Welcome to our CaringBridge website. We are using it to keep family and friends updated in one place. We appreciate your support and words of hope and encouragement. Thank you for visiting.
Patty was diagnosed with cirrhosis of the liver in December of 2016. At the time her MELD score was staying steady at an 8. MELD score is what they use to determine a person's liver function. A normal MELD score is about 3-4. Over the next few years, her lab results got a little worse. She started experiencing more and more symptoms of Liver Disease: tremors, cramps, swollen abdomen, rising blood ammonia levels, nausea among others.
In January of 2020, she was hospitalized for what the doctor's said was pancreatitis due to the advancement of the liver disease. At this moment, she was working with her doctor's to get prepared for when the time came to put her on the liver transplant list. Her MELD score went from a 15 to 21 in just a few short months. We had met with the liver transplant center PA and Doctor with Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte and they had agreed that she was a good candidate for transplant. She would soon begin the transplant evaluation process in Charlotte.
On Tuesday, March 17, 2020 after falling several times the weekend before, she was admitted to the hospital for severe dehydration and other complications from her liver disease. When she went into the hospital, her MELD score was a 32. Her kidneys were starting to fail her and her blood pressure was dangerously low. After a week of meds and fluids, her labs were starting to look more stable and her MELD score had gone down to 19. As soon as they had her somewhat stable, the numbers started to climb again. She is now on oxygen (her oxygen saturation had dropped to 85). Her kidneys aren't functioning properly again and she has been diagnosed with Hepatorenal Syndrome (HRS). Her MELD score is now a 28. With all of these complications, she will need a liver transplant as soon as possible.
Mom is being moved out of ICU today which is wonderful news!! 🙌🏻🙌🏻 We still aren’t able to see her because of the hospital restrictions but hopefully she will be home in about a week.
She is still a little disoriented from all the medications and just the trauma of what her body has been through. She is continuing to improve and the new liver is doing great. Dad even said that she is regaining her color back and isn’t so “yellow”.
Patients and caregivers love hearing from you; add a comment to show your support.
Help Patty Stay Connected to Family and Friends
A $25 donation to CaringBridge powers a site like Patty's for two weeks. Will you make a gift to help ensure that this site stays online for them and for you?
