I'm back!

Hello Dear Reader,
I am back. It is now around 3 years since I was diagnosed, and having had my ups and downs (plenty of ups mostly), its finally got to the time where I need the liver transplant. Last week I met with Dr. O'Grady who got me re-listed to the transplant register as of Friday 24th October.

This time round the waiting list is much, much shorter. I am blood type A-neg and there are only 15 of us A-typers on the waiting list for the London-and-south England region. For some reason A-type donors are dying a lot a the moment with suitable livers. Grim, but true.

So I have been told to keep my phone on night and day - the call could come literally at any time now, and almost certainly within the next 8-12 weeks. Its not a strict order of waiting list - they take each liver and try and match it for size with each person from number 1, so given I don't know the shapes and sizes of everyone else waiting then its hard to tell when it'll be. I'll write some more about the operation and my recent medical experiences soon but I have something to get off my chest first!

Today I had to go in to Kings College Hospital again for two pre-transplant tests. The first was a chest X-Ray for the surgeons to use to plan the op and check my size etc. I think. The second is an Arterial Blood Gas test which is like a normal blood test only they have to dig rather deeper to get to an artery instead of the nice easy surface veins.

That's the theory - and its supposed to hurt a bit. Well I'm now writing this with plasters and bandage all over both arms and with a great deal of aching after a f***ing horrific afternoon where the registrar took 6 goes and failed to get a sample. He did, delightfully, hit several nerves on the way, cause some internal brusing, swelling and bleeding, and have me in such extreme pain he drove me to tears, however. After his 6th go he said "It doesn't seem to be my day today, I'll ask my colleague to have a go". His colleague looked about 16 and had been watching curiously and was clearly being taught about how it worked.

Fortunately they gave me a 'break' where I phoned Charles (my brother) and he told me to just get out of there and do it another time. Good advice too, it was painful enough even just getting home with these aching arms. Sadly I *do* apparently have to have this test done pre-op, so I must go back in a day or two to subject myself to more torture. Stupid thing is that last time around it hardly hurt at all and it took one easy attempt.

So, the joy of it all is flooding back to me. Thank god (if atheists are allowed to do that) that it's half term holiday at least.