Needing info on Liver Transplant for diabetic

@cajoca I had a liver transplant in September 2016, and I am mildly diabetic. I say mildly because I take no medication, my diabetes is controlled by diet. My A1c has never been very high.
Before being cleared for a transplant there are many tests that are done to make sure that you don’t have any other problems. There are heart tests, and just about every other thing is tested. Some problems can be taken care of so a liver transplant will be possible. I think the biggest qualification is your health, not age, but there are some transplant centers that do have an age cutoff. I was 2 days short of 69 when I received my new liver.
If you have any other questions, just ask. There are many post-transplant patients on Connect and I’m sure we can answer most questions.
JK

Thank you. She is 70 right now. Will be 71 in April and her diabetes isnt controlled by her diet. She has to take shots and she is on lactose (not sure if that's the correct spelling) and a few other things.. she has been unresponsive a few times in the past 2 months..she doesnt recognize me most days I go to see her. She gets confused and cant even make a sentence out some times.. she was diagnosed with cirrhosis of the liver..maybe 3 months ago. All of a sudden things just got bad out of nowhere

@cajoca, Welcome to Connect. Your grandmother is fortunate to have you asking questions on her behalf.
I hope this article will answer some of your questions about .

Eligibility for Liver or Kidney Transplant
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/page/transplant/newsfeed-post/eligibility-for-liver-or-kidney-transplant/
As I read your post, it sounds as if you go to visit your grandmother somewhere.. Where is she, hospital, home? What have her doctors had to say about about her diagnosis of cirrhosis and potential treatment and outcomes?

My 67 year-old recipient has diabetes, as well as some other health issues, and was cleared for the transplant. Her recovery has been somewhat complicated due to multiple health issues, but diabetes didn't prevent her transplant. I hope everything works out well for your grandmother!

@cajoca If your grandmother has not been seen by a hepatologist, she should be. If her confusion is a recent development it is probably from her cirrhosis. Hepatic Encephalopathy (HE) is caused by cirrhosis because the damaged liver is not filtering out toxins and they go to the brain. I had that problem but not daily. The hepatologist prescribed xifaxan for me and that kept me free of the confusion episodes for almost a year. When they started again I had to take lactulose also.

Severe HE episodes can cause a person to become comatose, which is one of the reasons she needs to be seen by a hepatologist.
Do you live close to a large medical center that does transplants? That would be the place to go.
Your grandmother is very fortunate to have you looking out for her.
JK

@cajoca, I have been thinking about you and your grandmother. I imagine that seeing your grandmother going through this is difficult for you. How are you? Has there been any positive change in your grandmother's condition?

@rebekahinvt, I see that you are a living donor and I want you to know that I honor you for giving the gift of life to another. Have you seen the transplant discussion - Kidney transplant - The Journey from the Donor's Side? https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/kidney-transplant-from-the-donor-side/

I want to ask you to take a look at it because there is a new member who is scheduled for surgery in a couple of weeks. There are questions that can only be answered by someone with your experience.
Thank you.

Hi Rosemary! I am happy to reply to the new member - can you tell me which post you were thinking of? There are a lot of them!

@rebekahinvt, I have tagged you to the post by the new member. You should be receiving an email notification that will take you to it. Please let me know if you have any difficulty with getting there.