I know you are

Now, I know that as you sit there reading this. You're thinking to yourself "My, I wonder why the URL is singmeeyeofthetiger". Well, let me tell you my thousands of readings. You see, on Dec 3rd at 10:55pm I got a phone call.

It wasn't like other phone calls. It wasn't free phone sex, it wasn't a telemarketer, it wasn't a friend asking to hang out. No, it was from a Doctor and that Doctor had some news. Both good and bad in my mind.

The night started out like any other night. I was playing some Final Fantasy XI and I was on Skype with my friends. We were chatting it up, having a blast, and just as we were about to do some stuff ingame my phone rang. Now, I'm thinking it's my mother calling me to make sure I'm okay(She used to call me like 20 times a day to make sure I wasn't dead). I pick up my phone and say to myself "God damn it, it's almost 11pm, what does she want now?". Well, I looked at the Caller ID and noticed it was the hospital. They have a super basic number so it was easy to tell it was them. In my mind I'm thinking to myself "Please let this be something else, maybe a wrong number or an appointment change".

I answer the phone and the call goes as follows.

Me> "Hello?"
Person on the other end> "Hi, Randy. It's Doctor Freed. How are you feeling today? Are you feeling sick?"
Me> "No, I'm fine. What's up?"
Doctor> "Well, we have your lungs in and were wondering if you could come down"
Me> "Uh....are you joking?"
Doctor> "I wouldn't joke about something like this"
Me> "Uh...okay...."
Doctor> "So, are you good to come in?"
Me> "Uh...ya, I guess"
Doctor> "Good, Admissions will call you in 10 minutes with the details."
Me> "Uh...bye"

Ya...that honestly was the worst and best call of my life. I know that you're that you're thinking "What do you mean worst? You're clearly fine, you have a super special awesome blog with hundreds of followers. Seems like a great call to me". Well, you see, I didn't know that I'd be okay. At that time I had only known two people to have a Double Lung Transplant before me and one of them didn't make it during his(More about that in another post). So, in my mind, I considered it my very death. It's not a bad thing to say that and I never mean to seem like I had given up on life. Far from it.

However, I am a realist and I was very very sick, I was on oxygen 24/7, I coughed so badly, with every cough came massive amounts(and I'm talking like a Cup full) of Phlegm and often with every cough came blood or vomit. I couldn't walk to the bathroom without doing this, I couldn't wake up in the morning without doing this, I couldn't even sit still without doing this. Life sucked. I knew how ill I was and how long my body. Fighting something like that is mentally and physically draining. I never gave up and let myself die, though. God, no. I may have accepted the fact that I wouldn't live long but I was determined to live out every day that I could. If Death wanted to kill me then it would have a fight.

Back to the story at hand. I hang up the phone, take a good 3 seconds to myself, and I turn back on my Mic(Remember, I was on Skype with my friends).

Me> Hey, Guys. I just got my phone call....
Them> What phone call?
Me> The one telling me my fucking pizza is ready. MY LUNGS.
Them> Oh, then why are you still on Skype?! Get going!!"
Me> Bye guys...

And with that, I shut down my computer and called my Mother. It was pretty much the same thing with telling her I got my phone call. She did an extremely illegal U-turn in traffic and came rushing to my apartment.

As my Mother drives dangerously in traffic to my place, I am crying my ass off. I realize that this is when I'm going to die. My life will now be over and I won't be able to make anyone laugh anymore. As I'm crying, I try to grab some clothes for the hospital because I know if I don't, I'll have to listen to my Mother bitch at me for like 30 mins. So, I reach into my Laundry hamper and just grab a handful of Clothes.

My phone rings again, it's Admissions giving me the details and telling me where to go. I hang up and get another call, it's my Mom telling me she's downstairs, I say to her I'll be right there hang up.

I make a post on my Facebook saying goodbye and text a few friends, I also look in the Mirror, say goodbye to myself and apologize for all the fuck ups I made and head out.

