Poker Party with a Purpose

Poker Party with a Purpose

As of right now, I don't know if we will have enough money to cover doing the party... Please, if you are in Monterey area on Saturday, November 20th, think about coming to this.  $60.00 will buy you in. There will be prizes (and if you went to my Birthday Bash in February you will know that my family knows how to throw an awesome benefit!!)

So far our medical bills are through the roof, and that is only counting my Transplant. Now that my new liver is showing signs of fibrosis, the treatment I am on not only makes me feel drained of energy... but of funds too. hehe.

Please come! As long as my doc gives me the ok this Friday, I'll see you there!!

HCV Treatments - Day 2

No, I won't be posting every day, I just thought you would want to know how my first night of treatments went. Though I have to admit it was not the worse night ever, it was not fun. I don't know how many times I told myself that I was going to tell the doctors in the morning that I don't want to continue them after all, but when my doctor really did make his rounds (peaking his head around the corner to see if it was safe for him to come in.) He was expecting to find me curled up in a ball and cursing him, but was relieved when I put my smile on and said it wasn't so bad.
I did throw up about 3 hours after my first injection. Chills started a few hours after that, and by the middle of the night when I got up to go to the bathroom I felt like I hadn't moved in weeks. Today there is more nausea, along with no appetite, and a pretty gnarly headache. I am still very achy, but it does seem better after I take a lap or two around my ward. I can't wait to get home and take a nice hot bath, oh, I wonder if I could get a jacuzzi paid for by my insurance. Hmmm - ya right, they won't even pay for a full month of anti-nausea medicine. Anyways, the treatments seem to be about the same as last time except I am almost 10 years older (and have had 6 surgeries)... I can feel the difference.
On another subject, something that blew my mind today, is my MELD score (which if you don't recall, is the scoring system UNOS uses to decide how sick your liver is. 40 is the worst, but you can be transplanted at 15) right now, my MELD is at a 14 again. Just 3 months post transplant, but unlike last time, this can get better if we can get the Hep C under control because there is no cirrhosis yet. I guess that is really why I put a smile on my face and say it's not so bad... Not to many other choices, at least nothing that I personally would choose right now.

Round 2 Treatments - Day 1

The doctors may have tricked me again to get me in here. Yesterday I was supposed to have an appointment with the hepatologists, but with my tummy issues there was no way I would make it an hour in a car and then another few hours in waiting rooms, so I had to cancel it. In the evening my doctor called to ask what happened, but when I told her, she said I needed to come in and be admitted that night (At first I thought maybe she was just being mean because I skipped out on my appointment, hehe, but now I think it had nothing to do with my poo problems at all... she just wanted to get me in here)

Unfortunately, my last biopsy on the 20th not only showed inflammation of my new lil liver but also some fibrosis. I had agreed that if Sally showed any signs of damage, I would re-start the Hep C treatments - though at the time, I had no idea it would be this soon.

There is only about a 20% chance that it will actually knock it into remission, but it should at least slow the progression to cirrhosis. The side effects are still the same, and I will probably have the nausea, vomiting, chills, horrible aches, and extreme fatigue as I did the last time. It can cause low white blood cells, low platelets, anemia, thyroid problems, and post transplant, it can cause rejection. (among some other things) But in the opinions of my medical team, the benefits outweigh the risks... and I concur. (I think - well I do, but it doesn't make it any easier to actually stick myself with that stupid needle) 

My nurse came in about a half an hour ago to give me some Tylenol, so any minute now she will be back to give me my first dose. If it seems to be working and I don't have any real complications, I will be giving myself injections once a week until next Halloween. Biiiiiiiig prayers on this one please!!
{Basic information on the HCV treatment Ribavirin and Interferon **here**}


"Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go." Joshua 1:9

Not the sharpest needle...

When admitted to the hospital, you usually have an on call doctor come in to evaluate you and write up any instructions or tests they think you should have done... These were the orders the on call doctor gave.

The circulation leg cuffs to your right are usually ordered for patients that are immobile for long periods of time, or those with blood clotting issues... not for patients who come in because they can't stop getting up to go to the bathroom, especially those who when they need to go to the bathroom, need to go fast! I barely have enough time to unplug flo from the wall, let alone bend down to unstrap these bad boys. Needless to say that they only stayed on long enough for me to take the picture. However, I am trying to find a way to rig 'em to work on my shoulders and neck. heehee.

...Now if you will excuse me, the techs are here to do the chest x-ray he also ordered (for some odd reason)