Happy re-birthday!

[Guest guest]

To Darin (and Sally)! 11/4/2001

From the archives of 2001:

Well,The CALL came at 1:20 am Sunday. I am officially a post tx member now. Mywife created a diary, but my mental capacities were functioning well, so Iam proof-reading the material and hope to have a run down this weekend. Isthere anyone out there that does not have Microsoft Word (much easier forme). If not let me know the format and I will save it that way.

Quick run down, we got the call and said to head down. They had a size andblood match but had not run the biopsies. They said it would happen around8:00 but to head down as soon as I could. I took a shower and packed andheaded down with my wife. Get there, spend 45 min in admin. Spend 10getting to the pre-op room. They took blood and by the time they were doneat 3:30, they now wanted me in ops by 5:00. Still had to take xrays andtake the biodine bath. The doc shows up at 5:20 and says lets roll. I amsigning consent for blood products and the like while they are tying myother hand down. "Allergic to anything?". I reply hell no and light meup!!.

I finally pass out around 6:45 give or take. The liver wasn't there yetbut was biopsied and in perfect health. They had to make sure there wasn'tany cancer outside my liver. At 9:00, they call ICU waiting room for mywife and tell them that the tx is a go. I told my wife to learn two handsignals (on the advice of Barb in TX,): First, thumbs up means I got theliver (since I wouldn't know one way or the other) and Second, the bird.That is right, the middle finger. That of course represented I am in painand shoot me up.

I was out of op at 1:15 and was awake at 2:30. I opened my eyes and lookedaround. The asked if I was in pain and I flipped my wife off and winked.There was a small leak in the breathing tube and asked if it hut - dumbquestion. I moved my eyes back and forth and they yanked it out at 3:00.Not too long. The docs said the tx was text book.

I got the NG tube (suction tube that goes up nose and into stomach - thatwas horrible) out Wed morning and finally got to drink water this morning(Thurs.) and liquid diet that afternoon and night. They said I could eatsolid Thurs night, but I passed and will do the light air scrambled eggs inthe morning. , I don't know how you ate pizza after on the fourthday.

They are still playing with the Prograff (sp? - anti rejection) andsteroids. Ladies, if this is what menopause feels like (hot flashing) I amtruly sorry. I have to get up for awhile to let my back and sheets airout. It takes about 45 minutes to soak the sheets with sweat.

I will write some more later and give the rundown as to what happened withno less anecdotes probably.

Hope all is will (glad to hear 's numbers look good and don't read toomuch into the CA19-9 numbers if they come back elevated, which areunreliable and Andi glad your ERCP went well. Maureen, I am glad Jim wantsto work, but your right he needs to be cautious)

Best wishes and prayers to all.

Oh, Maureen, you were talking about the license plate. My wife promised mean authentic Houston Texans jersey (new NFL team next year) and I couldn'tfigure out what to get. I thought about "LIVER TX" and the number being01. I just might do it!!!

DarinUC-88, PSC-99, 2a (10-01), TX 11/04/2001.