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Blood pressure problems
My mom has cirrhosis, she is 63 , she was hospitalized with HE in November and has lost 30-40 pounds in the last 4 months, which is scary but her blood pressure has been around 80/30 for a week which is very scary. The doctors say there is no treatment and she is not a candidate for transplant :( I would like to know if this drop in blood pressure is common, or cause for concern ?
Hi again.
So the appointment was not as successful as I had hoped. :(
The doctor my mum is seeing says she's not even strong enough for a biopsy and couldn't survive a transplant, and that her diagnosis came much too late. He will supply me with her latest blood work so I can figure out her MELD score for myself, he is not sure if the blood pressure drop is a kidney issue or a side effect of one of the many pills she takes, he lowered the dose of the one drug that they use to keep pressure off of the esophical vein..
He feels that her prognosis is still 2-5 years but based on her cognitive issues she will likely need a care home within a year. He spoke about an antibiotic that seems to help a lot with quality of life( xifaxan maybe, not 100% sure) , but it's not approved yet in Canada so would cost $1000. Per month out of pocket. I might start a new thread asking if people have had a lot of success with this drug, it is my mum after all :)
So the appointment was not as successful as I had hoped. :(
The doctor my mum is seeing says she's not even strong enough for a biopsy and couldn't survive a transplant, and that her diagnosis came much too late. He will supply me with her latest blood work so I can figure out her MELD score for myself, he is not sure if the blood pressure drop is a kidney issue or a side effect of one of the many pills she takes, he lowered the dose of the one drug that they use to keep pressure off of the esophical vein..
He feels that her prognosis is still 2-5 years but based on her cognitive issues she will likely need a care home within a year. He spoke about an antibiotic that seems to help a lot with quality of life( xifaxan maybe, not 100% sure) , but it's not approved yet in Canada so would cost $1000. Per month out of pocket. I might start a new thread asking if people have had a lot of success with this drug, it is my mum after all :)
I am going to try to talk to her doctor about transplant possibilities next week, he says the cutoff age here in Canada is 60. And that she is not strong enough, I asked him to tissue match me as a living donor as we have the same blood type, but he seems to think it's too late, but it just seems crazy to me that he wants us to just let her go at 63, when her parents are healthy at 86 and 89!! Thx
When you say she is being seen by a specialist, do you mean a hepatologist at a transplant center? If not, then I will repeat my advice. Please make an appt with a hepatologist in a transplant center.
He had his liver transplant at 66 years of age. He had end stage liver disease (ESLD) at the time as a result of Hepatitis C infection.
You write that your mother's cirrhosis is a result of alcoholism. This will not necessarily exclude her from getting a transplant. To my knowledge, the patient must show sobriety for at least 6 months before transplant.
So that pretty much takes care of the two reasons your doctor gave you for why she doesn't qualify for a transplant.
Unless there are other medical issues, I advise you to take her to a transplant center ASAP.
Best of luck to you and mom.
Nan
He had his liver transplant at 66 years of age. He had end stage liver disease (ESLD) at the time as a result of Hepatitis C infection.
You write that your mother's cirrhosis is a result of alcoholism. This will not necessarily exclude her from getting a transplant. To my knowledge, the patient must show sobriety for at least 6 months before transplant.
So that pretty much takes care of the two reasons your doctor gave you for why she doesn't qualify for a transplant.
Unless there are other medical issues, I advise you to take her to a transplant center ASAP.
Best of luck to you and mom.
Nan
Thank you Nan
She is under the care of a specialist, he says partly because of her age, and partly because of alcoholism causing the problem.that she is not a candidate (She quit drinking 8 months ago) she had been symptomatic about a year, swelling belly, spider veins, no asohageal bleeds, but maybe stomach, there was a problem with her hemoglobin and she needed a blood transfusion but never found the cause, she is very weak, and they haven't even done a biopsy. He just basically says there is no treatment other than her taking lactulose, and her prognosis is 2-5 years max :(
I did get her an appt. for this coming Monday, after saying if the blood pressure means her kidneys are failing she CANNOT wait a month. I always go in with her to her appts so will let you know what he says Monday.
Glad I found this forum, I have been residing for months but hadn't reached out till now :)
She is under the care of a specialist, he says partly because of her age, and partly because of alcoholism causing the problem.that she is not a candidate (She quit drinking 8 months ago) she had been symptomatic about a year, swelling belly, spider veins, no asohageal bleeds, but maybe stomach, there was a problem with her hemoglobin and she needed a blood transfusion but never found the cause, she is very weak, and they haven't even done a biopsy. He just basically says there is no treatment other than her taking lactulose, and her prognosis is 2-5 years max :(
I did get her an appt. for this coming Monday, after saying if the blood pressure means her kidneys are failing she CANNOT wait a month. I always go in with her to her appts so will let you know what he says Monday.
Glad I found this forum, I have been residing for months but hadn't reached out till now :)
Welcome to the forum. So sorry to hear your mom's health in such a precarious state. In order to be able to answer your question, we will need some more information. Why have the doctors said she is not a candidate for transplant? Is it that she has other medical issues that would make a transplant too risky for her or is it because her MELD score is too low?
What was the cause of her cirrhosis? Blood pressure of 80/30 is very scary and losing 30-40 pounds in a few months time (I assume without dieting) definitely raises a red flag.
Besides the HE, have the doctors said she has ascites, edema, esophageal or stomach varices, or portal hypertension? These are signs of very advanced liver disease which can also start effecting how well her kidneys function. My husband's blood pressure fell like that a couple of years ago when his kidneys were injured by some medication he was given. He had end stage liver disease at the time.
Is she being seen by a hepatologist at a major transplant center? If not, she will get the best treatment there, where they have a lot of experience working with patients such as your mother. She will also be evaluated for transplant by those who are best qualified to make that decision.
We are not doctors here, just some folks who are living with cirrhosis or are caregivers and/or family members (like yourself) of someone with cirrhosis.
We speak and advise from our own personal experiences. The doctors are the one you should be asking all of your questions. They should be taking the time to explain the "whys" to any of your questions.
I wish you and your Mom the best going forward. I know its not easy.
Nan
What was the cause of her cirrhosis? Blood pressure of 80/30 is very scary and losing 30-40 pounds in a few months time (I assume without dieting) definitely raises a red flag.
Besides the HE, have the doctors said she has ascites, edema, esophageal or stomach varices, or portal hypertension? These are signs of very advanced liver disease which can also start effecting how well her kidneys function. My husband's blood pressure fell like that a couple of years ago when his kidneys were injured by some medication he was given. He had end stage liver disease at the time.
Is she being seen by a hepatologist at a major transplant center? If not, she will get the best treatment there, where they have a lot of experience working with patients such as your mother. She will also be evaluated for transplant by those who are best qualified to make that decision.
We are not doctors here, just some folks who are living with cirrhosis or are caregivers and/or family members (like yourself) of someone with cirrhosis.
We speak and advise from our own personal experiences. The doctors are the one you should be asking all of your questions. They should be taking the time to explain the "whys" to any of your questions.
I wish you and your Mom the best going forward. I know its not easy.
Nan
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