We get to the hospital and I head to Admissions, sign in, and my friends start showing up 1 by 1. Some of them got there extremely fast. Strangely enough, once all my friends arrive the lady behind the counter tells me to go up to my usual Ward and to wait.

We all head up, all the Nurses I know come and hug me and say they're happy for me. I put on a strong face for everyone and just smile. I wanted nothing more, though, then to just burst into tears for the entire time but I knew I couldn't. I had made peace with what was going to happen to me, I know that the others didn't. Not with what I've been through. I couldn't let them see or know that I knew this was the end.

I get put into a room because they tell me it'll be a small weight. After like 20 minutes of waiting a Nurse comes in and says that I should be going to the OR(Operating Room) around 4am.

I would have stayed awake for those 5 hours but there was a problem. I was seconds away from eating when I got my call. I had made myself a nice giant plate of several Chicken Breasts, my home made BBQ Sauce, and like 3 pounds of Potatos. It's the kind of dinner that I enjoy greatly. I was tired and hungry and when I get hungry, I get massively bitchy. So instead of attacking my friends with what would have been humorous but mean insults, I took a nap.

4:30am comes by quickly and I wake up. I go ask the Nurse whats going on and she tells me that it'll be just a bit longer. I head back to my room and my friends start joking around. Telling me I should ask my Doctor to sing me Eye Of The Tiger before they put me under. I wasn't sure if I was going to do that or not. While it was funny at the time, it was a serious thing going on.

I pass in and out of sleep for the next 10 or so hours. It turned out that my Donor was in such good health that his Lungs weren't the only thing that could be transplanted. If I remember right they ended up taking the Heart, the Eyes, the Liver, The Kidneys, and I'm sure much more. He helped save many lives.

3:00pm comes around and my Younger Brother came up to me. He was tired of waiting and wanted to go home and take a nap. Here's how this enjoyable conversation went.

Jason>Randy, I'm tired. I'mma go home and take a nap
Me> Jason, I could go into the OR at any moment
Jason> I'm tired
Me>Whatever, Jason
Jason> Go fuck yourself, Randy

I know you're wondering what age my brother is and if you stop asking questions, I'll tell you. He was 21 at the time.

And so, with that, my brother walks away and I think to myself that those are the last words my brother and I will have together. That hurt me deeply.

Another 2 hours pass and the Doctor comes into my room holding the chart. All my friends, my mom, and I are in the room. He walks up to me and asks

Doctor> What's your name and Birth date?
Me> Randy Kyle McIntyre, Nov 21, 1987
Doctor> Good, now, do you know why you're here?

And I shit you not, this is exactly what I did. I looked him straight in the face and said

Me> Ya, for my Sex Change

He had the greatest look of confusion on his face. He stopped and reread my chart over to make sure he had the right room and about 10-15 seconds later the entire room bursts into laughter. Was probably one of the funniest serious moments of my life. I'm glad I said that to lighten the air in the room. Everyone was way too scared and serious.

After the room calms down, he wheels me out to a stretcher and prepares to take me to the OR. I say my final good byes to my friends and Nurses on the Ward and begin my journey. It was a short ride to the OR.

The Surgeon leaves me in front of the OR with my Mom and Step Dad and goes to get ready. I say my final goodbyes to them and I tell them that when I don't come out of there to tell my brother that "I'm disappointed in him". They both start crying their asses off. Was a very touching 5 minutes

The Doctor comes back out and wheels me into the OR. Him and the Nurses are getting me an IV and my Epidural.

As they're doing this I ask my Surgeon if he could sing me Eye Of The Tiger before they put me under. I point out that this could very well be the last moments of my life and hearing that song would help me. He refuses cause he said he had a sore throat.

What a spoil sport.

And with that. I'm put under.

Till my next post!

Ah ha....Cliffhanger....will he make it out alive?!