Shunting.

[White-feather]

Hi guys! 😀. I hope you are all as well as can be!?!

All good here 💚

Has anyone had or been diagnosed with HE due to 'shunting of the liver'

I know what it is, was wondering if anyone else experienced it.

Love to you all! Xx

[dckimberly]

I recently had the Tipps Shunt bypass put in during surgery, and now have HE. I am new to it. I am trying to adjust. It's hard. The HE thus far has made me sleep a lot, also a couple of bouts of confusion. That, for me, is the scariest part. It happens from the toxins not being cleaned in your liver and then needing to be cleared in the gut. They have put me on antibiotics for the gut and lactulose which is known to help clear the body. I also have swollen legs, so they put me on low does of water pills this past week. There will be good days and bad. They says its like a spectrum moving back and forth.

Some times I feel like I want to sleep forever. I have yelled at my partner and bust into tears when 'waking up' out of the confusion.

I don't know if this helps or not?

I got the Shunt because my new liver has a very rare type of portal hypertension and was causing ascites. They did the shunt surgery trying to extend the life of my new liver which they have told me will last two years on the outside. The hypertension will cause it to 'fail mechanically'

Can I ask, why are you asking? Is the shunt being offered to you or your loved one?

Just curious.

cheering you on!

xxx

kimberly

[White-feather in reply to dckimberly]

Hey Kimberley! Sorry to hear about your onset of HE 💙 I do wish you well.

My story is, I told my Dr I was experiencing HE . He contacted my consultant who wrote back and said "your synthetic liver tests are within range, so you my experiencing shunting of the liver" So I've assumed it is something like the blood shunting around my liver!

The tipps procedure sounds sort of an answer.Do you know anymore about why tipps is performed? I'll Google it

I will be discussing it in October with him to clarify it. They are never clear in their explanations are they?! Lol. 😀

I appreciate your help. Xxxxx

[dckimberly in reply to White-feather]

Hi there.

My Tipps was preformed because after I got my new liver, I developed portal hypertension. In my case that means the small veins throughout the liver are becoming blocked because of differing pressures in the portal vein and the hepatic one.

This portal hypertension is causing ascites post transplant. That happens, I have been told to about 11% of post ltx.

The ascites was getting worse. They told me my new liver was going to fail. But they thought putting in a bypass, the shunt, that would help extend the life of the failing new liver. It allows some of the blood to be bypassed so the liver does not have to deal with it. H E can happen to people with liver disease, usually from the ascites. It also is frequently seen after the shunt is put in.

It sounds like your doctor was speaking about something else? Maybe?

I don't know. But good luck!

Cheering you on!

Kimberly

[AyrshireK]

Hepatic Encephalopathy can arise very quickly after a Transjugular Intrahepatic Portosystemic Shunt (TIPS). Prior to TIPS the blood is slowly filtering through the damaged liver but 'backing up' because of the liver damage to cause Portal Hypertension. TIPS is to aid the portal hypertension but because in effect a canal is being put through the liver this speeds the bloods passage through without any detoxification taking place. As a result toxins very quickly build up in the untreated blood stream leading to HE symptoms. A lot of posters have witnessed this very quick advance of HE following TIPS.

TIPS has never been mentioned to hubby & I - his portal hypertension (thankfully) has so far not led to ascites just the now treated varices BUT we always said that we'd hold off on TIPS unless hubby was awaiting a transplant due to the rapid onset of HE that others experience. A few folks on here or their loved have also had strokes following the TIPS procedure and/or serious HE symptoms.

Katie

[White-feather in reply to AyrshireK]

Hi Katie!

Yours and Kimberly s advice is brilliant! Thank you 💚 Would you read my comment above. I hope it makes sense!!

Xxxxx

[AyrshireK]

Ah, I see, well every day is a school day. Both Kimberly and I are referring to a medical intervention where by a shunt is created within the liver to ease symptoms of portal hypertension (varices, ascites etc.) whereas it sounds like your Doctors are saying you possibly have something called a spontaneous intrahepatic vascular shunt - in effect something in your liver has possibly caused the liver to create it's own shunt or linking 'canal' between blood vessels in the liver - and the end result is the same untreated or not detoxified blood going into the rest of the body and potentially creating your HE symptoms.

It's not something i've ever heard about and your doctors should be arranging some imaging scans such as CT or MRI to see what is going on and why. A quick internet search following your reply yielded the following page which sort of explains what might be going on. artreality.com/portfolio/wd...

Are you on both Lactulose and Rifaximin for your HE symptoms?

Wishing you all the best, Katie x

[White-feather in reply to AyrshireK]

Yes, I am on both.

You and AyrshireK are very kind.

Sending you both love and hugs!

Thank you xx

[White-feather in reply to White-feather]

Sorry! I meant to say you and dckimberly 😀

[White-feather in reply to AyrshireK]

Hi Katie!

I've just read your suggested link and thank you...it sounds spot on. I'll take this info with me to my appointment.

Xxxx

[Grankids3]

Hi, I had liver tips procedure just before my bowel cancer op 3 years past in Feb, my chirrosis is quite bad, caused by my Diabeties, the liver tips was put in to help me survive the cancer op, I had a bout of HE and was taken into hospital a week after the tips was put in, I am now beginning to be very forgetful, tired constantly, can sleep anytime, blowing up with fluid, water tabs not helping, I see the surgeon in November, I have regenerative nodules on liver and now a lesion, tired of it all, but somehow keep going, the tips procedure was not too bad, your asleep for it, was only in hospital 3 days, wish you well xx