The Mark Opicka Heart Transplant Update Archives

Back home again. Mark was sprung last week to continue to recover at home. He

was sent with a infuser with orders to give himself a hit of Ganciclovir twice a day. So,

every day at 10 am and 10 pm, Mark sterilizes his picc line and hooks himself up to a

drip bag of saline/Ganciclovir. Ganciclovir is an anti-viral medication and handily, is

In other news, Mark is preparing for his mom and aunt to hit town for a visit this week.

He hopes to have a lot of fun with them and avoid the hospital as much as possible.

All of us local buddies have heard stories about his aunt so we are excited to see the

"Joan and June Show." We are all prepared as Joan has informed us that she is the

There is news in the land of Mark. I know you couldn't tell it by this incredibly current

website but we will try to get it all updated now that there is new news.

The first item is after you read item two, do not call Mark. He has instructed us to

have anyone who would like to communicate with him email him here at the site at

MarkOpicka@aol.com until further notice. He will call people when he is up to it.

Ok, no more stalling. Mark is back in his favorite luxury suite at the UW hospital. He

has been feeling kinda oogie for the last week or so and finally, he decided that maybe

it was time for a hospital checkup. On Tuesday (10/14) he drove himself over to the U

and was poked and proded and eventually checked in for overnight observation and

some iv antibiotics. After a few tests were completed (why can't incubation go any

faster??!), today he was told he has a CMV (cytomegalovirus) infection.

What does this mean? Well, first it should be said that this infection was pretty much

expected to present itself at some point. Approximately 50%-80% of the population

carries CMV. CMV is a member of the herpesvirus group (which includes shingles,

chicken pox, and mono) - it lies dormant until the body becomes severely

immunocompromised. Mark was expected to get it because he was CMV negative

and his donor was CMV positive. It initially causes flu-like symptoms but can cause

more serious problems depending on the system the virus attacks.

Right now, Mark is experiencing the flu-like stuff with a delightful headache and major

fatigue. Tonight, they will put in a picc line to deliver an anti-viral medication as quickly

as possible. Tomorrow, he will undergo an endoscopy to see if they can detect the

virus in his gastrointestinal system. He will have to have the anti-viral medication for

three weeks but he has been told that if everything runs smoothly (which they fully

expect it to do) that he will be in the hospital for about six days.

That leads us to again deliver Mark's communication rules for this hospital stay.

• Please do not call. He will call you if he is up to it.

• He does not have a computer this time. Please email him at

MarkOpicka@aol.com until he gives us further instructions. His email will be

• Please do not try to visit him at the hospital unless he personally gives you the

go-ahead. He is in an isolation room and he doesn’t have a lot of energy.

Thanks for your cooperation. Mark knows how hard it is to be out of touch but the

sooner he recuperates, the sooner he’ll be back to calling you at all hours and

MY GOD, WHAT'S THAT SHAKING?!? A semi-truck going by? An earthquake? No!

It's Mark on excessive amounts of Prednisone! That's right, Mark continues to

struggle with some tissue inflammation (otherwise known as "minor rejection"). His

last biopsy actually showed that, while his heart function and output were stellar, his

inflammation was slightly worse. So, they jacked his prednisone up about 500% for a

couple of days, adjusted another anti-rejection med (kikmyassizone), and sent him on

his way. He had another biopsy on Tuesday to see if that fixed it.

In other, more exciting news, Mark has been accepted into the Section 8 housing

voucher program. This program provides subsidies to help Mark pay for housing and

utilities. He found a really nice cardboard box that meets his budget in the alleyw...er,

I mean, he found a really nice one bedroom apartment in a gated community in the

First Hill/Capital Hill area of Seattle. It's about 2 blocks East of Virginia Mason

Medical Center and about 6 blocks West of Harborview Medical Center. His apartment

overlooks the Stimson-Green Manor, a lovely old historical landmark that's renown for

being both a fabu wedding site and a location in the movie The Changeling (one of

Already completed a fundraiser that was successful? Tell us about it! E-mail

It is important that you know the visitation no-no’s:

• no fruits or vegetables under the apple maggot quarantine laws

If you feel icky or have been around someone who is feeling icky please stay away

Check out the sexy picture! That Amber is really hot! Too bad that funny looking dude

is in the picture too ... Christine Titus, Mark's buddy from the Seattle Animal Shelter,

has put this photo/caption in the paper to generate interest for the Shelter and

volunteerism. Mark loves to visit his pups and it seems that he makes a fine

posterboy for helping out the Shelter. If you would like more information about the

Seattle Animal Shelter, please click on this link SAS to read all about it! Get down

there and help or give a buck or two. You'll help feed a few pups and kitties!

