Portal hypertension self help, if any?

[jazzjam]

Hi all. I have just joined today. I am trying my best to get more information on Portal Hypertension. I am on tablets but I can’t seem to get a straight answer to my question (I know we are not allowed to ask medical information) this is more general as in. Where can I find good information to help myself. I know I have liver disease and have portal hypertension because of this but apart from taking the tablets is there anything I can specifically do (search for help) and what further questions would you ask. Thank you so much, have a lovely day.

[LAJ123]

Hi jazzjam,

Thankfully we in the forum have the brilliant and amazing British Liver Trust (BLT) website for situations like this. ( hope that bit of praise went well)

Here is a link to what the BLT website has to say about portal hypertension.

britishlivertrust.org.uk/li...

There are lots of other pieces of advice and information about everything live related which can help you live well with liver disease. Also, there you will find details for the BLT helpline which is manned by a qualified and experienced liver nurse.

britishlivertrust.org.uk/fi...

I hope this helps.

Jim

[Hidden in reply to LAJ123]

Good response Jim.

I’m sure your post won’t get deleted after all that praise 😁👍

Miles

[jazzjam in reply to LAJ123]

Thank you, I’ll take a look, I was maybe not looking in the right area. Very much appreciated.

[jazzjam]

I’ve read it but it only tells you what it is. I was wondering if there was more I could do apart from the tablets and diet and at what point someone says ok we need to do the next step or is that just a case of me keeping asking for regular scans. Maybe there’s nothing else to do bar wait but I was hoping there was more to it. Thank you for your help though.

[Supportinghubby]

I don't know the cause of your liver disease & portal hypertension but my hubby's was caused by alcohol. Stopping drinking can make a difference to the portal hypertension I think but not make it go away that I know of. I'm not aware of anything else he can do to help (he's also on beta blockers).

[jazzjam in reply to Supportinghubby]

Thank you

[AyrshireK]

Portal hypertension in simple terms is an increase in the blood pressure within a system of veins called the portal venous system. Veins coming from the stomach, intestine, spleen, and pancreas merge into the portal vein, which then branches into smaller vessels and travels through the liver. When the liver is damaged or there is some blockage to the smaller vessels going through the liver it can't all flow through properly and so tries to redirect into other blood vessels which weren't designed to carry that volume of blood and this is what then leads to potential issues with varices etc.

Targetted beta blockers such as carvedilol or propanolol can help - my hubby wasn't put onto any.

There isn't a lot you can do yourself to deal with portal hypertension other than looking after your liver to prevent further damage. When it comes to the side effects of having PH then reducing salt in the diet to prevent fluid build up and such like are the only things.

It's a physical condition due to blockages in the liver and there isn't much you can do to stop that yourself.

Katie

[jazzjam in reply to AyrshireK]

Brilliant thank you. It was worth an ask because you never know if you are asking the right questions.