Thanks for the tip I will pass it along to my brother.
Also,
Here is an update for all concerning our last trip to Seattle. Sorry it took so long, alot going on here. We spent 2 days from morning until evening at UWMC. My brother did 4 hours of a cardio stress test while my sister and I walked the grounds exploring marine and plant life, including a greenhouse of different climate plants (even a carnivorous one). My brother also completed pulmonary testing, more blood tests, a head ct scan, an abdominal ct scan and another EKG. I know he was not feeling to well when they filled him full of radioactive material in order to do some of the tests. The three of us then attended a 3 hour transplant class that gave us alot of information about the transplant and what to expect, as well as questions and answers. We then spent 2 hours with a nutritionist for before and after transplant, as well as an hour with a social worker coordinator. From what we are understanding it appears through a new reciprocal agreement between states it is possible that Medicaid insurance may pay for the Liver Transplant, medications, as well as housing and possibly transportation. They said right now Medicaid has been covering more than private insurances. There is a non profit place within 15 minutes of the hospital called, The Transplant House, they are apartments and the place is run by individuals who have undergone transplants themselves. They assign an "ambassador" to each apartment to help answer questions and to help when needed. In order to do the surgery it is Mandatory my brother have his caregiver(s) there with him. We have to show we have a plan set up to get him over there when "the call" comes in and he would be in the hospital a minimun of 5 days until he can eat, walk, and talk, and then is required to stay in the vicinity of the hospital ranging from 1 to 3 months. If all goes well closer to 1 month. They say 10% of patients make it through with no complications, 80% have some kind of complication such as internal bleeding, clogged biliary ducts, etc. and 10% can have major complications, such as full rejection of the liver. For the first 1 month he as to go in 2 to 3 times a week for checkups and blood work. He will be on about 15 meds the first 2 or 3 months then over time they have got them down to about 3 meds for the rest of his life. They are mainly antirejection meds that will greatly depress his immune system so he will need to stay his healthiest. So right now we are trying to make sure UWMC has all needed medical tests, my brother is still trying to get into a Medicaid Dentist for a dental exam, and we need to find out about the insurance coverage and have a transportation and caregiver plan in place. We are still waiting to find out if they have approved him for waiting list. UWMC is in region 6 of the transplant hospitals, their hospital covers Alaska, Hawaii, Montana, Idaho, Oregon and Washington. If a liver comes in they have no competition of other hospitals because they are the only hospital for that region. They have a very good survival rate also. They said if a person is on the higher priority on the list of needing a transplant depending on the advanced stage the average wait has been around 3 to 6 months. This is definitely a group effort and we have come a LONG way. Praise God! I hope this info helps others understand more and helps them prepare to make things more manageable. Blessings to each and every one of you. I'll keep you updated. Summer is here! YAAAYYYY!