It's taken about 20 years, but Mark has FINALLY gotten over his issues of rejection.

Er, I mean...Mark's heart is currently clear of rejection. Whew! They have also

reduced the amount of Prednizone he has to take, which is always good. On the

down side, he has arthritic joint pain and weight gain from the Prednazone

(anti-rejection steroid) and persistant yucky tummy from CellCept (anti-rejection). On

the good side, he's walking around at break-neck speed without passing out, carrying

his own groceries, and has been given the OK to ride his moped. He has also been

given the go-ahead to commence car driving for the first time in 6 years! Wait, did I put

that in the good news section? (Chris says his driving will blend right in on the

Mark is also battling some lovely, stress-inducing healthcare bureaucracy. Seems

that the UWMC has mailed, faxed, and couriered Mark's Medicaid application to the

Washington State Department of Social and Health Services, who claim to never have

received the paperwork. So Mark is STILL without Medicaid. He still has Medicare,

but his coverage should flip over to Medicaid once he has has paid a certain amount of

money out of pocket. This "spend down," as it's called, is like a deductible. In a 6

month period, if he reaches that spend-down amount, his costs get covered under

Medicaid for the remainder of that 6 month period. Medicaid pretty much covers

everything he needs, whereas Medicare doesn't. Such a wonderfully healing thing for a

Stay tuned for information about a fabulously successful bake sale fundraiser in honor

of Mark...done by an elementary school student in Vermont! Now if THAT doesn't get

your ass in fundraising gear, I don't know what will!

Mark just got back from the pharmacy, where he racked up $1,900 for two medications

worth of pills...for one month. And that's not counting all his other pills. So, if you

have any fundraising ideas or have recently found a sugar-daddy with some

philanthropic leanings...think about the Mark Opicka Transplant Fund! We're at

• donate some cashola yourself and ask your employer if they match donations

• have a United Way campaign? Payroll deduction allows you to donate larger

amounts, a little at a time over a year. E-mail MarkOpicka@aol.com for more info

to ensure your United Way donation makes it to the correct fund.

• ask your employer if they make non-match corporate contributions

• work with or frequent some medical-related company? Doctors? Nurses?

• have a yard sale and give the proceeds to the fund

• ask people you know if they would like to donate (give them this web address so

• solicit really cool prizes from local stores/hotels/theaters and have a raffle

(if you do this option, contact MarkOpicka@aol.com account, because there are

some very simple and easy legalities around raffles)

• participate in any local walk/run/crawl and create your own sponsorship form with

• have a spaghetti dinner for friends and co-workers, give a schpeel about organ

donation and Mark's adventures. Each RSVP for the dinner is a pledge to donate

$25. This works great when you have 5-10 friends each having dinners for their

group on the same night. Then all groups come together at one place for a big,

celebratory dessert. Check local bakeries for dessert donations.

Mark has been mostly resting for the last week, when he hasn't been in the hospital for

his bevy of appointments. He continues to be in mild rejection, which no one at

UWMC seems to think is a big deal. Hey, if the MDs ain't stressin', neither are we! It

just means that the white coats play more with his medications, to see what combo

works best for his system. It also means that Mark feels poopy. He is still having

tummy issues and is plagued by a persistant headache. We're not sure if it's the drug

cocktail, symptoms of rejection...or the fact that he's living with his parents for the first

time in 20 years. Give ya $1 if you can guess which one WE think it is ...

Joan and Bob have fully settled into their Seattle apartment, and have nearly mastered

the art of cooking for a post-transplant patient. Didja know you have to wash fresh

lettuce (and any raw vegetables) with vinegar before putting it in the salad? How about

all those food with uncooked eggs? Goodbye to the health store "unpasteurized"

section. And the peas CAN NOT touch the mashed potatoes! Oh wait...that's not a

Day 23 - So, our boy is happily residing in Joan and Bob's chic 1970's rental abode,

and would like to thank Jenn Vallely for her stunning choice of wall art (a beautiful

watercolor of a horse's ass, which was actually hanging in another apartment in the

building. The landlady could not understand why we were so insistent that THAT

picture HAD to be moved to the apartment Joan and Bob were moving into! Go

figure...). Mark is steadily getting used to what pill is what color and needs to be

