Lealonnie and Hubby: Liver Transplant Journey

4.30.22

2:30 pm: Surgeon was here and gave DH two thumbs up. Said things can go south in a hurry but he's doing great right now. Still has the central line in his neck which hurts and is bruised with a hematoma due to a couple attempts to install it. It should be coming out soon but his nurse doesn't know when. He has an arm IV too, and needs 2 installation ports open at this point, so who knows. 

DH was a champ walking around! So proud of him. He's been released from ICU so when there is a bed available on the transplant floor, he's off. 
Fun fact: In ICU at Mayo, each nurse has ONE patient to care for!

Keep that good news coming, guys!!!!

4.30.22

Saturday 10:30am: DH looks GREAT! He's joking with the nurses and telling them his 🥓 wrapped onion recipe which has no longer been on the menu for ages now. A man can dream, right? His central line is still in his neck but expected to be removed today. 
Physical and Occupational Therapy will be by later to get him up and moving.

4.30 22.

Saturday morning update: Tommy, DH’s RN, is awesome. He provided me with a medical update. DH is quite a trooper! He was given 6 units of red blood, 4 units of platelets, and a couple units of plasma as he lost 3.5 L of blood. In layman's terms, they replaced about half of his blood supply. This is EXPECTED during a liver transplant!! NG tube will be removed today and his diet will be advanced to clear liquids...BRING ON THE JELLO! All 3 abdominal drains are expected to be removed in the next few days. DH should be leaving the ICU within the next day or so and transferred to a dedicated transplant unit. Stay tuned for more updates!

Thanks for the update, Lea!

When my dh had his aorta and aortic valve replaced, I was in the CCU when he was still incubated (because the surgeon and nurses all said he'd be out for a couple of hours); he woke up, tried to pull the tube out, was restrained and then motioned for something to write with. We gave him paper and pen and he scribbled something unintelligible. At that point, I realized my presence was doing more harm than good.

Love and hugs to you!!

Thanks Midkid.....Chuck was extubated at 7 am, and then he was taken off sedation afterward. I've never heard of a person being awake on a vent due to choking/gagging, tbh, your dh is a first in my experience. I will take your advice to heart and be sure to get to the pool daily to relax a bit myself while caring for dh. Hugs to you, dear one.

Sitting here with him now and he's doing well, thank God.

I think we get to meet and or express our gratitude to the donors family at some point later on, too, which would be nice. We certainly are thankful to them.

So happy you are finally on the other side of this journey so to speak. Best wishes for as much to go right as all can possibly do and wishing you strength and peace of mind.

Continued prayers for Lea and Chuck, the medical team overseeing his healing, and for the organ donor and his/her family.

Wow--that was fast and good for you both!

Yes, the waiting is incredibly hard, and sorry for the spiel the Anes. doc had to give you. My DIL is an anesthesioloist and she says that's the hardest part of the job--talking to the next of kin and the patient. They are required to tell you all the possible 'yucks' and so take it all with a grain of salt, OK?

I hope your DH gets to be extubated quickly, that was the 'worst' thing my hubby said, having a ventilator in and not being able to communicate.

You are in my prayers and thoughts today. Just one note of support from someone who has been in your shoes: take each day at a time, really. Chuck will be grouchy a lot (a LOT of prednisone) and may likely snap at YOU--don't take it personally. When you get home--make sure YOU get out every day for a break. I didn't do that and when DH was back to work--I crashed and burned. You will have a LOT on your hands. Charting, feeding, etc. But you can do this!!

Hugs!!
MidKid

Just spoke with Chuck on the phone who is VERY groggy but very ALIVE and asking for a sandwich after being extubated at 7 am this morning!! He received A LOT of blood during the procedure; he was listed as 'emergent' with a MELD score of just under 40 due to the liver cancer being the type that metastasizes quickly. This is why he was top priority to get a liver.

Feeling very relieved right now and grateful to the donor, his/her family, and everyone who's been so supportive here. THANK YOU.

I'm on my way over to the Mayo hospital now.

I'll keep you all updated. We have a long road ahead of us, with potential complications and lots of ups & downs/ medications/doctors appointments and at least 4-6 weeks minimum here in North Scottsdale (without complications), so in many ways, the journey has just begun.

