Help! 10 year old niece's liver has shut down

[mollymacfadden]

I have no idea if I am posting this in the correct area and if I am not, please tell me where I should be posting it.

My ten year old niece went to her mother yesterday and told her to look at her stomach.  Shocked, my sister-in-law went to my brother-in-law and showed him her tummy.  He immediately took her to the emergency room.  Her tummy was the size of a basketball.  This was yesterday and she has since then developed jaundice and it has been determined that her liver has shut down causing a "backup" of fluids etc..  She continues to be jaundiced and now her legs (in addition to her stomach) are swollen.  The medical staff has yet to determine what caused her liver to shut down but this is shocking.  She is not a sick child and has no history of any stomach/liver/digestive problems.

There are four children in their family and they are home schooled so the kids are together all the time but none of the other kids have been sick recently.

I could go on and on piecing together any information I can remember but I think right now I will post this question and go from there.

Any insight or experience will be appreciated.

Molly

[CalGal]

It's possible that your niece's problem may stem from a problem with her gallbladder. As strange as it sounds it is very possible for a small child to have gallbladder problems such as small stones that could obstruct the common bile duct. Once that starts, bile can back up into the liver and cause a series of step-wise problems that can result in jaundice and other mild-to-major discomfort. However the only ones that will be able to tell you what is actually going on are the docs who are performing the test and trying to come up with an answer. I hope you and your family get an answer, soon.

[mollymacfadden]

I want to tell you the way I understand what you've written.  I hear you saying that even though the doctors have said my niece's live shut down it may be caused by a problem stemming from her gall blatter and not necessarily be originating in the liver itself.  Is that correct?  Something may be happening in the gallbladder that is affecting the liver?  Yes, of course, I would listen to the doctors and I think her parents will do the same but I am trying to keep any of my anxiety out of the picture right now and get some insight so I can just be supportive.  In the meantime, I have two kids of my own who I am not wanting to say a lot to before anything definite has been determined.  Phew.

Thank you for writing and if you have time, let me know if I'm understanding you correctly.

Molly

[CalGal]

Yes, it may not necessarily due to a problem with the liver itself. But whether or not that's the cause remains to be determined. Sometimes the problem does not originate at the organ itself, but can come from peripheral problems 'upstream' or 'downstream.' Just because the liver is being directly impacted doesn't mean the problem started there. But the overwhelming concern of the docs is due to the fact that everything that hits the blood is 'circulated' through the liver, and the liver has about 10 or more major functions that it does for the body. Since no other organs in the body perform the same processes, it makes the liver essential for life. But the liver is also a remarkably resilient organ, so if problems can be resolved and the problems haven't impacted the whole of the liver, regeneration is possible.

I know it's got to be a very scary and frustrating time for everyone since she's probably one sick little girl at this point. Hopefully, nothing truly serious is wrong - nothing to do with the liver itself - and she'll soon be up and running around with her friends again.