Aa
Too Late?
My boufriend was diagnosed with hep c 6 years ago. A biopsy 3 yrs ago showed stage 3 with cirrosis. He is now I believe jaundice. His eyes and skin are yellow. Lots of stomach discomfort. He has been going to the VA where he did try treatment 2 yrs ago but was unable to continue due to low blood and red & white cells down. He was never given a procrit shot to help his counts. Is he in the final stage (he's reluctant to go to the hospital). If we had a live donor would this be a possibility? He has no insurance except for the VA. Please is this the end or is there something I can do for him. Thanks Brendi
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
milk thistle is OK; I am concerned about the use of sosilver. I am glad that they are admitting him.
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
he can try SAME for fatigue; he needs to eat many small meals throughout the day and avoid salt to prevent from becoming malnourished. he should receive the HAV and HBV vaccinations if he has never been exposed.
I don't think positive or negative is an issue. I am a cadaver liver transplant recipient and that is what I know the most about. I wouldn't think the compatibility would differ with a living donor but I haven't researched it. This is from a reputable site - I don't have the web page for it however.
Unlike other kinds of organ transplants, the liver recipient and the liver donor do not have to be a perfect "match". There are, however, certain qualifications.
The donor must be:
* Approximately the same weight and body size as the recipient
* Free from disease, infection, or injury that affects the liver
* Usually of the same or a compatible blood type (see chart above)
Mike
Unlike other kinds of organ transplants, the liver recipient and the liver donor do not have to be a perfect "match". There are, however, certain qualifications.
The donor must be:
* Approximately the same weight and body size as the recipient
* Free from disease, infection, or injury that affects the liver
* Usually of the same or a compatible blood type (see chart above)
Mike
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
generally patients are not too sick for a transplant. A living donor is an option. we tell our donors to expect to be off from work without any manual labor for at least 3 months.
BLOOD TYPE COMPATIBILITY CHART FOR LIVER TRANSPLANT
Blood Type Can receive a liver from Can generally donate a liver to
O O O, A, B, AB
A A, O A, AB
B B, O B, AB
AB A, B, O, AB AB
Mike
Blood Type Can receive a liver from Can generally donate a liver to
O O O, A, B, AB
A A, O A, AB
B B, O B, AB
AB A, B, O, AB AB
Mike
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
if the INR and bilirubin are indeed that high, those are very ominous findings and I think he needs a transplant ASAP. You can try mylicon for gas. lactulose can also cause the gas. i am very concerned about the blood tests.
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
HCV typically doesn't cause jaundice unless the individual has cirrhosis. he definitely should be evaluated by a liver specialist. The VA does liver transplants if it comes to that. he really should be re-evaluated as the outcome of HCV conceivably could be better if procrit and the like were used.
I think I'm in love!!! We met Dr. Pratt yesterday and boy was it worth the wait. I asked if he knew you and he said yes-I said you spoke highly of him . He asked who's been taking care of us until now-I told him you had, that you were all I had for a while. He said by the recent blood tests we've been doing a great job. His numbers have improved greatly so it looks like keeping Bobby-(his real name is David but he goes by his middle name)-so keeping him around til he's transplant eligible is not going to be as hectic as I thought. He explained the fluid is caused by soldium and it is very important to keep that under control-no more than 2000 mg per day . That is the hard part-I think it was harder for Bobby to quit the salt than the Beer. But the Transplant people look at the soduim just as severe as if it were booze. I read all the labels-man everything has sodium! Well Dr. Pratt is going to schedule for a tap by the Drs that do them everyday so we won't have anymore tap horror stories and maybe increase the diuretics so we can keep up with the fluid. It looks like Jan. 25th 2009 is our goal date to meet with the Transplant Evaluation Team!!!
Well, Dr. T Thank You so much for the 3 months of support , advice and information that you gave us to get to this point. We wish there was some way we could show our appreciation for everything you've taught us. Thanks again Brenda & Bobby(David)
Well, Dr. T Thank You so much for the 3 months of support , advice and information that you gave us to get to this point. We wish there was some way we could show our appreciation for everything you've taught us. Thanks again Brenda & Bobby(David)
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
these things happen some time. I am glad that dr pratt is seeing him sooner.
