Eating Better And Enjoying It
Posted by garylws

Have you ever wished you knew how to eat better but just don't know how? Recently I was referred to a great web site about eating a better diet.

It's from the American Heart Association. They have set up a nice site designed like a cookbook. www.deliciousdecisions.org

See just how much delicious and nutritious have in common! Here are some of the things you can learn there.

Enjoy Eating

• A Well Balanced Diet
• The AHA Food Pyramid
• A World of Choices

Cookbook

• Recipes
• Heart Healthy Chef's Tour

Fit Forever

• The Skinny On Diet
• Weigh Your Options
• Easy Exercise Excellence

Supermarket

• Smart Shoppers Secrets
• Food Label
• Elightenment

Out and About

• Eating Out
• About Snacking

Source: www.deliciousdecisions.org

Tips Procedure
posted by: garylws

For those of us who have acites there is a wonderful procedure that can help with that. Its called a "Tips" procedure. I used to have extreme acites. I had to have a paracentesis every week and they would drain six leters out of me each time. I went through around 30 of those procedures. If you haven't had a paracenthesis procedure, that is when they poke a hole in your stomach to drain out fluid. It's done with a local anisthedtic. I used to dread them. But then the doc offered me the chance to get a tips procedure.

What causes acites is that your portal vein that connects your stomach to your liver leaks fluid into your abdomin. This can be caused by cirhosis of the liver where the scar tissue where the portal vein enters the liver is partly blocked.

The Tips procedure inserts an extra route for that fluid to go into your liver. A bypass tube. Its a somewhat minor surgery. After I had my Tips procedure I never had to have a paracentesis again. What a relief.

Source: USDA

Tips For Liver Wellness:
posted by: garylws

• Follow directions on all medications and read labels and know the active ingredients, as some medication affect the liver.
• Maintain a healthy weight. Obesity or extreme weight gain may increase your risk of fatty liver disease.
• Be careful when using aerosol cleaners. Make sure the room is well- ventilated, or wear a mask as all chemicals are absorbed through the skin.
• Be careful using all chemicals. That includes insecticides and paint sprays. Wear a mask, and wash your skin thoroughly after use.
• Make sure tattooing, piercing and other needles have never been used on anybody else. Contaminated needles can transmit hepatitis A, B and C infection.
• Avoid sharing razors, toothbrushes, or nail clippers. These have been known to transmit hepatitis C infection.
• Don't use illegal drugs. Street drugs such as cocaine and heroin can severely harm the liver.
• Use alcohol responsibly. That means no more than 3 ounces of alcohol per day-the equivalent of a six-pack of beer, half a bottle of wine, or 6 ounces of hard liquor.
• Practice safe sex. Unprotected sex and sex with multiple partners increase your risk of hepatitis B and C infection.
• Get vaccinated. Vaccines are available for hepatitis A and B.
• Get tested if you are at risk for hepatitis B and C. Risk factors include previous blood transfusions, needle use, healthcare professions with patient contact, and high-risk sexual experiences. Hepatitis B and C may cause few or no symptoms, so it's always best to ask your doctor for tests.

Watch for these symptoms. They could be a sign of liver disease:

• Yellow discoloration of the skin or eyes (jaundice)
• Abdominal swelling or pain
• Prolonged itching of skin
• Very dark urine or pale, bloody, or tar-like stools
• Chronic fatigue, nausea, or loss of appetite
• Loss of sexual drive or performance
• Sleep disturbances or mental confusion

Source: www.liverfoundation.org

Biliary obstruction (blocked Bile Duct) is a common problem after Liver transplantation with a reported incidence of 15–25%.

Biliary complications have always been a significant cause of post-transplantation problems. When the old Liver is removed, the Gallbladder is removed with it. The Bile Duct is then attached directly to the Liver.

Because the Bile Duct is so small and has to be attached to the Liver by hand it is not uncommon to develop anastomotic strictures (narrowed openings) where it has been attached to the liver. The Bile does not drain properly from the Liver and can damage it.

It is usually treated successfully by a therapeutic Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) with balloon dilatation and a stent insertion. The doctor goes down the patients throat, through the stomach and into the Bile Duct where the stent is placed.

An ERCP is an out-patient procedure done under light sedation. The patient can usually go home the same day. In situations of persistent stenosis (narrowing), the standard treatment is reconstructive surgery. The doctor then has to make a large incision in the stomach to make the repair because the Bile Duct is located under the Liver.

