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crazywoman
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Joined: 22 Mar 2005
Posts: 5838
Location: WY
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 Posted: Nov Tue 24, 2009 8:09 pm Post subject: |
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CLICK FOR INFORMATION ON ORGAN DONATION (note right click & select open in a new window to keep this window)
| Quote: | 11/21/09: I don't know why I didn't think of doing this before but, after a discussion about organ donations at the Stella Style forum, I thought it would be a good idea to post a link to a site where you can register to be an organ donor in your state and you can also print out donor cards from that site. Here is the link but I will also post it at the top of this page so that it won't end up getting buried as I add more updates.
11/23/09: Jerry weighed himself the other day and he's down to 170 pounds now from about 210. He's had severe diarrhea for the past week or so which has caused him to lose about 40 pounds of fluid from his legs in about a week's time. He has also been taking a higher dose of diuretics which may account for some of the fluid loss. He feels a lot better with that water weight gone and he's able to move around a lot more. Yesterday he even went for a short walk down the street.
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Keeping you and Jerry in my thoughts and prayers!!
Oh, and by the way, WY still gives you the option to be an organ donor on your driver's license, and I do have that option on mine.
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Billie
4'8" Started LC WOL Aug 2003
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crazywoman
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Joined: 22 Mar 2005
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Location: WY
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| Posted: Dec Sun 06, 2009 3:04 am Post subject: 12/04 update |
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| Quote: | 12/4/09: Jerry went to the hospital today for another EGD (varices banding procedure). The doctor didn't find any more varices to band and he said that Jerry shouldn't have to go back for this procedure again. Now we just sit and wait for Jerry's MELD score to get high enough for him to get his transplant. His MELD score is currently 22 and it needs to get closer to 30 before he'll get high enough on the list. The doctor who he saw last week said that it typically takes from six months to a year to get a transplant.
Here's some good news. Jerry got a full paycheck for the last pay period because of the donated sick days. He will also get a paycheck next week because people at the store where he worked have donated another eight days. There could be more from other stores around the country as well but we won't know until we see the check. Please pray that Jerry might get enough donated sick days to keep getting paid until the end of the year when his job will be terminated. As long as he continues to get a paycheck, we won't have to pay for our insurance out of our pocket. We also hope that his disability payments will start by the time the pay from his job ends but that process seems to be taking forever.
Jerry has been feeling a lot better lately now that most of the swelling from fluid is gone. He's lost another 10 pounds now and even his belly is finally starting to shrink. He only weighs 160 pounds now (he's 6'2" tall) so he's trying to eat as much as he can to try and put some fat and muscle back on his body. Even though he's very thin, and has lost almost all of his muscle, he's a lot more mobile now without having to carry around 40-50 extra pounds of fluid in his legs. The weather was sunny and warmish yesterday so he went for a little walk down our street. Today it's snowing here in Houston! We've lived in Texas for about 18 years now and have only seen snow here three times. This is the first time that it's snowed all day long but it's not sticking on the ground in our area. There are parts of the Houston area where they're getting a couple inches or more of snow on the ground today. It looks pretty with the snow lightly falling right now but they're predicting that it will turn to freezing rain later tonight. Thank goodness that we got back from the hospital today before the roads got messy. |
LindaSue, It is good to hear that you got the donated days& the pay check. I am so happy for you. And that you still have paid insurance at least for now, and will pray that you will continue to have it.
Am also very glad to hear that Jerry is feeling better!
I hear about the snow in Houston! I used to live near Houston, and have friends and family in the area, and know that it does happen, but it is not a common thing. Glad you got home before the roads got messy! Be careful!
Hugs & prayers!
