I really need to be a lot better in updating my blog daily or at least every other day. I feel like so much has transpired since I last posted on 12/28/09. We are now well into the New Year of 2010 and we have received very good news and have had some concerns which have been addressed.
I will start off with what transpired New Year's Eve. We were both off that day and slept in late. Casey was still hurting from having had his wisdom teeth pulled over a week ago. I failed to post about this and I can't imagine why because it made me so mad! He went in to get checked and the nurse told him he DID NOT have dry socket and just prescribed him some muscle relaxers because she said he was clenching too much!! Thank God the actual Doctor called him back the next day before we paid for the prescription. He was concerned with what the Nurse had told him and how he said he felt, so he told him to come back into the office free of charge so he could take a look. (He wasn't in the office when Casey went in the first time.) IT TURNS OUT HE DID HAVE DRY SOCKET! Stupid Nurse!! So they packed it with medicated gauze and told him he should feel relief in about 30 minutes. He felt better but it still hurt bad. But we have to take into consideration that Casey is taking anti-rejection medication, two different kinds at that. These anti-rejection meds lower his immune system so that his body won't try to reject the foreign object in his body (the donor liver). So the common cold, flu, sinus infection, etc...takes twice as long if not longer to get better. Thus, why the healing of having his wisdom teeth removed is taking so long. The pain is much more manageable now than it was.
Ok, back to New Year's Eve. We were off because we were going to Round Rock to visit my sisters and spend the New Year's holiday with my family. Casey was still in pain so she slept a little longer. When he finally woke up, we finished packing and headed on our way...South Bound I-35! I was so anxious to see my family! I drove and let Casey sleep some more. He practically slept the whole way there! We left around 12:30 and got there a little before 4pm. We had been there maybe an hour or two when we got a call from Casey's transplant coordinator. She stated that since Casey was so high up on the transplant list that we should be prepared for a call anytime now! Being that it was NY Eve weekend and many accidents happen, it was a good time to be prepared and stand closely by the phone. OMG!! That was awesome news! But wait! We are in Round Rock at the moment...that's 3.5 hours away from home! Do we need to drive back home or should we wait and just leave the next day?! We were at odds. So we called the coordinator back and asked her what the time frame was. She said IF we got the call that we would have up to 6 hours to get to the hospital! Ok, great...so we can just continue to visit with my family and just haul butt home when we get the call. No call on NY EVE! :o( Oh well, at least we got to enjoy the night.
But wouldn't you know, we got a call the very next day in the evening hours!!! I couldnt believe it! BUT, Casey was only a back up. They wanted us to be prepared anyway because they were fairly certain that the patient in front of Casey on the list was not going to be a match. So, we hauled butt home on a Friday night! We were told we would get a call by 2am Saturday. No call... But we did get a call later that morning that they were still testing the patient and liver and we would know if it was a match by 1pm. We waited for a call...but nothing. It was very bad news for Casey but great news for the person who received the liver who obviously needed it more or he would not have been higher up on the list. We just looked on the bright side, at least we know that Casey is next on the list. It could be as early as this week!!
As all this is going on, I am feeling a little concerned with Casey. He had been talking nonsense, jibberish, hallucinating and saying off the wall things while napping, sleeping, and when he would wake up. This happened Friday through Sunday. I dismissed it because it only happened when he was napping or sleeping or coming out of a deep sleep. BUT, when I found out that he did it at work on Monday I was REALLY concerned! I contacted his doctor and he had me take him into the liver clinic yesterday. He had blood work drawn and then had to see one of the Liver Transplant coordinators and doctor. All his blood work came out normal but my concerns also concerned the doctor and he sent him to get his ammonia level tested and to get an MRI done on his head. A high ammonia level is caused by a failing liver so we were certain that his level was probably elevated and thats what was causing his hallucinations. Later that day as we were driving home from the longest day ever, we were called with the ammonia level results. It was normal! YAY! But wait, if its normal, then that means something could be wrong in his brain! Ugh! What now?! I was stressed and worried all night!! Earlier this morning Casey was called with the MRI results. It was normal!!! He does have a brain and his brain is working just fine!! The doctor thinks that sleep deprivation could be a possible culprit! He has not slept well in weeks due to the pain in his mouth from the wisdom teeth removal.
So we are back to being A-OK and waiting for "the call."
