Correct Live Donor Contact

(...Pay no attention to the incorrect phone number
on the pretty banner to your right!>>)

Hi Ya'll, I got a phone call from USC yesterday... It seems that the paperwork they handed out had the wrong contact number for the USC live donor contact, Janelle.

Here is the correct phone number if you would like more information on becoming my hero, and sharing a lil' sliver of your liver with me! (say that 3 times fast..hehe)

~~Janelle Newkirk, RN (323) 442-7403~~

Thanks guys and remember to LIVE LIFE then GIVE LIFE! Your organs can fertilize the ground, feed cannibals, or CHANGE THE LIVES OF HUNDREDS! Choose to be a hero.

Well it is 4am and besides Larry feeling a little beaten up, I feel wide awake... OOhh, I should organize something, actually get the Christmas cards out I bought LAST year... just thinking about all of the things that have fallen to the wayside makes me kinda sleepy again, and after actually getting out of bed, I realize that I didn't have that much energy after all. This last week has been a tough one. My tiredness, sickness, duration of sickness, and pain has all steadily increased over the last few years, but this week -- I literally cried getting out of bed, and it scared me, because I thought to myself, is this it? But then I woke up yesterday with a fever... and sighed relief. River was sick last week. I most likely just caught his cold, but I'll keep an eye on it. It is hard when I look in the mirror and see dark sunken eyes. I look frail and tired and can't seem to stop the flickering thought that this could be my last Christmas... or one of them. I just wish I had more energy, what will River remember? I want to bake cookies, and go to candycane lane. I want to stay up late with cocoa and watch It's a Wonderful Life, make ornaments and wrap presents... I barely remember waking up without sickness, pain, or exhaustion. When I asked my doctor if after my transplant I would at least feel like I did before last year, and he said, "Ricki, I have no reason to believe that you won't feel better then YOU have in many years." --Whenever I feel like I can't take much more...I think about that! :) On a side note... I think that because of my sickness, Rivers future wife will thank me. hehehe... A heart of gold this one!

USC Testing - Day 2

Fighting through rush hour traffic on our way home from USC... It was another very long day. The good news - I got the results back from the PPD test, No Tuberculosis for me! Yaeh. :) Bad news... not really, but what should have been 1 or 2 days of testing has turned into 3 days because my transplant team scheduled me for a mammogram at a time they weren't even open. So now I have to go back again... When they told me I had Cirrhosis, I said, "Ok, What do I do to fix this." but when they tell me they mixed up my appointment, the waterworks start. I don't cry about much... but that was TO MUCH TO HANDLE! hehehe.
Yesterday as I was decorating the house for Christmas, and had the carols going... "Feliz Navidad" dododododo..." the Garland did me in. Trying to reach the nails on the wall... It was a challenge I would have mastered a few years ago, but now, I cannot jump up on things or even reach for that matter, without some reminder from Larry. I had a sharp pain, flinched a little, and the garland went down (along with my spirits ~awe~) More waterworks...Luckily River came out and said "Ooooh, How cute it looks" (really - he did) and lit the fire back under my butt. My husband followed suit and once he saw my watery eyes, put the rest of the hangin' stuff up for me - which I have never been able to get him to do in the past! So yesterday was a great day, and even though I cannot do everything I want to do - I can still do enough. Besides, I'm sure River doesn't mind that our homemade tree garland only fit around our heads :)

USC testing - Day 1

It was another full afternoon of testing at USC... Some strange things they do to you in there. After a nice long wait, my first test was a set of 3 injections under the skin (PPD) PAINFUL! While she was injecting the fluid into my arm, the skin starts to raise from the liquid (and once I found out that it was normal) I went into conspiracy theory mode (just for fun) What if this was like the matrix and green numbers started spreading from the 3 new bumps on my arm... What would this lady do if alien tentacles started coming out of these things and I started screaming "Get 'em out!" and then ((reality)) I look up and see the lady looking at me, because I am half giggling now at my imagination... These people probably think I'm crazy! So I looked down at 3 pea sized (now blue with bruising) bumps on the inside of my arm...still bleeding a little as we head on over to the other side of the hospital for more tests.

Blood Gasses - I will say that I have never had a problem or even a chill about them taking blood from me (I only hate shots)...Until now. They take it veeeeeery slowly, NOT with a butterfly needle, and from the artery in the wrist. "Hold good pressure" he said after - "We don't want it to look like a murder scene in here!" hahaha. Another test down, (along with the sun) one test to go!

The Ticker! The easiest test, the only one that isn't supposed to hurt, and they guy hurts my feelings... "What is all of the scarring on your abdomen from?" (pouty lip) He should have topped it off with "You gonna have more kids??" and then stabbed me in the heart he was testing! Waah! Thanks a lot buddy... OH YA! Where's all the hair on your head, huh?!! haha (Ok, that was mostly said to be funny, but really... why?) Anyways, he was actually very nice... and my ticker is tip top! :)

Next:
Round two testing - Friday, December 4th. Another 3 tests, 2 hours driving (Ok...riding), and 1 VERY sleepy n bruised girl.

Main concerns:
Jason taking yet another day off.
My share of cost... Unlike St. Jude, USC will not accept many payments, so my monthly $1257.00 is pretty much due in full at time of "service".
These next test results, (I could still be denied a transplant if any results come back negative.) Although, besides Larry, I think I am pretty healty... almost like someone in their 20's even. :)