My 6 month (post tattoo) wait is up and on the 8th April Julie from St James’ was in touch to confirm they still wanted to see me. So my appointment was booked for Friday 15th April and I’m currently awaiting results from my bloods to determine if we go to the next stage.
So on Friday I got the train from home into London and back out up to Leeds. I’ve never been to Leeds before and to be honest I only saw the station, the outside of the shopping center, some main roads and then the hospital. And then the same in reverse order.
My appointment was at 2pm at Bexley Wing but I arrived at 1.45 where Julie was already waiting at the reception of Surgical Outpatients. The name is a little daunting, but Julie was really welcoming and first up I had to pee in a jug. Yep, a 500ml jug. Not the standard little pot you get at the doctors. Luckily you don’t have to fill it
The Julie introduced me to Professor Peter Lodge (an Eminent Liver Surgeon). I should probably mention Julie is a Transplant Coordinator on the Live Donor Liver Transplant Programme at St James’. All three of us chatted through my initial questionnaire answers. The reason I came forward as a potential donor. The Risks. Next steps etc.
Risks are something I have done my research on but it can be a little daunting when you are sat there with a surgeon and the words are spoken out loud. As with all surgery there are risks. DVT, blood clots, death. Unfortunately the fatality rate is 1:200. **Touch Wood** there have been no fatalities at Leeds Hospital or in the UK. So this is a positive and Leeds have a strong track record. There is also on the flip side something calming about speaking to a surgeon. After all they are the ones who perform the operations.
We went on to discuss how everything would work. The operation is around 4 hours long and I would be in hospital for 5-7 days after. Because I live a fair distance from Leeds they have said they will also put me up in the hospital hotel for a few nights once I’m discharged just in case and that someone could come stay with me. The care of the donor is as much a priority as the care of the recipient.
There would then be follow ups post op too.
I feel like I’m jinxing the whole process by talking as if this is definitely going to happen. In the meeting we also discussed that only half of people who test to donate actually go on to donate. There are tests and hoops you have to get through to decide whether you are in fact able to donate.
During the consultation the Prof Peter Lodge also did a physical examination of my abdomen and listened to my lungs and heart through a stethoscope. I’m using a vape now as I can’t go cold turkey but had had a couple of cigs that week. We spoke about how on the ecigs you can go down in nicotine strengths which I am doing to eventually come off the vape completely. Smoking can cause a few issues during surgery as if can affect your breathing, and cause infections.
After the consultation I went down to have 9 tubes of blood taken. The tests included looking for viruses (including HIV) and DNA make up. I thought was quite cool to think they are looking at my DNA. I don’t know much about blood work ups so this could be a common test. I’ve had bloods taken a lot but don’t tend to question what they are. The guy who took my blood was really friendly and we spoke about his work. The most tubes for one patient he’d ever done in one go was 23. One of the girls also joined in and said the most she’d heard of was 30! We also got onto the topic of costs. There was one tube among mine which she had read costs £125! Make’s you realise the importance of the NHS. When people are poorly and need these tests the last thing you want to do is be paying all that to find out what is wrong.
Next steps, with my bloods coming back ok is to book in with the psychiatrist and have some scans done; MRI, CT, chest xray. These scans will allow them to see the condition of my liver and if I am able to donate. Something like my vessels going in the wrong direction could stop me. This morning Julie emailed to say they had had some of my bloods back and so far all good. So in the meantime they are going to start booking me in for the scans and to see the psychiatrist.
Because I am far away they are being really helpful and trying to arrange for them to happen on the same day to limit the number of trips up and down to Leeds I have to do. Another handy thing is that they run a reimbursement scheme for travel expenses. For my day return trip it cost me £78 and I’m not the richest of people to it’s great to know they have the scheme available to help me cover costs. There is also a hotel at the hospital which I will likely stay in when I’m next up since it will be a full day of tests.
It’s also important to note that at any time, a donor can change their mind and pull out. Just because you start going through the process and ticking all the right boxes, you are in no way obliged to continue. If at any point you decide you no longer want to go ahead they are understanding. It isn’t an easy decision to make. I thought about it for a year before contacting the hospital. And there are potential risks involved. From experience so far the staff are there to support and answer any questions on the way.
I’d also like to take the time to plug my friends donation page. Nat is running this sunday at the London Marathon and any donation you can make will be greatly appreciated. She’s worked so hard training and we are already so proud of her before she’s even run. She is running for PSC Support – a great charity who don’t get enough attention so please also take the time to read up here
Nat’s Virgin Money sponsorship page here
Thanks for reading!
GOOD LUCK NUTBUNS xxxxxxxxxxxxx
waitingtodonate 