First of all, I so appreciate this forum. I have learned so much from all of you the past 6 months. I have not found this type of forum for people in the USA and if anyone knows of one, please let me know.
Husband, Jim is going through the liver transplant evaluation through the Mayo Clinic. He has a MELD score of 11, has had two varices bleed episodes within the past 4 months, he is 67, with Alcohol-related decompensated cirrhosis, Sober 6 mos., Paracentesis every 10 days of 7 -9 liters of fluid, four endoscopy bandings, has lost majority muscle mass in the body.
My question is: What are the real chances Jim can get a Liver transplant in the US? Do they look at age? Jim is 67. Family? We have no children. The cirrhosis was self-inflicted - do they look at that? Has a heart stent as of Oct 2017, but no other heart issues. No other health issues.
Thank you
Written by
Teritiger
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Welcome to the site. As to your question, please don,t hold me to it but i believe there is a US forum called MD Junction which covers health from addictions to information on transplants in America. I know my friend used to follow a lady called Karen Hoyt on you tube that i believe she found via MD junction. Best wishes anyway and i hope you find good support and helpful information. x x x
There are and have been quite a few Americans (USA) on this site and most seem to have found the group accepting and supportive. After all, liver disease is the same wherever you live, the same challenges and difficulties. Also, the worldwide community of gastroenterologists, hepatologists, nurse-specialists and transplant surgeons all share knowledge, skills and research findings. So treatment is pretty much the same anywhere, the obvious difference is our healthcare being free at the point of the delivery.
From what you have said, your husband seems to have conquered the biggest hurdle which is being alcohol free for the magic six months. The next task is to be as fit as he possibly. This involves hard work and determination, beginning with keeping mobile and getting exercise every single day. The tiredness, ascites and in many cases, hepatic encephalopathy, will make the prospect of daily activities almost impossible, but without the commitment he simply wont be fit enough for surgery and the post transplant recovery.
As for the muscle mass wastage, an important member of any transplant team should be the dietician / nutritionist. There are many protein muscle gain products available on the open market that seem to be right for someone wanting to gain increase their muscle mass. You must be very careful and only ever use supplements approved and prescribed by your doctors / dietician.
I have first hand experience of all of the above having also had alcohol related liver disease. After spending a quarter of 2015 in hospital, I had my liver transplant in March 2016. I was 62, which brings me to the answer to your question. There is no upper age limit but as you get older, compared to other candidates your priority changes as you will have a constantly diminishing number of years of post surgery survival. So, by the time you get to 72 those listed and younger will be have a greater priority.
The matter of the stent shouldn’t be a problem if he has good cardiac function when he is tested during the transplant assessment. I follow someone on an American (USA) Facebook page and today he is in the intensive care unit in Memphis, recovering from his transplant. He had stents following a ‘cardiac episode’ fairly recently. There were times when he seemed to be saying he had given up and didn’t have the strength to carry on. The latest news is that he is doing well following the transplant.
I have found a link which I think should be helpful in getting the right information. I found it on the US Department of Health and Human Services website.
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