major operation

[Cfmol]

hi my husband has cirrhosis, as 2 years his liver reading has been good, he had a back operation 5 years ago but he got the news yesterday that he needs another one!

our concern ls r that his blood doesn’t clot that good and this is a major risk mayb we r over thinking this but has anyone else went through any major operations with cirrhosis

Thanks I’m advance

[Kristian]

I had my appendix out, does that count, lol. It was quite an operation though, so whilst not quite the back surgery, it was still possible.

The key thing is, the surgical and medical teams that look after you will take great care to assess the risks of the surgery against the benefits it will give. They will be aware of any issues with clotting, and the risks that come from having cirrhosis, and will only really go ahead if they feel its the right thing to do. So please take that as some reassurance, at least.

[Ubwa]

I had to have sinus surgery, to cut out a fungal mass before they would list me. I had badly decompensated cirrhosis at the time. It was deemed too dangerous to do it under general anaesthesia, so had it under local. The anaesthetist was still present, manually squeezing bags of frozen platelets into me to help with the clotting problem. Whatever happens, your husbands hepatology team need to be in contact with his back team before anything in started

[Cfmol in reply to Ubwa]

Thanks he has to see his specialist next month

[Ubwa in reply to Cfmol]

I imagine with backs it’s a bit easier, they can put nerve blocks in to remove all sensation

[Herbysherby in reply to Ubwa]

Hi just lay reading you had bad decompensated at the time? Have you been able to reverse this? And please could you share how? Thank you

[Ubwa in reply to Herbysherby]

I reversed it in the past but this time it was terminal. Ended up having a transplant - that’s a whole different story…

[Buddythezhu]

Your husband will have a thorough pre-assessment before any operation, I’ve had 2 surgeries this year, 2nd surgery I was high risk, I was told all the risks and I still decided to go ahead. He will be told what the risks are, I was and if the risks are too high I imagine the surgeon will not go ahead with the surgery.

[beepe]

If the surgeons have decided he needs it that means he will be well looked after, we assess surgery on the basis that the positives are greater than the possible negatives.

[bcsurfer]

I have had surgery under general anaesthetic. My anaesthetist used a low sodium anaesthetic which was important due to my liver condition. I do not however have a blood clotting issue, but talking about the anaesthetic might give you both added peace of mind. I hope the surgery goes well.