Occasionally the doctor must do a Percutaneous Transhepatic Cholangiogram (PTC) to drain the Bile Duct before the ERCP is performed. A tube is placed thru the patients side directly into the Bile Duct for drainage. Infections can often occur anytime that you go into the Biliary Tract. These are usually handled with a round of strong IV anti-biotics. When the infection is brought under control the patient is sent home with anti-biotics in pill form.

Even with reconstructive surgery the problem can re-occur because every time you do surgery you will have a scar. The best thing to do is keep a close watch on your blood test results for elevated ALKP (Alkaline Phosphatase) and GGT (Gamma-glutamyltranspeptidase). These can be signs of Bile Duct problems.

Source: garylws

Almost everyone has occasional leg cramps. But they happen more often as we get older and are common if we have liver problems.

Common causes of leg cramps include:
•  Muscle fatigue
•  Dehydration
•  Electrolyte imbalances
•  Decreased potassium levels
•  Diabetes
•  Neuromuscular disorders
•  Prolonged sitting or reclining
•  High weight (not necessarily obesity)
•  Medications, (albuterol, niacin, diuretics, statins, prednisone, others...)
•  Alcohol use

What can be done about it?
•  When your calf muscles cramp, flex your foot up
   (toes to knee) and hold until the cramping stops
•  Walk on the affected leg
•  Massage the affected muscle
•  Apply a heat pad to the affected muscle
•  Take a hot bath (heat relaxes muscles)

Try this leg-stretching exercise:
1. Stand 30 inches from the wall.
2. While keeping your heels on the floor, lean forward, put your hands
    on the wall, and slowly move your hands up the wall as far as you can
    reach comfortably.
3. Hold the stretched position for 30 seconds. Release.
4. Repeat steps 1 through 3 two more times.
5. For best results, practice this exercise in the morning, before
    your evening meal, and before going to bed each night.

To help prevent night leg cramps:
•  Drink plenty of fluids during the day.
•  Stretch your leg muscles regularly.
•  Make sure you eat plenty of potassium rich foods - (bananas,
   tomatoes, potatoes, broccoli, cantaloupe, oranges)

If you have frequent and severe leg cramps at night, talk to your doctor. Treatment results vary. But the most effective treatments based on current research are:

•  Vitamin B-12
•  Gabapentin
•  Albumin

Source: garylws

Diet and Exercise
posted by: garylws

If you were ill for a long time prior to your transplant you have probably lost a lot of weight. Therefore eating properly is an important part of your recovery process, and a healthy and balanced diet will help get you back on your feet again.

Your diet should include:
 •  Fruits
 •  Vegetables
 •  Whole-grain cereals and breads
 •  Low-fat milk and dairy products or other sources of calcium
 •  Lean meats, fish, poultry, or other sources of protein

Further recommendations:
 •  Weigh yourself every day
 •  Avoid sugary snacks such as cakes and biscuits between meals. If you feel
    hungry, eat some fruit or vegetables (low in calories).
 •  Try to drink about 2 liters of fluid every day. This is good for your kidney
    and help remove waste products from your body. Bottled mineral water,
    herbal teas, pasteurized low-fat milk, and fruit juices are good.
 •  Always wash and peel fresh fruit
 •  Vegetables grown in soil, eg potatoes, should always be peeled and cooked
    in boiling water. Cooking vegetables in a pressure cooker is a good way of
    saving the vitamin content.
 •  Do not eat cheese made from unpasteurized milk and avoid cheeses with
    mould.
 •  Only buy small amounts of dairy products at one time so that you can eat
    them while they are still fresh

Salt (Sodium):
While on steroids, try to restrict your salt intake by:
 •  Using salt sparingly when cooking
 •  Trying not to add salt to cooked food or salad
 •  Avoiding salty foods, eg potato crisps, pickles and tinned food

It's important to have a daily exercise routine to build up muscles weakened by a long illness. You should slowly increase your levels of exercise. Cycling, swimming, and walking are useful ways to increase your stamina and overall muscle tone. If all is going well, you can resume other sports about three months after the operation.

Before starting on any exercise program, remember to check with your transplant team.

Source: Liver Transplant|India

Be an Organ Donor
posted by: garylws

• An average of 18 people die each day from the lack of available organs for transplant.

