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Q. How can the Support Group Help?
Q. Do I need to be a patient at the Royal Victoria Hospital, Belfast to get help from the Group? No. The Group works on a regional basis throughout Northern Ireland.
If you have to go to hospital in England for a liver transplant or liver related treatment we can help in certain circumstances.
The liver is a vital organ which performs many complex functions e.g. processing digested food and converting it into energy, controlling the levels of fat in the blood and fighting infection.
There are over one hundred liver disorders. The most common are hepatitis, cirrhosis, gallstones, cancer of the liver and primary biliary cirrhosis.
Typical signs include fatigue and weakness, nausea and vomiting, loss of appetite and weight loss, itchy skin, jaundice and fluid in the abdomen.
With severe disease the liver cannot remove waste products and these can be carried to the brain. Symptoms range from minor memory lapses, slurred speech, confusion, or in severe cases, unconsciousness. Q. Is cirrhosis only caused by alcohol abuse? No. It is a popular misconception that cirrhosis only affects people who drink too much alcohol over the years. In fact there are many children with liver disorders. However alcohol abuse is a common contributory factor - a fact being well publicised by the authorities at the moment.
No. Patients are referred to England, usually Kings College Hospital in London, or in the case of children, to Birmingham Children's Hospital.
It could range from a couple of months to eighteen months depending on your condition and other factors.
This varies greatly depending on your recovery rate. Twelve to twenty one days is normal.
The Health Boards in NI will pay for the patients
Usually patients are able to travel to Heathrow by scheduled flights. Otherwise arrangements will be made for you to go by air ambulance. This will all be arranged for you.
The best way is to phone Ruskin Cars (020 72772222) or Dulwich Cars (020 86931000) before leaving Belfast and they will meet you at Heathrow. You will need to bring £40 - £60 in Bank of England notes for the taxi. The Health Board will reimburse you upon receipt.
While Kings have no obligation to provide accommodation for relatives they may be able to offer limited accommodation in Listen Lodges. These are flats situated a short walk from the hospital. Until February 18th the contact person at Kings for enquiries about Listen Lodges is Charles Oviawe. The telephone number is 02032 994160.
This is a confidential computerised database holding the names of 15.8 million people who have decided to become organ donors. Some 413,000 of these are from Northern Ireland, approximately 23.6% of the population. Q. How can I become an organ donor? Contact the Organ Donor line on 0300 123 23 23, fill in the registration form which is readily available or using the on-line form on this site. Q. Do people with liver disease have difficulty obtaining travel/medical insurance?
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