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Posted 5/24/2010 5:22 AM (GMT 0)

Hello  Everyone,  My name is Scott first of all let me say that i heard of this site from my mother who frequented this site while i was sick with Liver Disease.  She said this site really helped her understand alot of things that were going on with my illness.  I was sick for two years.  The first year i didn't know i was sick until the major signs and symptoms occured.  I turned yellow in the eyes and skin.  At one point my kidneys shut down because the Liver wouldnt work.  I had alot of people starring at me in public; one manager at Mcdonalds wouldnt serve me my food unless i assure her that i am no danger to the public around me.  So i took it as wow i must be looking terrible.  When i finished all my doctors appointments for the transplant work-up i was number 1 in the Detroit area with the highest MELD score and was on the transplant list.  I fortunately waited only a month until a match was found for me. I had my Liver Transplant on August 3rd, 2009.  I did have an episode of "broken heart syndrome" while in surgery that took alot of knowledge on how to treat it because it is rare.  Ten months later i am doing GREAT my blood tests have all been excellent since transplant and i am to start living life back to normal.  My whole family was there for me and they made me comply with doctors orders. Which i thank them now for.  Trust me its very hard being on a liquid restriction while you are so thirsty youd drink a gallon of water without thinking twice.  I actually became addicted to water and spent almost all my time complaining about being thirsty.  But in the end I stand here and i feel 100% healthy.  I am very proud of my family and my Transplant Team did a superb job.  I am still waiting to hear from the donors family and would like to know more about the person who gave me a second chance at life while he wasnt given an option on a second chance.  I would like to take time now and in the future to help anyone who needs help when it comes to liver disease and the process of transplantation.  I am a new man now and i love it.  Thank You all for listening.   

Posted 5/24/2010 7:21 AM (GMT 0)
What a wonderful post Michigan... so good to hear from you!!! thanks for sharing!! Sandi
Posted 5/24/2010 5:55 PM (GMT 0)

Hi, Michigan, and welcome to the forum.  We are always glad to have members who have been through transplant.  We don't have many of those.  Did your mom post here?  If so, do you know what her user name was/is?  I'm glad that we were of help to her.  It's great to know that you are doing so well.  Where did you have your transplant?

Wishing you continued good health,

Connie

Posted 5/24/2010 9:37 PM (GMT 0)
Hi again, i am 35 years old, My Liver was diseased from the inside out and looked fine by the outside in but my signs, symptoms and blood tests said otherwise that my Liver wasn't working. They called it a diseased Liver Probably worsened by alcohol, maybe my body had a allergic reaction to alcohol. I did Like to drink beer. That is the way i understood it. There was no cirrohis. I recieved my Transplant at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit Michigan on August 3rd 2009. Ten days later i went home. :)
Posted 5/25/2010 1:31 AM (GMT 0)
Scott, Thank you for posting it is great to hear of a good outcome. I am glad you got your second chance at life enjoy it!
Sue
Posted 5/25/2010 2:14 AM (GMT 0)

Hello Scott and a big welcome.   It's always good to hear a success story from the patient.  Thank you for joining us we can definitly use another transplantee to help educate everyone on the process.  David is our other one.  His posts have been very enlighting.  You two can compare war wounds so to speak.

Please give your mom a big hello from us.  Better yet tell her to come back and say hi. 

Your educating can start now if you don't mind.  Can you explain what  "broken heart syndrome"  is?   I've never heard of it. 

Take care.........thoughts and prayers... 

Posted 5/25/2010 4:51 AM (GMT 0)
yeah   yeah yeah tongue tongue tongue turn turn turn Oh... me likes HAPPY news!! keep on a posting... lighten the mood around here........................ thanks for stopping by and do it often and again!! Sandi
Posted 5/25/2010 8:04 AM (GMT 0)
Thank You everybody for listening. I was diagnosed with broken heart during transplant surgery and my Surgeon never had seen it before and he told my Fiance that he would hit the books and find out exactly what it is. At one point they wanted to do open heart surgery but found out how it is treated. I was sleeping at that time :) I did some research and the basics on broken heart is Stress cardiomyopathy, also referred to as the “broken heart syndrome,” is a condition in which intense emotional or physical stress can cause rapid and severe heart muscle weakness (cardiomyopathy). This condition can occur following a variety of emotional stressors such as grief (e.g. death of a loved one), fear, extreme anger, and surprise. It can also occur following numerous physical stressors to the body such as stroke, seizure, difficulty breathing (such as a flare of asthma or emphysema), or significant bleeding. I have met with David and we will compare battle scars. Thanks again. Scott.
Posted 5/25/2010 11:53 AM (GMT 0)
Hi Scott, I had emailed back to you and then read this. They didn't call it "broken heart syndrome," with me but it does sound similar to my situation. Right after transplant surgery, my liver didn't begin working. After 13 hours, acid built up in my blood and my heart became stressed. They gave me several doses of meds to combat the acidosis. Then they asked my medical proxy permission to reopen the incision to examine the transplant, because it was thought that a vein or artery might have been blocked by a blood clot. They reopened the incision, went back in and found no problem. They closed me back up and 5-6 hours later everything started working. When I woke up, 3 days later, the doctors kept coming (7 of them) in saying that "I'd really given them a scare." Having been under anesthesia for 36 hours, I didn't pick up on what they were talking about. The following day, I got it and asked the surgical resident what they meant and she informed me I'd almost died because my heart was so stressed. Whatever you want to call it, surgery to transplant a liver is huge. As one surgeon told me, replacing a kidney is basically "plumbing." Replacing a liver is far more difficult, due to the many (more) connections of veins and arteries. Your liver is the largest organ (besides skin) and contains nearly 20% of the blood in your body at any one time. **David**
Posted 5/26/2010 1:33 AM (GMT 0)
Hi, I'm Mom.......and so proud of Scott and how far he's come....its a gift of life for all that love him!!! And this forum is very helpful, i thank everyone for being here for me. I don't always sign in, but I do come back to visit.......bless you all!
Posted 5/26/2010 2:03 AM (GMT 0)

Thanks for posting, Deb!  So glad that Scott got his transplant and is doing well!  You are welcome anytime!

Hugs,

Connie

Posted 5/27/2010 4:24 AM (GMT 0)
Thank you for the explanation Scott.   So glad that both David and you got through it.  It sure must have been scary for your families.  

And hello Deb,  welcome back.   You must be over the moon that Scott is on the mend.

I can't imagine how I would get through something like that if it happened to one of my kids.   You are one strong lady.   And thank you for telling Scott about us.  Most members start living their lives again after transplant and don't have time to check in with us.   And we have so many members who have questions about the process and the transplant itself.   I am tickled Pink, that we now have 2 wonderful members willing to share their knowledge with our community.   

Take care.......thoughts and prayers..... 

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