Portal vein

@techy, I did not have any of those symptoms. I am sorry that I cannot provide you with any clues that might help you to understand.
I hope that you feel better about all of this soon.
Rosemary

Thank you Rosemary

Today was a good day. I went to church and my husband had the CD In the car and the song was playing the encouragement a nd Thanks to God because if it wasn't for him l wouldnt be here. The song is # Can't Give Up Now by Mary Mary so if anyone is going through something right now and need a little lift up and to let all the things you went through or still go through right now. It will let you know you can make it. This week l might my new gasterontergist in my state and l have 2 l was given so l will decide which one l like and agrees with the Mayo Clinic and keep watch of what's going on because l believe if they did the followup l wouldn't have to go and have another procedure done but hopefully it will be done correctly.

I had a TIP 2yrs ago and when looking was the Mayo Clinic like was told it was done correctly. So let am supposed to come back to the Mayo Clinic and have it done a second time. I asked my general practice doctor to refer me to a liver doctor which leads really feel he's a great doctor. He told me he would do the procedure himself since he seems it wasn't done correctly. I really don't know how long feel about that since it was done at the same hospital and let only had one appointment with him. So let really don't know what to do? Then also l have been telling so many doctors office a symptoms of not being able to walk. I went with my husband to get a sandwich for lunch. He looked at me and ask me if left was alright. I said yes. Then let tried to eat but let couldn't well that something usual everyone does that. When we got home last tried to get out the car, but let couldn't. I had to ask him to help me. I couldn't stand up and let was walking side to side. Then he got me to the house and took me to the bedroom. I asked him to get me a package that was delivered to the house. I tried to open it and let couldn't my hands were shaking and let couldn't pick it up to bring it closers so long could try again. I failed so long had him bring it closers and let used my teeth to open it up. So let did but let couldn't get the items out. So let just gave up. Then let thought leaders better go to sleep so long tried to pickup my covers and my hands were shaking so much l just said forget it. I went to sleep and then when looking woke up everything was normal again. This has happened before several times but it hasn't happened for months. I tell the doctors and they run test and everything comes back normal. Has this ever happened to anybody? Please let me know nobody else knows.

That sounds awful, @techi! I moved your message to this discussion, as it concerns the portal vein, and also so that other members get notified, and may be able to share more insight.

Here's some information from Mayo Clinic about TIPS (Transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt); I've also copied some details, below:
"Your doctor might recommend a procedure called transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) to place a shunt. The shunt is a small tube that is placed between the portal vein and the hepatic vein, which carries blood from your liver to your heart. The shunt reduces pressure in the portal vein and often stops bleeding from esophageal varices.
But TIPS can cause serious complications, including liver failure and mental confusion, which can develop when toxins that the liver normally would filter are passed through the shunt directly into the bloodstream. TIPS is mainly used when all other treatments have failed or as a temporary measure in people awaiting a liver transplant." https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/esophageal-varices/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20351544

@techi, I experienced esophageal varices when I had end stage liver disease. The symptoms are passing a tarry stool. I was hospitalized and closely monitored until I had the procedure. I later learned that it could have been fatal. The varices were treated using rubber bands to tie off the bleeding veins. These are not your symptoms and I wanted to add to what @kanaazpereira had shared in the link to esophageal varices. Only your doctor will know.

Lisa, I was at Mayo Rochester when this happened. My liver doctor did not perform the procedure. But he was definitely the one in the command post.. They have people who perform procedures like this on a regular basis. I know that you are frightened about having surgery, but I do encourage you to get this treated. If you were my mom or my sister, I would take you there myself.
Rosemary

