Just found out I need to replace my liver. They don't know why it went bad cause I'm a non drinker. Any knowledge would help. The Duck

Sorry to hear that brother. I wish I could help you out.

An acquaintance told me that the first couple months after require extensive recovery but after that he has a normal life expectancy.
We wish you the best of success.

Were you diagnosed with Hepatitis? It's a common cause of liver damage.

Man, that's heavy news.........but things will turn out for you.

Do a Google on liver transplants and you should be able to read up on what you're facing. I wish you the best of luck, my friend. Best wishes from my family to yours.

Dan

Sorry to hear that, hope all goes well. Don't know much about that subject, but it sounds good for you if what 153 says is true.

Take it easy and in the meantime go fishing to take your mind off of it.

Take care, Ng

Sorry to hear the news DITF. Corey and I wish you the best of luck with the procedure.

Please keep us updated and God bless!

Are you going to get a transplant? I hope so. To my Knowledge, there is kind of a waiting list.

Never know, could be genetics. I was heavy drinker and it took nearly of a year of sobriety before my blood works came back with any resemblance of normality. Your doc should be able to tell you what enzyme levels are out of whack and whether it was some type of damage or genetics. As with any major medical, please get a second opinion, preferably outside of your current HMO. It may cost a couple grand, but may save you 10's of thousands, or perhaps an unecessary surgery. I wish you the best.

Sorry to hear the bad news. I hope everything works out okay for you.
James

Duck
One of the guys I work with has had a liver swap in the last year. He contracted hep from a tatto needle years ago. He is back to work after about six months and looks better than he has in years. Has more energy and a hell of alot better outlook on life, looks and acts younger! The change is incredible. He was really sick for a long time. Was on interferon for several years, and all kinds of other treatments. I have not talked to him about the drug therapy. My girlfriend is a PharmD and has mentioned anti rejection drugs, among others, several times a day. I would never have thought taking handfulls of pills multiple times a day could ever be a good thing. After seeing Terry back to work for a few months now I stand corrected. His quality of life is so far above what he had. And that is what I judge by, the quality of life.
Granted Terry is only one person. And this is just my two cents...
Hope it helps and good luck...

I would like to thank everyone who replied to my problem. It has gave me a better attitude. Thank you all from my heart. Jim Marquis

Duck....You will be fine. I have a 2 1/2 year old daughter with a liver disease (Biliary atresia) and is in need of a liver transplant. There are multiple ways to do a TX (transplant). One is with a liver harvested from a cadaver and one is through a living donor. Most doctors prefer the cadaver approach because the living donor method requires harvesting from a healthy person (it goes against the hippocratic oath not to harm a healthy person). We (my daughter) will most likely have a TX using a cadaveric liver but, my wife is being worked up for a living donor TX for a back up plan. We work with Children's hospital in Seattle (they are part of UW) I would strongly, suggest you talk with and transfer your care to the GI clinic at the UW. They are amazing. The amount of drugs needed to ward off infection and rejection are much less now than they were just a few years ago. I don't know what your ailment is but, a TX will most assuredly fix the problem. Just remember "it's a plumbing problem"and you just need to fix it. The docs will take care of you. Any type of major medical surgery is scary but, you will be fine. My wife and I have been facing this upcoming TX with our daughter since she was diagnosed with her disease at 3 weeks of age. I am very knowledgeable about the liver TX senarios and have even travelled to Stanford University to interview their TX team. Trust me when I say the University of Washington is fantastic. Good luck and I will be thinking good thoughts for you and your family. Feel free to ask any questions you may have.

JNT, thank you for the advice. It seems the more I learn about this the more comfordable I am. As it stands right now I can't seem to see a specialist until October. My DR. said he will set it up to see one in Seattle. I can't seem to get enough rest cause I'm still trying to take care of my business. I'll find out more this Friday and we can take it from there. Until then I'll be fishing. Thanks for any input you have. I'll make sure that I'll go to UW to help me with this. Jim

Jim,
Your post has brought back a flood of memories. I remember getting the bad news about my liver over 30 years ago. By God’s grace I am still here. No doubt it hit you like a ton of bricks too when you got the news. Fortunately there is a lot of help out there today for those who will seek it. I can’t help you much with the information you are looking for, but I can encourage you to keep on seeking and asking for all that you need and don’t stop reaching out to others as you have done on this board. One thing I did learn through it all was how precious life is and how much I was loved and cared for by others. I pray that you will know the same. May God bless and keep you. Let us know things go and how we can help.
T.

I can foresee a day when stem cells are used to grow you a brand new liver. Your liver, with your DNA. Brand new.

Until then....may your God grant you health and continued wisdom for as long as you are meant to be here on earth.

Your friend,

Eric