I have tried to search but nothing very specific has come up, I need to know. Not for my self but some one who is in the hospital.
Someone dying of liver failure has cirrhosis of
the liver. usually a liver problem starts out
as inflammation of the liver cells. if treated
and the cause of it is stopped, then the cells
can heal. however, if it isn't treated in time and
the liver cells start to die off…then it means
the patient is in liver failure. Liver failure
is a progressive disease…it means that the
cells of the liver have died off to the point
that the functions they do to keep the body
healthy are deteriating or stopped.
Usually, the liver doesn't show any signs of
a problem until the functions of the cells
does this…that is why it is not diagnosed
by the doctor right away…people can walk
around with this problem and not know it.
However, it can be treated so that the liver
cells that are left may continue to live or not
die as soon as they normally would.
Usually, the first signs, depending on what
the cause of the liver problem is…is extreme
tiredness; some people develop flu like
symptoms. The very first visible sign
may be the yellowing of the whites of the
eye and skin, with darker color urine and
possible almost white colored stools.
As the disease progresses, they may
develop fluid in their abdominal area known
as Ascites. This fluid can be removed by
a procedure known as a paracentesis if
it build up too much. it helps give the
patient more comfort then when it is gone and
they are able to breathe much better. however,
this fluid will rebuild inside of them to be
drained again since it comes from the lack
of a protein that the liver used to make
efficiently, known as albumin. They
may also develop fluid in the legs and feet and
other areas of the body. This fluid is different
than the one above, as this fluid comes from
the body retaining too much sodium when
the liver is in failure. The doctor sometimes
places them on a diuretic, tells them how
much fluid they are allowed to have each day
and puts them on a "lower" sodium diet.
They may develop a condition known as
Encephalopathy. This is because the liver
isn't able to handle toxins in the body like
it once did. therefore, these toxins go
out into the blood and pass the barrier there
and into the brain. it can cause memory
problems and having a hard time to think
clearly. The doctor can help this by giving
medication that will cut down on the toxin.
Another thing they can develop is Portal
hypertension. The portal vein is what
carries blood from all our abdominal area
to the liver. since the liver cells are damaged,
the blood doesn't flow well to the liver anymore.
It backs up in this portal vein and goes into
smaller vessels that is not used to handling
this amount of blood. These vessels may
be weak in areas, like the esophagus, and
balloon outward and break open. This is
an extreme emergency them. The doctor
go into the esophagus, by way of the throat,
and can band these areas so they stop
bleeding…these areas are known as "varies".
The patient tend to bleed easily and their
blood doesn't clot as well. That is because
the liver doesn't make the factors, like it used
to, to help the blood to clot. so any bleeding
from the esophagus is a dire emergency to
get it taken care of.
There are other things that you can read
on this site I am posting to give you further
information.
Liver failure means that the cells of the
liver are not functioning well because some
of them are damaged and died off. however,
it is progressive but not complete liver failure.
There is a difference. Complete liver failure
is when almost all the cells of the liver are
gone and the functions they do can not be
enough to keep the body alive.
A patient with cirrhosis of the liver, should
try to be placed on the transplant list.
This requires much testing and evaluation by
different doctors.
Here are some links that may help you:
medicinenet.com/cirrhosis/art…
surgery.usc.edu/divisions/hep…
Please be sure to ask the nurse if it is alright
to tell the patient this information. In some
cases, which may not be the case here,
they don't want the patient knowing if they
are not mentally able to handle this information.
This is just for your information. I hope this helps you understand more.
Yellowing of the skin and eyes,(jaundice), easily bruised, extreme weekness, possible hair loss, aniemia, and sometimes coma and death.