taken at which time and with food or not. Sheesh, just writing that confuses me. One

anti-infection pill is upsetting his tummy, which makes him a grumpy boy. Otherwise,

he is generally doing well. He attempted to be his normal active self yesterday (going

to the animal shelter (the dog's were frightened by his hazmat suit), the store, the

scooter shop, and his own apartment). By 5pm, he was falling asleep in his baked

potato. We're trying to convince Joan to ground him as a last ditch effort to settle him

down and make him relax ("Markie! No TV or telephone for ONE WEEK. Mom

always said not to play ball in the house..."). Please remember to use the

markopicka@aol.com address for all correspondence. If Mark actually e-mails you

from his bizmark@jps.net account, then you may e-mail him back at that address. He

doesn't have e-mail access at Joan and Bob's, and he doesn't want his bizmark

address to get overloaded. Also, for those of you who are still a little confused: Mark

isn't actually checking the AOL account. His friends are. So when you get an e-mail

back from the AOL account, it is a fabulous chick named Chris who's writing you

back. E-mails sent to the AOL account are printed out and given to Mark to read

Day 21 - Mark got sprung!!! GET your minds out of the gutter, you filthy pigs!

Sheesh... He was released from the hospital this afternoon, and is heading to his

apartment to pick up some things before going to hang with Joan and Bob. Yeah

Mark!!! He will continue weekly biopsies (bibopskis) on his heart for the first few

months, then move to monthly biopsies for a year or so. After that, the biopsies

become simply an annual thang. Again, please take note of the below visitation and

contact measures. Mark will initiate all personal contact and will let you know,

individually, what his preferences are regarding visits. It's not that he doesn't want to

see you all (he's chomping at the bit to hang out!), it's simply that he physically can

not handle his normal social calendar yet. But beware: gone are the days of simply

hanging out on Mark's bed to watch movies. This man used to clear 3 miles of NYC

sidewalk in minutes flat...talking the whole time.

Day 20 - Holy God, twenty days out and he had pizza two nights in a row! Who knew that Pagliacci's would be the first thing on a transplant's mind?

This morning the staff drained the hematoma (bleeding bruise) he has where his

defibrillator use to be (right now he looks like someone who could only afford one

breast implant.) It wasn’t too successful so this afternoon he was going to have a

different procedure to hopefully take care of it. In general, his numbers are good.

Mark’s second biopsy showed that he is in mild rejection. Nothing that can’t be fixed

by a drug cocktail – just like high school haha. Rumor has it that should the

hematoma procedure go well maybe in the next day or two he will be released into his

Once Mark is “home” (with Mom and Dad) he will contact folks directly to arrange

Day 17 - Mark is happily residing on 5NE, in a room with a beautiful view of

state-sponsored construction. His oatmeal colored wall is adorned with an art piece--a

traditional Japanese komono, in very non-traditional colors and materials ('70s orange

and red, polyester). And THIS is supposed to aid convalescence?!?! It nearly sent our

cocky little art-school boy into cardiac arrest! Mark is still running a low red blood cell

count (anemia), so they gave him some blood last night to hopefully boost him up.

He was forced to kick a certain roommate of his out of the room before the process,

because she has not once, but TWICE caused him to laugh during the procedure,

resulting in the nurse missing his vein. Mark continues to have Cats moments as he

deals with the emotional ups and downs of post-transplant life ("I laughed, I cried, it

was better than...), but is generally in good spirits and dealing with this huge life event

with phenomenal strength and courage. He wants everyone to know that he loves you

dearly and wishes he had the energy to accept visits and phone calls...but he's just

Fundraising update: we have raised $13,856.10 for Mark's medical fund. Our short

term goal is $50,000, so we have a ways to go. If you would like to make a

tax-deductible charitible donation, please click on the following link: Mark Opicka

Heart Transplant Fund. If you would like ideas for other ways to raise money, e-mail

markopicka@aol.com and put FUNDRAISE in the Subject line.

Day 15 - Ya know those annoying times when you're in the plane and sitting on the

runway, and the captain comes on and says "folks, we're 15th in line and should be

taking off in about 20 minutes..." Four hours later, your bum's sweating and

cramping, the annoying baby next to you is screaming its head off, and you have

reviewed and critized every item in the Sky Catalogue? Well, THAT'S how Mark is

feeling right now! He has officially been "released" from ICU (also known as 5SE), but

there are no beds available for him to move to on the other side of the floor (5NE,

where cardiac patients go when they are stabilized). He's 5th in line for an open bed,

so we have no idea when the actual move will happen. A true sign that our boy is

doing REALLY WELL! He is still VERY tired and edgy from the Prednizone though.

