To RuthieTx about liver transplants

Ruthie, I posted to you below, but it is so far down the page that I thought I'd post it up here too (so you'd be sure to see it.)  
Here it is again:



Hi Ruthie

I just got done writing a post to Kush at

http://www.medhelp.org/perl6/Gastro/messages/C34287-5.html

check that out.
It explains what we are watching out for (and what to do), while we wait for my husband's liver transplant.

Ruthie, when your husband sees the gastroenterologist, they are going to do some blood tests to determine your husband's CTP Score. ("Child Turcotte Pugh" Score)
If your husband's CTP score is 7 or above.....they will refer him for an evaluation for the liver transplant waiting list.

The evaluation is a series of medical tests (at the liver transplant center), to see if your husband would be able to undergo a transplant or not.

If he passes the evaluation, he'll be put on the liver transplant waiting list.

Once he is on the list....another scoring system is used. It's called a "MELD Score". (Model for End Stage Liver Disease Score).
Everyone on the waiting list is given a MELD Score.
When a donor liver becomes available....the person (on the waiting list) with the highest MELD Score gets the call to come in for their transplant.
(The sicker a person is...the higher their MELD score is.)

My husband got evaluated and accepted onto the liver transplant waiting list in Feb. 2001. (We are still waiting.)
If I can be of any help to you, feel free to email me.

***@****

[imkindly]

I've also got two homepages that you are welcome to visit (if you want):

http://groups.msn.com/CirrhosisSupportGroup
and
http://www.expage.com/cirrhosis