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After Transplant
Story Number 1
Shruti Story
Hello friends! I am Shruti! I have suffered a liver problem and have undergone a liver transplant, and if you too are having a liver problem, DO NOT worry! I shall be delighted to share my experience with you so that you are prepared for the transplant. And believe me, I shall be very frank about the experiences and will not bore you to death!
I shall start with a small introduction of myself. As I said, I am Shruti and I am thirteen years old (yes, I am a teenager now!). I had my transplant at the age of four years! But even so, I am here, writing this book and sharing my experiences.
Unhappy Shruti
When I was around two years old, I used to have dark-yellow, in fact orange-ish, urine. I used to get very tired every day and this was very noticeable. I, as a small little girl, had been very playful, but gradually I became very dull.
I got dark-circles under my eyes and I used to grow very tired at even the smallest amount of activity. I was unable to attend school at the time because of the weakness. My parents were extremely worried about me. They took me to a doctor, and we found out that I was suffering from jaundice. This made my parents really upset.
I was very weak and eating was really tiresome for me; I got no taste of the food I ate and chewing, too, made me tired! And, if I finally managed to gulp down a plate of food, five to ten minutes later, I would vomit all the food out. So, to escape the vomit and weakness, I stopped eating.
Sometimes, I would get really high fever and would not sit up for hours on end. I would just lie down and groan and complain. At those times, my elder brother would put wet cloths on my forehead to cool down the fever.
You can guess how worried my parents and brother were, especially as the jaundice continued for two whole years!
Tour of Hospitals
My parents did a lot to make me recover. They took to me to lots of doctors. Each one suggested different medicines and I had to take all of them. Almost every two-three weeks my medicines would change.
A specialist doctor who looks after children with liver disease, said that I needed a liver transplant. This came as a huge shock to mom and dad. But they took it staunchly.
After long discussion and lot of internet search, my parents were convinced that liver transplant is the only option. It was decided that my mom would give me a part of her liver as her blood group matched mine. And thus, the actual story begins!
The Transplant
I cannot be sure of what exactly happened during the transplant but I can tell you of what did before and after the transplant. First of all, a doctor put an injection on the back of my right palm and a tap-like thing, plastered with pink tape was inserted there.
Then they put a clip-like thing on my finger to take my pulse rate and I could see my heartbeats moving in a line graph along the machine (heart and pulse have the same rates). After that, I guess they put the anaesthesia and I do not know what happened. So now I jump to my after-transplant experiences. I will narrate only incidents here.
I was very weak after the transplant and every day the nurses would help me to sit up and eat my meals.
The nurses in the ICU were really nice and sweet to me. I have to take several medicines to prevent my body rejecting the new liver.
A few days later I was given the permission to walk and everyday my nurses would help me walk a little around the ICU.
The End!
Friends, I guess all of you must have liked my experiences. I am sure any good hospital will surely make the pain much easier to bear. You will have to stay in the ICU for a week or two and in the hospital for maybe another month or two but I assure you, it won’t be full-time groaning!
You would need monthly blood test to check the function of liver and during first year. Most important after liver transplant is regular follow-up with the doctors and never forget to take your medicines or never try to stop your medicines.
I hope all of you now have the strength and courage to go for the transplant. After all, it is for your own health and happiness. So, don’t be afraid! And take care!
Story Number 2
Naughty Raju learns his lesson
“Nooooooooo…..” shouted Raju, popularly known as “naughty Raju” among his friends. Raju is 9 years old and quite mischievous in school. He will climb trees and jump, tie the shoe laces together of his friends and make them fall down, eat food from friend’s boxes and so he was popularly known as “naughty Raju”
“Please Raju, you have to take this medicine” pleaded mum. Raju started running around the sofa and said “Why should I take this medicine? I am perfectly normal”. Mum leaned forward from front of sofa and got hold of Raju’s hand who was standing behind the sofa. Mum sat on the sofa and made Raju to sit next to her. Mum put her arm around Raju’s shoulder and said “ You have to take this medicine daily because you are a very special person”. “Special person!!” exclaimed Raju. “Yes, you are taking care of a precious gift papa has given you, that makes u very special” Said mum. “Is it spotty our dog, or the gold fish dad gifted me for my birthday’’ asked Raju with a confused face. “ Not really, I will tell you something, that you might not remember, “said mum.
When you are two years old, your eyes became yellow. When our doctor uncle checked your blood, he found that you had jaundice. Over next few days you became tired and weak. Our doctor uncle reassured that you would get better in few days, but your jaundice worsened and we were extremely worried about you. You would vomit all the food out and to avoid vomiting you stopped eating. Again we went to our doctor uncle and after examining you he was worried as well and suggested to do further blood test and scans. The report showed your jaundice was getting worse and so he suggested meeting a special doctor. Papa, granddad and myself took you in a train to a special doctor in different city.
The doctor did some special tests and said that you have liver problem and need liver transplantation. We were shocked but requested the doctor that we need few days to decide. Over next few days, you became very weak and could not open your eyes and had high fever and so we have to admit you to the hospital. After having discussion among ourselves and looking at Internet we decided to go for liver transplant. We meet lot of families in the hospital who had liver transplantation and talking to them gave us clear idea that life after transplantation would be normal. Because dad had same blood group, he donated a part of his liver to you, as your liver was not working properly.
With in 24 hrs of surgery you woke up and started to ask for food. But due to surgery the doctors told not to feed for 4 days. You were in intensive care and the nurses would make you sit and would play with you. Though papa had surgery he was eager to see you and came to see you on second day. Your grandma and myself would sit next to you in ICU and would play with you when you are awake. After four days you were sent to ward and then you were sent home after two weeks. Within two weeks you were back to normal, but you did not like the blood test which had to be done during follow up clinic. I used to mix the medicines in honey and give you and you liked them. But now you have become so naughty and I have to run behind you to give the medicines. If you do not take the medicines, the precious gift dad has given you might get damaged you will get unwell again.
There was a bit of silence, Raju was quiet and looked at the scar in his tummy and knew he has a precious gift dad has given and he has to take care of it by taking the medicines regularly.
“Ding-dong “, it was the calling bell, it was his dad back from work. Raju ran to the door to open, mum looked at Raju with a smile and she knew that “Raju has learnt his lesson” and he will not be fussy to take his medication regularly.