Update

I haven't been feeling very well these past few weeks. Lois finally convinced me to call the transplant center and see if I could get my February appointment moved up to an earlier date, but the best they could do was to get me in four days sooner. Not a lot of help. Anyway, my coordinator is going to try to get me in sooner if an appointment cancels.
I am kind of nervous; she mentioned the possibility of doing a Paracentesis procedure. I am not wild about the idea of having a long thin needle stuck into my stomach so that they can drain fluid from me, but the good thing about this procedure is that they can tell if there is an infection. They can also check for liver cancer -- not uncommon with advanced hep cirrhosis -- and remove enough fluid that could be causing some of my breathing and stomach problems. I guess if it takes away my stomach problems then it would be worth it. I will have to wait and see, though.
In the meantime, they are going to schedule another CT scan and look for anything abnormal. If it looks as though I need to have a paracentesis then they will do one I suppose.
I am also curious about my last endoscopy. While the bleeding has stopped in my esophagus, it did show that the varices had moved into my stomach. I don't see this being my immediate problem. I'm pretty sure that if I were bleeding then I would know it. But maybe the stomach varices could be part of what's causing me so much pain? I'll have to ask the doctor about this.
Other than having all these stomach aches, I am doing pretty good. The nausea pills don't seem to be doing anything at all to help, so maybe it is just ascites. Trying to explain this over the phone to my coordinator was kind of hard because I have yet to meet her since my last transplant coordinator left the clinic. She doesn't really know anything about me except for what she's read in my file. It has also been a while since I've seen one of the doctors. I would imagine it is also kind of difficult for them to physically place me, seeing how they probably don't remember me very well. I have only been seen by the surgeons twice in the last year and a half.
I hope that my next visit helps determine some of what is happening to me. As my wife pointed out to me, they supposedly can fix just about anything with the right medications. And this is my worry, I am already taking 18 - 20 pills a day. I worry a lot about my kidneys.
I am hoping for a good year. There is a good chance that I'll get my transplant this year. This is hard for me to wrap my head around sometimes.
Well, the transplant clinic just called and there is an opening on Friday to meet with the doctor. I was also scheduled for a CT scan in the morning. Weehaw! I guess I'll no more on Friday.
Be back soon.