The Consequences of a Liver Transplant

If your liver is failing then your doctor may recommend that you receive a liver transplant. Unfortunately, having a liver transplant done can sometimes come with serious consequences. In this article, I will discuss what these consequences are.

Loss of Weight -

Once you have received your new liver transplant, you will lose around thirty to forty pounds. Perhaps even more. This may not be a bad thing if you're overweight. However, if you already don't weigh that much then you may find the weight loss a bit disturbing. Of course, the loss of weight is temporary. Once you start eating again, you'll regain the weight in most cases.

Lots of Medication -

In case you don't know, you'll be required to take a large amount of medication after your liver transplant. The reason why you have to take so much medication is because your body will attempt to reject the liver due to it being a foreign object. Side effects from the medication can range from increased facial hair to less resistance to diseases. In fact, you will not be able to go out in public for several months due to your body's inability to fight off diseases.

The amount of medication that you are required to take will slowly decrease over time. In fact, you may only have to depend on one pill in a few years. On the downside, the medication may cause other problems. In some cases, patients can experience seizures or even a stroke from this medication.

Recuperation -

You will have to attend physical therapy after your liver transplant. Physical therapy usually takes a few weeks to complete, and you are going to need it. You will be very weak after the liver transplant, and the physical therapy will be quite difficult at first. However, after a while you will become acclimated to it and persevere.

Expenses -

As you may have surmised, a liver transplant will be extremely expensive. How expensive, you ask? Well, you can expect to pay between one hundred to five hundred thousand dollars. Or rather, your insurance company will pay the one hundred to five hundred thousand dollars. Of course, if you don't have insurance then you may not be able to afford the liver transplant.

Death -

In rare instances, a liver transplant can cause death. Death can be caused by your body rejecting the liver or perhaps an allergic reaction to the medication. Thanks to your immune system being weakened by the medication, you may also catch a cold and die from that simple disease. Or the seizures could cause brain damage, and they could kill you with time.

Liver transplants give hope to patients who have diseased livers. However, just because you receive a liver transplant doesn't mean that you're going to be back to your old self. With a little luck and perseverance, you may return to a normal state of living. Sadly, that doesn't always happen.