12/19/2021
Randy went to see his hepatologist in Salt Lake this past Thursday, I was unable to attend so he flew down. He had CT scan done and it shows no lesions on his liver, he had two previously which is great news. People with cirrhosis usually end up with liver cancer. He has cyst on his pancreas from when he had pancreatitis that they continue to watch. He does not have a blood clot in his portal vein, thank goodness! They believe that is what caused his liver failure, we will never know, they can only speculate. He would drink pots of black coffee while at work, which is great for the liver. He had a biopsy of his liver in the past which came back okay but he did go septic the next morning and then a month later he was throwing up blood. Randy had a medical procedure done last month, not related to his liver disease, and during the procedure the doctor checked his varices in his esophagus and they are good, he won’t have to have that done again. Randy continues to do well.
Randy still needs to follow his diet, poultry and fish and no sugar. If he follows this, he should be able to live a long life….just as long a blood clot doesn’t form.
Randy and his daughter did ask about transplant. The doctor stated he is doing too well to start the process. Randy’s MELD score needs to be 24. The MELD score is based on how your liver is failing, it goes from 6 to 40. If someone is at a 40, they only have days to live. Randy’s MELD score is a 9 if I calculated it right.
Randy’s platelets are still low at 57,000. The only time that I have seen them in range is when he threw up the blood and last year after his TIPS procedure, Randy stated they gave him a platelet transfusion. His spleen is still eating up his platelets.
His MELD score is 9 but that doesn’t mean he can eat and drink whatever he wants. If he chooses to, he will feel it. Poultry and fish is the easiest on the liver, red meat and game meat takes longer to digest which makes the liver work harder. Sugar, especially High Fruitose Corn Syrup,  is terrible for the liver. If a person chooses to eat what they shouldn’t, that’s on them. If a person chooses to drink alcohol on a failed liver, that’s on them. Randy hasn’t had alcohol since New Years Eve of 2017. I’m in a group for Cirrhosis and people are asking if they can have one drink during the holidays🤦🏻♀️
Randy continues to do well and hopefully he continues to make the right choices to continue to do well.
Randy’s next appointment is not until June. When a person MELD score is higher, the appointments are closer together. At one point we were seeing his doc every 3 months when his MELD was over 16.
