Northwestern put us in touch with University of Wisconsin Hospital in Madison, and University of Indiana Hospital in Indianapolis, to see whether Linda might get a cadaver liver at one or the other of those centers before one would be available to her in Chicago. At this point, May 11, 2010, her MELD score was 19. Both the Chicago UNOS region and the Madison, Wisconsin region would require a MELD of 30 or higher for Linda to get a cadaver liver. On the other hand, Indiana University Hospital was providing cadaver liver transplants for patients with MELDs of 14 and above, and we were assured that the IU program could get Linda a matching cadaver liver within four to six weeks after she was listed there.
From this point forward, I have been sending frequent E-mails to family and friends describing Linda’s progress and situation. Rather than trying to summarize, my blog will set out each and every e-mail in detail, giving almost a day by day picture of what has happened to Linda since she left Northwestern Memorial.
May 16, 2010
For those of you who are awaiting news about Linda's liver transplant, here's the latest summary, stripped of most of the minute to minute drama of the last few days:
We were told on May 3 that Linda's surgery to transplant part of the liver from the live donor who was approved in late April would be performed May 18 at Northwestern. When Linda went to the transplant clinic on May 5 for her weekly paracentesis procedure, they kept her in the hospital because her sodium level was dangerously low. We were still in the hospital on the morning of May 11 when the head surgeon came in and told us that he would not perform a live donor transplant on Linda because of stenosis in her celiac artery, which is where they customarily hook up the vessels which supply blood to the transplanted liver.
Needless to say, we were gravely disappointed by that news. Now the only option Linda has left is a cadaver liver transplant, and her MELD score, the number which determines who is at the top of the transplant list in each region when a cadaver liver matching their blood type becomes available, is only 19, while people getting cadaver livers at hospitals in the Chicago area need to have MELD scores of 30 or higher. Consequently, late last night Linda was transferred to the University of Indiana Hospital in Indianapolis, where they are providing cadaver liver transplants to patients with MELD scores in the 16 to 18 range. Dr. Tector, head of the liver transplant program at University of Indiana Hospital, estimates he will have a cadaver liver for Linda sometime within the next 4 to 6 weeks, so we will be here in Indianapolis waiting for a cadaver liver for Linda until one becomes available. Obviously, the surgery will be scheduled only once we know an organ is available for her, so it will be done on very short notice, but I will keep you all posted by E-mail when that happens.
I will do my best to let everyone know what is going on in a timely manner.
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