Another stay at CPMC

Remind me never to brag about my numbers again...I totally jinxed myself! Although my liver numbers were good , I ended up in the hospital this week. I was battling a fever all last week which the nurse thought was a side effect of my neupogen shot but on Saturday it reached 101.9 which meant a hospital admission for me. We drove down to SF Saturday morning after an amazing fast packing job... Joe and I are really getting good at packing for hospitals. I checked into the ER and they got me in a room within 2 minutes. Liver transplant plus fever = VIP treatment.

They took blood and tested me for strep and the flu. The flu test was not enjoyable, they stuck a swab up my nose that I swear touched my brain. My blood test revealed that I had a super low white blood count. Bad thing about a low WBC was I could die from an infection but the great thing is it scored me my own room. They started me on 4 different IV antibiotics and kept me for 3 nights until my count started to increase. Most likely the low WBC is a side effect of my anti rejection medicine so they are adjusting them again. I am home now but restricted to my bubble (my house) since the risk of infection is still high. I can't eat fresh fruits or vegetables so been surviving on flaming hot cheetos, sour patch kids and lemonade.

Overall, the hospital stay wasn't that bad. Yes, it sucked but I have learned it's better for
the safety of my liver and my health to be there rather than at home worrying. I got to see all my nurses and even met my new favorite nurse, Frank!

A HUGE shout out to Jenny for watching Sammy the dog. You have no idea how much I appreciate all you have done for me and Sammy. Also, thank you Joe and my parents for staying with me and keeping me entertained and for the visits by Tony and Jenn!


Thanks for the texts and FB messages, it helps get me through the day!

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

The Good:

• I am still alive!!
• My liver counts are perfect!! I had a clinic visit today and my transplant Doctor said that my counts are the same as a healthy person without a transplant. I was so excited that I started clapping. I'm sure they will be elevated next week since I am bragging but I am savoring the good news. I celebrated with a Root Beer... it was delicious.
• I only have to do labs once a week. My arm is so excited.
• I am driving! I can't drive the 4runner yet but I am cruising around town in my Camry. I can see why they had me wait 2 months... you really use your abs to drive. 
• I have lost a lot of weight and my drivers license is no longer lying. I actually got in trouble today at clinic for losing so much weight so they removed the low sodium and low fat diet restrictions. I have never had a Dr tell me to gain weight so I plan to pig out on junk food. 
• I fully love my 2 hours a day watching 90210 on the Soap Chanel. Donna sure dresses crazy and Valerie is so evil. Love all the drama.
• My dog Sammy cuddles with me daily. I have realized how lazy he is and he brings joy to me everyday.
• Nicole and Tony welcomed their son, Dylan into the world. This validated that although my life has changed, I am so happy to be alive to experience that special moment. It was pure bliss holding him in my arms.

The Bad:

• My white blood count is low so I had to start injections of neupogen. I gave myself my first shot today and it sucked. I thought it would be easy but it actually freaked me out. Guess I will never become a nurse. The low white blood count is caused by my anti-rejection drugs. If it continues to decrease, I have to be on lock down in my house since my risk of infection is very high. Oh, and the medicine is made from Ecoli.... WTF??? They don't want me to get sick yet they inject Ecoli in me?? 
• I still get tired very easily. I miss my high energy old self. Naps and I get along very well. 

The Ugly:

• Last week my Potassium levels were high so I had to drink the nastiest medicine EVER. My transplant nurse warned me to stay near a toilet but OMG I had no idea how bad it would be. I will spare you the details but I lost 5 pounds in one day. I have never felt worse post transplant. I was hours away from having to get an IV since I got so dehydrated.

Happy to say the good outweighs the bad this week. I couldn't do it without everyone's love and support. The monthly pedicures and massages are also helping : )

Happy 2 month Liverversary!

They say wisdom comes with age and since its been two months, my liver is getting smarter each day. I can't believe it's been two months since my liver transplant. Some days it feels like yesterday and other days it feels like it was years ago. Within the last week, I have come to the realization that I have accomplished so much within the last two months and I need to celebrate those accomplishments rather than focus on things that I can't do. I need to remember that my body was very close to shutting down and although my numbers haven't been perfect they are getting better and it's only been two months. The perfectionist in me has been humbled!

Oh boy....Emotions Emotions Emotions!

My emotions have been all over the place this last week. I have been happy, sad, fearful, anxious, optimistic and depressed all in one day. I think the "HIGH" of being alive has worn off and I am really feeling my emotions. The Doctors warned me that this may happen as they wean me off my steroids and boy, they were right. Luckily, the Charlie Sheen drama is helping me since I am not as crazy as he is so that makes me feel better. I also found that I need to get out of the house everyday since sitting at home makes me feel like a transplant patient. I get to start driving on Tuesday so that should help.

I had a clinic visit on Monday in San Fransisco. I was excited to go to support group and see my transplant nurse. My counts are back up a little so lets hope this week is a good liver count week so I can reduce my weekly blood draws to once a week. The labs in Roseville are not as good as SF and my poor arms would like a break!!

Hope everyone has a great week. I get to go to Bunco on Thursday...highlight of the week! I sure have missed Bunco and can't wait to see everyone.