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Billie
4'8" Started LC WOL Aug 2003
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My mind not only wanders, sometimes it leaves completely. |
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LindaSue
Joined: 24 Mar 2005
Posts: 45
Location: Spring, Texas
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| Posted: Dec Mon 07, 2009 10:54 am Post subject: |
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Billie, thanks again for posting my updates here and for the hugs and prayers. Jerry told me the other morning that his weight has dipped into the 150's now and I noticed yesterday that his legs are very skinny with no edema at all anymore. The fact that the fluid is gone is a good thing but I'm starting to worry about malnutrition. Jerry has been eating a lot lately but he still keeps losing weight no matter how much he eats and he eats a ton of carbs per the nutritionist's suggestion. I guess there's not much that I can do but to keep the pantry stocked and keep cooking foods that he likes.
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wiccanmalenurse
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Joined: 30 Oct 2005
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| Posted: Dec Mon 07, 2009 11:01 am Post subject: |
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Linda Sue, I am glad to hear things are going better! I know it is a really nerve racking and scary time for you both. My heart goes out to you. I am glad that the sick days are being donated and hope they continue. Health insurance without the astronomical cost is really hard to get. You both are in my prayers and thoughts and I hope Jerry feels better soon and gains some weight,
David 
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crazywoman
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Joined: 22 Mar 2005
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| Posted: Dec Mon 07, 2009 1:19 pm Post subject: |
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You are most welcome, LindaSue. But I'm not the only one updating here. Others are as well, and I feel very bad, in that sometimes I forget to go & check your site, and get behind. I don't forget about you & Jerry, just forget to check the site.
I'm glad that Jerry if feeling better, and that the edema is down. Sorry that he can't get his weight back up to. I do hope that he will start feeling well enough to start walking more to build his muscles back up.
Since I know nothing about how the illness works, nor what is good or bad for it, I don't know if my thoughts/suggestions are good.
Can he take extra protein? Protein shakes (maybe with eggs added) for instance. Or Protein powder added to other foods? If he can, you may already be doing that.
I do hope he can gain some needed weight & muscles.
Relax when you can. Take Care of yourself as well as Jerry.
Prayers and Hugs!!!
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Billie
4'8" Started LC WOL Aug 2003
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mgonser
Joined: 22 Mar 2006
Posts: 1521
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| Posted: Dec Mon 07, 2009 5:38 pm Post subject: |
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LindaSue,
Youn will always be in my thoughts and prayers. I am so sorry you both have to go through this but I just know it will be a positive outcome.
Blessings, Marylyn
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LindaSue
Joined: 24 Mar 2005
Posts: 45
Location: Spring, Texas
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| Posted: Dec Fri 11, 2009 11:42 am Post subject: |
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The doctor told Jerry to eat as much protein as he can but I don't think that he eats enough. He just doesn't get very hungry and I can't force him to eat. All I can do is make sure that he's got plenty of food options on hand. I do have some whey protein powder in the pantry but Jerry has only asked for shakes a couple of times. I probably should avoid adding raw eggs to his shakes though. He's too sick to risk getting a bad egg.
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Gma
Joined: 04 Mar 2006
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| Posted: Dec Tue 15, 2009 6:40 pm Post subject: |
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Linda, how about Eggbeaters? Wouldn't they be just as good as a raw egg would be without the danger? When I want eggnog, I make my own using eggbeaters and heavy cream. It really works well. I totally understand about not wanting him to get sicker. That would be awful.
I do hope and pray he gets better soon. Hugs!!!!!!!!!!!
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| Posted: Jan Mon 25, 2010 1:18 pm Post subject: Updates from LindaSue |
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I just found some updates on Jerry's condition on her website:
| Quote: | # 1/24/10 Update on Jerry:
We got some good news in the mail yesterday. Beginning this year, Jerry had to switch to a new insurance company now that he's no longer working for Performance Bicycles. The clinic that he usually goes to for routine visits is within the system of that new plan. However, the doctors and hospital where he'll go for his liver transplant are not in the system for that HMO. Jerry had to have his general practitioner send in referrals for all of the specialists, etc. that he'll need to see so that his insurance will cover everything. The letter that we got yesterday said that Blue Cross has agreed to cover his liver transplant.
