Happy re-birthday!

[Guest guest]

To Quantell (and Pam!)

From the Archives - POSTED MAY 25, 2001

Quantell has a new liver.

I got the call for transplant at 9 am Tuesday, May 15 -- I was at work,

Quantell was at school. We were at the hospital by 10:30. There was a flurry

of paperwork and exams and tests. They started surgery around 3:30 pm and

finished around 5 am Wednesday. It was a difficult procedure.

Recovery has also been difficult. He developed cardiac problems. They wanted

to insert a pacemaker but couldn't. They took Quantell off the ventilator

that Saturday, but after a horrible 12 hours put him back on again Sunday.

He developed a massive infection from a bowel leak. They did a second,

3-hour surgery to repair it.

He is heavily sedated but still winces occasionally. The ventilator is still

breathing for him. He's being pumped full of antibiotics, antirejection

drugs, cardiac drugs, respiratory drugs. The control panels and pumps and

bedside computerized charting system are impressive -- when Q wakes up he'll

be fascinated by this.

The new liver is doing great. Pink and healthy. I am very grateful to the

donor family.

I'm home -- stepping outside the hospital for the first time since arriving.

I arranged for Q's favorite sitter to come to the hospital and stay with him

while I ran home for a LONG shower, and a bag full of clean clothes. I'm not

going to even nap -- if I lay down in my own bed I'll never get up. I told

the sitter her job was to watch him, and at the first sign of movement get

the nurse for more pain meds. And to call me if there was any change.

I'll go back around 10 pm and sleep there. I try to get back to the bedside

between 4-4:30 am, which is when they start bathing and weighing and x-rays

and ultrasounds and ekgs and rounds. It's generally painful. They're also

doing blood draws, but Q doesn't care because they're taking it from a

special IV.

He had several deep lines inserted during surgery, and went back to

quick-surgery later for a new one.

I'll e-mail again the next time I'm home.

We're at Children's Memorial.

[Guest guest]

Thanks. I had totally forgotten about it being THE day. It seems like

both a very long time ago, and just yesterday.

Pam

(mom to Quantell, 17, dx 1996, tx 2001, dx recurrence with AIH overlap

2006)

[Guest guest]

yup

three years

our thoughts were with the donor family all day yesterday - well they are

everyday in some way or another - I guess we are going to meet soon....

thanks for remembering, you really are a little walking computer of facts

and details.........

from SNOWY (yes SNOWY) Nova Scotia,

Patti and Mike

" be kinder than necessary, for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of

battle "

>

>Reply-To:

>To: < >

>Subject: Happy re-Birthday!

>Date: Thu, 17 May 2007 04:29:13 -0500

>

>To Mike (and Patti)!!! 5/17/2004 (has it really been 3 years?!)

>

>From the archives of 2004

>

>

>

>Date: Mon May 17, 2004 12:21 am

>Subject: Mike's getting his transplant.....please pray for him

>grandma002002

>hello,

>I'm shellshocked, we got the call tonight....two people from our town are

>going. Of course we weren't expecting this, so Mike's brother is gone to

>London, Ontario with him...I will follow in a couple of days. So many

>arrangements to make.

>I am so scared right now. He just left. I don't know what to tell

>in

>the morning.

>Aubrey - please reassure me.

>Patti

> " I used to have a handle on life - but it broke off "

>

>From: " * * " <gemini_0306@h...

></group//post?postID=YC6dHaf9p6kRUq2pMgiL_HviqYjmHdrvxq1rZ_S2zIpi

>t0-9KL_IZnlnjE_WdRblWE9-HgcLKI1u1bf2fjwAaD0> >

>Date: Mon May 17, 2004 8:08 pm

>Subject: update on Mike

>

>okay folks, here's the scoop.........

>Mike is out of surgery, he is in intensive care......the liver they took

>out

>of him was far worse than expected and they felt that he wouldn't have

>survived much longer with it. I guess to put it bluntly, he was dying in

>front of me and I didn't know it.

>There is a small problem with one hepatic artery, they are watching blood

>flow and if they aren't happy they will go back in and reconstruct it, but

>they assured me that's no big deal.

>They felt that they found a small, low grade cancerous tumour on his

>intestinal wall, but last word on that was that it was benign. It was

>resected and removed and the surgeon was not concerned about it at all.

>I am so tired, I haven't slept since we got the call at midnight last

>night.

>Please pray for Mike and the donor families, who gave this incredible gift

>in the face of tragedy. Until you are on the receiving end of this miracle

>there is no way to comprehend what it means.

>good night and I'll update tomorrow

>Patti

>

> " I used to have a handle on life - but it broke off "

>

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