Adult live,liver to liver transplant.

[skybright]

Hi,my 34 year old sister has suffered from an auto immune illness which has attacked her liver for the last eight years. She developed it in her first pregnancy.

This week she is having the week long assessment to be placed on the transplant list as her health has deteriorated greatly in the last six months.

I had no idea that live liver to liver transplants were an option but reading the info she was given it seems that it sometimes is.

So obviously it is up for discussion with me being the donor.

My question is if anyone has had any experience with this or with any sort of liver transplant.

Appreciate any input.

Ooh my friend had that from her friend. They tested a few people but he was a match - completely turned her life around, her donor was fine within a month, though it's quite a big op.

Good for you for considering it. I hope it works out for you both.

I have had 2 live kidney tranplants.I know it isn't the same but have seen both in action as it were and donor recovery seems similar about 3 weeks and another 2 or 3 before back to work.They take a lobe of the liver |I think and both donors and recipients grow back to normal size.i had autoimmune kidney disease so know a bit how she feels and how she will feel.It is very generous of you and will change her life xx

For the donor it is a massive op. Although I think full liver function is reacheived around 3-4 months post-op. Complications seem relativly rare, but live liver transplants have only been carried out in Britain since 2007.

My DP was asked if he would donate part of his liver to a relative which is why I know some info about it. Luckily they have recovered enough atm to not imminently need it.

If you do decide to donate for your sister you will be given lots of support and advice to make your decision. In DP's family it is a child with a liver disease and we have recieved a lot of information from CDLF. I presume there is an adult support group aswell.

Just googled and I think you should be able to get some useful information www.britishlivertrust.org.uk/home.aspxhere

Sorry I messed up that link. This one should work. www.britishlivertrust.org.uk/home.aspx

Thanks very much for the responses and link. After a bit more research it seems the odds are fairly okay,although as you have said a pretty major op and pretty new.

I think it is 1 in 200 donors die within a year but my sister is looking at 1 in 4 die on the register so i guess if it works out it will be very much worth it.

Waiting to see if our blood types match and then she is going to have a chat with the transplant coordinator.

She gets the yes/no to go on the list on Friday,so we will take it from there.

The not so tactful transplant coordinator and surgeons told my sister today that according to her levels,if she does not receive a transplant in the next year she has a 92% chance of dying.

I have just spent the last hour on the phone trying to be positive to her,really difficult.

Trouble is they have to be honest. Have they told your sister what her chances are with a transplant. In our relative's case they have been told that they have a 50% chance of being alive in 10 years without a transplant, but with a transplant provided they get through the first year post-op then will have around 20 years with that transplant.

It is very hard to be positive when faced with such stark news, but in a way sometimes it makes choices easier IYSWIM. What did the surgeon say about actually doing a transplant?

I know they have to be honest,realistic i suppose. I don't know what they said about with a transplant,the actual decision is on Friday. I can't see any reason why she would not go on the list though,esp giving her stats like that.

I suppose they will give more info then. 20 years with a transplant sounds a lot more positive tutu,thats great for your relative. Hopefully it will be like that for her too,i think being an auto immune disease it is very difficult to know if her own body will attack a new liver as well. I am not sure they could know for definite.

I have been saying exactly what you have about it making it easier and that we kind off knew this was the way things were,to my sis and my parents. In reality though i had no idea that she could be dead within a year without one. Very difficult.