| Liver Transplant Support - Basic
Medical Information |
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How the professionals let
us know
Some signs of Liver damage may be:
- Feeling tired or weak
- losing your appetite
- feeling sick to your stomach
- losing weight
- bruising or bleeding easily - such as nosebleeds
- bloating due to fluid build-up in the abdomen (ascites)
- declining mental function
- Liver problems often make the skin and the whites
of the eyes turn yellow, a condition called jaundice
- swelling in the legs and the abdome
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| Our liver is our life. If
this fails, the doctor may refer us to a consultant. After many
tests, the consultant may put you on a liver transplant waiting
list, but he also may not. |
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What is a Liver Transplant?
Liver transplantation is surgery to remove a diseased liver
and replace it with a healthy one. This type of surgery has
been performed since 1968 when the first liver transplant was
performed at Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge by British surgeon/scientist
Professor Sir Roy Calne. Many people have experienced liver
transplants and now lead normal lives. |
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Your
liver is your life.
You have only one and though it is unique in its ability
to regenerate, it can only survive limited damage - so
it does need looking after.
The liver is the largest gland, and solid organ in the
body, weighing some 1.8 kg in men and 1.3 kg in women.
It holds approximately 13% (about one pint or 0.57 litres)
of the total blood supply at any given moment, and it
is estimated that it has over 500 functions. 1) Liver,
2) Biliary Tree, 3) Biliary Duct, 4) Gall Bladder |
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Why
would I need a liver transplant?
In adults, one of the most common reasons for liver transplantation
is cirrhosis. Cirrhosis is caused by many types of liver
problems that destroy healthy liver cells and replace
them with scar tissue. Cirrhosis can be caused by viruses,
hepatitis B and C, alcohol, autoimmune liver diseases,
build-up of fat in the liver, and hereditary liver diseases
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NOW!
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