(((Vangellic)))

I am sorry to hear that you are going through this difficult time.  I have no personal experience with this.  I would imagine that you might find information through a reputable medical website.  It could offer the information you are seeking in generalities.  However, speaking to your husbands DR might be the best way to go.

I hope you can find time to focus on yourself and take care of yourself.  You will need to keep yourself sane through this ordeal.

Karen

((Honey)) I have some really bad and really important news to tell you, honey. So, prepare yourself.

Honey, as long as your alcholic is in active disease, no organ transplant organization anywhere will place him any where on their list.  At any given moment there are 92,000 people on the waiting list for organs and tissues; the organizations and insurance companies that match donors/recipients will not waste time with someone in active disease who will distroy a donor organ. The rules of the game are that if someone has lost their liver/kidneys/pancreas/whatever because of alcholism they need at least 12 months continuous sobriety--as asertained by having paper work signed by the chair of the meeting--, weekly/biweekly physicals and blood tests done by an institution that will actually perform the transplant if it takes place, and lots, and lots, and lots, of blood tests, scans, et cetera. Even if the person does get the organ transplant, the individual will need to be on immunosuppressant drugs for the rest of their life, will need to continue the blood tests for the rest of their life (one kidney recipient I know was notified after his most recent blood test that his donor kidneys had shut down; even with his long term sobriety and immuno suppresant drugs, his body was rejecting the organ); and this is assuming that they get out of the hospital without an infection (CDC says 42% of recipients will do so) or dying (40% of liver recipients will do so).

Secondly, we are not a medical organization. We do not give medical advice. Your doctor, your alcholic's doctor, or your pharmacist are liscensed to give such advice. We give experience/strength/hope about dealing and living with alcholism, it's affects, and recovering from it.  The absolute best thing you can do is get a list of Al Anon meetings in your area, get a sponsor, and start working the steps. You need to start taking care of yourself. Your alcholic is very, very ill. But you do not have to suffer his illness--physical or mental--with him. Al anon is for you.

Generally they have a screening process for the liver transplant to get on the list. I get the impression you have not been throught that yet.  At that screening they would able to offer you all the information you need about the waiting time, the process of transplantation and what it takes to go through one. 

There are organizations to support those who are going through the transplant process with others.  Generally a hospital has a group for them to support each other. There would be a social worker associated with that and even a psychiatrist to help you with your anxiety (which is understandable).

Transplants are done all the time by these hospitals, they know how to do it, when, who is a good candidate, who isn't and more.  Each hospital has a different version of sobriety, some of them want their people to go to AA, others just want them to sign a contract and be "sober".

Obviously no one can answer what your A is going to do next with his liver disease. After all we are not party to his liver levels, his condition and more.  I understand that end stage cirrhosis is very ugly. And you are right to be very very concerned.  It sounds like he is under good medical care with a state of the art hospital.  Some people have to go go to the hospital a lot with different issues, some don't.  There is no cookie cutter this is what happens next.  And I would also say that if someone told you that this and this is going to happen next they would be ill-informed after all they do not have access to your husband's records.  But be assured if you are in a program for the state of the art transplants, then they will know what to do if he does get sicker.  You can always go to the emergency room who have access to whoever is in the liver program on call.  You are not on your own with this.

I hope you manage to get in touch with the support groups associated with the liver transplant program. I am sure they will be offer you specific support, information and more.

A transplant is a treatment for liver disease. Hospitals do them all the time, the drugs are getting a lot better that they use (less side effects).  For some people the liver transplant is the "bottom" many alcoholics needed to start sobriety. For others it isn't. 

Your husband can actually access on line meetings at this site.  I am sure since he does not feel too well that it is hard for him to get out to meetings. He could utilize the support here and speak to other alcoholics in recovery.

Maresie.