So, even though he'll be out of isolation and out of ICU, he still requests no visitors

outside of his parents and caregivers. It's driving him crazy not being able to keep up

with his normal social calendar, but he's excited to be on the 4 hour "nurse check"

rotation instead of the 2 hour one...he should actually get some real sleep now! 'Kay,

everyone, let's do the wave for Mark...we'll go from East to West...Frede in Paris? You

PS: Deb--thanks for the visit and the lovely dinner. Wish you could stay!

PSS: Someone call Inside Edition. Both Bob and Lynn are down with some

mysterious respiratory thing caused by the masks we were required to wear in the

Day 14 - HOORAY! They just removed the Swan catheter from Mark's neck! A sign of

improvement (and something that is making Mark do happy dances). He also made a

full lap around the ICU ward last night, so he's walkin' the walk. Don't want to

speculate when he'll move out of ICU...but wow, what a difference a day can make!

Thanks for the Paramount info! Lynn will be contacting all those who e-mailed in re:

the hotel, so PLEASE, no one make any calls yet. Don't want to bombard the place

with a bunch of different contacts. Thank you!!

Day 13 - Mark's been feelin' a tad poopy as of late. He's quite a bit anemic, which

presents as flu-like symptoms. We were told that this is a fairly normal occurrence

post-transplant, so nothing to be worried about. We've invested in some Geritol

(anyone remember the old Nancy Lopez commercials "Geritol...for ion po' blod" or

however you type a thick southern drawl. No? Oh well, I'll just put that one in the vault

with the Footloose reference). The right side of his heart is still lagging (a little longer

than expected) so they are keeping the Swan in and holing Mark up in ICU for another

few days. A nurse mentioned that it could be weeks before the right side catches up

fully. Supposedly, it's OK for the nurses and family to visit without face masks at this

point, but Mark continues to insist that people wear them in his room. We're not sure

if it's because it has been so ingrained in the pre-transplant days that masks are

necessary and he's having a hard time with the policy change, or if it's because his

heart isn't strong enough to handle the fugliness that is his family and friends!

Day 9 - We tried to spring him, but it JUST didn't work! Just as the medical staff were

considering moving Mark over to the NE wing of the cardiac floor (where they move you

once you are deemed "stable"), they instead decided to put a Swan catheter back in

his neck so they could administer a better regimen of diurectics to reduce the water he

is holding in his gut (geez, that sentence makes Dostoevskii sound terse).

Sooooooo, he's in ICU isolation for another 4 days or so. This obviously makes our

little social butterfly grumpy. He is eating a little better, however (only Mark can have

a heart transplant, but have his run-of-the-mill acid reflux be the ONE THING he

complains most about!), which is good because he needs to boost up those calories.

He's also beginning to think about where he wants to travel in the next year, so get

those guest beds ready! And a secret he revealed: he's always wanted to stay at the

Paramount Hotel in NYC. If anyone has any connections to cheap rooms at this

deliciously trendy place, e-mail Mark's AOL account!

Day 7 - Mark continues to rest. His spirits are good but the frustration that comes

with recovery knocks him down a peg or two now and again. No news yet of when he

will be moved out of ICU or released to go home but we'll let you know as soon as we

Updates to the website will be less frequent now because Mark is at a point in his

recovery where new and exciting things are kinda rare (unless you want to hear about

his various bouts of nausea and hiccups), and Chris and Lynn (the website content

queens) are back to their full time jobs and can only update when their bosses ain't

Our crew sends heartfelt thoughts to Kayla Burt, her family, and teammates. We had

the amazing pleasure of sharing a waiting room with that crew over the course of

several days, and are excited to hear that Kayla is out of the hospital and doing well.

We wish her the best! Click here to read about Kayla's story.

Jen has returned to NY. Thanks for the wonderful burst of energy. We miss you

already, though it was scary to have both Lynn and Jen in the room at the same time.

The medical staff put a strict ban on having them both visit Mark simultaneously.