I didn't even know about liver failure as my doctor hasn't told me that but I know when they do shunts it means they are considering you might need that but I was only told I had elevated ammonia level and I am non-cirrohsis but you are not always told everything. And I had test to see if I had hover, dementia, was I psychotic, spinal tap and so on. But then the internal medicine doctor saw that I was supposed to have a ultrasound of my stomach before the procedure she was surprised it wasn't done. So they did it at the Mayo Clinic because she insisted I had it done there and that's when they told me it was done right and if everything was okay I wasn't to come back but now I was referred to the gastroenterlogist/hepatologist and when they found out it wasn't done correctly they wanted me to have it done here. And the hepatologist I seen here he wants to do it but I don't see any patient reviews and I was sent to the same hospital which I just don't feel comfortable having it done here. He's a very fine young doctor and he might know what he's doing but I wanted done correctly. And I don't know if you will have trouble with the shunts and that's why you have to have a transplant or at least they have to put you on a list in case if it does but I guess I will find out. I have my appointment after Christmas so b I don't know if they would even have time to do a procedure because that's around a holiday but I will definitely read the information you gave me. I need to be knowledgeable when I see the doctors.

Rosemary the new doctor I had talked about it wanted to me to have it done here and he reassured me he would do it. I try to look up patient reviews and he didn't have any and to me that does not good for me. I heard here and I don't know if it's all states but if a doctor has been sued or license has been taken away in one state he can go to another state and it doesn't follow him so he can practice again. And I also know if a state doesn't require it to be on his file it doesn't have too. Sounds crazy so that why sometimes you won't get that information no matter how you search. So if I had let him do it I would have still came back to the Mayo Clinic to make sure it was done correctly so I decided not to let it be done here. And the doctor at the Mayo Clinic wanted me there since October but I have to wait until my husband could take off again. And yes I am getting bloated more but these doctors don't want to get involved or don't know what to do since I have been to the Mayo Clinic.

Also Rosemary I meant to tell you one time when I was given a muscle relaxer I was allergic to I went into cardiac arrest and I wasn't coherent I remember a nurse come in and ask me if I wanted a blood transfusion and I was never told why I needed one. And then I remember they ask me if I wanted to sign a DNR again not told why. And then one time when I wasn't doing well and they didn't know what was going on my daughter said they wanted to put me in a nursing home. So God was with me through this whole ordeal and I pray everything will be taken care of when I go to the Mayo Clinic. So all what was going on seems like it was my liver and now the doctors are covering up. But to hear stories like your is a blessing because it keeps me in the know and what questions to ask when I see the doctors because this is all something new. Thank you

@techi Lisa, have they definitely ruled out liver, and if so why? I went almost a year and a half, going to three doctors — my PCP, who is an internist, a hematologist, and a neurologist (my PCP thought I was having a neurological problem). They never considered liver because I was not jaundiced, my AST and ALT were not too bad, and I was not a drinker — one glass of wine with dinner was my limit. The PCP I went to prior to that, after my first HE episode called me on the phone and said she thought I had Alzheimer’s! It was the neurologist who finally put 2 and 2 together and said he thought it could be a liver problem. I was in the hospital for an HE episode and they did an ammonia test. It was high so afterwards my PCP sent me for a CT and that confirmed cirrhosis. Some of what you say sound as if you could be having mild HE episodes. I had some minor ones and some that were more serious. Prior to my diagnosis I had one episode that was very severe. I was basically catatonic and just staring into space. My husband called one of our friends who is a doctor and he came over and said to get me to the hospital. Since I was extremely resistant to that he had to call an ambulance to take me. I guess if I had gotten worse I could have gone into a coma.
Prior to having an HE episode I had many other symptoms — low platelets, shaking hands, I was always cold, trouble sleeping, i had developed diabetes and no one else in my family ever had diabetes. Thank God it was finally diagnosed and I was given medications — first lactulose and then xifaxan — to control the HE episodes, and eventually had a transplant. Life is great now, I feel wonderful and no more of the problems that had been caused by cirrhosis. I am so thankful that it was finally diagnosed. Knowing what I know now I will never leave it to my local medical resources, I will head right to Boston if I don’t get a diagnosis up here. I’m glad you are going to Mayo, hopefully they will be able to unravel your symptoms and figure out what exactly is causing your symptoms.
JK