New here and have a transfusion question - Liver & Pancreas Disorders Message Board

serene31 · 04-18-2008, 10:37 PM

Hi, I'm new, though I have lurked for a little while. I've found this board to be a wonderful source for 'real information'. Meaning that you can find all kinds of med references, but to actually hear from people going through the same thing is wonderful.

My husband is in the beginning of end-stage liver failure, due to cirrhosis. He saw his gastro doc on Wednesday, his office called first thing Thursday morning and said his labs were back, his hemoglobin was low and he needed to get to the hospital ASAP. We took him and he had his transfusion. Due to a blood shortage they had to finish this morning. Since then he is passing bloody stools, a lot of blood. I've searched til I'm cross eyed and cannot find that this is a reaction to the transfusion. I realize him passing blood is not a good sign, but he hasn't been passing blood lately and they have not discovered where the blood is coming from. Hope I haven't confused anyone, lol. Thanks in advance for any information, etc that y'all can give!

iluvwv · 04-19-2008, 07:50 AM

hi again.
my hubby started having transfusions about 1 year ago. i'm not sure about the bloody stool having anything to do with the transfusion either. i'd let the gastro know about it. if he's still bleeding he'll need to make sure the hemoglobin doesn't drop again. my hubby has blood in his urine... it looks like pure blood most of the time. they have checked his kidneys and bladder and say they are okay. i have no idea where the blood is coming from. i think the liver, but not sure why it would come out in the urine. this just started back up this week. good luck in getting your answers. let me know how he does.

serene31 · 04-19-2008, 08:49 AM

Thanks, iluvwv, for letting me know what we're looking 'forward to'. Hubby says this morning he's not passing anymore blood, but I'm not really sure he's telling the truth. He's not very willing to go back into the hospital. I can't blame him, he ended up in the hosp. at the beginning of the year for hepatic encephalopathy. But I've told him he either goes in when it happens or he will have to sign the DNR papers stating he does not wish to be treated. He's so tired of the hurting, the being sick, and everything else that he keeps saying next time he doesn't want to be treated. His doctor doesn't think he'll live long enough for the transplant and they still haven't set up a date and time to evaluate him yet.

There's two things that could be the cause of the blood, varices have busted or the liver isn't able to filter the blood and it's like, backing up into the body. I'm sure there's other reasons as well, but these are the two I know about for sure. My husband usually starts vomiting blood because his varices have busted and it's built up into his stomach and then the vomiting starts. Resulting in yet another trip to the ER, and you know the drill.

How long has your husband been sick?

iluvwv · 04-19-2008, 09:32 AM

he has had 5 hip surgeries. this was starting in the early 80's with a car wreck. we found out in 1999 that he contracted hep-c from transfusion in the earlier surgery. he took the 1 yr treatment for the hep-c and it is not active right now. they did a liver biopsy in 2000 and said he was early stage of cirrohis. he didn't quit drinking. he hit the end stage last year and quit drinking. but it is still getting worse.
this liver transplant thing is pretty scary but it's the only hope we have. he had to be alcohol free for 6 months before he was eligible for the evaluation.