UPMC Evaluations

It is now the Monday following Thanksgiving and people want to know how the week went. For those who don’t know, Sandy and I spent the 3 days prior to Thanksgiving (Mon-Wed) at University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) for Sandy to undergo medical evaluations for a possible live-donor liver transplant. This is one of the surgical options for treatment of patients with PSC and for some cases that include cholangiocarcinoma.

We are very, very fortunate that Sandy’s sister, Beth, has been so willing to give should transplantation prove to be an option for Sandy. It is the most generous gift I can imagine anyone giving.

We met with a number of specialists—hepatologists, surgeons, and so on. UPMC repeated a number of studies to get current data, including CT scans, xrays, stress tests, and drew somewhere north of 30 vials of blood. No, Sandy did not shrivel up like a prune! UPMC will review the results of these studies and will then meet as a group to discuss options. UPMC uses a multidisciplinary board approach, much like Hopkins. These boards are made up of several different specialists who are involved in treatment decisions. This group will meet this week to discuss her case, and will form a consensus opinion. Like you, we sit and wait to see what UPMC’s opinion is.

We actually found that we had some free time together while there. We went out to dinner a couple of nights and even caught a movie—Casino Royale, the new James Bond flick. By the way, Daniel Craig is the best Bond since Sean Connery and adds a bit of a bad-ass attitude to the character. We also managed to find a Cold Stone Creamery one night (I'm still full).

Sandy and I would like to thank a few people for their help last week. First, Ted and Theresa S for loaning us their house in Fox Chapel, PA, just outside of Pittsburgh. We found it very comfortable there (and convenient!) and appreciate their opening their home to us. Thanks also go out to the Young’s and the Huck’s for taking Hannah and Haley in during our absence. It was nice to have a couple of nights off from carpools to the gym and the pool…and no homework!

On Thursday, we enjoyed a traditional Thanksgiving feast with the Blotts and their extended family. We have grown very close to all of them over the years. The Blotts are friends from our old neighborhood and still live nearby. It was a great meal and relaxing afternoon/evening, which we really appreciated.

Friday found us at a lacrosse tournament in Annapolis all day. Hannah’s Sky Walkers team played very well, and Hannah had a great day, too. Haley even filled in for the team in goal because we needed another goalie, playing against teams that are 2, 3 and even 4 years older than she is. It was a beautiful fall day in the Mid Atlantic, sunny and about 70 degrees. If you happen to be one of the people reading this from places like Chicago, Wisconsin, or Michigan, then... eat your heart out! If you happen to be reading this from your home in Perth (Aldersons!), then...I don't want to hear about your beautiful summer weather!

I hope that you all enjoyed your families and had a very happy Thanksgiving.