Hope not lost!

Today was a big day, with a lot of information to take in.

Where to begin?

Scott received two units of blood today.  This blood has literally seeped life into Scott.  He had more energy.  He was awake.  He was less confused.  He got out of bed and helped transfer himself. It has been AMAZING to have more of the Scott we know and love today. 

Dr. A the transplant surgeon came and spoke to us today she had good news and bad news. 

A summary--

Again, we heard that Scott would be a high risk patient for a liver transplant.  One risk factor is Scott's size.  Dr. A stated that she has done transplants on patients larger than Scott and obviously patient's smaller than Scott.  She stated that Scott's abdomen is full of fluids (ascites--a common condition with patient's who have liver problems).  Because of the fluid build up, she felt like there was not going to be a lot of room for her to transplant a "large" liver and that he would likely require a small liver (opposite of what, you would think).  She said that this fluid, will not be easy to get rid of because his tissues etc act as a sponge and you can't just "drain it out" easily. 

We didn't ask what this would mean for Scott in the long run or if it makes any difference, to have a "small liver" versus a "big liver" in a big body.

However, Dr. A stated that she thought SCOTT COULD BE LISTED FOR A LIVER TRANSPLANT!!! She is going to talk to the other physicians and Scott may be on the transplant list "at the top" within the next week.  Of course, we have no idea when a liver could be available for Scott, but Dr. A stated that it usually happens within 6-12 weeks. 

The bad news.  Scott is now in Kidney Failure. His sodium is still low, his potassium still high, and the labs that monitor his kidney function are much too high.  The conservative therapies (IV and oral medications, time) that are being used currently are not correcting this the way it needs to be corrected.  A kidney specialist came in and spoke with Scott and Janiece and discussed that Scott would be given three days of this continued conservative therapies to see if his Kidneys would start going again.  If they do not respond, Scott will likely be started on dialysis.  This was a huge shock to me and I'm really nervous about this. 

If dialysis is started, Scott's kidney function could improve with time and he could come off the dialysis in a few days, or it may take a few weeks, or a few months.  Nobody knows. 

The transplant surgeon Dr. A discussed this problem with us and stated that Scott may need a kidney transplant at the same time he gets a liver transplant.  If his kidneys are okay by the time he is able to get a transplant then maybe just getting the transplant will help correct his kidney function. Another possibility is that Scott receives a liver transplant and then "6 months down the road, he may need a kidney transplant" She stated that liver and kidney issues sometimes run hand in hand.  Typing this out is confusing....hope it makes sense.

Another little bump in the road, is that Scott's stump is red and warm.  We are terrified that he may have an infection again.  The on call physician came and looked and Scott's leg tonight and started him on IV antibiotics.  Scott currently does not have a fever.  Please pray that this will clear up quickly and not delay proceding with transplant.  The antibiotics can also be hard on Scott's kidneys, which is worrisome.

We have a long road ahead of us, but we are grateful that there is a road, a chance, a path-- we can travel to help Scott. 

Feeling blessed and overwhelmed,

April