@benlam11 You remind me of myself. I think I am doing great and then I remember all the things that are wrong with me! Fortunately, they do not impact my life much though, so that's a plus.

Every surgery has risks, but when you weigh that against what you are gaining, I believe it is worth it. I actually didn't make the decision that I would have a transplant until things got very bad about 6 weeks prior to getting "the call". At that point I was more than ready. I had told my PCP that I wasn't sure I wanted to have a transplant and he was very understanding of that. I keep meaning to tell him, that he should not discourage any patients in the future who are undecided.

If you A1c is up and your weight also, is it possible that your cirrhosis was caused by fatty liver? That was the cause of my cirrhosis.

I had an amazing recovery. I believe it was helped greatly by getting in better shape prior to my transplant, and losing weight bringing my BMI down from somewhere in the "obese" range (over 30) to just slightly overweight (26). BMI is a general indicator and not an absolute. I am fine with that BMI.

I was in the hospital for 6 days, during which I did experience some pain. By the time I went home, I would not say I had pain, I would label it more as discomfort at times. My incision was never uncomfortable. I have a lot of energy but I do get tired. That is probably due to factors other than the transplant. I exercise every day, generally 3 days of water exercise for about 1.5 hours, 3 days in the gym for about an hour, and one day at home on my recumbent bike, plus PT exercises for bursitis and core. Also, I have trouble sleeping due to other factors so that contributes to my fatigue. If your condition worsens you will find the decision on whether or not to have a transplant will be obvious. I am sure others on here who are post-transplant will also step forward and tell their own success stories.

My local doctors also did not diagnose me, in my case for almost a year and a half! It took the neurologist to suggest that it sounded like my problem was my liver. I was sent to him because of the HE episodes, they were thought to be neurological. I now know if I have anything complex I will head straight to Boston. I also now know that with the symptoms I had, a diagnosis should have been easy.

I'm glad that you are now going to a highly regarded medical center. I found that going to Mass General was such an enormous step-up from the care in my area in southern NH. As you indicate, it makes a huge difference. I am fortunate that Boston is only about 55 miles down the highway.

You mention your kidneys are also a problem. Will you need a kidney transplant also? @rosemarya had both at the same time at Mayo in MN 10 years ago and is doing great.
JK

@benlam11, I am happy that you are finding answers as you undergo the medical workups in Phoenix. I just completed a thorough work-up for my annual checkup at Rochester Mayo.
You have lots of good questions! My energy was depleted prior to transplant, I felt so good after surgery that I enjoyed every improvement. My transplant was in April, and in October I was approved to do some hiking in the Great Smoky Mountains. That has been an annual event for me and my husband for many years, so we took a less rugged trail and shortened the distance for those hikes.
My pain was well controlled in hospital via a pump where I could administer a metered dose as needed, I did not use many of the pain meds that I was prescribed upon release, but preferred tylenol. I did experience some discomfort that I later learned were adhesions at the surgery site, they went away as I continued gentle exercise. Med changes for me (after the initial meds) were mostly dosage adjustments that are monitored very closely thru labs. My experience at Mayo is that you just have to 'show up' for surgery, and they will lead you thru every step of the recovery and the sending home and maintenance.
I would like to share the information that the transplant staff have assembled because I think it will put your mind at some ease-

Transplant 101: Preparing for Your Journey
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/webinar/transplant-101-preparing-for-your-journey/
Have you seen the Connect Transplant Pages? You will find many interesting articles presented by the Transplant staff.
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/page/transplant/
I send you my thoughts as you continue your journey.

@benlam11, I want to drop by and check on you.
You posted this while I was off-line for my annual evaluation for my liver and kidney transplant. After my transplant, my energy came back. I was extremely blessed because both organs began to work immediately. For me it felt as is someone had flipped a switch inside my body. I was weak, and it did take some time for my muscle mass and endurance to catch up. For me the pain was easily managed by pain medications for the first couple weeks. I was a walker and hiker before all of this occurred, and I was able to get back in shape to go hiking in 9 months (shorter trails) I am here if you want to ask anything about it.

How are you doing?