Post Transplant Problems

I had my liver transplant Nov 16 2005 at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. I have had problems with my hemoglobin and stomach since then. In March, 2006, Mayo saw a new growth of 2 cm on my portal vein but were not able to biopsy it. They were able to get enough tissue to biopsy in June, 2006, and it was a reocurrance of cholangiocarcinoma. They also spotted a new area on my renal gland and a lymph node looks suspicious. I have had problems with my stomach bleeding because of the radiation used prior to transplant. I have what is called “watermelon stomach.” The tumor on my portal vein was also causing pressure on the vein so a stent was implanted to keep the vein open. Now they say I have portal hypertension. I’ve had to have my stomach cauterized twice to stop the seeping of blood which was causing the anemia from too low of a hemoglobin count. We seemed to get that under control on July 1st when I started experiencing once daily vomiting to relieve the pressure that was building up in my stomach. I’m now having twice a day vomiting and the doctors here in Washington state want to do another upper GI scope to see what’s causing the problem. I’m on a soft food/liquid diet now, in an attempt to keep the digestion process flowing. I still have bowel movements and can urinate without problems. It’s a mystery at this time. I was just wondering if anyone else has had anything similar and, if so, what seems to help.

Kathy J
Olympia, Washington