It's been a long while since I've posted an update, but now since we returned from his 3 month follow-up visit, it seems to be the right time.  When someone goes through a liver transplant at UC Health, the liver surgical team will follow his recovery for the initial three months: watching for complications, monitoring medication side effects, following blood markers to ensure continued acceptance of the organ, and ensuring complete physical recovery from the surgery.  The three month mark is typically the point at which the transplant patient is moved back to the care of the hepatology team.  This past week Ken had his three month follow-up with his hepatologist.  This is the same doctor who followed his health for the past several years, and was his advocate for transplant earlier this year.  It's great to return to her care, as she has been so invested in his health and gets to witness the remarkable difference in Ken's condition, being very familiar with how sick he was before transplant.  This team will now take over with the monitoring of Ken's blood draws and all symptoms as he continues to build his immune system back.  They were very pleased to see how well Ken is doing post-transplant.  She feels that Ken really was in the sweet spot for his transplant this summer, having demonstrated that he was sick enough to really need it, yet he was able to maintain his health enough to ensure a really good chance for a solid recovery.  This doctor and her team are comfortable with Ken moving to monthly blood draws, as things are so stable at this time.  If his levels ever fall out of the normal ranges, he will need to get labs drawn more often, but for now, this isn't the concern.  Levels falling outside of the normal range don't necessarily indicate a turn towards failing liver.  Instead, fluctuations are often due to sicknesses, especially if medications are needed to address the illness. They will monitor this closely and make adjustments as needed. 
We are aware that there is about a 1/3 chance that Ken's PSC will come back and attack this new liver.  That is another reason that he will have blood draws for the rest of his life.  We are actually quite grateful that the odds are in his favor that he will be permanently cured of PSC.  There are many patients that live a long, healthy life with their transplanted liver, and we hope that Ken falls into this category.
Ken's next follow-up is scheduled for December, and they are so comfortable with his recovery and current health that they will do this visit virtually.  So the next time we will need to make a trip to Denver will be in June 2024, at the 12 month mark! It's pretty amazing to realize that this Denver travel phase is pretty much wound down.  
Brent will also have a virtual visit in December, along with an in-person follow-up in June.  His recovery has been incredible as well.  From what we understand, Brent is living a completely back to normal life.  Him and Trista have remarked that although the stress of the surgery was intense, and the first few days following the operation were pretty miserable, overall it was a really special experience for their entire family.  Even though Brent felt pretty good shortly after returning home from the surgery, he had a lot of restrictions so he wouldn't develop complications.  As a result, him and Trista and their children experienced priceless time together as a family.  Time slowed down and they were able to cherish just being together.  It's really heartwarming to hear this from them.  It's comforting for Ken and I to know that their selfless acts of love brought so many blessings to them personally!
Ken's recovery has been remarkable.  In early August the two of us spent a few hours paddleboarding a 7 mile stretch of the Colorado River.  From there, he pretty much took off, testing activities and exercises and pushing himself within the limits of his pain threshold and physical capabilities. A year ago, Ken was so physically limited, feeling exhausted much of the time with minimal activity.  Now when Ken is exhausted, it's self-inflicted, and usually due to biking many miles of intense technical terrain in the mountains.  It's wonderful to witness this physical transformation.  
Ken's white blood cell count has been on the lower end for almost two months.  Initially Ken stayed away from all large gatherings because his risk of sickness and infection were so high.  Now in the past couple of weeks, his levels have climbed a bit, although they are still in the low range.  He is starting to come around to gatherings, being cautious if there is sickness, but also realizing that he needs to be a part of life outside of our home.  It's beyond wonderful to be at this stage! 
We are so grateful that both Brent and Ken are doing so well now.  It's hard to believe that the transplant was only a few months ago. As Ken and I drove from from Denver the other day and were able to see the beautiful fall colors in the mountain passes, we remarked how lucky we were that all of the worries about the transplant, the surgery and intense recovery in the hospital and weeks thereafter, the commutes to and from Denver, the follow-up visits, the labs and monitoring, and many more activities have brought us to this day, where we are blessed to have a healthy Ken and so much hope for an improved life.  So many countless prayers of thanks go to God for granting these blessings!  Thank you to all of you for carrying us in your love and prayers.  We couldn't have made it through without your support.  May you experience God's blessings for your kindness, compassion and love!