# 1/23/10 Update on Jerry:
It looks like all of the Disability confusion is finally cleared up. There have been a lot of misunderstandings between us and the people at Social Security about when Jerry will actually start getting Disability payments. We were under the impression that they were expediting his case because of his terminal illness and that he wouldn't have to wait the usual five-month waiting period before getting payments. That's where we were misinformed. EVERYONE applying for Disability has to wait the five months before getting paid. It turns out that what they were expediting was the approval process so that Jerry wouldn't have to be out of work for five months before applying for Disability which would mean waiting even longer than the five months before getting any Disability checks. The other day we received the notice that he was officially approved for Disability benefits beginning in April with the first check coming near the end of May. His five-month waiting period started one month after the first time he went to the hospital or around the first week of November.
For now Jerry is still getting donated sick pay from his old job but we expect that will stop soon. So far the generous people at Performance Bicycles have donated 12 weeks of their sick pay to Jerry at a full 40 hours per week. He just got another paycheck on January 22nd. Once those paychecks stop coming in, we will have no income between then and the end of May unless I find a job before then.
This is what it says in the booklet we got in the mail the other day along with his approval letter:
"Under the law, your payments cannot begin until you have been disabled for at least five full months. Payments usually start with your sixth month of disability."
Last week we got a letter from Social Security about setting up an account online for direct deposit, etc. which added to our confusion about when his checks would start coming. When I first read it, it sounded to me like he would get his first Disability check before the end of February but after re-reading it and I realized that's not what they are saying. Here's what it says:
"If you are a new beneficiary, please make sure you have received your notice of benefit payment or your first payment before you try to register a password."
The letter that we got the other day that says his payments will start in May is the "Notice of benefit payment" that they're talking about. I guess that answers all of our questions and he really won't get any checks until May. What added to our confusion was that several different people at Social Security told us that because of Jerry's terminal condition he would get Disability payments as soon as he was approved and that he wouldn't have to wait the five months. How were we to know who was right and who to believe when the people working there don't even know what's going on or what the rules are???
As far as Jerry's condition goes, he saw a neurologist this week about his hands shaking and because he's not able to use one of his legs properly when walking. The doctor said that shaking hands are a symptom of his liver condition. Jerry will go for some tests to determine what the problem is with his leg. The doctor thinks he may have nerve damage in that leg but he doesn't know why. Jerry continues to lose weight no matter how much he eats. When he weighed himself a couple days ago he was down to 138 pounds. Not much else has changed with his condition lately.
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Linda, I'm so glad to see some progress, especially with the disability (although that's still not quick enough), and even more so with the medical insurance. Now let us all pray that he gets his transplant sooner rather than later, and that all goes well. You two have been through more than your share of trouble.
I think about you two all the time, and I'm so glad you updated us. |
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crazywoman
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| Posted: Jan Tue 26, 2010 2:42 am Post subject: |
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Thanks for the update Anne. I've checked off and on, but there hadn't been a update. Obviously, I hadn't checked in a few days.
Linda, I too am happy about the insurance, and that things seem to be looking up somewhat in those areas. Tho May is still a long way off. Am sorry you will have to wait for so long.
You are both in my prayers!
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Billie
4'8" Started LC WOL Aug 2003
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crazywoman
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| Posted: Mar Mon 22, 2010 1:44 am Post subject: |
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I had been checking every few days to see if there were any new posts from Linda. There hadn't been any since the last ones that Anne posted. Things got hectic around my house this last month, and I hadn't checked in a while. (Been keeping them in my prayers, but hadn't checked her site.)
