Remember watching Charlie Brown cartoons?

As a kid growing up in the 70's, we didn't have the 24 hour access to Cartoon Network or Nickelodeon that kids today have. Instead, when we got to watch a cartoon at any other time than a Saturday Morning, it was a real treat. That was the case whenever they would air one of the Peanuts specials.

Although my personal favorite (and probably that of most 6 year olds of that time frame) was Snoopy, one of the most memorable characters on the show was one that you never even got to see. Their teacher would make appearances on the show, but only with her voice. And, as we remember, it wasn't really a voice. It was more of a "wah waaaaah waaaah wah" sound, but we always could recognize it, and it was extremely funny at the time and in the context.

As my hepatologist left the exam room, he brought in a person that he introduced as my transplant coordinator. Although I'm sure that much of the information that was given to me by her and the staff for the rest of the meeting was informative and helpful, all I could hear was "wah waaah waah wah wah". This was the first time that I had this experience, but later bouts with encephalopathy caused it more and more often (although for physiological rather than emotional causes)! Needless to say, these times weren't nearly as entertaining as hearing it for the first time as a 6 year old. I'll give more details of what led to more and more of those moments as my story progresses...