What is the probability of receiving a liver transplant?

I am 48.. With a MELD Score of 25… I was put on the transplant waiting list in Dec 2024… I am trying to remain patient until they find a match but it’s hard sometimes…. Does anyone have any advice or suggestions? Maybe if you have had a transplant and how long did you wait or if you’re on the list how long have you been waiting?

I waited nine months. Was on Mayo list for awhile but technically activated which puts in in line with unos livers when they become available. I was activated in November and got call the following November and transplanted. You get placement on list based on the match of course, but also level of sickness and MELD score. Good luck. Ips and downs during process a nerve racking but so wonderful when call comes. Always have phone charged and with you!! Comes when you least expect❤️

Go to Mayo in Jacksonville Fl. Excellent Drs and Surgeons
Very up front with information and if you are qualified to be listed. .

There is no official age cutoff for transplant. At Mayo Clinic, some patients have received their transplant in their 70s, but age can play a factor in being approved by your transplant center. As we age, our bodies become frail, and we often experience more medical issues. Transplant centers evaluate patients for their degree of frailty and their potential to recover well and improve their quality of life after transplant. If you are an older patient, you may need more extensive testing to determine if transplant is right for you.

@rhea8890, are you currently listed on the national waiting list managed by the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS)? What condition has caused your liver failure?

I was just thinking about how long I was on the transplant list. I needed a liver and kidney I had already died twice prior to going to UC Davis Sacramento. They released me to go home basically to die I'm sure I was in bad shape I had so much fluid retention that I couldn't move. It was very heart breaking to go through that especially when 5 months prior I was working 2 full time jobs and then everything changed over night. I believe I was only on the list 2 weeks like I said I came home January 24th and the very next day they called and said they had organs for me. It is only by the GRACE of God that I'm here today a year later. Please do not give up I pray daily for the people on the list 😊

AMEN. God bless donors, truly gifting life.

@elehcim, You have really endured a complicated journey, and as a liver and kidney recipient myself, I can understand some of what you have experienced. I would like to congratulate you for your recent 1st year anniversary!
What is something that you enjoy doing since your transplant and recovery?

That great the Davis is back to doing liver transplants, They had abandoned them and went strictly kidney. We had to move from Chico because the closest liver centers were all in SF which we couldn't get to in the four hour timeframe. There is huge hole in the system with nothing in Sacto. Glad you were able to stay close to home, it's so much easier on everyone when a pt can do that. How are you feeling these days? Have you recovered and back to your old self? I can only imagine how much more complicated recovery is with two organs.

My husband had his liver transplant 17 months ago at Tampa General He was on the UNOS list with a MELD score of 32. He was 61 at the time of transplant. It took 4 months to get on the UNOS list, which was pure torture because there was no chance of transplant until you are on the list, but once he was on the list, it was 3 months until he was called with a perfect match. He was called once before his actual surgery with a match, but at the last minute, they gave it to someone else, who was more sick. That was heartbreaking, but everything worked out and I hope that person is living life to the fullest. We have been told Florida has the shortest waiting times for organs.

@lsheerin, I agree that the waiting is a difficult period of time, especially as one's health continues to fail, as was my experience. However, I was fortunate that the wait resulted in me getting 2 beautiful organs. I had a simultaneous liver and kidney transplant, which is one donor, one surgery, and 2 organs that were a good match for me.
I hope that your husband's transplant team explained to both of you, at the time that he was evaluated and listed, that organs can be rejected for a multiple of reasons and that the MELD score is just one of the criteria for getting the surgery.

How is hubby doing? Has he returned to any of his former activities?