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liver failure after galbladder removal

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Posted 10/2/2013 12:26 AM (GMT 0)
My sister is 36 she had uterine cancer and survived. She now has stomach cancer. She had her gallbladder removed and within a week found out her liver is now in failure. I know many people who don't have a gallbladder and they are fine. I think the liver failure was just waiting to happen (which sucks.) Can there be a link? She is bi-polar; had a bad drug problem but she has been clean many years. She is on pain killers and does drink on occasion. confused

Post Edited By Moderator (hep93) : 10/1/2013 8:44:46 PM (GMT-6)

Posted 10/2/2013 1:38 AM (GMT 0)
TXS, we need more information.

Have they tested for viral hepatitis?

Have they tested for autoimmune hepatitis?

Did she take a boat load of Tylenol after her gall bladder surgery (that can mess up a liver bad).

She should be seen by a Hepatologist, not a PCP or GI doc....a real liver doctor, at a major medical center if possible--one that does transplants. Not that your sister needs one of those, but those guys are in the thick of the serious cases and really know their stuff...they aren't concentrating on old ladies with IBS....they know the real deal.

Liver disease can be very serious.

Plus, some meds for bipolar disorder can mess with the liver also.

Best get this checked out ASAP.

If you have more specific questions, we all have been there. We are not docs, but we are patients and loved ones of patients with liver disease.

Best,
Mama Lama

Post Edited By Moderator (hep93) : 10/1/2013 8:46:13 PM (GMT-6)

Posted 10/2/2013 1:38 AM (GMT 0)
Oh, and no drinking alcohol. Not with liver disease. NO NO NO. ML
Posted 10/2/2013 2:11 AM (GMT 0)
She has been put on the transplant list. Idk about what meds she took for bipolat dissorder. She is retaining fluid very badly 20 lbs in a 5 days. Her immune system is extremely low.
Posted 10/2/2013 2:27 AM (GMT 0)
This is not good. I'm sorry. If you have specific questions, ask away. I'm glad she is under care of a transplant program. When my partner was near death, they kept him alive with meds and good protocol until a donor with his blood type, etc became available. They found a tumor in there too...so that transplant couldn't come soon enough. Unfortunately he was a drinking man and had to get and stay sober before they could actually list him. He is now 2.5 years post TP and 3 years sober. We are having a bit of a celebration at our house.

We are praying for a good outcome for your sister. She is very young.

Mama Lama
Posted 10/2/2013 2:55 AM (GMT 0)
Txsweets, welcome to the forum. I had liver cancer twice, the second time requiring a transplant. It's possible that your sister has liver cancer, as well, though it may not have been discovered yet. Has she had an abdominal MRI with Gadolinium contrast? I have a feeling that the stomach cancer was a secondary cancer from the uterine cancer. Even though they try to get it all out, there can be some stray cells that settle in other parts of the body. Has she been tested for viral hepatitis?

As ML mentioned, we are not doctors and cannot diagnose or predict outcomes. So I'm glad to hear that your sister is under the care of a transplant program. She absolutely cannot drink one drop of alcohol now and probably never again, both because she is listed and can lose the opportunity for transplant, and because it will further damage her liver. They do tox screens A LOT!

Please let us know how she is doing and give further information when it becomes available. She sounds like a strong woman, so I hope she will keep going during this difficult time.

Hugs,
Connie
Posted 10/6/2013 7:55 PM (GMT 0)
My biggest question is did the removal of her gallbladder cause this? Or has anyone else seen or heard of this happening? She is talking about suing the doctor.

Post Edited By Moderator (hep93) : 10/6/2013 6:06:36 PM (GMT-6)

Posted 10/6/2013 9:25 PM (GMT 0)
I doubt the removal of her gall bladder is the problem. People who receive liver transplants have their gall bladder removed. I did and everyone I've spoken to has as well.
Posted 10/7/2013 12:05 AM (GMT 0)
True, David, and they remove the gall bladder from the donor liver before it is implanted. I've never had any sort of problem as a result of not having a gall bladder. So she has no basis for a lawsuit.

Hugs,
Connie
Posted 10/11/2013 6:37 AM (GMT 0)
Txs,
I have had hep c for many many yrs. It now, as often is the case, has progressed to liver cancer. In 2003 I had to have my gall bladder removed due to abscessed stones. Post op, they told me I had cirrhosis as well.
What should have been an outpatient situation, turned into me having to be hospitalized for 5 days. My liver decompensated.

I was very ill, eyes were jaundiced, urine was ice tea colored, and I had ascites. My ascites was more generalized, going into my legs (&) abdomen, but legs were the worst. They were HUGE. they were not recognizable as legs. They were so large that the fluid leaked out thru my skin. I came home with 3 abdominal drains that ran all the time.

Considering what I have learned since, I still do not know if the cholecystectomy caused my decompensation or if it was a coincidence. My doctor said my GB was so impacted that it had adhered to my liver and the trauma to my liver to remove my GB, could have caused it. It took me months to get well. Because of all that, I have continued to monitor my liver with labs, semi-annually, and scans, and that is what recently led to my dx of hepatocellular carcinoma. I am in the midst of TP evaluation now at UNC Chapel Hill, NC. It is a long, grueling process.

