Recovering from a liver transplant can be a long process, but most people will eventually be able to return to most of their normal activities and have a good quality of life. It can take up to a year to fully recover, although you'll usually be able to start gradually building up your activities after a few weeks.
Risks of a liver transplant
The long-term outlook for a liver transplant is generally good. More than 9 out of every 10 people are still alive after 1 year, around 8 in every 10 people live at least 5 years, and many people live for up to 20 years or more.
This could be walking, jogging, swimming or cycling. Most sports and activities are possible but you should avoid heavy contact sports (rugby, martial arts, boxing) as these risk damaging your transplanted organ.
Very common longer-term risks
Infections are very common, even many months or years after a liver transplant. The most common infections are chest or urine infections. These are usually fairly straightforward to treat with antibiotic tablets. Infections inside the liver transplant itself can be harder to treat.
Most patients can return to a normal or near-normal activity and participate in fairly vigorous exercise six to 12 months after successful liver transplant surgery.
In summary, the leading causes of late deaths after transplant were graft failure, malignancy, cardiovascular disease and renal failure. Older age, diabetes, and renal insufficiency identified patients at highest risk of poor survival overall.
A transplanted liver may be more sensitive to damage by chemicals, including alcohol. The transplantation team recommends that recipients avoid overuse of alcoholic beverages after transplantation.
Indeed, hemorrhage is the most frequent adverse effect and concern about 20% of patients: Ranging from blood in the drainage to intra-abdominal hemorrhage, which could be fatal in some cases.
Rejection happens in up to 30 in 100 patients. The risk of rejection is highest in the first 6 months after a transplant. After this time, your body's immune system is less likely to recognise the liver as coming from another person. Chronic rejection happens in 2 in 100 patients.
You will be kept on a breathing machine (ventilator) for a day or so and will be followed very closely by the staff there. The average length of stay in the ICU is two days, after which you will be transferred to the medical floor/ transplant unit.
Raw food and salads must be avoided. One should also avoid sweets and fruits that have the potential for shooting up the blood sugar. Post-transplant medicines will often raise the blood sugar and insulin will need to be used in the first three months. Smoking is a strict no and so is gutka and tobacco.
Eat small frequent meals throughout the day and include protein with every meal. Good sources include poultry (chicken and turkey), fish, seafood, red meats and yogurt. Although high in cholesterol, eggs, nuts and dairy products such as milk and cheese are also good sources of protein.
There is pain after liver transplant surgery, however it is generally not as severe as with other abdominal surgeries. This is because nerves are severed during the initial abdominal incision causing numbness of the skin around the abdomen. These nerves regenerate over the following six months and sensation returns.
As long as they take immunosuppressant drugs, as prescribed for them and make the recommended lifestyle changes, most people can enjoy a good quality of life for decades after liver transplant surgery.
The operation time varies depending on complexity of the procedure. It is often between 5-8 hours. After you have been put to sleep under anaesthetic, the surgery will begin. Your damaged liver will be removed and the donor liver will be transplanted into its place.
Lungs are the most difficult organ to transplant because they are highly susceptible to infections in the late stages of the donor's life. They can sustain damage during the process of recovering them from the donor or collapse after surgeons begin to ventilate them after transplant.
Funni has survived for nearly 40 years. … Patients like Patti Funni inspire and give hope to other people facing challenging illness.” So much more hope has been given to others who have had liver transplants through Funni, who used to host “liver parties,” where she'd gather others who had liver transplants.
POST-HEPATECTOMY LIVER FAILURE
Liver failure is the most serious complication after liver resection and can be life-threatening[14,15].
There is approximately a 10% to 20% long-term risk of recurrence for cholestatic liver disorders, such as primary sclerosing cholangitis and primary biliary cirrhosis. Recurrence can occur within months after OLT but generally it takes years for the recurrence to occur.
Damage to the liver can weaken the immune system. This can make the body more vulnerable to infection, particularly urinary infections and respiratory infections (such as pneumonia).
This informal policy, often called "the 6-month rule," can be traced to the 1980s. The thinking was that six months of abstinence gave a patient's liver time to heal and, thus, avoid a transplant. If that didn't work, the patient would have proven they can stay sober and would not return to drinking after a transplant.
Liver: Though liver transplant patients are likely to see some weight loss initially, weight gains can start around four months after surgery. Patients are told to eat to help with the healing process, and some even need to gain weight and muscle mass lost prior to transplant.
Consider waiting until you are on stable-immunosuppression before getting a new pet. Some animals are considered high-risk for causing illness in people with an organ transplant and should not be kept as pets.