May The Lord continue to keep his hands on Chuck and his medical team, may HE grant you strength, peace and comfort during this very trying, exciting time.

ps: The speech is a cya. They have to give worse case scenario just to make sure expectations are kept real. I hate that part of any surgery.

Our thoughts are with you Lea. Looking forward to updates. This will be the hard part for you, I think.

Prayers that Chuck will sail through the post surgical period so that they can return to their home in Denver. Even the Marriott in Scottsdale gets old when you wanna go home.

Yay! Over Hump #1! So looking forward to the next updates...! May you receive mercy and peace (((hugging)))

: )

Thank you so much! (((((Hugs)))) and prayers all around 🙏 ❤️ 💖

I’m choked up, with the awe and wonder of this all!

It’s happened so fast!

Praying for you guys!!

April 30

2:00 am: Surgery is over and Chuck did well! Will wait till 8am to call the ICU to check his status before heading over, as suggested by the surgeon. They have to watch for bleeding now from the new liver which is a potential problem. Next 12-24 hours are crucial. 

I'll keep you updated

Standing by at midnight with continued prayers for your comfort.

Lea, I'm awake in the middle of the night here--hope you are fast asleep and that the surgeons' hand are guided from above.

I haven’t waited through a transplant, only a 6 hour aorta repair. I can only imagine your angst right now. We're all here for you, honey. ((((((Hugs))))))) to you and Chuck.

Lealonnie,
Support is here. 👩👨👩‍🦳️👵👱‍♂️🧓👱‍♀️👩‍🦰️
Prayers for you, as it is difficult to be waiting, standing by. Prayers for your trust in god's plan.
There is no guilt if you need to doze off in-between the updates by the doctor.

DH was wheeled into the OR around 7:30 pm tonight. The liver was clean and viable, thank God. He was scared to death and so am I. The speech the anesthesiologist made was the most horrible thing I've heard in my life and had me in tears, expecting the worst outcome, frankly. The hugeness of this surgery is mind boggling when it's explained, medically. I am an emotional mess, my DD is in New Orleans with her fiance now and crying her eyes out she's not here with me for support, and that I'm alone. The neighbor Winnie has been great though, and I am grateful for her support.

The surgery can take anywhere from 6-15 hours; Chuck has a pacemaker and has had triple bypass which complicates things, so they have to take extra precautions which can extend the time. I'll be texted every 2 hours and then the surgeon will phone me when it's over. Probably sometime in the middle of the night. I'm back at the hotel (5 minutes away) with the dog and we're hunkering down (at the suggestion of the Mayo staff). They also suggested I wait here until he's extubated and free of the wires and hook-ups that will have me upset to see. I can call the ICU in the morning to get an update on his condition, and if he's been extubated yet, etc.

God give me strength; I'm not sure I realized how hard this would be, being in another state, away from home and friends/family, etc.

Thanks for your support everyone, I appreciate it.

OMG! This is such a rollercoaster. My heart skipped a beat reading about the call from the hospital possibly having another donor.

Praying this is it...

This is certainly an amazing learning process for many of us as it is the future life experience for you two. I know you have the strength LeaL and I keep you in my prayers for the recovery.

((((((hugs))))) and prayers

Praying for all parties... that everything goes smoothly if this is the liver meant for DH and continued peace that transcends understanding ((and some hugging!))

4.29.22

4:15 PM: DH got a call at 4 PM to come to the Mayo hospital immediately; there is another liver for him from another DCD donor who's here. We are on our way and totally unprepared for this. Surgery will be at 6 pm local time IF this liver is viable; this MAY be another dry run though, who knows?

Thanks to everyone who has showed their love and support for our friend and her husband! 😇

Lea, checking in tonight to see how the two of you are doing after the roller coaster yesterday. It must be so very hard to wait . . . and not know how long you will wait. I hope you are able to find things to do each day.

I agree 100% with what BarbBrooklyn said below, that we all must be nothing but supportive to Lealonnie and her husband Chuck, because unless any of us have walked in their shoes, we have no idea how stressful and trying this time must be for them. So it really serves no purpose to try and argue a point with her just because you can.
Instead let's ALL be respectful of them and only send them words of encouragement and your prayers. They really need both right now.