Weight Gain/Maureen's Doctor Stories (The Horror! The Horror!

[Guest guest]

This happens due to a variety of hormonal and liver related problems. I

would suggest however, that unless most of it is fluid, which you say is not

likely, it isn't much of a problem. The reason it's not a big deal is that,

soon, he won't be able to maintain his weight due to disease progression.

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news. Because of fatigue and lack of exercise,

decreased testosterone, inability to eat due feeling full (enlarged

liver/spleen) and nausea, loss of muscle mass and weight loss in general is

the usual problem with progression. At that point, high caloric, low protein

frequent small meals/supplements may be very helpful.

These folks sound like real prizes! The anethetist sounds like he wanted or

wants to be a surgeon; not uncommon. They sometimes tell the surgeons who is

really in charge when everyone is in the operating room. Nasty

conversations. And that surgeon is a real prize. Those kinds of questions

should have been put (especially the one about magnesium) to the transplant

Hepatologist. This really avoids the issues with the surgeon and most of

these guys don't deal well with non-surgical, more metabolic issues. I'm not

sure if there was a tx Hep involved in Jim's case. I know that after my

surgery the surgeons visited, the medical people (the Hepatologist's and

residents) also visited and charted, wrote orders and so on. Answered

questions. But my surgeon was a great guy. No big ego issues. Glad to hear

you had a good one to back up these idiots. The strange thing is that most

of the tx surgeons I've met have been good people. They tend to see the

whole picture, the long wait, the scary chronic possibly terminal disease

and it's psychological affects, and they are very human and humane. But some

guys, and it is mostly guys, who go into surgery and migrate to tx surgery

are true surgeons; in other words, not very in tune with the whole bed-side

manner thing that we need. Very sad. For us and for them. Sorry you had to

go through that. My bottom line advice, when you have questions, unless it

concerns something another doctor suggested you ask a surgeon or your

surgeon is well known to you as being a open caring person, ask the Medical

doctors your questions (the GI, Hepatologist, GP/FP or Primary Care

physician) and ask them to ask the surgeons, if necessary. That way, if they

don't like the question, they'll shit on the person asking them and not you.

Aubrey