Well, they admitted him and had 3 unsuccessful tries at a tap(the ER dept got it done wilth no problem the week before with ultrasound & needle extension and a small incision). They let him go home late last night and today was awful. Bobby said he knows what it's like to be stabbed! Now today he started to run a fever-mild this am but 102 this PM. Called and he was given Levaquin but they really wanted him to go to ER. He begged me to wait til am so---He was given the 40 of Lasix & Aldactone & Lactulose when they discharged him last night. Maybe we can start getting a grip on the fluid. The only good thing about today is Dr. Pratt moved his appt up to Oct 10 instead of 2/2/09. See there is a God! Brenda
Thanks for the tip and listening. He's back at Mass Gen for another tap-this time they're admitting him. We've had trouble getting an appt with the GI Dr.-She's also a member of Dr. Pratts team. The ER Dept figured this willl be a good way to be seen by a GI. They said he should be on the Lasix 40 mg-not 30 & aldactone 100. Hopefully this will get the fluid in check so he won't need this done so frequently . You're right small meals makes him more comfortable. How do you feel about milk thistle and Sosilver mineral? Thanks again Dr. T-Brenda
Back again-I quess this is like a roller-coaster ride. I've never spoke of Bobby's old habits. When he was 1st diagnosed 6yrs ago with Hep-c they told him he had 3-5yrs to live without treatment. He had no ins. at the time so yes he drank his beer-not a lot but enough, figuring he was going to die anyway. He then became eligible for VA ins. It took 2 yrs to get a liver biopsy and another year before they would start treatment-he had stopped drinking. After only 4 wks of treatment and no procrit shot-he had to stop the treatment. The VA Dr. said my way or no way. So of course he started to drink again figuring this was it. Then he just decided he didn't want to drink anymore, he felt better not drinking. The he received a letter from our wonderful state registry saying he was going to loose his license for 8yrs from something that happened in 2000. He figured I'm going to die-I can't drive-I might as well drink. That was for 3 wks in May to June. I helped him get the registry problem taken care of it was just a mix up but had we not noticed this they would have taken his license. Back on the road to recovery-no drinking and then we found he could get ins. So here we are with ins but no transplant team will even see him for 6 months sober-and their clock doesn't start til he is in a program-I do understand. IHe didn't care about living before-but has many reasons now to live, ie: His Mom, me and his son & grandchildren. So now the other process starts and I'm just afraid his clock is going to run out before he gets to the transplant team. I guess there is nothing else we can do but pray. We're headed back to Mass General today for another tap and hopefully for some addition meds for fluid. Dr. Pratts office is trying for an appointment with the GI team soon as his PCP said his condition was too severe for him to handle. I quess I just needed to talk-sorry to waste your time-but any secrets on keeping him going. We're doing everything we've been told to do-some of it was wrong-the VA stuff like 2grams of sodium not 4grs-fluid intake 1200cc's not plenty of fluids-protein foods but not protein supplement?? Anything else you have up your sleev will be appreciated. Thanks Brenda & Bob
I'm glad to see that you know of him-birds of a feather-flock together!!! Brendi
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
glad you both had a good day. dr pratt is excellent
God it's like a breath of fresh air! I took him to Mass General this am and what a difference. They took out 5 bottles of fluid & he feels like a new man. Crit levels were good, albumin was good & amonia good. They also E-mailed his new primary care & said he needs to be seen by his primary care Dr. within 24-48 hrs and get a referral for Dr.Pratt-the transplant Dr. as soon as possible-when I made the appointment-they gave us Oct. 13th. I haven't had a good day like this in a while. We both want to thank you for all that you've taught me-all the information that we needed to start this process-I wish we lived in New York cause I would love to meet you. I wasn't sure when I retired why I did it 1yr and a half early-but I am a firm believer that everything happens for a reason-God bless you & this forum. By the way they were impressed with my knowledge of his condition and procedures!! Sincerely grateful Brendi & Bobby. I'll keep you posted.
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
i would consider taking him to the ER unless you are going to see someone in the office tomorrow or Tuesday
I forgot to mention he is on 1 litre fluid restriction-Brendi
Thanks again-I'm trying to convince him to go to Mass General Emergency-but he is hesitant. Says he is feeling a little better today but sill in pain. His output has lessened and his urine is dark again. He's gone from voiding 1525 cc's when first put on the Furisomide to 725cc's yest. Today so far 550cc's. Im just afraid for his kidneys as he was in renal failure 2 wks ago. His urine was yellow for 3 days now it's darker.. He also is getting a little confused again at times-Albumin level still 2.5-some suggested lactulose for a short time?? I quess it will be up and down like this til he gets a transplant-so the sooner the better-right?? Thanks again Dr. T-Brendi & Bob
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
it sounds like he has ascites. the indication for the tap is if he is having pain, difiiculty breathing or eating. Taps are relatively safe but can cause bleeding or infection rarely. If there is any indication he could have an infection then a diagnostic tap is also indicated.
Good Morning- Progress on ins-thru unemployment Blue Cross Blue Shield HMO-Question-this am he's very uncomfortable and I'm not sure if he's shivering or if it's tremors but he also threw up. I think it's his body's was of trying to get rid of some fluid. Is the fluid ascites ?? His belly is getting bigger-maybe he needs another tap? Parencentisis??S(sp?) I'm making an apt with a Primary Care Phys to get a referral to a Dr. at Mass General-In the mean time should I bring him to the hosp for a tap?Thanks Brendi
Thank you so much-it was a big help-I just happen to be O pos and my boyfriend is B pos-Thanks Brendi
Thanks Dr. T, Someone else gave me the blood type requirements, just not sure if it makes a difference if you're pos or neg. Thanks again-Have a good day-Brendi
Thank you so much for the info-does it matter O positive to B positive or O is O & B is B??Thanks Brendi
Many questions as we haven't got an earlier appt with a GI yet. Is there ever a situaton that it is too late for a transplant?? So far the GP phys he saw Monday at the VA said he needed one, that he was in fact in liver failure. Does a live liver donor need to match bloodtype? How long is a live donor laid up for? I know every situation is different but general info wuld be helpful. The Dr. said he could probably live "this way" maybe 6 months-but could he live 1 yr-probably not. Thanks again-Brendi & Bob
You are reading content posted in the Liver Transplant Forum
A list of national and international resources and hotlines to help connect you to needed health and medical services.
Herpes sores blister, then burst, scab and heal.
Herpes spreads by oral, vaginal and anal sex.
STIs are the most common cause of genital sores.
Condoms are the most effective way to prevent HIV and STDs.
PrEP is used by people with high risk to prevent HIV infection.
