Happy re-birthday!

[Guest guest]

To Rich (and Sally)! 5/27/2001 (the 2nd one - member of the 2xTx club)

From the archives of 2001:

Message: 24268

Received: Wed May 23, 2001 7:33 AM

Subject: Transplant Time!

Dear friends:

At 7:15 this morning we got the call from Omaha that they have a liver for

me. It should arrive at the Transplant Center around 10. We should get there

by noon. We couldn't be more stunned, having been told just a couple of

weeks ago that because my general health and blood tests had improved so

much that I would remain at Status 3 (the bottom one).

We thank you for your prayers in the past. Please keep them up. We'll keep

you informed.

We'll have e-mail access at the University of Nebraska Medical Center Lied

Transplant Center. The operation probably will take at least 6 hours.

Matt is home from college, and he's on his way to the high school to pick up

Beth. All four of us should be going.

Rich

Message: 24407

Received: Sun May 27, 2001 7:06 PM

Subject: Day one, liver two

Well at this point of the evening, 7:00, I have to say the day went much

better than I ever dreamed it would have last night at this time. Rich awoke

early, fought to get the ventilator out which was done early, one of the

arterial lines was removed today and blood levels are coming in much more in

range for what they should be. His kidneys have remained shut down, but

still hoping that is a " days " time frame and not the weeks/months mentioned

twice last night. He has had pain meds today and slept a great deal today.

He is quite yellow but not swollen with all the extra fluids in him. His

mind is clear and TODAY HE CAN SMELL which is something that is reduced with

liver trouble. What smelled offensive to the nurse smelled good to him. At

3-4 Larry and the nurse sat him up in a chair and he had orange juice and

7-Up, the first of anything real since Wed. morning at 7:00. I am about to

go get some dinner so we can get there after the shift change and see what

those blood levels are from 6:00. As I walked out and thanked today's nurse,

she mentioned how one reading had come down from 1.7 to 1.6 from this

morning and with the first transplanted liver they were about 4. It has to

do with the clotting factor.

Message getting long, and I am getting hungry. Another good sign. Thanks for

all the networking in prayer, concerns and love. Matt and Beth went to Blue

Springs today and will plan to come back Tuesday. Three liver transplants

have been done in 24 hrs. so it is a worry having any loved one on any road

today. Until later. Love, Sally