@nancyraine I imagine this is harder to consider since you look/feel well, so the prospect of upending that is terrifying. In my case I was so ill, bright yellow, waterlogged, exhausted, scared to die, high MELD so there was no guesswork involved. I just had to do it. I am a widowed parent to a now 24-year-old, and it was easy to say, if anything I’m doing it for her. My transplant experience-the surgery, immediate aftermath, longer term recovery- has had many challenges but I have been so relieved to feel well again, today it feels like nothing ever happened! I marvel at simple things like my brisk morning walks, my ability to work and care for my patients again. I had a lot of confidence all would be well, despite entering the unknown.

If I were you I might consider two things- one is that I’d want to weigh the risks of not having a transplant- development of cancerous cells, the affects on other organs such as kidneys. Also, it’s possible you are so used to how you feel, you don’t know how much better a new organ would make you feel. Even though I knew I felt lousy, I absolutely did not appreciate how bad it was until I began to feel well. An example is my cognitive functioning- now that my mind is so clear, I see how certain tasks were hard to complete when I was sick- I didn’t previously have any insight into that.

I empathize with what you are facing— it is scary. But there is so much hope. All good things for you. Kate