Moving Forward

We are finally moving forward. We got word today that the insurance company has agreed to pay for the transplant surgeon to remove Jared's gall bladder, that is good news. Also the ascites has gotten bad enough that they are going to schedule a paracentesis and drain the fluid. That is really good news because it has been making him miserable. So with the gall bladder and the ascities taken care of he should feel much better. It is looking like both procedures will take place within the next couple of weeks. I will post when we know dates. Along with all that we are moving forward with the transplant work up so he can finally get listed. There are several tests that have to be completed like lots of labs, chest x-ray, echo-cardiogram, to name a few. These tests will hopefully be completed in the next couple of weeks as well. So It looks like we will be spending a fair amount of time at the hospital in the coming weeks. So excited :)

Update- the paracentesis is scheduled for tomorrow, 2/10/2012

UPDATE: Jared will not be having his gallbladder removed before the transplant. The risks are too high, and being that he doesn't have gall stones they have decided it is best not to put him through a surgery and complicate things.

More Cookbooks!!

We received the second round of cookbooks and they are available for sale. We got the first shipment at the beginning of December and we sold out in just a few weeks. It was awesome, we had no idea we would be able to sell them so quickly. Everyone was so supportive. We have a new flier as well as we got a donation account set up so people could donate if the wish. For anyone that would like to make a donation they can do so at any Mountain America Credit Union to the "Jared Maynes Transplant Fund".

Now the Gall Bladder???

Looks like Jared may be having gall bladder surgery too. He would loose his gall bladder in the transplant surgery anyway, however it is causing him a lot of pain, so they are looking to remove it now. The risks are high especially because his platelets are low so his blood will not clot as it should. We are dealing with the insurance company because they don't want to pay the transplant surgeon to do a gall bladder removal, but we saw a trauma surgeon and he said he would not touch it because the risks are too high with him being a transplant candidate. He recommends a transplant surgeon do it. SO the transplant team and trauma surgeons are going to bat with the insurance company to try to get the procedure covered with the right surgeon. It has been an ordeal but hopefully they will be able to work it out soon so we can get it done and he can feel better while waiting for the transplant.

Seeing the signs

The signs of liver disease are surfacing. Ascites is really beginning to bother him. He is really uncomfortable and the leg cramps continue. Something new is the sores showing up on different areas of his skin. It resembles eczema and is itchy and irritating. We thought he may have esophageal varices but the ER DR. said differently so we will see I guess.

15 MELD

After a pointless five hour visit to the ER last week we got labs done and found out Jared's MELD has reached 15! The magic number when they officially put your name on the transplant list. Well it is not that simple, they will discus Jared's progression in the transplant team meeting that they have every Thursday. I hope to be hearing from them soon....

So, What is this MELD score?
Model for End Stage Liver Disease
-Predictor of mortality while waiting for a transplant
-The MELD score is calculated by a formula that uses 3 routine lab results
     1.Bilirubin, measure how effectively the liver excretes bile.
     2. INR-Prothrombin time, which measures the livers ability to make blood clotting factors
     3. Creatinine, which measures kidney function. Impaired kidney function is often associated                                with severe liver disease.
MELD scores range from 6-40, 40 being the most ill. MELD scores can change on a daily basis or they may remain stable for long periods of time.

To be placed on the transplant list for a liver one must have a MELD score of at least 15. In August of 2011, when we found out Jared would need a transplant his MELD was 10. In late November 2011 he was tested again and at that time he was at 14. On January 25, 2012 Jared's MELD score has reached 15!