Pre-liver transplant: Pain behind sternum left and down side

@kmlowe, I think that you should contact your nurse coordinator.
Since today is Friday, I hope you will do it now, so that you can get a response before the weekend.
If it is an infection, you will be able to start antibiotics before the weekend. Are you running a fever?

You are not being over dramatic! You are taking good care of yourself by beng proactive about your health.

Hey Rosemary, thank you so much for your sincere concern. I did reach out yesterday, and heard from my nurse coordinator a little bit ago. She asked a few questions and is conferring with a doctor, I think, so I should hear something soon. And no fever, I’ve been checking regularly.

I’ll keep you updated on what I hear.

Well, “the provider” thinks it’s likely gas - been told to wait another week to see if it resolves. Sadly, this kind of response is what makes me hesitant to reach out to my med team.

Good morning. No, I'm not a doctor. I'm not a nurse. I'm not a medical practitioner I'm someone who has been down this road. More than likely it is gas. If there is no abdominal swelling and no pain in your lower back, more than likely it is gas. I know people say oh geez. It keep telling me it's gas. It's gas. Well, you have to remember these are professionals. If you're going to trust them with making a decision about your liver transplant, then you need to trust them about a decision that you have gas. Increase your fluids. Limit your gassy food intake. Get lots of exercise and take metamucil. That's what I was told and I might be a lemming or a sheep with blinders on. But I trust my medical team and I do what they tell me to do and if they told me that was gas and that it will pass. Hahaha then I trust them. God's blessings to you on your journey and I wish you all the very best ❤️

@kmlowe Hi Kelly, sadly this reads as disrespect for your team because you don’t mention if you tried GasX or not. What have you tried?

Please don’t take this as disrespect - not intended at all @mbartonsf and @footballmum ! It’s directed at me always worrying that I’m being dramatic!! And I did mention the GasX that I had started taking on Thursday (per your advice, I believe, @mbartonsf.

Kelly

Apologies to any who read my words and tone as anything other than “there you go again, Kelly.” Honestly. I have the utmost respect of everyone at Mayo, and have just an inking of the complexity of their work.

Good morning Kelly from Canada. No offense taken. I know what it's like. You feel like nobody listens to you. Nobody cares. People are listening. Just have to remember even transplant doctors and especially specialists aren't taught bedside manner and medical school. The way it was described to me by one of my specialists was you hit a fork in the road and you either choose general medicine to one side or specialty to the other side. If you choose a specialty you focus on the specialty that you are choosing. I'm going to go the route of gastroenterology because that's what we're dealing with. If you choose general medicine, chances are you're going to go into family medicine or Pediatrics. So in those teachings they teach you bedside manner. They teach you how to deal with peoples anxiety, emotions, all the other things besides the disease. If you choose specialty, they don't teach you that because you're going to focus on gastroenterology or you're going to go down the rabbit hole of hepatology, meaning that you are going to focus mostly on the liver. You're not even looking at anything else inside the gastric world you're dealing with the liver. And you can specialize even more and delete strictly with diseases of the liver and one disease at a time. So they don't learn these things. They don't learn that you as a patient are full of anxiety, fear and that these lead you into negative feelings. Just follow their advice. I had a liver transplant in October 2020 and I am alive today because I followed their advice pre-transplant and then followed their advice and I stayed positive. May God bless you and keep you through your journey and keep us in touch and let us know how you're doing 💗💗💗💗💪🇨🇦🍁

@footballmum
What a lovely, thoughtful, educational, and articulate response. You know how I feel and reminded me so of the complexity of people and what we do (inclusive of everyone at Mayo - I even love the cafeteria staff!)

I want you also to know that you are one of the people I consider constant, with caring, in-depth replies to posts that are more complex they appear in the words.

On a final note, and knowing how awful I feel about being misconstrued - I received MY gift yesterday morning, and recovering at Mayo Clinic Phoenix, currently in the ICU (soon to be moved to the transplant ward).

Thank you for you my fellow experiencer and share of life.

Kelly

🎉🎉🎉🎉🥳🥳🥳🎈🎈🎈🥳

CONGRATULATIONS
Welcome to the club. God's continued blessings 🙏

@kmlowe
Congratulations!!!!!!! I am so happy to hear that you received your liver transplant yesterday morning. I am looking forward to hearing all about your phone call and how you are feeling now with your new healthy liver!