Thanks to CarolynF on LCF site, I found these posts tonight. Not good reports I'm afraid.
| Quote: | 3/1/10: Update on Jerry: I have a little bit of good news. Last week Jerry had an appointment with a neurologist to have an EMG test done on his leg. He'd been having some weakness in that leg and was dragging his foot when he walked. By the day of the appointment, the leg was pretty much back to normal so they canceled the test. However, the results of the blood work that was done the week before that appointment showed that Jerry's ammonia level is very high. This causes him to have a lot of mental confusion. Lately he's been saying and doing a lot of strange things and that explains why. I have to watch him all the time and he has strict orders not to use the stove or toaster oven if I'm not home. Jerry's sister and her husband were here for a visit the weekend of Valentine's Day and they gave Jerry a transport chair. It's like a wheelchair but much lighter so that I can lift it into the car when we go somewhere. I haven't had a chance to try it out yet but the other day I took Jerry shopping at Walmart and he had fun riding one of their electric scooters. Jerry also went to see the liver specialist last week and he wants him to have an MRI of his liver soon to see if anything has changed. Jerry said that he's not losing any more weight but it's obvious that he's not gaining weight either. He has no fat or muscle left to lose. The doctor stressed to him how important it is for him to eat several times a day but I'm not sure how well that has sunk in yet. That same doctor just prescribed something to lower the ammonia in his blood and Jerry can't eat for two hours before or after taking it. That really limits how much eating he can do during the day. I'm not sure how Jerry can get in the eight meals per day that the doctor recommends when he has to take that medicine three times a day. I'd also like to mention that Jerry has continued to receive donated sick days from the generous employees of Performance Bicycles for the past three or four months. We don't know yet when that will stop. We will find out this Friday if he will get another donated paycheck. I'd also like to thank everyone again who has donated money to this site. It touches my heart to know that so many people care about me and Jerry.
3/15/10: Update on Jerry: I'm getting pretty discouraged. It looks like I won't be able to look for a job after all. Jerry's condition has deteriorated to the point where he can't be home alone for more than a couple hours at a time. He also can no longer manage to take his meds on his own and can't prepare food for himself. I even have to cut his meat for him now. On top of everything else, the medicine that the doctor prescribed to get the ammonia level down is making it difficult for Jerry to get to the bathroom in time to prevent a mess. Lactulose is a laxative but it apparently works well for the ammonia problem in liver disease patients. The laxative side effect makes it necessary for Jerry to use Depends. I haven't seen much of a change in Jerry's mental confusion yet but hopefully taking the Lactulose will be worth putting up with the side effects. Things are very stressful for me so I could use your prayers. Seeing how quickly Jerry is going downhill makes me wonder if he'll even live long enough to get on Disability at the end of May let alone live another year or more to get a liver transplant. Once the Disability payments start in May, we'll at least have some income once his donated sick pay stops but it won't be nearly enough to pay the bills every month.
3/15/10: Another update on Jerry: Jerry is going downhill very quickly. When I took him his 5am meds this morning he sat right up in bed and took the glass to drink it. At 11am, he didn't know how to sit up and our son had to prop him up and then we had a hard time getting him to take the glass in his hand. It's a good thing that we got the Depends last night because he's lost bladder control today. I found that out when I took him to the bathroom a little while ago. He's also having difficulty walking today so we're using the transport chair to wheel him around the house. He's sitting at the table right now eating but it's a struggle to get him to keep at it. I have to keep reminding him to take a bite. I baked some oatmeal raisin cookies this morning (not low carb) and he did eat two of those and a piece of bacon. He's working on some sauerkraut right now. Hopefully having some food in his belly will bring him around a bit. He was really scaring me a little while ago when it seemed like he didn't know anything that was going on.
3/18/10: Update on Jerry: I just realized that I hadn't posted an update to let everyone know that Jerry is doing much better. I think that the Lactulose must have started to work by Tuesday morning. Either that or all of the prayers you've all been praying did the trick. Jerry actually got out of bed by himself in the middle of the night to tell me that he needed to use the bathroom. On Tuesday, he was feeling so much better that he walked a couple of "laps" around the house. His head had cleared so much that he was able to make some phone calls and later he shaved and cleaned himself up a bit. I'm surprised that he remembered anything that had happened on Monday but he told me that all day that day he'd been seeing psychedelic lights around everything. That must have been the ammonia affecting his brain.
