A difficult road to transplant
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| Andrea Salvo |
Andrea Salvo remembers well February, 1998.
She noticed that her 31 year-old husband’s eyes were yellow. After
Alex’s jaundice became pronounced, he was diagnosed with Hepatitis
B.
Born in the Philippines, Alex learned that the disease had been passed to
him by his Philipino mother. His sister learned later that she too has the
disease.
Alex was told “it will run its course” and then he could expect
to be better – but instead it got worse and he began experiencing a
lot of pain. He was admitted to University of Colorado Hospital on March
18, 1998, and was immediately moved to the Intensive Care Unit.
It had all happened so fast. Andrea was worried. Within days of the onslaught
of the disease, fearing her husband could die; Andrea went into labor early
and gave birth to their first child.
On Friday, March 19, 1998, they were told Alex needed a transplant. She was
told to get an immunization shot for Hepatitis B and she left his room to
go elsewhere in the hospital to get the shot. When she returned she was told
that Alex was moved to the “top of the (transplant) list” and
at 2 a.m. Saturday, Alex received his new liver. Andrea learned that his
condition had been so bad that he would have lived only about two more days
without the transplant.
Prior to his transplant, Alex had not received the usual educational experience
the hospital offers pre-transplant patients, and he was often very confused.
The day after the transplant he wasn’t himself – he even spoke
another language – a language that no one could understand. The hospital
social worker reassured Andrea that Alex would come around and within a week
he did.
Alex is doing well now, although he contracted diabetes and lymphoma (for
which he received chemotherapy) from the anti-rejection drugs. The couple
now has a second child they named Alex. Both children have had their Hep
B shots.
Andrea can’t say enough about the Hepatology Clinic at the University
of Colorado Hospital where her husband was treated. “They were on top
of it,” she acknowledges.
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