Liver Transplant PodcastDX

Gina Rapacz is a 48 year old mother of 2 teenage daughters living in the Chicago suburbs.  She recently had a liver transplant after hers failed and she lingered on the transplant list in Chicago for over a year.  Her transplant was completed at Duke Medical Center in Durham, NC. She is now on her way to a healthier life with a new liver. See Transcript of this show below.

Transcript 

Lita: [00:00:16] Hello and welcome to podcast DX. This show that brings you interviews with people just like you whose lives were forever changed by a diagnosis. [00:00:24][8.7]

Lita: [00:00:26] I'm Lita. [00:00:26][0.2]

Ron: [00:00:27] I'm Ron. [00:00:28][0.2]

Jean: [00:00:28] And I'm Jean Marie. [00:00:28][0.6]

Lita: [00:00:29] Collectively we are the hosts of podcast d x. This podcast is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice diagnosis or treatment. Always ask the advice of your physician or other qualified health care provider for any questions you may have regarding a medical condition or treatment and before undertaking any new health care regimen. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have heard on this podcast. [00:01:03][33.5]

Ron: [00:01:05] On today's show we will be interviewing Gina a liver transplant recipient. [00:01:09][3.8]

Jean: [00:01:10] Gina is a 48 year old from a Chicago suburb, where she lives with her husband two teenage daughters Nikki Sarah and their adorable puppy. Coco. [00:01:18][8.1]

Lita: [00:01:19] Hi Gina thank you for joining us today. [00:01:21][2.0]

Gina: [00:01:22] Hello. Thank you for having me. [00:01:24][1.2]

Ron: [00:01:25] I understand it's been almost six months since you had a liver transplant. Yes I was transplanted September 30th 2017. [00:01:32][6.7]

Gina: [00:01:33] In North Carolina at Duke University Hospital. [00:01:35][1.6]

Lita: [00:01:36] Well you look great. [00:01:37][0.6]

Gina: [00:01:38] Thanks. I actually I feel great. This is the best I've ever felt actually. For. A long long time. [00:01:43][5.4]

Lita: [00:01:43] . Gina, what symptoms first led you to the doctor. [00:01:48][4.8]

Gina: [00:01:49] Well. As far back as I can remember 2016 I had a really bad swollen. Ankles from water retention. Very tired. I was always cold. The doctors were. Thinking I had cancer. Which. Led my disease to. Worsen. As they were testing me for cancer. But it was not. [00:02:11][21.6]

Jean: [00:02:13] How long did it actually take before you got. A correct diagnosis? [00:02:15][2.1]

Gina: [00:02:17] My symptoms were bothering me for at least five months before they diagnosed my liver problem. [00:02:21][4.4]

Ron: [00:02:24] Gina, Can you recall any specific symptoms that really stood out. [00:02:27][3.2]

Gina: [00:02:28] Yes of course. My stomach. I look like I was nine months pregnant. And the build up of ascites is a toxic fluid. That forms in your stomach. Making it. Enlarged. My eyes were no longer clear they were. Foggy. and my skin was chapped & itchy. Always thirsty. Almost like you want to stick your head in the swimming pool. I lost my appetite. I had dry heaves almost throwing up but not quite. Always had leg cramps. My calves were so painful they'd wake me up at night. I would try standing up. They were. Very. Painfully twitching. And the muscles would cramp up. You. It's like a charlie horse times 10. Very painful. Terrible terrible. [00:03:13][45.0]

Lita: [00:03:14] Were there any embarrassing symptoms that you had? [00:03:17][2.5]

Gina: [00:03:18] Yes I actually would. I, I had. A bad case of diarrhea all day I would go maybe eight to 10 times a day never knowing when it was an attack. But usually when I was at Target or Wal-Mart shopping. And I would have to use a public bathroom for no reason at all my nose would start bleeding. And. It was on a daily basis. [00:03:43][24.7]

Jean: [00:03:44] Did anything help relieve any symptoms. [00:03:46][1.3]

Gina: [00:03:47] Well for the chills I would layer up. I would layer clothes use the electric blanket at night. wear socks, which, I am not a socks person. I also spend time in the sun which helped. I never used air conditioning or a fan never wanted to cause a breeze my way because the chills. You can never. you, that feeling was intense. [00:04:07][20.3]