Jerry is still very weak and he has fallen at least once or twice every day for the past few days. I don't know what I'll do if it happens when our son isn't home. Although Jerry is very thin, he's still quite heavy for me to lift and I'm not all that strong. Thank goodness that he can still walk most of the time or I don't know what I'd do. He seems stronger at times and then a short time later he'll barely be able to stand on his own. We're waiting for a call about having a walker delivered. Hopefully the walker will help Jerry be able to get up on his own and move more safely around the house. I wish that there was some way that I could get someone to watch Jerry once or twice a week so that I can get out of the house for a break. Our son works long hours and is rarely home long enough to do that for me. I did go to the grocery store this morning and had Jerry stay in his bed while I was gone with strict orders not to get up for any reason and everything went fine for the hour or so that I was gone.
3/19/10: Jerry did get another donated paycheck today from Performance but it was for only 64 hours instead of 80. I think that probably means this will be the last paycheck that he'll get until his Disability begins at the end of May.
Yesterday I took Jerry for some blood work and used the transport chair (which is a light kind of wheelchair) for the first time other than just around the house. I had no trouble lifting it into the backseat of the car.
We just found out something rather shocking. We found out that Jerry isn't actually on the liver transplant list yet. When he went for the evaluation back in November that was just to determine if he was sick enough to qualify for a transplant. We knew that but then they told us that we'd receive a certified letter letting us know whether or not he was placed on the list. We received that letter back in December but now it turns out that the letter was just to let us know that he will be placed on the list at a later date, not that he had been put on the list. No one ever told us that back in November. I spoke to the transplant coordinator but couldn't understand most of what she was telling me. Mainly what I got from our conversation was that they did get approval from Jerry's insurance company for a transplant (we knew that because we'd gotten a letter from Blue Cross a couple months ago) and that Jerry would have to have more testing done before actually being placed on the list. She said that she would call us once he is officially on the list but I have no idea when that will be or how much testing Jerry will have to have done before that. It's all very confusing because no one seems to be communicating with us or each other very well through this whole process. It's so frustrating to hear one thing from one person and something completely different from someone else. It's the same sort of run-around and misinformation that we got with Social Security about Jerry's Disability. All we can do is wait and see what really happens. Hopefully Jerry won't be too sick to get a transplant by the time they finish the process. His hepatologist did say a couple weeks ago when he saw him that they won't do a transplant on Jerry unless he gains a lot of weight. He's too weak in his current condition to survive such a major operation. I don't know what we can do to make Jerry gain weight when his body isn't making use of the food that he's eating. I do my best to try and get Jerry to eat as much as possible but I can't force him.
Later 3/19/10: Jerry was doing so well this morning. He got out of bed on his own and used the bathroom, etc. After lunch he wanted to go take a nap so he got up to walk to the bedroom. I just left the room for a second when I heard him yell as he was falling. He hit his face on the coffee table and landed on the floor. He has scrapes on his face and both arms. There was quite a bit of blood on his arms but there are no deep cuts or anything like that. I'm home alone and I tried to get him off the floor with no luck. Jerry managed to slide himself from the living room into the bedroom and I then somehow managed to pull him up and then roll him onto the bed on his stomach. Somehow I got him turned over and settled under the covers but now I don't know what I'm going to do anymore. I can't take care of him alone and he can't attempt to get out of bed anymore at least not when I'm alone with him. I called his doctor but he's out of town until Monday. The nurse will send him a message to call me when he gets back. I'm not really sure if we have any options at this point though. He's not really sick enough to stay in a hospital and our insurance doesn't cover a nursing home or anything like that. Having someone come in a couple times a week won't help me take care of Jerry the rest of the time when I'm here alone with him. Jerry is wearing Depends all the time now but I've never had to change one with him lying in bed before. I guess I'll have to figure that out when the time comes because I can't let him attempt to walk to the bathroom anymore. My mind is numb right now and I don't know what we're going to do at this point.
