And thus began the REAL search.

I soon received a call from my primary care Doctor. Clearly, he had done some basic research, but still was set on the opinion that Alpha-1 could not be the true cause of my liver issues. Again, lose some weight and things will be better. If it wasn't, than perhpas a transplant was in my future. No real way of telling anything.

And oh... By the way. The blood work showed that I was a ZZ. "What in the world is that?" I asked myself. But I knew better than to really pursue it. As good and caring of a person as he was, I could tell that he, as a Doctor, was in over his head on this one.

So off I went on my quest to find specialists that knew more about this disease, and that could help me manage the symptoms, and perhaps have a bit of control over the eventual course of the disease. I soon discovered that there were two local hospitals that had staff with the knowledge to understand the disease, the experience from having dealt with other patients with it, and the capability to carry the treatment through to the conclusion, if necessary... A liver transplant. It was down to Henry Ford Hospital and the University of Michigan.

In my searching, I couldn't find any real benefits or flaws that would allow me to easily choose one of the programs. They both seemed to have updated facilities in their transplant areas, extremely competent staff, and produces similar outcomes for their patients. Although it isn't the best means to choosing a hospital, since all other items appeared equal, I chose U-M -- First, because the campus is located in Ann Arbor (a much safer area than Henry Ford, which is in the New Center area of the city of Detroit). Secondly, and on a much lesser level, because I got my undergraduate degree there, knew the town, and loved the area.