Transplant Day Part 4

The transplant night was interesting. I finally got nervous after really seeing Lydia after she had some troubles. She was released with a big clear patch over her new liver. Everything was good except that the liver was too big. They can't cut it down to size because it causes more problems. They said that it is swollen because of the procedure and that it will shrink in the next few days. They have to leave the skin open with the protective clear plastic bandage on it while the liver shrinks.

The liver was leaking fluids and a little blood. This was causing pressure on the plastic bandage. They figured that they would need to go into surgery in the morning to relieve the pressure and wash out the gunk. They said that this was a common thing. There seemed to be too much fluid and the surgeon said he might have to come back earlier. A half hour after I went to bed. They came in and woke me to get my consent to go back into surgery to fix the leaking. I went to bed again and was woke up thirty minutes later to give my consent for anesthesia. Lydia wasn't doing as good then. Her heart rate was up and they were trying to do anything they could to get her comfortable. That was very real and hard to watch. That was probably the hardest thing for me during the day. I felt a real comfort about everything else but it is hard when it was visual and in the heat of the moment.

They got her under control and I walked with them as they took her to surgery. This was at 1 am. I knew it was just better I went to sleep than to just lay there awake. The surgeon woke me up at 3 am to tell me he was done.

They sowed the wound back up but not the muscle underneath so that there was enough room for the liver to shrink. They will have to open her back up again and get the muscles back into place then sow her back up some time in a few days.

I am trying to get pictures up but I am having some difficulties. Sorry it took so long to get this info up. The red color is the new liver behind the plastic bandage that is sewn on to the edges of the skin.