Joan and Bob rented a lovely apartment near the UW Medical Center, where Mark will

convalesce for a few weeks after leaving the hospital and before returning to his own

Mark thanks everyone for all the e-mails and the general love and support he has been

feelin'. He also requests that folks extend generous prayers, thanks, and thoughts to

the donor and the donor's family for the lifesaving choice they made. While we

celebrate Mark's recovery, let's also support the healing of the amazing and

Day 6 - Mark is feeling great when he doesn't laugh. So, hold the hilarity for a couple

of days. WE haven't had to resort to stories of lost kittens and kidnapped children but

so far we have found that these are the only two things he doesn't crack up about.

They removed the Swan-Gantz catheter (which was through his neck extending all the

way into his heart - waaaaay uncomfortable) and put in a picc line in his arm. This is a

main line to deliver drugs and take blood samples.

Day 5 - Well, today was another day of sleep for Mark. It turns out that yesterday the

nurses took him out for his first walk! So, he had another day of rest and a nice bath.

Mark would like to thank everyone for their well wishes, positive energy, and prayers

and he would like you to send the same to the donor's family.

Day 4 - Fun news! Today, an article about Mark appeared in the Seattle Times! Just

click on this link Mark's Article to read! This article was written by Sherry Grindeland,

who wrote and article last June about the LifeCenter Northwest awareness walk

(Original Article) As for our boy, today finds him rather groggy from the drug he got

yesterday to get rid of hiccups. So, Joan and Bob are setting up their new temporary

digs and the "cadre" stands down for the moment! (We got a kick out of that

description, Sherry!) More news as it breaks ....

Day 3 - Mark is much the same as he was yesterday. He is in good spirits and

awaiting more emails! Although we are reporting that he is making fabulous progress,

please remember that he continues to tire very easily and become overwhelmed if he

has too much stimulus. Until he can handle more, he will be spending his visits with

his parents only. He appreciates your good intentions and hopes that you will visit him

Happy New Heart! No, not Bob! Mark began transplant surgery at 12:01 am. At 1:01,

we (Lynn, Chris, Julie, Kelvin, Heather, and Shoni) were informed by the OR front desk

that the surgery began after the staff recognized the New Year and that at that time

the new heart was in and he was already on the heart-lung bypass machine.

As of 6:00 am, surgery was completed and Mark has been moved to ICU. According

to the surgeon, Mark is in "as good a shape as can be expected at this stage" but the

next 48 hours will be critical. They will wake him either later today or tomorrow to

As of 3:00 pm, Mark is fully concious and has won his battle with the staff to get off of

the ventilator. One of the first things he tried to communicate to the nurses was that

he wanted that tube out NOW and at about 3:00 his respiratory tests met muster and

they removed that pup. He is currently sucking on ice chips and awaiting his parents'

arrival this afternoon. He won't be able to talk for a while but those of us that are

allowed in to see him are enjoying our brief moments of being able to speak to him

without having to hear his opinion. Friend Jen has arrived from NY to spell the hospital

waiting room dwellers and we are going home to catch a quick nap. zzzz.

Mark will cannot receive flowers - PLEASE DO NOT SEND FLOWERS! Please send

well wishes to his email address at MarkOpicka@aol.com or donations to the link

Please do not expect contact from Mark for several weeks.

Ho Ho Ho, he's home! Taking more meds and trying to piss like a racehorse. He has

to go back to the hospital on the 26th to take another test. Of course, they'd make

him study on Christmas Day ... but at least he can do it from home and not the

hospital. He's working hard to be as unpleasant as possible while at the hospital so

that they kick his skinny butt out at the soonest opportunity. Beta did a flip in his

bowl when Mark returned but is now giving him the cold shoulder and watching the Iron

Chef. Good thing this epidsode is not about sushi! Merry Christmas from Mark and

Mark did in fact have his weekend of debauchery but today he had to pay the price for

his bad study habits. He went back to take his tests today and again failed a few of

the biggies. So, he is back in the big house hoping to loose some of his excess

water. How long this could take, no one really knows. But, he has cable access and

his ever-faithful companion the phone so he should be adequately entertained for

awhile at least. He will contact people if he is up to it - please use his AOL email until

Well, we all thought Mark studied for this week's blood test but apparently he didn't.

He bombed a few of the items on the exam and now he is forced to take it again. I

think we need to take TV time away from him so he can study harder.

