San Antonio - Part I

Happy Girl

Well, we are back from San Antonio.  We went down Sunday afternoon and stayed with Stephanie's aunt and uncle in South Austin. On Monday morning we drove in to San Antonio where we met the Doctor and the Liver transplant coordinator and their staff.  This visit was basically an introduction of their program for us and a preliminary screening of Abigail for them.  There will be a full evaluation of Abby should she be accepted and get closer to needing a transplant down the road.  We went over her medical history, current health, and options for her future and scheduled a follow up visit.  The doctor was upfront but courteous when talking about the issues she/we are facing which we appreciated.  He told us that right now she looks good and that the bilirubin levels are showing that she is in-between 2 (what he would say was a good level with her surgery) and 6 (which would be an unsuccessful surgery).  Her levels have stayed around 3-4 so she is right there in the middle. Currently her total bilirubin level is 3.8 and she is 12 lbs 6 oz.

Meeting the doctor

After he answered all of our questions and gave us some advice we spoke with the Transplant Coordinator. She went over some of the specifics of being listed on their liver transplant list.  It will be panel of people that decide whether or not she (or anyone else) is a candidate for a transplant.  The surgeon, GI specialist, and a few others will be in on the decision.  When we were through in the doctors office we took Abigail across the way to the hospital for some tests.  This was where the day started to go south for Abby.

Getting my blood pressure taken

Still happy

Gray's Anatomy - Liver Transplant

The doctor ordered some blood tests, an Echo Cardiogram, and a Doppler/ Ultrasound of her liver.  They wanted to know A) is her heart in good shape for the foreseeable future, B) what is her current bilirubin and a few other levels, and C) what is the liver looking like and the vessels and things around it?  We waited for 45 minutes in the lab area and then were told we should go see Radiology.  We thought we wouldn't get all the tests done because it was getting late in the day. Abby got the Echo done with non-stop crying and then we headed down the hall to get the Doppler/ Ultrasound of her liver done.  More crying.  After those tests were complete we went back downstairs to the lab where she needed blood drawn.  Three needle sticks later and a lot more screaming and she was finally done.  We all were worn out after the drive back to Austin.

Passing time in the Waiting Room

I like standing up

Packing up all of our gear

So what next?  Well we heard from the Transplant Coordinator this afternoon and she verified that Abigail is stable enough to keep doing what we are doing.  They would like to see her in three months pending things go smoothly.  So she is now plugged in with the right people for a transplant which is great.  The next visit will be just a check up and blood work if she remains stable.  That will be our prayer.  So that was San Antonio Part I.  To be continued.