When you’re in liver failure, the only treatment is to get a liver transplant. However, it’s still important to know what to expect when your doctor recommends this life-saving procedure. The first step to getting all the information you need is knowing which questions to ask.
The wait time for getting a liver depends on several factors. While there are many people waiting to receive a liver, everyone is ranked based on the severity of the liver damage they’re living with. Your doctor should be able to give you an idea of where you are on the list based on your stage of liver failure.
Generally, doctors encourage people with liver failure to eat in a way that doesn’t negatively affect their liver. That means avoiding things like alcohol, fatty foods, and processed foods.
It’s possible to get a liver from a living donor as long as they are a match for you. If there is someone who would like to donate a liver to you, talk to your doctor so the assessment process can start quickly.
Doctors typically recommend liver transplants when it’s the only thing that can treat your liver failure. Since there’s no machine that can replicate the liver’s function, not getting a transplant means that function will be impaired.
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Liver transplant surgery is considered to be successful for many people. Your doctor should be able to tell you the actual data based on their experience and what they think your likely outcome will be.
There are risks with every surgery but the odds of them affecting you can vary. Some of the risks associated with liver transplants include bleeding, infection, bile leakage, and poor function of the transplanted liver.
This can differ from one person to another but most people spend between seven to 10 days in the hospital after liver transplant surgery. They were also able to return to their regular work or school schedule within three months.
Organ rejection is a major concern with any transplant surgery. As such you will be on immunosuppressants for the rest of your life to prevent that from happening. Unfortunately, there are times when medication isn’t enough. Some signs of rejection include an unexplained fever, chronic fatigue, and yellow eyes.
You’re likely to undergo multiple blood tests within the first six weeks of the transplant. These tests are meant to check how well the liver is functioning. After that, your doctor will work with you to determine a schedule.
While it’s usually possible to return to work or school within three months, it can take up to six months for you to manage strenuous physical activity.
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There are different factors that can influence whether or not you qualify for a liver transplant. However, the minimum criteria include having clinical signs of liver failure, being healthy enough to recover from the surgery, and having no risk of future drug or alcohol abuse.
Several recent studies have given some troubling insight into liver transplants and Black Americans. These studies found that there were fewer Black people placed on the transplant list and those who made it to the list waited 87 percent longer than other ethnicities. One study even stated that of 34,000 recipients, only nine percent of them were Black. The delayed action of putting Black people on transplant lists can also be seen in their poor survival rates after the procedure. While the factors that lead to these disparities haven’t been fully explored, it’s possible that knowing more about your treatment options and persistently asking questions can help you.
Liver failure is a critical health issue that needs to be treated as soon as possible. To ensure that you’re getting the full picture, you need to have open conversations with your doctor about what a liver transplant entails.
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