The Medical types told him that he is a big old fatty and full of water once again. He

has two choices ... he can either put on a red suit and beard and sit in a mall freaking

out kids or pop even more big pills to drain the water out of his gut. The Santa option

is appealing but he opted for the pills ...what a big junkie! Anyway, if the fluid leaves,

he will be able to go on with his weekend of debauchery, if not ...it's off to the big

medical house with him so he can be squeezed like a grape. Now is the time to make

Mark is still home and enjoyin' life. His most recent lab tests were STELLAR...exactly

where the doctors want him to be. Even his potassium (which is generally low and

causes severe leg cramps) was normal. Yeehaw! Damn, if he's that good at tests,

we'll sign him up for the MENSA exam at the end of the month!

Markie phone home. Rather, Mark phoned me FROM home last night. I have no idea

how he got there, but I'm envisioning a skinny bald man covertly huddled on the #44,

with his ass hanging out of a hospital gown. The cardiac unit staff probably thinks

Mark is just out for a "walk." So Mark's home and happily focused on his new "high

sodium" diet, and strange tactic for treating dehydration, but how do I know? I'm a

Mark is back in the UWMC cardiac unit. About a day after he moved back home last

week, he started feeling oogy in his tummy (and no, it wasn't anything I left in the

fridge). He's having another cardiac catheter put in today, but only for a quick reading

(not the 3 day, infection causing adventure of lore). Last night, the cardiologist told

Mark that he was being TOO good with his low sodium diet, and Mark was actually

TOO LOW in water and TOO LOW in sodium! His prescription? Order take out! Yup,

Mark ordered him self some take out Indian food last night...sans "special diet" and

delivered right there to the cardiac unit! Mark hopes to be home in a day or two.

Mark's home!!! Yeehaw! He's home, hanging out, or zipping around on his new moped

(vroom, vroom). He swings by the hospital once a day to get some IV drugs

administered, but is basically stabilized and waiting it out til the "big day." He's happy

to be eating good food and watching TV with good reception. Plus, his fish (Beta)

was getting lonely. Beta hasn't watched the Food Network in almost a month! Mark

will be contacting folks as his energy comes back,so please don't flood him with

Mark had a rough weekend (hell, don't we all?!). On Saturday morning his heart went

all a-flutter (literally!) as the top and bottom halves of his heart started beating out of

synch (kinda like the big farmboy in Footloose). His heart rate was about 140 (it

should normally be around 70). It made him lightheaded, so he had to spend the day

lying around and trying to be mellow (do you see why it was rough for him!?!). Late

Saturday morning they drugged him up so they could try and "cardioconvert" him back

into a normal rhythm (that's the fancy word for "zapping 'em"). It didn't work the first

time, so they gave him some drugs that lowered his heart rate (to about 120), and let

that sit in him overnight. Sunday morning they "converted" him back to a normal. Ha!

Yeah, right... I mean, his heart rate is back to normal (as is his blood pressure).

Mark is still the weird-o who made the cardiac ICU staff watch the "Curse of the

Poltergeist Trilogy" on E! all night... Gawd bless Craig T. Nelson! He's back to being

fat and sassy again, and has a picc line in his arm so he can administer his own drugs

should they send him home...which, rumor has, could be by Halloween! We'll let you

know via this site if and when he comes home. Or Mark will contact you to let you

know. Please don't flood his voicemail with "are you home yet?" messages.

Mark is out of ICU! He has, again, taken up residence in the Cardiac unit (where the

TV reception is better...just in time for Buffy!). He's peeing like a race horse and is

taking antibiotics and other meds through an IV in the neck (to give his poor arm veins

a break). His spirits are good, his sense of humor is back, and he's mobile (though he

was lapped by a post-transplant patient during our floor walk last night). He can

definitely feel your good wishes, thoughts, prayers and animal sacrifices.

Mark remains at the University of Washington Medical Center. It will most likely be

his home until the transplant occurs. He is currently in ICU, where he had a

Swan-Gantz Catheter put into his heart (through a vein in his neck) to monitor pressure

and function. The Swan catheter was removed and Mark is still on antibiotics. He is

still hallucinating but we're starting to think it's not the drugs anymore!

Mark remains at the University of Washington Medical Center. It will most likely be

his home until the transplant occurs. He is currently in ICU, where he had a Swan-Gantz Catheter put into his heart (through a vein in his neck) to monitor pressure

and function. The Swan was removed on Sunday and Mark is now fighting an

infection caused by the catheter. He is on antibiotics and is hallucinating nicely.

Mark is currently in the University of Washington Medical Center learning how to pee again.

In other words, Mark is retaining fluids and is being treated with intravenous diuretics. He is feeling fat and sassy (heavy emphasis on the fat). He is feeling relatively well and expects to be released sometime this week.