liver transplant for Steve

[Steven Martinez]

This is Rikki, Steve's wife, he is currently in the OR at Loma Linda Univ Med Center getting a liver transplant. We got the call after church today. Please pray that all goes well with the surgery and recovery.

[Mike Schutz]

Thanks, Rikki.
We are praying.

[G R 'Scott' Cundiff]

Praying here...please keep us posted

[Marsha Lynn]

This is Rikki, Steve's wife, he is currently in the OR at Loma Linda Univ Med Center getting a liver transplant. We got the call after church today. Please pray that all goes well with the surgery and recovery.

Thank you so much for posting, Rikki. Praying here and trusting that all goes well for this blessed next step in a long journey.

[G R 'Scott' Cundiff]

Anyone know how long a transplant surgery normally takes?

[Marsha Lynn]

Anyone know how long a transplant surgery normally takes?

Nope. I've had only organ removal. It took around three hours to get my diseased kidney out. I presume it takes considerably longer to get a new organ in.

Are we waiting up?

[Jim Chabot]

Praying that the surgery goes well and very excited and thankful that Steve's long wait may be over. What a blessing it will be for him to live free of the worry he has carried around for so long!

[Benjamin Burch]

So far, this is some of the happiest news I've received in a very long time, and simply caps off a weekend I couldn't be more thankful for! Praise God! Thank you so much for informing us, Rikki!

This is only part of it. We have to make it through, and accept the organ. Praying for you, Stew, and Dietrich.

[Gina Stevenson]

Thank you so much for letting us know, Rikki. Prayers for you & Steve & family.

[Susan Unger]

and thankful that Steve's long wait may be over.

Exactly. I remember what it was like to wait forever for my cousin's kidney. I share your joy!

[Hal Paul]

Anyone know how long a transplant surgery normally takes?

I'm not sure about liver transplants, and my memory is a bit clouded regarding Londa"s double transplant of a kidney and pancreas since it's been almost 13 years, but our sequence of events was that we got a preliminary call at around 9:00PM to be ready to go to the hospital, then we got a second call the following morning at around 7:00AM. After arriving at the hospital, we waited until late in the afternoon before they took her in to preop. I didn"t see her afain until well after sunrise the next morning. It was Sunday, and i did go to church that day, but I think it was the PM service. My guess is that she was in surgery somewhere between 12 and 16 hours.

[Kevin Rector]

Wow, praise God. I will pray for total healing, and also for the family of the donor.

[Cynthia Prentice]

We are praying...praise God for the gift of life from the donor.

[Paul DeBaufer]

Thank you for informing us. I will be praying for Stew, you and your whole family. I will continue prayers for speedy recovery and acceptance of the new liver.

[Hans Deventer]

Rikki wrote on FB, something like 2 hours ago: "Steve just got out of surgery and he did well."

[Greg Gates]

about 7 hours

[Greg Gates]

We are praying...praise God for the gift of life from the donor.

I agree. There are way too many needed organs for the amount of organs that would be available if only people would be willing to be donors. I am in favor of a system that would give priority to recipients who have themselves been registered donors.

[Steven Martinez]

This is Rikki again, for those interested we received the call that an organ might be available for Steve about 1pm Sunday. About 10 min later Steve received a second call to come to the hospital because he may be the backup or the primary recipient. By the time we got to the hospital at 2pm it was determined he would get the liver. They wheeled him back to the OR at 4, incision was made at 545pm and it was done around midnight. Only 6hrs when we were told 10!! He is doing well, still in the ICU but off the breathing machine. Thanks for the prayers!

[Craig Laughlin]

Rikii, thanks so much for the update. Great to hear a good report. We continue to lift you all to the Father.

[Susan Unger]

This is Rikki again, for those interested we received the call that an organ might be available for Steve about 1pm Sunday. About 10 min later Steve received a second call to come to the hospital because he may be the backup or the primary recipient. By the time we got to the hospital at 2pm it was determined he would get the liver. They wheeled him back to the OR at 4, incision was made at 545pm and it was done around midnight. Only 6hrs when we were told 10!! He is doing well, still in the ICU but off the breathing machine. Thanks for the prayers!

I remember the day in August in which my cousin heard that he had to come to the hospital right away for his kidney. His sister said that they will always refer to that day as "K day". Whenever I drive on a certain street a few miles away from me, my memory goes back to that day where as I was driving along that street I got the call from my aunt telling me the great news. Blessings on you and the family for your "L day".

[Hal Paul]

I remember the day in August in which my cousin heard that he had to come to the hospital right away for his kidney. His sister said that they will always refer to that day as "K day". Whenever I drive on a certain street a few miles away from me, my memory goes back to that day where as I was driving along that street I got the call from my aunt telling me the great news. Blessings on you and the family for your "L day".

We refer to Londa's transplant anniversary as "Kidney Day." I think it's a bigger deal for us than her birthday.

[Betty Bolerjack]

My brother recently celebrated 19 years post liver transplant for the same disease Steve has. He wanted to be around as his daughters grew up. He was granted that and more. However, it has not been an easy road. Liver transplants were a pretty new thing back then. We nearly lost him when his body went into rejection. They couldn't see the main hepatic artery on x-ray after his blood pressure dropped dangerously low and had to do a bypass. Unfortunately, the bypass didn't work and they had 72 hours to find him another liver. A couple of days later, he was back in surgery to receive the second liver.

