Current MELD

   The other day I woke up feeling pretty sick. It lingered all day long. Luckily they make nausea pills. It got me thinking about my transplant region and how my wife read that they normally don't start transplanting until you've reached a MELD of 28. That usually means you're probably sick enough to be in the hospital. 
   I am still a long ways off according to those figures. Right now there are only 3 people listed in the highest category and 9 in mine. I try not to think about this, but with transplant getting closer and my MELD rising, it is hard to put aside. Plus having these aches and pains are a constant reminder. I continue to get the shakes and I'm constantly tired. The encephalopathy is happening more often and I fear the worst. Losing my mind sucks. I'm beginning to wonder how much I got left in me. It is starting to show in my work.
   In any regard, just around the corner there's a rainbow in the sky. Hopefully I can maintain my current MELD of 22 or at least keep it rising.
   That is all.

I'm alive

   I experienced my first serious spell of encephalopathy this week. I'm pretty sure I managed to scare my youngest. I was incoherent and nothing I was saying was making any sense at all. I had to have Aly call Lois at work and she came home to babysit. We almost went to the E.R. but I drank some lactulose, ate some food and took a nap. Eventually I started feeling better. This was the second time I had a big scare like this. The first was back in the beginning when I was terrified of throwing up, thinking that my varices would start bleeding again. I've had a couple hard weeks this month. My health seems to be changing a lot. I am tired all the time and I hope that I can hang in there at work.
   I am thankful for the emails and the comments I've received lately. But I am not always up to the task of writing and getting back to everyone when they stop by. My sincere thanks to all my visitors

A Couple of Things

Today wasn't a very good day. I woke up a little before 6 am and spent all morning retching with dry heaves until I finally got sick. After 3 ½ hours of this I made my way back to bed exhausted and was extremely sore all over. I think I am clear of whatever it was. Lois seems to feel that it was the chicken we ate last night. I'm not very sure. It is hard to say what brought it on and whether or not it has to do with my health issues. I'm leaning toward the latter.

I was just thinking, I haven't been this sick in a long time. It is nice to think of it in this way. Despite all of my ailments, most of them have been minor considering the circumstance. I have not had to be rushed to the hospital in ambulance or had to be admitted to a hospital for any length of time. Looking back I would say that I've been very fortunate. My MELD score is still very low and I am still able to work. So I guess I got that going for me.

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This journal is a year old this month. I want to take a moment to say Thank You to everyone who has been kind enough to stop by and visit and to all those who have taken the time to become friends during the past year. Your friendship means a lot to me and I am grateful to have met all of you. Some of you have found your way here through my other blog and others through the transplant network. There are also many of you who have been writing to me through e-mails and offering your support. Most of you have already been through the transplant experience or have had a spouse that has gone through it. Your encouragement and kindness to reach out and share with me your own experience has been a true gift to me and I thank each and every one of you for this. There is no way for me to describe how this makes me feel. I appreciate your kindness and all the well wishes.