Happy New Year (yeah, I’m late)

Hi! Happy New Year! I know I’m almost a week late, but it’s the thought that counts! It feels like yesterday I was leaving to celebrate the new year in Arizona. We had a great time. Jas and Tony went golfing, and Kerry and I went along as riders. It was fun for a while, but then it got really cold, and all we wanted to do was go back home. After a minor golf cart fender bender (Reverse and Forward are not the same direction. Whodathunk?) we got through the round, and went back to Tony and Kerry’s. Jenn and her daughter Emily came out to join us Sunday night, and we played cards until the wee hours of the morning. I love playing cards at home, rather than a casino. We played for 3 hours, and I lost a grand total of two bucks. Of course, minimum bet in a casino is like $2 per hand, and minimum bet at home is a nickel, so that probably explains it. But I still prefer the non-smoking, much joking atmosphere of a home game. We rang in the new year quietly, playing cards, and watching the drunks from the kegger across the street. The visit seemed really short, since we had to come back home on the first.

The 3rd was my second day of kidney donation testing. The only word I can think of to describe it is weird. I spent the night up at a hotel across from UCLA, because I didn’t want to get up at 5am to sit in 3 hours of traffic and I was able to walk from the hotel to my appointment. The test was called a CT Urogram, and it’s basically a portfolio of pictures of my kidneys and bladder to make sure they’re all in the right place and not deformed or anything. They made me drink a full glass of water every 15 minutes for 45 minutes (for the math challenged, that’s 4 full glasses) before the exam. Then they stuck an IV in me and had me lay on a table that was connected to what can best be described as a giant doughnut. The table moved independently of the dough nut, so I was moved up, down, left and right throughout the entire exam. It was easy enough to keep my eyes closed, so I didn’t get motion sickness or anything. At first, it was a piece of cake. The table moved, the doughnut made noise and I just tried to go to sleep. But then the dye was released. Holy hell, people. They warned me ahead of time, but it was still the strangest feeling ever. If you’ve ever gone swimming when the air is freezing and you’re shivering, and then you dive into warm water, your body sort of flushes with heat, and then evens out to normal temperature. That’s what this felt like, except it was one body part at a time. First my fingers felt feverish, then my head, then chest, and it spread down all the way to my toes. Once the dye was in, they flushed it through with saline. That’s when the panic started. The excess fluids pushed a little on my chest, and while I could still breathe fine, I started freaking out. It felt like the pressure was increasing, and I wanted to tell them to stop, but I didn’t want to look like an idiot, but I didn’t want to die, and I was afraid that momentarily I wouldn’t be able to speak due to lack of oxygen, etc. (It’s glaringly apparent that I watch WAY too much House and Grey’s Anatomy). Mind you, the panic is making my heart race, and further amplify the feeling that I can’t breathe. I managed to hold it together long enough for the feeling to subside, thank goodness. They made me get up and walk around (so the dye would move through my kidneys and bladder better) and after a couple minutes started the doughnut up again. The whole process took about 15 minutes, but I swear it felt like an hour. I was very glad they’d canceled the psychiatric evaluation I was supposed to have right after the CT test, because I sure needed some time to get my head together again. In retrospect, it wasn’t a big deal at all. And if I had to do it again, I wouldn’t even hesitate, since now I know what to expect. But during that 15 minutes, I was ready to quit the whole process.

I rewarded my fake bravery with a trip to the yummiest place on earth. They don’t have locations where I live, so I make a point to visit one every time I’m out in the area. Due to the extra fluids I’d just had pumped in me, I had to pee every 7 minutes or so. The waiter must have thought I was on drugs, since I kept getting up. I felt like I was pregnant or something. It became funny to me after a while, which probably added to my waiter’s opinion of me, as I was by myself and giggling. But hey, I entertained him for a while, right?

I guess that’s it for my week. I saw Wicked yet again yesterday. A huge chunk of the cast was new, including the girl who plays Elphaba. I really liked her, but I think I prefer Eden Espinoza, who I’ve seen 4 times now. Her voice is a bit stronger, and blends together better with Megan Hilty (Glinda). Either way, if you’re in the LA area, I still strongly recommend you go see it. It’s fantastic. And if you need someone to go with you, let me know!