Even later 3/19/10: This afternoon Jerry called to me from the bedroom to ask me some really crazy questions. He asked if there should be a mechanism under him with some kind of swirling blades and later he asked if there used to be spots on the ceiling fan blades over his bed. He kept asking crazy things like this and it was apparent that he was hallucinating and having delusions. I tried calling the doctor's office but they were closed by that time. So, I called a relative who's a doctor and he said that I should get Jerry to the hospital. If he did have a head injury from hitting the coffee table he needed to be seen by a doctor. Since I couldn't get Jerry into the car by myself, I had to call 911 and have an ambulance come. My son and I sat with Jerry in ER for a few hours but it was getting late so we came home. The doctor had seen Jerry before we got there and they'd done a few tests but he never came in while we were there so I couldn't talk to him. They're admitting him sometime tonight but we haven't heard yet what was causing Jerry's confusion. The nurse did say that his potassium is very high and his sodium very low and those things can cause mental confusion. I guess we'll find out tomorrow what's up. I'm really tired and need to get some sleep now.
3/20/10: I called the hospital this morning to find out where they moved Jerry to and the nurse said that Jerry doesn't appear to have a head injury but they're trying to get his blood pressure up. He kept saying that they were trying to get Jerry to "have a blood pressure", so apparently it was really low. They will keep him in Medical Intensive Care at least one more night or until his blood pressure is stable and then they'll determine if he can go home or move to a regular room.
3/21/10: When I got to the hospital yesterday morning they had gotten Jerry's BP pretty much stabilized but they haven't been able to wean him off the BP meds yet. I spoke to the doctor yesterday morning and he said that Jerry's kidneys are starting to fail. I don't know how that will affect his chances of getting a liver transplant. At this point I think he may be too thin and too weak to still be a candidate for transplant. On Monday I will call his PCP and also the transplant coordinator to discuss what we should do next. I have a feeling that it might be time to make Jerry comfortable and arrange for Hospice care at home. Because this all happened over the weekend, I haven't been able to contact the doctors about Jerry's hospitalization. This morning they will be doing Paracentesis to remove excess fluid from Jerry's belly. Over the past few weeks it had been getting big again even though he doesn't seem to be retaining fluid in other parts of his body like he was last fall.
I want to thank everyone for your encouraging emails, donations and prayers for Jerry. I will answer them when I can but it might be a while before I have a chance to do so. Things are pretty hectic at the moment.
Later 3/21/10: The doctor who I spoke to today said that he and the rest of the staff are going to do whatever they can to help get Jerry on the transplant list ASAP. Jerry was a bit more alert today and a little more talkative. They let him have lunch today and he ate a some of his chicken, rice, carrots and all of his pudding.
It turns out that his setback on Friday was due to an infection either in his blood or the fluid that was filling his belly. They're still trying to determine where it came from and what kind of bug it is. For now he's on antibiotics but they have to be careful with those because they can cause his kidneys to get worse. He's still on the BP meds and they gave him albumen today but I'm not sure what that's for. He'll be in MICU at least through Monday and then they might send him to telemetry from there. If he does well then he will either go to a regular room, or a rehab place (I forget what the doctor called it) if Jerry's insurance will cover that. I will speak with the hospital case worker tomorrow about that as well as what to do when I bring Jerry home. |
Linda we love you, and prayers are still being lifted up for Jerry & for you!
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Billie
4'8" Started LC WOL Aug 2003
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My mind not only wanders, sometimes it leaves completely. |
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| Posted: Mar Mon 22, 2010 6:03 am Post subject: |
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Thanks for posting this Billie. I haven't been over to Linda's site in a few weeks, and hadn't seen any of this.
