increased meds

[Gizmo326]

Hi all,

After seeing my consultant earlier this month the only meds I was on were:-

Propanolol,co-trimoxazole.

I have recently been to see my Gp regarding itching and swelling in my ankles and feet ( Oedema) he now out me on spironolactol, fexofenadene,and Fucibet cream,

The itching has not improved, the skin on my legs is raw and very sore is there no end to this! It's seems that the wrong message is being sent out by the health profession regarding

Drink aware, ie you may get liver damage, cirrhosis, I think they should tell people about the symptoms that go hand in hand with this illness, the abdominal swelling the itching etc,

And how much it impacts on not just the sufferer but their families as well, I know it's self inflicted in my case , and you always think it won't happen to me just as smokers do, but if only.

When you ask the Gp or consultant about these symptoms they just say " it's part of your condition". But I want to know are these horrid effects ever going to ease, I know my liver is knackered since I was hospitalised in December I have not touched alcohol and have no intentions of ever doing so, any way that's my rant over, just concerned about the amount of meds I'm on now compared to a few weeks ago besides that they don't seem to be having any effect, going for my fourth drain tomoz, just to let you know my consultant is general medicines not a liver specialist, and I have never seen a hepatologist any way best. Wishes to all. Ps see photo

[Hidden]

been there not nice i had it everywhere even my privates . camille lotion . hemp seed oil keep it in the freezer .get of the meds as fast as you can . change diet .no sugar like no sugar and they put in every thing .milk thistle ,do a liver flush once a week .fresh pressed lemon juice first drink of the day with a pinch of sea salt ..smoke a little good green herb be for bed will really help you sleep .check your washing powder and any think you put on your skin ..this work for me

[papataal]

Hi,

Firstly sorry for what you are going thru, be there done that! Secondly you are right in that the medical society seems to shy away from the real implications of alcohol(they seem to sugar coat of the side effects of booze, and they are also sending mix signals all the time, alcohol in modaration is good for you, alcohol is bad for, it help with blood pressure, don't drink if you are pregnant, one drink if you are pregnant is ok etc.... This does not help when people have the "it won't happen to me" attitude, I presonally think they should put out ad's that show the damage to get thru the message.

Sorry for the rant, but you did bring up a good point.

Best of luck!

[Bolly]

Ah, hindsight! All those 'if only's'. Hindsight, I think, is a pretty useless tool. Each of us are at a place in our lives because of innumerable circumstances, and each of us move along life's path in our own way. Change to a better path if this one does not suit, or walk along this one happily.

Decompensated cirrhosis doesn't just happen, bang, out of nowhere. Prior to the symptoms your liver gives you now, it will have been through 3 stages of fibrosis (Stage 1:enlarged fibrotic portal tracts; Stage 2: periportal fibrosis and Stage 3: bridging fibrosis. Then comes Stage 4: cirrhosis. Which in itself is first compensated and then decompensated.

Anyone who gets to decompensated will have had niggly little signs and symptoms that all was not 100%, for quite a while, but in most cases the liver is so good at compensating we ignore the symptoms.

They are all there, on the British Liver Trust website. Even the early vague ones of: feeling generally unwell, slight nausea, tummy a bit tender, tired a lot, don't bounce back after a hangover quite as quick, etc etc.

I do wish supermarkets wouldn't stack up these bumper packs of value alcohol in the entrance, particularly around high days and holiday, or major sporting events, encouraging us to slouch on sofas and drink more than is healthy.

With a son about to go to Uni, I also wish university towns didn't promote cheap drinks and encourage a lot of young people who have just left home to drink heavily particularly during their first 'freshers week'. But of course this has been a 'student' culture for years.

Mainly I think we need a culture change where we drink with a sociable meal, rather than drink in clubs and bars.

[briccolone in reply to Bolly]

hear hear! a culture change is definitely what we need-I've been going to italy for about 30 years and over there nobody needs to get drunk to have a good time-in fact to be seen to be drunk is something quite shameful-quite the opposite here it seems-mind you even there, it's changing and more of the youth are out getting slammed in wine bars. Not moralising here-been there in spades but you're all right. More awareness of the many side effects of alcohol-let's not forget though there are plenty on this site who've got serious liver issues and never touched a drop.

[rosmarin]

Dear Gizmo

doI so sympathise with what you are going through. You have to be careful about all these drugs that the doctors merrily prescribe. Try to check out the side effects on the internet.

Also I have to say that there has always been a culture of drinking in this country though not as bad as Russia ! The strange thing is that not every heavy drinker gets cirrhosis and I am sure that a lot of medical drugs are not compatible with alcohol. For example my husband had a heart drug Amiodarone prescribed many years ago and he became very ill. there was no suggestion at the time that because he was drinking the drug was causing the problem . Perhaps this was the cause of his cirrhosis. But you have stopped drinking thank goodness and may find that eventually your health will improve. My husband felt a lot better for a while

when he stopped alcohol completely, it took about a year. Now he feels ill again but COPD might be the cause.

There seems to be more awareness of the alcohol problem now and as briccolone says there are many people with liver problems who never drank.

I think it would be a good idea to demand to see a liver specialist. You have to nag the doctors these days.

wishing you the best of luck with your problems.

Rosmarin.