Page 27 - Seniorstoday September 21

First Person

My Experience as

a Liver Donor

The word transplant often leaves the patient apprehensive and scared given
an uncertain future. But that did not deter Dr Nandini Saini to donate her
liver to her father. Both livers grew to almost their normal size within three
months.

Liver disease is fast becoming a common to name a few. My father, himself a general
health concern, with medical professionals practitioner, was infected by a severe form
warning us about the condition right from of dengue, called dengue haemorrhagic
liver inflammation to cirrhosis. A well- fever. During its course, he suffered
controlled diet and adequate guidance from from extremely low platelets, bleeding
our doctors can help most of us fight the tendencies, metabolic encephalopathy,
disease, but there are quite a few people which put him in a comatose state for
who reach end-stage cirrhosis or hepatic almost 15 days. Though he survived all of it,
cancer. the episode left him with a damaged liver,
The best treatment forward, in these the beginnings of cirrhosis.
cases, is a timely liver transplant, which The doctors treating him at the time gave
can improve the quality of life, as well as his liver 10 years, cautioning us of an
adding years to it. impending liver transplant.
The word transplant often leaves the The first signs of trouble started in 2013,
patient apprehensive and scared, the when he noticed his clothes wouldn’t
decision-making difficult, the future fit him. Investigations showed that his
uncertain. I’d like to share with you my liver was compensated, and had led to
experience, as a liver donor. ascites (fluid collection in the abdomen).
The floods of 2005 left behind a host of His gastroenterologist, after thoroughly
infections, malaria, dengue leptospirosis, investigating him, placed him on a

SENIORS TODAY | ISSUE #27 | SEPTEMBER 2021 27