He has been on a great deal of medication ever since and that carries its own risk. His immune system must be kept suppressed and that means he is susceptible to all kinds of infections. His wife was planning to come over today to do some work for my mom and my brother was going to come, too. Mom had to call her last night to let her know that Mark and I are both sick. They are not coming. It is too risky. We have had to cancel family celebrations because of illness as it was just too risky for him to be exposed. He usually ends up hospitalized if he does catch something. He has other health challenges, too, some related to the transplant and/or drugs and some related to the accompanying disease of ulcerative colitis which the transplant did not fix.

I'm sharing all of this to say that Steve will need our continued prayer support for the rest of his life. I have not kept up with all the advancements in the transplant arena, although I'm sure there have been some. Anti-rejection drugs continue to be part of a transplant patient's reality, however, and that does bring its challenges. In addition to a speedy recovery, some of the specific ways we can pray for Steve in the coming days are:

That his body would accept the new liver, as has already been mentioned, and there would be no complications during his recovery.
That he would quickly find the "sweet spot" for the dosage of the anti-rejection drugs.
That he would be granted a long and healthy life.
That he would be spared any long-term effects from both the transplant and the drugs.
That his ministry would be blessed beyond measure.

Praying all this and more for Steve.

[Peggy Gray]

Any updates? Assuming no news is good news...

[Kevin Rector]

He's losing blood and they don't know why. Last I heard was a couple of hours ago he was undergoing a scope of his stomach to try and find where he's losing blood.

[Hans Deventer]

The scope didn't show much and he's back to OR right now. They'll have to do surgery to find the source of the bleeding.

[Gina Stevenson]

Oh, no ...

As Steve was talking re a transplant for awhile, I was thinking ~~ as Betty B has mentioned ~~ re my cousin's husband, and the care they have had to take for a lot of years now re kidney transplant, while having a working kidney is definitely much, much better than constant dialysis without one.

[Hans Deventer]

Rikki just wrote on FB:

"Surgery is done, couldn't find the source of the bleed after a very thorough look, it must have stopped on its own. He is stable and back in the ICU."

[Roy Richardson]

Rikki just wrote on FB:

"Surgery is done, couldn't find the source of the bleed after a very thorough look, it must have stopped on its own. He is stable and back in the ICU."

Praise God

[Hal Paul]

The scope didn't show much and he's back to OR right now. They'll have to do surgery to find the source of the bleeding.

I think these type of follow-up surgeries are common in transplant cases, we certainly had our fair share.

Rikki just wrote on FB:

"Surgery is done, couldn't find the source of the bleed after a very thorough look, it must have stopped on its own. He is stable and back in the ICU."

I think this is really good news, hopefully they won't have to open him up again.

[Hans Deventer]

Latest from Rikki, 40 mins ago:

"They will keep Steve on the breathing machine at least until the morning. His lungs have been through a lot and they want to take it extra careful, so he may remain on the breathing machine and sedation for most of tomorrow. Dietrich has been with his Auntie LeeAnne since the surgery and is distracted enough with his cousins that he is doing great. I am trying to get as much rest as possible. Thanks for all the concern for our family and keep up the prayers, I know God hears them and is always in control."

[Hans Deventer]

Rikki wrote one hour ago: "Steve is awake but still on the breathing machine, they will try to take him off this morning".

[Susan Unger]

Rikki wrote one hour ago: "Steve is awake but still on the breathing machine, they will try to take him off this morning".

Poor guy, what an uphill battle.

[Hans Deventer]

Rikki told me Steve want us to know how he's doing, and she's happy for me to keep NazNet updated. Now if anyone reads an update on Rikki's FB page that I haven't posted yet, you're more than welcome to do so! I'll be asleep for a large part of the California day. Anway, this is the latest:

"Breathing tube removed, in pain, bleeding still seems to have stopped. Will likely stay in ICU today and tonight."

[Benjamin Burch]

Rikki told me Steve want us to know how he's doing, and she's happy for me to keep NazNet updated. Now if anyone reads an update on Rikki's FB page that I haven't posted yet, you're more than welcome to do so! I'll be asleep for a large part of the California day. Anway, this is the latest:

"Breathing tube removed, in pain, bleeding still seems to have stopped. Will likely stay in ICU today and tonight."

I'll do my best to keep up with it for everyone. I have a lot of errands today, but I should be able to keep up a bit.

[Hans Deventer]

From Rikki:

"Steve remained stable today, he was very tired and just wiped out from all his body has been through in the last four days. When he is awake enough he asks me to update everyone and to ask for prayer, so thanks to all who are praying for him. I pray tomorrow he will be more awake and finally get transferred out of the ICU!!"

[Jim Franklin]

With my own surgerical procedure I have not been able to keep up with all that has been going on here. Wishing and praying for a speedy recovery for Stew and special patiences and care for Rikki.

[Hans Deventer]

Rikki wrote 20 mins ago:

"Steve is more awake today, drinking sips of water, will likely be transferred out of ICU. He needs more blood and is running a fever but I haven't talked to the Dr yet"

[Hans Deventer]

Rikki wrote 2 hours ago:

"He looked better tonight and the Surgeon reassured me that he is not too concerned with the fever or the increase in his bilirubin (jaundice). He was much more himself today overall, despite the scare I had this afternoon when he was not looking so well. Praying tomorrow he will be moved out of ICU to the transplant ward."

[Hans Deventer]

Rikki wrote some wonderful news about half an hour ago:

"Steve is looking great this morning, no fever overnight, very awake and trying to make sense of the last 6 days."

[Dave McClung]

Rikki wrote some wonderful news about half an hour ago:

"Steve is looking great this morning, no fever overnight, very awake and trying to make sense of the last 6 days."

Hans, thank you for keeping us informed. We don't always respond, but we are interested.