Brief: My Mom had the failed TIPS procedure only to find out it, along with the portal and hepatic veins, were 100% blocked with blood clots. They cleared those and added 3 more shunts. Mom spent a week in the hospital with the encephalopothy issue 1 week following the 2nd TIPS procedure and has been home for a solid 7 days! (Milestone for 2009)
Today was our follow-up with the doctor that has been treating her for 18 years and we finally got the MELD score. Sad to say it was rather disappointing. She is under 24hr care now, has HRS Type II, and the fluid has once again built back up on her lungs. Her mind is great but she is weak, can't breathe well, and very tired. Once we were done with all our questions and concerns he went to compute the MELD. Came back and said she was a 9. 
How is that possible? She is so sick but yet so low on the list. He said her INR was good which is what is bringing it down. That's all he said, really, when it came to the report of the MELD. He has requested new labs and will recompute from the new ones.
We were all rather disappointed with that news. I guess with the kidneys and the constant draining, even AFTER the 2nd Tips procedure, we thought for sure it would have been higher.
He talked about how there is a 50/50 chance now with the TIPS that the liver will go into complete failure or stay status quo. That now that the blood isn't being processed through the liver the natural human growth hormone that the liver received from the stomach (the liver) has lost any chance of regenerating itself the the small extent that it was. If that is the case why not give her HGH? I know there is contraversery but it makes sense to me....
It's just hard to accept a score of 9 when she is in such bad shape.
Margaret