The Timing of Steve Jobs’s Purported Liver Transplant

I’m curious about the reported timing. The Journal story says “about two months ago”, but I heard from a bunch of sources last week at WWDC that Jobs had been seen on campus the week before — i.e. about two weeks ago. I mean, he was there walking around, giving people hell like usual. Regarding recuperating time, the Journal story has this sentence:

Recovery from a liver transplant is relatively fast, said William Chapman, a specialist at Washington University who has no direct knowledge of Mr. Jobs’s case.

But six weeks doesn’t sound “relatively” fast, to me. It sounds crazy fast.

I don’t know how authoritative it is, but here’s what health-cares.net says regarding liver transplant patients:

After discharge from the hospital, patients are seen every week (for approximately three weeks) in the outpatient clinic for an examination and monitoring of blood tests. During this time, medications are adjusted based on the levels found in your blood. After approximately one month, patients are usually seen only two to three times during the first year. Also beginning at one month, blood is checked every other week; eventually, it is checked only once a month. Most patients are encouraged to resume physical activity, including work, after three to six months, depending on their recovery. Patients may resume heavy activity, including workouts, at six months.

So I’m thinking that if Steve Jobs had a liver transplant, it was more than “about two months” ago.

★ Saturday, 20 June 2009