Hello Family & Friends!
I know it has been a while since my last post about Matt. I apologize for the wait. So, here goes (I pray I can remember everything). The last day of Matt's 3-day testing, he had two pretty easy tests, compared to the two days before. The same day, we met with Matt's Pre-Transplant Coordinator. She went over his vaccines and informed him that he will have to be vaccinated for Hep B and will have to receive an annual Covid vaccine with his Flu shot. He also needed to start taking vitamin D. She said she would be calling us after the transplant committee met, the following Thursday. After meeting with her, we met with an incredibly kind, soft-spoken and caring social worker. It was wonderful having both Isaac and Megan there. We learned quite a bit from her. One thing she told us that we didn't know is that we are required to have at least $5000 in savings for Matt to be added to the waiting list. We have to provide proof of it. We can do it with fundraising or by selling things. Hence, our trailer and a few llamas, Megan and I had hoped to keep, being for sale. She suggested an organization called Help Hope Love. I am waiting to hear back from them. Some of you have asked about donating. I will let you know as soon as I know more. Matt received the call at the beginning of the week, following the committee meeting. He was told that he had a few things to have checked out, but he has not been excluded. This was a step in the right direction. She said that Matt tested positive for Tuberculosis and would have to meet with an Infectious Disease doctor. He would have to meet with a Cardiologist and wear a heart monitor for 10 days. This is because Matt passed out on the treadmill at Pulmonary Rehab. The Cardiologist who did his Cardiac Catheterization said that everything looked great, he saw nothing that concerned him and that he was saying Yes to transplant. (Yay!) The Endoscope test showed that Matt has a slow esophagus and that if transplanted, he may have to have a feeding tube for recovery. The doctors won't know for sure until he is in surgery. On his full body scan, Matt had possible signs of cirrhosis of the liver. We said he rarely drank alcohol. Unbeknownst to us, there is a cirrhosis Wawa that is not alcohol related. He would need an ultrasound to confirm or dismiss the possibility. If he has it, he can be put on medication. There is also a need to continue losing weight. We are working on that. He has already lost 83 lbs., but he has another 60 lbs. to lose. He is taking it seriously. Matt and I met with the Cardiologist and the Infectious Disease doctor this past Monday. We really liked them both a lot. The heart doctor believes, like we do, that Matt's passing out was due to asphyxiation, not a heart issue. He had a heart monitor put on Matt for the 10 days that the transplant doctors requested. He is wearing it as I am typing this. It is adhered to his newly shaven chest. The Infectious Disease doctor is a silly woman. She actually chose to move up here because she missed the snow she experienced growing up in Pennsylvania. She had been living in Nashville, TN. Indiana certainly welcomed her with a good amount of snowfall. We informed her that she was crazy and that we would have loved to trade places with her. LOL! She said that Matt could have contracted TB as a child or during his time in Marine Corps boot camp, in 29 Palms, CA, or schooling, in Camp Lejeune, NC and that it has been and still is dormant. Matt is not contagious in any way. To prevent it from "rearing its ugly head," he would be started on medication just before or just after transplant. He will go ahead and have bloodwork done to make sure it is not another issue that can cause a false positive. Matt has his liver ultrasound this coming Friday. The Pre-Transplant Coordinator also informed us that the committee is now requiring that we have $8,000 in savings before they will add us to the list. This is because I am self-employed and plan on not working during Matt's recovery. This basically means that if Matt ends up being cleared medically, it could be money keeping him from a transplant. So...does anyone need a trailer or any llamas? Thank you all for your continued love, support and prayers. This would all be so much harder if it were not for every one of you. We can never have too many prayers. I will continue to keep you all updated. I will do my best to do it sooner next time. Take care of yourselves and God Bless you all.
Matt & Erin
