fine and otherwise I feel OK - and I'm certainly not 'dry' like everyone kept suggesting on Friday.  I guess if it happens again at treatment tomorrow I'll have to have a good 'ol heart-to-heart (pun intended) with my doctor.

Either that, or someone at dialysis is really gettin' my heart going all flitter flutter :)  It must be RON the cute tech (but don't tell his girlfriend, nurse Teresa, I said that!)

My brother will be here in a few weeks to complete his evaluation at LifeLink.  My mom is coming with him for a visit.  They'll be here about a week :)  It looks like by the beginning of May we will be able to schedule the transplant.  I wonder how quickly it'll happen?  Weeks or months after he passes his evaluation?  I'm hoping for sooner than later.  On that note, here's a picture of me and my little brother (and my dad) - everyone say 'Awwww'!