• 90% of Americans say they support donation, but only 30% know the essential steps it takes to be a donor.

Be an Organ Donor, Give Life
Lets Spread The Word!

How to Become an Organ Donor
 •  Join the Official Texas Donor Registry Go Here »
 •  Or, download, print and mail the Donor Registry Form »
 •  Include donation in your Advance Directives, Will, and Living Will.
 •  Tell your family. They can be your advocate.
 •  Tell your physician, faith leader, and friends.
 •  Complete a Donor card and carry it in your wallet

Source: Donate Life

How Long Will My Liver Transplant Last?
posted by: garylws

Liver transplants can have excellent outcomes. Recipients have been known to live a normal life over 30 years after the operation.

According to the latest national average. The liver transplant survival rate is:

• one-year is 86.9%

• three-year is 77.9%

• five-year is 71%

Patients who receive livers from living donors have a slightly higher survival rate than patients whose livers came from deceased donors.

Remember, many factors come into play with these statistics. They represent ALL patients transplanted, including the very old, the very young, those who were critically ill and those with less severe liver problems at the time of transplant.

Transplant recipients directly contribute to the success of their transplant. Failure to comply with the immuno-suppression medical regimen is the number one cause of organ failure.

Close follow-up with your transplant team and primary-care physician can help ensure a good outcome. Careful attention to medication schedules, lifestyle changes, infection-avoidance techniques are all important ways to prolong one's life after transplantation.

Source: UNOS

Food Safety For Transplant Recipients
posted by: garylws

Taking immunosuppressant drugs lowers our ability to resist foodborne infections. Wise choices in our food selections are important.

Because of our lower resistance to infection it is important to choose lower risk foods and practice food safety. For instance, most people don't realize that it is unsafe to thaw food at room temperature.

The four basic steps to food safety are:

• Clean: Wash hands and surfaces often. Bacteria can spread throughout the kitchen and get onto cutting boards, utensils, counter tops and food.

• Separate: Don't cross-contaminate. Cross-contamination occurs when bacteria are spread from one food to another.

• Cook: Cook to proper temperatures. Foods are safely cooked when they are heated to USDA-recommended safe minimum internal temperatures.

• Chill: Refrigerate promptly. Cold temperatures slow the growth of harmful bacteria.

Learn more about:
 •  Major Pathogens That Cause Foodborne Illness
 •  Common Foods: Selecting the Lower Risk Options
 •  Handling and Preparing Food Safely
 •  USDA Safe Cooking Temperatures
 •  USDA Cold Storage Standards
 •  Becoming A Better Shopper
 •  Being Smart When Eating Out
 •  Foodborne Illness Action Plan

Download USDA Food Safety for Transplant Recipients booklet

Make safe food handling a lifelong commitment to minimize your risk of food borne illness.

Source: USDA

How Long Does It Take To Recover?
posted by: garylws

A question often asked is, how long does it take to recover from a transplant. The short answer... EVERYONE IS DIFFERENT!

Some people recover very quickly, one to three months. Others seem to have a harder time, taking much longer.

Your recovery time can depend on how healthy you were before the transplant. If you were very sick and non active, you can expect that the recovery may take longer. Not only do you have to recover from the transplant but you also have to recover from a weakened body.

It's important to stay as strong as you can. Try to walk as much as you can. A good exercise is lifting your arms and your legs. We know how difficult it can be to exercise when you don't feel good. It may even take all the energy you have. However, you will be amazed at how difficult it is just to get out of the bed after a transplant. The stronger you are, the easier it will be.

The alternative may be that you have a longer and more difficult recovery time.

Source: garylws Post-Transplant Patient

Keeping Healthy Before and After a Liver Transplant
posted by: garylws

•  Make sure you follow your doctor's advice to try to treat
    your liver disease
•  Eat well-balanced, healthy meals
•  Maintain a balanced low salt diet
•  Lose weight, if your doctor tells you to
•  Do not use alcohol or illegal drugs
•  Get treatment for your substance abuse problem if you
    need it
•  Get treatment for any mental illness or behavioral
    problems
•  Get treated for any other health problems (diabetes,
    blood pressure, cholesterol)
•  Stop smoking or chewing tobacco
•  Talk to your doctor before you use any other prescription
    or over the counter medicine
•  Talk to your doctor before using any vitamins,
    supplements or natural or herbal remedies

Source: New Your Center for Liver Transplantation