Friends of Kaley Conway: Bumps in the road....peaks and valleys

Sunday, February 5, 2012

Bumps in the road....peaks and valleys

Since my last stay in the hospital for my blood clot there have been some bumps in the road. My white blood cell count has been too low so I started a monthly in-hospital breathing treatment. I have my own little tent and everything! :)
But more serious is the upward trend of my liver numbers. The numbers have gotten worse over the past couple of weeks and thus the liver is showing slight rejection. The doctors have been increasing the anti rejection meds multiple times but the coumadin (clot/blood thinning med) and the anti rejection meds are working against each other. Both of them are causing the other to stay too low and therefore neither are therapeutic for the clot or liver. I had several appointments last week and go back tomorrow for blood tests and an ultrasound. My I&R (blood thinner levels) need to increase in order for me to be able to stop the daily shots. But most importantly.......Hopefully, the liver will begin to respond! If it has not improved tomorrow, then I will have to have a liver biopsy. Since I am on the blood thinners, that makes that a more difficult procedure for me and I would be under at the hospital.
My team has always said (and they reminded me on Friday) that the first 6 months are always tedious and a lot of trial and error because each case is different especially with a surgery of this magnitude. There will be peaks and valleys along the way. They told me not to worry and that set backs like this are not uncommon. They are confident that the liver is fine and it is just a matter of getting the meds adjusted and stable in order to work properly.

All of your thoughts and prayers have gotten me this far and thank you for that! I pray that tomorrow my liver is responding to the treatments (really don't want another hospital stay :( ), I remain positive and focused, the blood thinners are stronger, and I am on my way out of this "valley" and up the "peak"!!!

P.S. Check out the flier on the left side of the blog (and here)

for the upcoming Flapjack Fundraiser!

Please feel free to pass the information along to

anyone and everyone you like!

The more the merrier!!!
Thank you Rob and Mary for organizing!!

2 comments:

KacyFebruary 5, 2012 at 4:48 PM
I like the new look of the site! For some reason my blog roll hasn't been notifying me that you've updated, so I had to catch up on the last few.
I wish we could come up for the Flapjack Fundraiser...Hope to see you soon!
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Carita YoungbloodFebruary 7, 2012 at 5:20 PM
Kaley~I got the flyer about the pancake breakfast and was FLOORED to hear about your illness! I have quickly read through the blog and it sounds like you have an amazing spirit, an incredible team of doctors, and a wonderful support system. Count on the Youngbloods as part of the Prayer Warriors! You have been on my mind often this year, as Tolliver started kindergarten with Joni. :) Yup. Wishing you were at WRE for 1st grade to handle this little curly headed mess. You were such a wonderful teacher for Harris...and I could really use you for Tolliver. Take care of yourself, and Harris and I will hope to see you at Applebees on the 25th.
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Contribution Information and Background

If you wish to make a financial contribution towards Kaley's recovery online, please utilize the PayPal DONATE button below. If you prefer to send a check, please make it payable to Kaley Conway and email friendsofkaleyconway@gmail.com for the mailing address.

*Calls, texts and emails are all welcome. People may visit for short periods of time in very small numbers. Since Kaley's immune system is so weak and will continue to be, please do not visit if you have been, feel, think you might be or have ANY symptoms of being sick.

A very condensed version of Kaley's story:

On Monday, November 21st, Kaley was rushed to the emergency room at Dallas Presbyterian Hospital where her medical team found her to be in acute liver and kidney failure with her right lung partially deflated. Arrangements were quickly made to transport her by ambulance to St. Paul’s/UT Southwestern ICU. Upon admission to the ICU, a team of specialists determined that she would need a liver transplant in order to survive and that the liver would have to become available on an emergent basis. They began the task of getting her body healthy enough to be placed on the national liver transplant list. During this time, the medical team confirmed her diagnosis to be medication-induced liver failure, caused by Augmentin, a common antibiotic prescribed for strep throat. The next couple of days included a multitude of critical procedures, including continuous kidney dialysis, pulmonary treatments for her lungs, and stabilizing an acute infection in the kidneys and lungs. Kaley was placed on the national liver transplant recipient list on Thanksgiving day. She entered the list at the top, meaning most critical. In less than 24 hours after being listed, they received a telephone call from the UTSW Transplant Coordinator that they had located a liver, which was a perfect match and in great condition. On Saturday, November 26th, at 8:17 a.m., Kaley was taken to the operating room to receive her new liver. The surgery took 11 hours, and the medical team determined that they would preform a 2nd look-see procedure 2 days later. At the completion of the first surgery, they loosely closed her and took her to the ICU. On Tuesday, November 29th, Kaley had her 2nd and final surgery which took about 3 hours.