My husband has lost a lot of weight & muscle mass is it safe for him to have Procal drinks with having cirrhosis?

[wadey]

[Bolly]

Hi wadey. Have these drinks been prescribed by a GP or are you buying them without medical advice? If your husband has been prescribed them, I assume both the GP and the pharmacist who dispensed them will be aware of your husbands cirrhosis, I have a feeling that the manufacturer says the drinks must only be taken under medical supervision?

If you are buying them yourself I would say probably not its not safe for him to have them until you have checked its ok with your GP or his specialist. Do they have salt or any extra ingredients apart from the protein, fat and carbs?

[wadey in reply to Bolly]

Thanks for this Bolly,no I have not bought any yet,we are waiting to see a dietician for advice etc first,as far as I know there isn't any salt in the drinks.

[AyrshireK]

Hi Wadey, my hubby has cirrhosis too and we've recently seen a liver specialist dietician who did all sorts of tests and said hubby has suffered muscle wastage. She went into the correct diet for liver disease sufferers and provided us with a fantastic easy to understand diet guide (only a few pages) as hubby still has a good appetite and is able to eat she didn't want him going onto supplements and would rather he up his carbohydrate and protein intake in food form. I've typed the leaflet into word documents and if you think it would be helpful to you then sent me a private message with your email address and I can send it to you as an attachment. Hubby only started following the diet plan after attending hospital on 18th June and already he has gained weight and a bit of bulk (increased his trouser size) which is all good. Anyway if I can help with supplying leaflet - it does name some supplements which are suitable for those who perhaps can't eat as much physical food.

Katie

[wadey in reply to AyrshireK]

Ah many thanks for this Katie,my email address is [e-mail] it would be great if you could send me the attachment re diet, Laura.

[AyrshireK in reply to wadey]

I've sent them this morning Laura, all the best. Katie

[petershipbrook in reply to AyrshireK]

Hi Katie, what great timing for me finding this site and your post. Having spent a month in hospital and now a further month at home still recovering from Cirrhosis one of my new found problems is great weight and muscle loss. I have spoken to my GP about diet and she referred me to my local hospital who have given me an appointment in late October! I have had next to no advice diet wise except eat more protein and see the dietician. Would it be at all possible to send me a copy of your word documents? I would be so grateful to you. Also if you or any other poster could recommend any good "food for your liver" type of sites it would be fantastic. My email address is [e-mail] Thank you.

[AyrshireK in reply to petershipbrook]

Hi Peter, it seems you got a similar treatment to my hubby, we pushed for diet advice whilst he was an inpatient and all he was told was "you know your own body, don't eat what you don't fancy!". No mention of reducing salt and not mention of what should be eaten. We've only learned more after a year and following our initial visit to the liver unit at Edinburgh Royal Infirmary. The leaflet they provided is excellent. No worries about providing a copy of the leaflet, i'll do it straight away. Hope it helps.

Katie

[petershipbrook in reply to AyrshireK]

Just read it - Brilliant. I'll work out a plan next week and let you know how I go on. Thank you so much. Peter

[LostMan in reply to AyrshireK]

Hi Katie

Could I have a copy as I have lost a lot of muscle mass with cirrhossis of my liver. I used to be a body builder before giving into alcoholism.

Thank you so much.

[Estiebargle in reply to LostMan]

You can never 'give in' to alcoholism... Alcoholism beats you, and beats you, and beats you. Despite ourselves we drink again. You may call yourself lostman but you are not a lost cause.

Sorry had to comment

[bansal07 in reply to AyrshireK]

Hello ayrshirek ,

This is Mukesh from india , my email is [e-mail] can you please

share diet chart with me

[Power7717 in reply to AyrshireK]

Hi Katie, I would like copy of your leaflet - [e-mail]

[Hidden]

Hi Wadey. My hubby also has cirrhosis and has lost muscle mass. We keep trying to get the gp to send him to a dietician but it never seems to happen. He needs to know what he can and can't eat. Do you think you could send me the diet sheets sheets please, it would be so helpful. I have learnt so much over the past few months researching stuff. This forum is brilliant brilliant for finding out stuff. Hope your hubby is ok

[AyrshireK in reply to Hidden]

Just sent you a private message flowerlady, if you want to private message me your email address then I can send them to you. Typical you've not seen a dietician, took us over a year despite us asking prior to hubby leaving hospital.

Katie

[Hidden in reply to AyrshireK]

Thanks Katie - I've seen your message and replied with my email address.

