Chronic Liver Disease

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Chronic Liver Disease Symptoms of Liver Failure

• A Liver Transplant patients perspective

Bethli Wainwright 12th August 2002
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Agenda

• Liver failure, aged 8 in 1974
• Post diagnosis treatment, including splenectomy
  and admittance to hospital in March 2000 with
  liver failure.
• March 2000 - August 2000 needing a liver
  transplant but basically inoperable. Iloprost
  treatment.
• August 2000 transplant, and immediately
  afterwards.
• Recuperation and back to full-time work.
• Question and Answer session (15 minutes, run by
  Dr. Mike Eade).

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Taranaki Base Hospital (left) and Hawera Hospital
(below) with jaundice, ascites and no
diagnosisOctober / November 1974
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Kayser-Fleischer rings drawn after de-coppering
started.
Exploratory laparotomy, which showed severely
cirrhosed liver.
1 year later (above) and nearly two years later
(right)
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Splenectomy, January 1987
When the spleen was removed, it measured 15
inches by 9 inches by 7 inches, and the cut went
from the lower right of the abdomen to the upper
left around under the left arm and onto the back.
The surgeon was Prof. James Shaw. He shunted the
splenic vein to the left renal vein. The fact
that he didn't cut it short, as was the usual
practice, meant that the New Zealand Liver
Transplant Unit 13 years later could attach the
donor liver portal vein to it.
Side view of splenectomy scar including two
drains which scarred.
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Sick again

• Symptoms
• Weight gain (I thought from sedentary lifestyle)
• Legs leaking fluid (I thought from scratching as
  they were always itchy, and I was flying a lot so
  expected oedema to be worse)
• Ear leaking bright yellow gunk constantly (GP
  trying to fix this from November 1999 to March
  2000 with no luck - infection from Adult Learn to
  Swim classes)
• Extremely difficult to breathe when moving at all
  (I thought from being unfit)
• Tired (unfit, and working from 830 am to 10 pm
  Monday to Friday, and 4 hours Saturdays and had
  just been studying at Post-Grad level p/t for
  past two years)
• Jaundiced (didnt notice this)

Photo taken in February 2000, 1 month before
urgent admittance to 7B, the Liver Unit.
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LISTED FOR TRANSPLANT!!
(Above) Prof. Munn (one of my the two surgeons
doing the transplant), and me, the morning of the
transplant. (Right) Recovering one week after the
transplant, back in 7B, and hardly any tubes
left. (Note, heart no longer hurting but not
aware of the pain until it disappeared).
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Livers, old new
Not me, but I would have looked like this, as
this photo was taken in New Zealand.
33 year old cirrhosed liver (with gallbladder)
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Scars other stuff
(Above) 2 months post-transplant and still
looking impressive. (Right) 2 years
post-transplant, and can barely be seen.