Cirrhosis

[lishers]

I am 20 years old and diagnosed with liver cirrhosis/liver failure/end stage liver disease. The ER doctor has mentioned all three names to me. I am wondering if I need to see a normal doctor,or if I just keep living on. Im at lost on what to do. I also am wondering if I should continue working or if I need rest cause I am always tired.

[Paderla Anitha, DNB]

Hello and hope you are doing well.

If its end stage liver failure you should be having severe jaundice, loss of appetite, bloating of the abdomen and sometimes confusion and disorientation. It is difficult for you to continue working with these symptoms. Please consult your doctor at the earliest, he may then refer you to a GI specialist. You need complete evaluation and management.

Hope this helped and do keep us posted.

[eureka254]

Tiredness and fatigue and not uncommon with liver cirrhosis... you are very young to have this diagnosis... did the ER doctor explain to you the cause of your cirrhosis?  Liver failure is usually the result of sustained injury to the liver (viral hepatitis, alcohol use, genetic condition, etc.) -- you did not mention if the ER doctor explained WHY you have cirrhosis, but finding the root cause would be very important.  Most likely a *normal* doctor like a primary care physician or family practitioner would NOT be helpful for you.

With end stage liver disease, you should be seeing a physician specializing in liver, or a hepatologist.  It is most important that you be evaluated and assessed by a Transplant Center -- most large university hospitals have such, and you should do this as soon as possible  -- you do NOT want to ignore your ER diagnosis.  Best of luck. ~eureka