It's been a long haul but am getting there. I think that the hardest part is even though within yourself you feel better and your mind is working overtime wanting to do everything, your body says you can't do things which I found quite hard
17 years ago I was diagnosed with AIH (Autoimmune hepatitis) it was controlled by medication until the need for transplant.
Late in June 2012 I got my first transplant but sadly that night the liver stopped working so was put on the super urgent transplant list, and a few days later I received my second transplant.
I experienced a few problems with rejection and had some problems as the medication didn't work but was doing ok until the end of July 2017. I mistook a pain, thinking I was having a heart attack, but no it was the main artery that was blocked. The pain was so bad and in the September my bilirubin was going up and up to the point where I was rushed to Edinburgh Royal infirmary. I needed another liver transplant.
I was put on drips and got tube fed until in November, on my youngest daughter’s birthday, they said that they had a liver. But sadly it was not to be as it was found to have a cancerous spot, the size of a pin head.
I think that the hardest part is even though within yourself you feel better and your mind is working overtime wanting to do everything, your body says you can't do things which I found quite hard .
My bilirubin was over 1000 so you can imagine the colour of me but in mid to late November I received my 3rd transplant. I had some internal bleeding so had to return to theatre the next day.
It's's been a long haul but am getting there. I think that the hardest part is even though within yourself you feel better and your mind is working overtime wanting to do everything, your body says you can't do things which I found quite hard. But I stayed positive, and with the lovely supportive family around me; husband Gary, son Dean and my 2 daughters Kelayne and Careen.
I thank them all so much so much but most of all to all my donors and their courageous families. I think about them quite a lot and wouldn't be here without their precious gifts of my new livers. Also thanks to the staff on ward 206 at Edinburgh Royal Infirmary - they are all super heroes to me!
