RockWall Cottage Chronicles

A newsy, sometimes amusing, usually interesting fly-on-the-RockWall view of my life as an author with updates from my Substack adventures.

The small cottage where I live and write has been affectionally named RockWall Cottage because of the rock wall that divides our side of the property from the side of the property where our friends, the owners of the cottage, live. (Learn More)

What Has Been Happening at RockWall Cottage?

All is well at the cottage, though we have been gone for a week now for the liver transplant evaluation. Weber is well-cared for and will be ridiculously excited when we return. There is always a remarkable “dog lecture” that he reserves for times when we have been absent. I need to get a video of it! I am sure he is saying, “I don’t know where you have been (!!!) but you should not leave me like that (!!!) and here is everything that has happened to me while you were gone (!!!) . . .”

Scott’s Update

This is a more detailed update than I have previously shared but it is getting real and I am increasingly aware that this team is our very best answer at having more time on this earth together—with quality of life. Honestly, this might not have been a choice we would have made ten years ago but healing has taught us that life really is worth living. Neither one of us has any fear of death—we have lived through worse—but living is a choice that we are making. I share details (with his permission) so those who read can understand what that choice entails. A liver transplant is a very big deal.

• The treatment to help his kidneys has worked to the degree they believe is needed and he can now return to the medications that will curb the rapid retention of fluid in his abdomen. He will need a procedure to remove fluid before he is dismissed. (This will be the 5th time that 5 liters—about 11 pounds—of fluid has been removed since January.)

• Every test and then some have been completed and there are no red flags—except for the liver. Many tests focus on his heart—will it be strong enough to withstand a six-hour surgery—that is the question. All indicators so far say yes. Every indication is that the committee will likely place him on the transplant list—but we will not count our chickens before they hatch.

• The one mystery is why his white blood cell counts remain so low while the platelets and red blood count remain normal—aside from it being caused in some way by the liver and kidney issues. He received medication yesterday to hopefully boost the count, and now we wait. (He had a bone marrow test to check for cancer and that was ruled out.)

• An interesting development is they are treating him for TB because of an exposure (that was treated) during his childhood. If the TB is in his system, it cannot be detected, but the transplant could reactivate it.

• In addition, his Hepatitis B* is now being treated to stop the ongoing damage to the liver and lower the risk to the transplanted liver should that occur. All vaccines are being brought up to date and I will be update mine soon!

*If you are new to this update, Scott contracted Hepatitis B in his 40s when he rescued two people from a car that flipped off the highway behind us. The car was beginning to catch on fire and he was cut as he pulled out the two bleeding occupants. Within a week he became very ill—at which point the Hepatitis B was diagnosed and treated and no doctors ever raised concerns over the years. That he is now in need of a liver transplant is the ultimate No Good Deed Goes Unpunished scenario. This story has made every member of the medical team groan.

The Sequence of Care

For those curious about how this process works, this is my best understanding at this point (without remembering the technical names for everything). I have bolded what will be next on this list.

1. Initial visit to determine if a liver transplant is a possibility/needed. (Done)

2. Extensive testing (Done except for one test on Monday)

3. Meetings with multiple teams of doctors, physical therapists, nutritionists, social workers, etc. (These will continue until we are dismissed)

4. Once all the necessary information is gathered, it will go to the transplant committee. This will happen on Wednesday.

5. The committee will decide on one of three things:

   1. Denial as a candidate for a liver transplant.

   2. The need for additional testing or treatments (very possible)

   3. Approval to be placed on the transplant list.

If “C” happens, things get even more complicated and I am aware of these details but cannot dwell on them until I know I need to. We have a circle of support gathering around us should this happen. We are learning to graciously receive help.

News, Highlights from Previous Weeks, What’s Coming, and Other Stuff

• Thank you for all the messages relaying how you are enjoying Green Door Antique Store. I only have a few more chapters written so I spent Sunday resting my body and writing. (No shuttles run on the weekend.)

• I had a great time chatting with paid subscribers from all over the United States and Australia last Thursday. I feared I might have to cancel it, but it worked out and the conversation was good for my soul. I was asked a question and tomorrow’s article will be a remarkable story that answers the question. My life is sometimes quite magical!

• On Wednesday, I managed to jump on a podcast with Brian Lee (Broken to Beloved) who interviewed our Religious Trauma Network team. When all four of us arrived, Brian did a great job navigating. (It is kind of like herding cats sometimes, but we tried to behave! ). The podcast should be published in mid-April. I will keep you posted.

• Finally, I am managing to keep up with reading my student’s work in the graduate courses I am teaching virtually in the MEd program in Neuroscience and Trauma at Tabor College. Every week, I am amazed by the insights from the students and how much difference understanding the impact of trauma--and in this case, sensory processing--makes. You can catch a glimpse of this in the Pulpit and Pew series.

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