Donating Liver

[Vivshayuga]

To get a liver transplantation swap for my mom, I’m thinking of donating my liver. What are the associated risks? Read some generic stuff on different websites.

I’m 29 yrs old and on meds for BP. Had a fatty liver till a couple of months backs but have lost some weight post that.

[flyinlynn]

Typically, a liver donor spends approximately seven days in the hospital, and will have an additional six to eight weeks of recovery time.

During the early recovery period, you will experience some pain and discomfort from your incision, which is usually well controlled with pain medications. You are monitored very closely early after surgery for all the appropriate signs of recovery and liver regeneration. Once your pain is well controlled, you are eating and drinking well and you are up and walking around without too much difficulty, you are discharged from the hospital.

After discharge, you are advised not to lift anything heavier than 20 pounds for at least six weeks. You are instructed not to drive while on sedating medications, which are used at least two to three weeks after discharge. You are encouraged to walk several times a day. If you have small children, you may need initial help in caring for them. Depending on the type of work you do, you may be able to return to work six to eight weeks after surgery. Your liver will begin to regenerate immediately after surgery and will be back to normal size in six to eight weeks. Your recovery after discharge will be closely monitored with routine clinic visits and laboratory tests.

Even though live liver donation is considered a very safe operation, it involves major surgery and is associated with complications, which may include:

Possible allergic reaction to anesthesia
Pain and discomfort
Nausea
Wound infection
Bleeding that may require transfusion
Blood clots
Pneumonia
Bile leakage, bile duct problems
Hernia
Scar tissue formation
In rare instances liver failure, which may require transplantation, and death may occur.

[flyinlynn]

Here is an article from John’s Hopkins hospital information about living liver donation

You first must qualify and also must be a good match. Even a mother and son may not be a good match.

https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/transplant/programs/liver/living-donor-liver-transplant/what-to-expect.html

[flyinlynn]

Well for one it would be a partial liver donation not your entire liver as you cannot live without a liver.

There are the risks to you from an invasive surgery possible infection, blood loss and potential risk of death. Plus recovery time.

The risks to your mom would be similar as well as organ rejection and taking anti rejection drugs for the rest of her life. Also her general health related to he being eligible and ablity to survive the procedure

Your transplant facility would be the best source of information for you both.

What is the cause of your moms cirrhosis? How is her general health. Is her cirrhosis very advanced?

[Vivshayuga]

Her cause of Cirrhosis is non alcoholic fatty liver. Her liver has shrunk now plus her creatinine levels have risen. And the ascites is not going away completely with increased doses of medicine

[flyinlynn]

Ok understood. Would you know her MELD score or her Child-Turcotte-Pugh score? One of these scores is how patients are staged for severity of need for a liver transplant. For the MELD score one needs a score of at least 13 to be listed with most transplants occurring with meld scores more than 30. The highest meld score is 40.

The Child score is a scale of A,B,C you need a Child score of C to qualify for a transplant.

It depends which scoring system your transplant center uses