[petershipbrook]

Thank you so much Katie, I look forward to reading it. It's such a shame really, in hospital the consultants, doctors and nursing staff were generally excellent and all my procedures, tests, examinations etc must have cost the NHS a fortune over the month! Yet this most important aftercare service is so poor yet crucial if we are not to end up back in hospital again. Giving up alcohol is relatively easy, but keeping our livers healthy by what we eat and drink is critical and yet a seemingly non-existent facility within my local NHS. What a waste and what a shame. Thanks again, Peter

[petershipbrook]

Excellent, clear information and dietary advice for those suffering from cirrhosis, in particular those experiencing great muscle and weight loss. Katie's document explains why we lose so much, why carbohydrates, protein etc are so important in our daily diet plus suggested types of meals to help rebuild our bodies.

I hope you are not bombarded with requests Katie. If you are perhaps you could refer posters to the organisation that created the document.

[BLTHollyDawson Volunteer]

Hi Katie,

I hope you are well?

I just wanted to say thank you for sharing your diet sheet with everyone who has requested it, the waiting lists to see a dietitian are extensive and we often get requests for advice here at the trust. I would be really grateful if you would send me a copy of the advice sheet so that we can pass it on to others who may need it?

My email address is [e-mail].

I look forward to hearing from you,

Kind regards

Sandy

[AyrshireK in reply to BLTHollyDawson]

Hi Sandy, have emailed with you attaching the leaflet.

Katie

[LostMan]

Hi all,

I have also lost a lot of muscle mass due to liver chirrosis. I used to be a body builder an now look like an old man with just skin and bones.

Please could Katie and other members send any info to my private email address, which is:

[e-mail]

Thank you in advance.

[AyrshireK in reply to LostMan]

Hoping to send you it today LostMan, but I am on a mobile dongle at the moment as we are over at the liver unit in Edinburgh. If I can't get it to attach and send today i'll have it off to you on Saturday when I am reconnected properly to the internet.

All the best, Katie

[findasolution]

Hi wadey,

I have a recollection that when I did some research about Procal being used as a possible source of protein etc there was quite a long list of possible reactions some serious and others moderate if it is taken with certain medications.and things like Magnesium and other antacids.

In particular there seemed to be a possibility of serious reactions if taken with Alendronic Acid and other Bisphonates. At the time I was taking Alendronic acid so dropped Procal from my list of possible protein enhancement remedies.

I am sure there are other contributors to this forum who like me take Steroids (Prednisolone etc) for their liver disease regardless of whether or not cirrhosis is present and if so then it is possible they have also been prescribed a Bisphonate and or calcium tablets to reduce the possibility of steroid induced Osteoporosis.

Personally I do not think there is a general yes or no answer regarding whether it is safe to take Procal if you have liver disease /cirrhosis. In my view this can only be determined on an individual basis and then only after speaking to a doctor or specialist who will no doubt take into consideration any medication that is being taken by the individual before he or she says yes or no.

A lot may depend on what other medication your husband is taking but in any event get him to consult his doctors before he proceeds with taking Procal and exposing him self to the risk of suffering adverse re-actions.

Has he considered adding something like Quinoa with Bulgar wheat to his food intake? It only has small trace sodium content and very minimal fat,saturates and sugar but has a high content of both protein and carbohydrate. Its is fairly well known and is similar to a very fine rice. Probably better than quick fix muscle building protein drinks etc and I have looked at most of them and made my own decision that they are no go territory at least for me

Hope you find the right answer to your husband's problem

Regards.

[wadey in reply to findasolution]

Thanks very much for your information,we have now seen a dietician this week who has given us some useful tips and advice re my husbands diet,they don't recommend him having any supplements as he is eating well but needs to have more carbs and protein in snacks between meals which should help,also the very useful info. I received from Katie on here re diet etc hopefully will help my husband to increase his weight again.

[LJD3]

JUST RECENTLY MY HUSBAND(58)WAS DIAGNOSED WITH CIRRHOSIS,IN A MATTER OF 2 MONTHS HE HAS LOST MOST ALL MUSCLE,THIS HAS BEEN OVER WHELMING FOR BOTH OF US,HE IS NOT ABLE TO EAT MUCH FOOD AT ALL.WAS JUST SEARCHING WHEN I READ YOUR POST,ANY ADVICE YOU MAY BE WILLING TO SHARE WOULD BE GREATLY APPRECIATED ,MY EMAIL,[e-mail]

[AyrshireK in reply to LJD3]

I've sent you an email Linda - hope it helps.

Katie x

[Cotterpin in reply to AyrshireK]

Hi Katie

Like the other posts , my husband also has cirhossis and has lost most of his muscle mass. He does have a good appetite so I was hoping you could email me diet to help build him back up and to increase his energy . Thanks so much.

[AyrshireK in reply to Cotterpin]

Replied Cotterpin, might now be worth editing your post (click the downward facing arrow at bottom right of your post for drop down menu) and remove your email address - prevent you getting loads os spam mail.

[Cotterpin in reply to AyrshireK]

Thanks, Katie. I'm new to all this, so any advice is helpful. I did remove email - thanks again!