Linda, please know that you and Jerry are always in my thoughts and prayers. |
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LindaSue
Joined: 24 Mar 2005
Posts: 45
Location: Spring, Texas
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| Posted: Mar Mon 22, 2010 5:43 pm Post subject: |
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I just posted another update this afternoon:
3/22/10: A lot has happened today. They still haven't been able to get Jerry's blood pressure stable. The nurse said that whenever she'd try to take him off of the meds they're giving him, his BP would drop within five minutes to about 84. Once they had gotten his BP stable the case manager was going to work on having Jerry transferred to an LTAC hospital (Long Term Acute Care). She had also been in contact with the transplant coordinator this morning and had arranged to have Jerry's latest labs faxed to her. No sooner had the case manager gotten started on the LTAC arrangements when she got a call from the transplant coordinator who said that they want to have Jerry transferred to St. Luke's which is the transplant hospital. They want to be able to take over Jerry's care and be able to monitor his situation themselves. But wait, there's more. Jerry was officially placed on the transplant list today and his MELD score has jumped to 28. After the last evaluation in December his score was only 17. His score is now high enough to put him pretty high on the list. I think they told us last November that they start doing transplants on people with MELD scores of about 24-26 and higher.
So, it looks like things may start moving rather quickly now, but of course that depends on the availability of a liver and how many other people are higher on the list than Jerry. When I left the hospital this afternoon they were still working on getting approval from St. Luke's to transfer Jerry from Houston Northwest and then they have to get approval from Blue Cross. The case manager will call me as soon as she knows if everything has been approved. I don't know yet when they will transfer Jerry to St. Luke's if everything is approved.
I told Jerry what was going on but I'm not sure how well he comprehends it all. I asked him to repeat to me what they'd told us and he repeated most of it pretty accurately except that he thought the transplant hospital was called St. Thomas. It's hard to tell what Jerry is thinking because he doesn't say much and he doesn't seem to show much emotion. I think he's in a sort of dream-like state where fantasy, old memories and things that are happening right now are all mixed up together and confused. I think that he knows I'm there with him at the hospital but there is no conversation and very little communication. I basically watch him sleep and feed him when they bring his meals.
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| Posted: Mar Mon 22, 2010 6:06 pm Post subject: |
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Linda,
Let's just hope and pray that this turns out to be good news. I wish I were there with you to hold your hand and just give you a shoulder to lean on. But know that you have people you're not even aware of, who are with you and Jerry in spirit, if not in the flesh.
My prayers will continue for you both. |
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crazywoman
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| Posted: Mar Fri 26, 2010 12:08 am Post subject: |
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| Quote: | # 3/23/10: They transferred Jerry to St. Luke's sometime in the middle of the night last night. I got the call around 11:30 pm that they would do the transfer in about an hour. I don't know anything else other than that he's in Intensive Care.
# 3/24/10: My son and I got to the hospital a bit late last night because we had a heck of a time finding it. I don't really know much yet about what the doctors have planned for Jerry. The nurse on duty last night said he doesn't usually work on that floor so he didn't know much. He did say that they're planning to do another Paracentesis to remove fluid from his belly, today I think. They have Jerry off solid food again until they can get his blood pressure stable and they have him on Xifaxan to keep the ammonia level down. He's still on antibiotics for the infection in his blood.
St. Luke's isn't nearly as nice and modern as Houston Northwest. Jerry does have a private room but it's about half the size of his room at the other hospital. They do have three visitor chairs squeezed in there at least and he does have a TV.
# 3/25/10: UPS delivered Jerry's transplant pager this afternoon so I guess it's really official that he's on the list. I had to call the pager company because the thing didn't come with any instructions and I didn't know if it was activated. I didn't see the manual for that model on their site so they told me where to find it. Turns out that it is activated already but I'm not sure if I need to set the date and time in order for it to work properly. I need to call the transplant office and give them the pager number tomorrow. They'd already gone home for the day when tried calling them this evening. The woman at the pager company was really nice and actually said that she would pray for me and Jerry. |
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Billie
4'8" Started LC WOL Aug 2003
BBcode
My mind not only wanders, sometimes it leaves completely. |
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