Liver Transplant- October 2008

Casey was released from his two week stay at Baylor-Dallas after he was stabilized.  There was not much else the doctors could do for him.  Even though he was stabilized, I was instructed by doctors to keep a very CLOSE eye on him.  One of the many functions of the liver is to break down amonia levels made in the body.  Since Casey's liver was down to only four percent liver function, the amonia levels were not being broken down and his levels were at an outrageous and unsafe level.  Due to the elevated amonia levels which were leaking into his brain, I had to keep a close watch on Casey's behavior.  If he started to forget things or see things, I was to call the on call doctor immediately.  We got to experience a little bit of the amonia elevation during his two week stay in the hospital!  He would not remember certain people came to visit and would see and hear things.  One day he was sleeping, as I lay beside him on his bed.  He heard voices in the room next to him and he told me to tell the kids to be quiet...those darn kids!  He thought it was his kids playing in their room at our home.  Then another day, he sat up in his bed and looked toward the door and laughed.  His mom asked him what he was laughing at because there was nothing there.  He said he was laughing at those kids that were playing out in the hallway.  Wow...that was scary!!!

I seemed to have gone off topic...sorry!  While in the hospital , he underwent extensive testing and evaluation to make sure he could withstand a long surgery such as a liver tranplant.  He passed with flying colors and was placed on the transplant list!  Due to the extreme circumstances and casey's low liver function, he was placed on the list right away.  They placed him on the list according to his MELD score (Model for End-Stage Liver Disease). The MELD calculator is a numerical scale that is currently used for liver allocation. The MELD score is based on a patient's risk of dying while waiting for a liver transplant and is based on objective and verifiable medical data. It runs on a scale of 6 to 40; the higher the score the more gravely ill.  Casey's score was high enough that he had a liver the very next day after being placed on the list!!!!  We barely even had time to get home and unpack from our two week hospital stay before they called Casey at 9:20 am the next day and said they had a liver for him and how soon could he get back to Baylor.  I was at work when Casey called me...he sounded so non-chalant.  He says, "Well, I guess you better get home, they found me a liver."  I was like, "WHAT?  ALREADY?!  I'll be right there!!"  I drove like a bat out of hell from Carrollton to Denton.  I got home in 20 minutes; it should usually take 30-35.  Oops...I may have broke the law a few times by speeding, running red lights and stop signs...but I had a REAL EMERGENCY people!!  I nervously packed a few things for myself and for Casey and drove like another bat out of hell back up to Baylor-Dallas.

Once we got to the hospital, we were bombarded with several nurses who checked his vitals and instructed him to change into his lovely hospital gown.  Soon after, we were flooded with research nurses, doctors, surgeons, and phlebotimists.  Can we say overwhelming?!  One nurse is taking his vitals, another is telling him what to expect, while another two additional research nurses are talking to him about getting into their research study for new anti-rejection medication.  In the midst of trying to digest everything going on, we had to make a quick decision on whether or not to join the study.  (We decided to join the study...which turned out to be a good deal because we got some of the meds for free and were reimbursed for another.)  As if that wasn't chaos enough, another nurse was taking x-rays of his chest and abdomen while another research nurse came in trying to get him to join a different study!  After everyone had left, the hospital chaplain came in with paperwork for a medical directive since Casey did not have a will.  We filled that out and then she prayed with us as we all held hands since it was almost time for Casey to leave for pre-op.  Once he was wheeled away to the pre-op room around 6:30 pm, my mother-in-law and I waited with him for about an hour before he was actually taken into the operation room.  I was so scared but I was confident that he would come out of this okay!!!!  Casey was a brave soldier and was cutting up all the way up until he was wheeled away to the O.R..  We were told that the surgery would take 6-8 hours and that my mother-in-law and I could stay in his room until the surgery was complete. The nurse said that the doctor would call his room and let us know when the surgery was finished.  Whether we got to stay in his room is another story!  Let's just say my mother-in-law and I were misinformed and were kicked out around midnight by Nursezilla!  We spent the night in the lobby with a few other people with no pillows or blankets!  I was very bitter!!!  I wouldn't have been able to sleep anyway since I was so worried! 

I can't even remember what time we finally got to go see Casey in ICU.  But he did an awesome job and he came out of the surgery with flying colors!!!  Thank God!!  I have never prayed so much in my life!!!  I was so thankful to his donor!!! (If you haven't already, please register to be an organ donor!  It can save so many lives!)  We weren't told too much about his donor, other than they were 53 years old and that they had passed away at Baylor that very day. He was in the ICU for two days and then moved into a room.  This room was a a little bigger and nicer looking than the other one!  He was in the hospital for another 3 days while he recovered.  He recovered really quickly!!!  Doctors were astonished!!  Casey told them, "Thats how I roll."