See our new “Events Calendar” just below. It will show all upcoming activities as we plan them. In order to obtain further information relating to a particular event that you are interested in please click on that event within the moving ticker bar.
A LIVER DIAGNOSIS & YOUR MENTAL WELLBEING
Being recently given a liver diagnosis can have an impact on the well-being of patients which can be difficult to manage particularly coming on top of an actual liver condition itself. The RVH Liver Support Group are only too well aware that any diagnosis can have an adverse affect on the mental health of patients. In order to reach out in some small way, at this stage, Dr Sharon Millen (Committee Member) along with her colleague Dr Karol Donnelly from Liver Ireland Support Network, have compiled a booklet called “Managing Your Mental Health” which will help patients. This can be viewed as a “Flip Book” format where it can be read online just like a normal book. You can either read or indeed download the booklet at the link below.
MANAGING YOUR MENTAL HEALTH
ARE YOU HAVING AN ASSESSMENT IN LONDON SOON?
Have you been informed that you will need to visit King’s College Hospital London for a transplant assessment or are preparing to go over for a transplant? Then this document that we have prepared is for you. Kay, Jim and Arthur recently visited London to meet the various transplant teams and draw up a “what to expect” guide to help you to understand a little better what lies ahead. Please feel free to have a look at the document below (A Patient Guide) and, if you prefer, you can either print a copy or save a copy to you device from within the PDF reader on your device.
A PATIENT GUIDE
NEED MORE INFORMATION ON YOUR DIAGNOSIS?
Have you, or someone you know, been diagnosed with a liver condition requiring treatment? With thanks to the British Liver Trust we have an extensive range of booklets available to explain more fully all of these conditions.
YOUR CONDITION EXPLAINED
FATTY LIVER DISEASE.
Have you or someone you know been diagnosed with fatty liver disease? Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is very much on the increase in N Ireland right now. More and more members of the public are being diagnosed with it and, if left untreated with no life style changes, it can eventually lead to liver cirrhosis and a possible need for liver transplantation. And just because someone may look “lean” it does not mean that they do not have the condition.
It is important that we eat a healthy diet and try to have some form of regular exercise in our daily lives. And if you have been diagnosed with NAFLD it can be reversed in its early stages through lifestyle changes. For more detailed information on how we can help ourselves please look at the document below:-
Treating NAFLD with a healthy diet & physical activity publication.
Its always good to remember to “Love your Liver” and we think it beneficial to keep this in mind.
The liver is a fascinating organ and its importance is often underrated. It’s an amazing multi-tasker and has over 500 vital jobs to do each and every day to keep you alive. It’s just as important as other organs like your heart and lungs, but they tend to steal most of the limelight.
In the UK, liver disease is on the rise. The three major preventable causes are drinking alcohol, obesity and viral hepatitis.
When it’s damaged, the liver can repair itself, but only up to a point. Sadly, people with liver disease often don’t have any symptoms until the disease has progressed and it’s far too late for treatment. That’s why it’s so important to know the risk factors and to keep your liver happy and healthy for life – before long-lasting damage can occur. Take your first steps towards better liver health today.
Take a pledge to love your liver and make a change that will benefit your liver health.
There follows some information to help you. It details what we can do, as individuals, to help our liver recover and to continue to look after it in the future. Unlike other organs the liver has the properties of self healing but that can only happen if we make every effort to avoid on-going liver injury.
Included here are a few tips to help us on that journey. They are kindly provided by the British Liver Trust and we thank them for bringing this information together in an easy to read and understand way. We have made this easy for you to access and you just need to click on the relevant links below.
LATEST LSG NEWS
Liver Ireland Support Network (LISN) presentation in Dublin.
Dr Sharon Millen and Arthur Goan, from RVH Liver Support Group, joined with their colleagues, LISN, (Liver Ireland Support Network) in Dublin on Saturday October 19th where LISN launched [...]
Bushtown Coffee Morning
Another successful coffee morning , this time in Bushtown. It was an opportunity for patients to come together for a chat over a cup of coffee and scone. Keep an [...]
Annie’s Once in a Lifetime Trip……
On Thursday 28th of September Annie and I headed off to London to meet the other “liver families” from Birmingham children’s hospital. We [...]
Donation from Antrim & Newtownabbey Council
The Mayor of Antrim and Newtownabbey, Councillor Neil Kelly and Councillor Mark Cooper BEM were delighted to present the RVH Liver Support Group a cheque for £11,600 from monies raised by the [...]
MEDICAL NEWS UPDATES
encompass comes to Ward 6D
You might have heard the word "encompass" recently; you may have seen a little about it on TV too. This is the new [...]
Publications on all liver conditions; how do I get them?
This is a question that we now get asked in clinic; where can I get more information, online, in relation to the condition that I [...]
World Hepatitis Day 2023
Friday, July 28th, was WORLD HEPATITIS DAY. The Public Health Agency (PHA) continues to remind us that anyone can be at [...]
ORGAN DONATION REGISTER
The RVH Liver Support Group has organ donation close to it’s heart for, without it, many patients would not be able to live long and fruitful lives. The charity relies on the huge generosity of others in allowing this to happen. We actively encourage the general public to consider organ donation and to make themselves aware of the many positive stories told by patients who already have been successfully transplanted. We have provided the opportunity for some of these patients to share their story with you. These personal accounts of their journeys will be of particular significance to those patients are are currently on the transplant waiting list and to their families and loved ones. All of these accounts can be found by clicking YOUR STORIES
One wee chat could save up to 9 lives. Talk to your loved ones today about being an organ donor #havethechat #organdonation #yesidonate Learn more at: www.organdonationni.info
Letting loved ones know you want to be an organ donor can make it easier for them at a difficult time #havethechat #organdonation #yesidonate Learn more at: www.organdonationni.info
For further general information on organ donations please take some time and visit this website https://www.organdonation.nhs.uk/ You are also very welcome to contact any committee member to discuss these possibilities further.
Organ donation law in Northern Ireland has now changed.
The law now states that everyone in Northern Ireland is automatically opted in meaning that, in the event that organ donation is a possibility after you die, it will be considered that you agree to being an organ donor unless you have registered a decision not to donate, or are in an excluded group.
If you do not wish to become an organ donor you will need to opt out on the NHS Organ Donor Register.
Organ donation is a personal decision, and you will still have a choice if you wish to donate or not.
Whatever you decide, please remember to talk to loved ones about your decision so they will know what you would have wanted.
The Law Has Changed.
Dáithí’s Law is now in statute.
One donor has the potential to save up to 9 lives, and in 2019/20 in Northern Ireland there were 51 deceased donors and 89 life-saving and life transforming transplants from deceased donors for Northern Ireland residents. However there are still 115 people in Northern Ireland on the waiting list and in 2020, 11 people in Northern Ireland died while awaiting an organ transplant.
But please remember that, even though you may be opted in for organ donation, it is critically important that you have that chat with your next of kin to let them know of your express wishes in this regard. If you do not have this wee chat it may be the case that your loved ones will not agree to any organ donations.
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