Hello peeps, long story short!! I was being cared for by very professional Doctors at Southampton General Hospital, many tests etc we've all been there, in the end I was advised due to the lack of Donors it would be a 50/50 chance of getting a transplant in time, and as I was not at that time ill enough to be put on the list the future looked bleak, being a non drinker and a non smoker I was a little miffed.
Around the same time my wife was offered a transfer to Sophia Antipolis South of France, lot of talking lot of doubts, finally we divorced the Kids and went, the first year went so damn fast we completely forgot about seeking out a Family Doctor, (I had been existing on the stockpile of meds from the UK) anyhow Doctor found, I toddled off with the wife (Wifey could speak French I unfortunately never did in our 6 years in France) again fortune favoured us and the very nice Lady Doc spoke better English than me, I had been feeling uncomfortable, the wife had blamed my weight and size gain on the food, which was delicious!!
After about 1/2 hour of talking she asked if we were able to go and see a Specialist, NOW the address was given to us and with the aid of our trusty Sat Nav off we went, found the Specialist as usual he had an office in a Residential Block of Flats, within 3/4 of an hour of seeing him I was in a Bed in the Tzank Hospital Avenue Docteur Maurice Donat, 06700 Saint-Laurent-du-Var, France, apparently very ill.
Now I had been drained a couple of times in the UK, when Dr Ouzan said I was going to be drained again he was very surprised when I went into a Cold Sweat, I explained through my wife that I hated being Harpooned with the long metal rod that leaves a plastic pig tail behind, he laughed, said this wont hurt, before I knew it I was being drained, they had realised the pigtail was painful and looked for an alternative, the biggest diameter needle they could find, find the right spot and stab me, my wife took a picture of a before and after, I lost 18 ltrs, towards the end went into respiratory arrest, cant have it all ways I was told, during draining as they use a needle you have to lie still, moving is forbidden!! I lost count of how many bottles of Albumin put back in. And how many times I needed to Pee!!
The same idea of patient care was evident when checked for Varices I had loads banded, they give you an aesthetic to put you out, no more throat spray and heaving, much more civilised.
In the talk after, I believe it was the next day the Doc told the wife if my Liver problem did not kill me the meds I was on (Prescribed in the UK would)
They put me on a lets get him off of the meds slowly diet, apparently the Steroids I was on along with the Diuretics were far far over the top, ( I now suffer from Osteoporosis in my lower back left hip and knees) and my Kidneys are damaged.
I continued with drains every two weeks and was put onto the Transplant list, my medication was bought to normal levels for the conditions and we tried to lead a close to normal life.
About eight months from the first French Doc's contact I woke up in the local Hospital close to where we lived in Grasse, I had been in there for two weeks with severe blood poisoning, and other complications, Dr Ouzan had been coming to see me through this time, I learnt later he looked after all his patients with true dedication, besides he liked me as I was not afraid to have a banter with him, He was Jewish in faith and had a wicked dry sense of humour. The wife described me as being away with the faries!!
I was called in for a week in Hospital, where I was pushed poked made to breath out through tubes that I have no concept how they measure air flow or lung capacity?? I was pronounced border line exceptable for a transplant, BUT there is always a BUT they had found "Pips" in my Liver, so now I was on a time limit in case they grew bigger, I had developed Cancer of the Liver.
On the 18 March 2014 we got the call. 19th March I received a donor liver, I have made piece with the donor thanking him/her any way I can.
In the words of my father I did not know if I wanted a haircut a piss or to be sick, my body decided to be sick.
Entered Archet2 Hospital Nice France, I was undressed, was given a complete body shave except my head, lathered down in what looked and smelt like an Iodine soap and asked to go have a shower, now before the iodine I was jaundiced now I looked even worse!!
I woke up two days later, mixed thoughts thought at one time I had passed to the other side, all sorts, then the dreams started, horrific nightmares, but when I look back they were quite stupid!!
In 2016 we returned to the UK, now in real time I am extremely tired, finally stopped feeling sick, before the op I had a weight of 19 stone, when I went in I weighed 12 stone, when I walked out of the Hospital i weighed eight and a half stone, thought I was going to snap, I now weigh 16 stone, a lot of that is still water. Finally stopped being drained, I suffer from cramps, I have lymphoma of my left arm and both legs, zero strength some days its a major effort to do anything, some days its fantastic I over do it and I'm back to yuk!! This is the good bit, I have a Marine engineering back ground, when I came ashore I worked on heavy Vehicles, the Benefit people have passed me fit to work, I had an operation in France to shore up my vertebrae (Cementoplasty) as mentioned I have severe osteoporosis and wear Butek Pain patches Cant hold a phone to my ear for long and they say I'm fit, oh due to medical assessment I have lost my PSV and HGV1 licences
We made some very good friends in France, we have some wonderful memories, I was lucky, especially to find the Doctors I did, Dr Ouzan Head of the Liver Transplant department, Dr Antonio Ianelli the Italian surgeon who carried out the transplant, the Coordinator Marie Pierre, fantastic compassionate lady, and all the others met during my stay there was not a bad apple among them.
The Nurses were superb as they are in the UK, the kicker was the FOOD WAS AWFUL, possibly use UK caterers !!!
My Wife Sharon, not only did she take on my Children when we married, I have five, she had one, she has always been there for me, she has complained, my God she has, but she has stayed with me, that's what counts. we now have nine grand kids lovely when we hand them back and they go home!!!
BUT I'm alive and can annoy people, that will do me !!!!!!
I'm going crazy in losing my mind it's me in the little white box lyrics Jessie j
Has my ascites gone for good?
Please which hospital in the UK would you recommend?
My mum, my best friend
The story of mellow1 and me 
