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To (and Roy)! 10/08/1999

From the archives of 1999

From: " Roy T "

Date: Fri Oct 8, 1999 6:54 pm

Subject: The Call - Update

I'll have to apologize in advance for what is probably an incoherent message

to follow. I have been up for about 38 hours straight, and really tired.

got called in last night about 8:30. I almost didn't answer the phone

since I was watching a football game and this was about the 15th call that

hour, mostly from telemarketers.

didn't get as upset this time as she did the last time she got called.

No one likes getting false alarms but it is probably good phsycological prep

for real thing. Waiting several years also adds some perspective.

Made it into the transplant center about 10:00. Various surgical prep work

and organ retreival thoughout the night. Endless stream of people coming

and going. I think they left to get the donor organ about 1:30 or 2:00 AM

but I forget exactly. Same surgeon did the retreival and the transplant.

Donor organ looked good, rolled down to surgery at about 9:00 AM today. Got

various interim reports from the coordinator. I think the halftime score

was 10 units of blood, never did hear the final total. Might have heard

this wrong, it sounds like a lot to me. Sould have brought a laptop, the

wait was very tedious.

Finished up about 4:00 PM. Surgeon says everything went OK. Old liver was

in very bad shape and atypical in some respects from other PSC livers. I

forget exactly what he said about this, other than it looked " inflamed " and

had some cysts. Surface looked like the moon. Or something like that. He

did a " rou-en-y " (sorry I'm sure this is misspelled) which apparently is

standard with PSC patients since their old ducts are shot anyway. The don't

want her to eat for 3 days, I think.

Took to ICU, seemed to be doing OK, not quite awake yet, still on

ventilator. They said her color looked good, liver was making bile, labs

looked good. Gave her a gram of prednisone which I understand is typical.

If anyone has taken Prednisone you can appreciate what I giant dose this is.

No wonder some people hallucinate. Didn't count the tubes but the

coordinator said 20 and I took her word for it. Tubes stuck everywhere.

Looked like the Borg or something (star trek).

I went home. I couldn't even remember my beeper number to give it to the

ICU nurse, I was so tired. Will call back shortly to see how it's going.

I'm sure there is more but that's all I can remember right now. Probably a

lot more bumps in the road ahead, but so far so good.

Thanks for all who sent along messages and prayers.

Thanks also to the donor (whoever you are) and the medical teams.

Roy T.