Thirty One and Counting

Just got back today (Thursday afternoon ) from UPMC and 4 days of tests and interviews. I am so grateful that I have been given access to the concept of transcendence and "you're not your body" and all that. Makes coping easier.

I had a couple of ultrasounds, one for the organs and another as part of a stress test from my heart. I seem to be in good condition with everything except my liver, naturally. No lesions or anything. Clear chest x ray, heart in great shape, blood work seems to be all good. Need to get scoped top and bottom at another appointment and once they have those results the transplant team will meet and make official decision to add me to the list but unofficially I am qualified.

They have a scoring system to determine where on the list. Scale of 0 - 40, one doc told me I was a 14 which is high enough to be put on the list but not as a priority case. Around 30 you get to the top of the list. Depending on blood type, they have different lists so not easy to predict wait times as they didn't have that result yet.

We personally met a guy from Kansas who needed a double transplant, lung and liver, and he ended up waiting 4 years and then another guy who had his liver only transplant in less than a week on the list. He did jump up because the person ahead of him wasn't able to make it to the hospital in time, and he must have entered the list with a high score.

Anyway, I have bruises on all my veins on the inside of the elbow from the seemingly endless need they had to take samples or to hook up for contrast dyes for various tests.

But all that is just an excuse. The real story is I took my wife for a 4 day stay at nice lodging in Pittsburgh, and on our 31st wedding anniversary we went to the Star of India which was a very nice restaurant with a great vegetarian menu.