Please do not think I am telling you this because I believe it is what happened to your sister. Not at all. I did think it was interesting that there was a similarity.

Sounds as if she has very good care with you at the helm! Keep up the good work, and many special thoughts are being sent to her, and you, from this way!

Blessings,
Zoarie
Pls excuse any misspellings! It is late and I do not seem to be getting anywhere, especially asleep!!
.

Post Edited By Moderator (hep93) : 10/13/2013 12:09:54 AM (GMT-6)

Posted 10/11/2013 12:30 PM (GMT 0)
Hey Zo, How far into the evaluation are you? They scheduled me for 3 days of grueling tests. It's kinda like running a marathon. I'm sure it's old hat to you by now also.
Ziff

Post Edited By Moderator (hep93) : 10/11/2013 4:52:08 PM (GMT-6)

Posted 10/11/2013 10:53 PM (GMT 0)
Zoarie, what you had was an extreme case of lower extremity edema. I had the same. When it's in the abdomen, it's ascites.

You guys have had it easy. My evaluation stretched into 6 wks.!!

Hugs,
Connie
Posted 10/13/2013 5:50 AM (GMT 0)
hi ziff,
thanks for asking! i am suppose 2 b up there (unc) on monday 10/14, and perfect description!!! the marathon starts on tues, and i will b finished on thursday. no, not old hat 4 me at all! connie, thank u 4 the clarification on lower ex. edema. if someone has ascites does it fluctuate or is it a constant until draining or under control. i take 80 mg of lasix and 125 mg of aldactone each day. i am noticing after i eat, and not large amounts, my abd becomes very hard to the touch, looks like a basketball & is uncomfortable. then in the morning it is better. i am small except when my stomach does that, in the evening mostly. am noticing how forgetful i am becoming, seriously so, and the most simple of tasks now escape me. i remember my husband and his encephalopathy and how horrible it was. i am very fearful from having gone thru that with him. 37 years of the deepest most kind heart any man could ever have. god how i miss him. he died 4 years ago.
ALL i want to do is sleep. i stay up very late, 0200-0300 and get up in the afternoon. i am finding it quite terrible. r u up 4 more:) i am very emotional, crying a lot. the being alone thing is to me, terrible. i'm a wreck!
i am trying to b kind to myself tho i feel , oh never mind. i am sorry to go on and on. this all makes me very sad and i am so deeply focused on myself i am bored to tears.

i am taking some pills (Xifaxan.) i don't want to get up and go downstairs 2 look at the name and the correct spelling, to help clear my head. i understand the mechanism that makes them work is different from the lactulose that my husband had to take, but i don't know if i am noticing an improvement.

hopefully i will find out while at unc how successful the rfa was. i am having a pet scan. i have not had one of those yet. have any of u had one? do u think they think i have mets?
forgive me u guys, for all the whining. honestly. please. it is because i live alone i think...and don't have anyone to talk to these things about. no one's questions or opinions except my own. it is not healthy 2 b so isolated and i do it to myself. i know. i need 2 get my trip together. i can do it for about 3 days, then ...it's gone. u all r very very inspiring to me and so very strong. i don't like weak women! i need 2 build my strength, emotional, spiritual. i was SO strong for ted. i never let a second pass that was not on his behalf, fighting for him, helping him. i loved being his caretaker. loved it.

maybe tomorrow i will embrace the day b 4 me, and appreciate the fact i HAVE a day. perhaps i can help someone with a problem they have. that feels good to even think about:)

with appreciation and blessings,
zoarie
ooooh, i know i will be embarrassed i pushed that send button after i do it!

Post Edited By Moderator (hep93) : 10/13/2013 12:18:30 AM (GMT-6)

Posted 10/13/2013 5:57 AM (GMT 0)
hey connie,
thank u 4 the clarification regarding the ascites and generalized lower ex. edema.
i appreciate it.
hope u r doing well and things r healing...is it so?
hugs to u too.
zoarie

Post Edited By Moderator (hep93) : 10/13/2013 12:14:26 AM (GMT-6)

Posted 10/13/2013 6:24 AM (GMT 0)
Zoarie, I am alone, also, and have gone through all my complications since transplant by myself. I also require about 12 hours of sleep. I can never seem to get to sleep before midnight and it's usually much later...and get up around 1 PM or so. Then I take a nap in late afternoon. I am ALWAYS exhausted from the hep C. I force myself to get up and take care of necessary things and make time for the forum

Try to care for and advocate for yourself, just as much as you did for your late partner.

Xifaxan is usually given along with Lactulose, not by itself. So you might ask your doctor about that. I think I had a PET scan of my brain during my pre-transplant evaluation. Very similar to a CT scan, with contrast dye by IV.

Read my Post-Transplant Blog for an updated account of what's going on with me.

Hugs,
Connie
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