Ron: [00:04:10] You mentioned that you're always thirsty. How do you deal with the thirst. Even though you're thirsty all the time. [00:04:17][6.7]

Gina: [00:04:18] The doctor puts you on a water intake a day. So I was on a two liter a day intake. Of liquid. After. My water intake. I would move over to a frozen. freezy pop. Like a Popsicle. Yeah because a popsicle had flavor to it and it would break up the monotonous taste of the water. Also. They give you a little sponge like. Device at the doctor's office where you dip it in water. And you kind of stuff the water on this little sponge. And that helped. [00:04:48][30.6]

Lita: [00:04:51] Did anything help with the swelling that you had? [00:04:54][3.0]

Lita: [00:04:55] Your stomach was swollen. [00:04:56][0.6]

Gina: [00:04:57] Yes actually. There's a procedure they call Paracentesis. [00:04:59][2.6]

Lita: [00:05:00] Wait a minute, Paracent- whatis? [00:05:01][0.3]

Gina: [00:05:02] Paracentesis. you're in the hospital outpatient. Procedure where they go in. To your stomach with a needle like, device. And they hook up the hose, to a JAR, glass jar liters and the fluid is flushed out of your stomach. Out of your abdomen. Very painful. But. When you leave. After that. Procedure. You're about five to six liters. Of fluid. Down. Where the relief is amazing. [00:05:35][32.5]

Lita: [00:05:36] So besides the Paracentesis. Was there anything else that you. Could do that would help the swelling. [00:05:41][5.4]

Gina: [00:05:43] Yes, you could watch what you eat. Restricted salt diet and limiting my fluid intake helped the swelling. At night we tried to get comfortable by putting a wedge under my legs. To help with the cramping. When the cramping got real bad. I tried to walk it off. As early as I could. Sometimes when you check the sodium levels of the food that you're eating you'd be shocked that a lot of things have sodium. So. You do have to read labels and watch your sodium intake because that will cause fluid to accumulate in your stomach. Also I was a member at a health club that I had access to a Hot water Jacuzzi. Which helped. My legs in the cramping and feel less tense. I suggest that for anybody. And also. I self meditate. Myself out of pain. And that helped me get through a lot of my symptoms. [00:06:37][54.2]

Lita: [00:06:40] Well that's really great. That's probably a good suggestion for anybody. Did you know what to expect when your doctors. Actually inform you that you have cirrhosis and now end stage liver disease? [00:06:53][13.2]

Gina: [00:06:54] I didn't even know really a part of cirrhosis of the liver but I never really knew what. It. Was or what it untailed. I assumed it was kind of like if somebody had a heart attack. You go into the emergency room. You get back to a goal you undergo surgery. And. That's the end of it. I do not know. What end stage liver meant. But. It was. They gave me weeks to live. And that was scary because you're you don't know what to expect. Day to day. Now 48 years old and this, all the time this, and the rest of you. Yes very much very and very sudden. [00:07:37][43.1]

Ron: [00:07:39] I understand that the hospital provided a number of classes to help prepare you for life with a new liver? [00:07:44][4.8]

Gina: [00:07:44] Yes. You explained. Hospitals they go over everything that you need to do to prepare yourself before transplant and what you need to do. It was so it was terrible. At the time you're so sick that you can't even concentrate on what they're telling you. My caregiver was with me thank God because she took notes for me. During these meetings it's like a three day process where you meet different actors and different people on the team. Transplant team. It's very consuming. The information is very hard to understand because you're so sickly at the time. The toxins built up in my. In my brain. That. The liver. Isn't processing. And I became very confused and even I became combative. [00:08:33][48.9]

Jean: [00:08:35] Did you realize that you were confused or combative?. [00:08:36][1.5]

Gina: [00:08:37] No really. Well. When the nurse came in to check on me she asked me a couple of questions like What was my name and who was the president. What state do I live in. I answered. "Gina" To all the answers to all the questions. Yes. And. She knew from being a liver nurse she knew that was a symptom of toxins build up. In the brain. So immediately they put me to the e