Liver disease

[sssooo123]

Hi all. I am new to this. My partner was a heavy drinker before I met him .Drinking everyday . I met him 6 years ago .He had stopped drinking 7 years ago and was very proud of it. But back in September this year he was starting to feel unwell , feeling tried, very bad sweating at night , feeling sick,stomach pains and not feeling like eating. Went to the doctor and said what was wrong with him gave him some tables . but he wasn't getting any better so a week later went back . that's when he went into hospital. He was in hospital for nearly 4 weeks having lots of tests .they said he had cisshocs and that his liver was badly damaged. He was always in a lot of bad plain . every thing seem to happen so fast .Sadly he died on November 14th this year . he went into hospital on Tuesday 27th October . why did all this happened so fast . I am finding all this very hard to understand . I miss him so much xx

[AyrshireK]

Very sorry to hear of your loss. Sadly your partner had obviously done serious damage to his liver during the period of heavy drinking and despite his sobriety after that the damage/cirrhosis obviously progressed leading to his sudden decline and I suspect liver failure.

Once the liver is cirrhotic there is very little that can be done other than living healthier, eating appropriately and managing the many side effects that a struggling liver produces. Sometimes the cirrhotic liver is in a compensated state whereby even though it is damaged it is still able to do some but not all of its 500 functions. It can flip to decompensated very quickly and when it does that the liver is really seriously struggling and fails to fulfill its functions leading to the more serious and life threatening symptoms which often has a knock on effect on the other organs of the body.

If caught earlier when the liver is showing signs of inflammation or early signs of damage like fibrosis then abstinence and healthy lifestyle can help the liver to regenerate and not progress as far as cirrhosis, sadly, your partner had obviously gone to cirrhosis before he became sober or progressed once he had. Someone can sadly live for many years without knowing they have cirrhosis or advanced liver disease and it isn't until the symptoms start to show that the problem is identified and sadly in your partners case this obviously came too late.

I hope that helps to explain in simpler terms what might have gone on in your partners case. Sorry for your loss as I say. Look after yourself and enjoy life to the fullest and best you can ................ no one knows what is just around the corner and life can be too short.

Katie xxx

[sssooo123 in reply to AyrshireK]

Thank-you for your reply .that helped a lot x

[RodeoJoe]

I can really understand why this is difficult to comprehend. I'm no expert but this doesn't sound like a typical case. You can damage your liver through alcohol to the point that irreversible damage is done (cirrhosis) , and even after abstaining the disease can progress. Liver disease is hard to diagnose often with very few symptoms until the liver is very diseased. These symptoms usually start with fatigue and high blood pressure and a general feeling of unwellness, and often end with jaundice, ascities and Hepatic Encephalopathy (HE). I think it's unusual to have such a rapid decline in just a couple of months.

I'm really sorry for your loss. This is a great site, there are people here who can offer support and those that offer great knowledge in the subject of liver disease.

[sssooo123 in reply to RodeoJoe]

To wards the end he had swollen ankles and tummy and had a small bruise on his face and his urine was dark and they said that he had hepatic c

[RodeoJoe in reply to sssooo123]

OK so I think he probably damaged his liver with alcohol but the disease would have progressed anyway if he also had hepatitis C. You do understand that the hepititis C was not caused by the alcohol?

[sssooo123 in reply to RodeoJoe]

What would of cause the hepatitis c ?

[RodeoJoe in reply to sssooo123]

nhs.uk/Conditions/Hepatitis...

[sssooo123 in reply to RodeoJoe]

Thank-you I will read it . so cirrhosis in my partner case was from heavy drinking and the hepatitis c would of been from something else . then the two together not good?

[RodeoJoe in reply to sssooo123]

Hepatitis C also causes cirrhosis. The two are definitely not good. Are you certain that the cause was even alcohol? It is often a misconception that all liver disease is caused by alcohol.

What did the Dr's tell you exactly? Are you in the UK?

[sssooo123 in reply to RodeoJoe]

My partner was a very heavy drinker for many years in and out of rehap

[Hidden in reply to sssooo123]

drink will damage the liver and so will Hepc. if you stop drinking the damage from alcohol will stop, but if you have Hep-c you need to kill the virus or it will keep on causing damage

You will have to get tested for Hep-c yourself, you could have been infected or maybe you already had it and passed it to your partner

[liveronmymind]

My husband was diagnosed all of a sudden in March this year with cirrhosis - ascites -( swollen tummy) a decompensated liver and an untreated hepatitis B all which had led to liver cancer HCC and he passed away on October the 16th ---- Today would have been his Birthday ............ we had been married for over 40 years.................

Neither of us knew he had anything wrong with his liver at all as cirrhosis can be a silent killer - especially when it's hepatitis doing the damage........I'm so sorry for your loss and can only feel the pain.

[AyrshireK]

Hepatitis C is a blood borne virus, it is spread by blood to blood contact. Some folks on here seem to have got it through tattoo parlours before they became more hygienic and better regulated, some through giving blood in other countries or receiving NHS or foreign blood transfusions during the period when 'tainted blood' was used - before modern screening methods. Sharing of drug using paraphernalia and even sexual intercourse but only where blood to blood contact occurred.

Did doctors definitely say hepatitis C ? - hepatitis alone means liver inflammation whereas A,B,C,D,E are illnesses in their own right. You can have alcoholic hepatitis, auto-immune hepatitis and such like which are different again.

Just as a thought and not to alarm you in anyway but if doctors did say Hepatitis C did they offer you a screening blood test to ensure you haven't caught it? Whilst it is rare for it to be passed during intimate contact if there is any occasion where blood is passed between partners then it can spread. It might be worth a blood test just to check your own health. Hepatitis C is curable through new medications although there are strict criteria due to NHS funding issues at present.

If your partner had Hepatitis C on top of earlier alcohol induced liver disease then he was poorly for some time before the end and sadly it wasn't picked up. At the end the symptoms you describe are those of decompensated cirrhosis - the swollen ankles and tummy are the fluid build up called oedema and ascites, cirrhosis patients do tend to bleed and bruise easily or bleeding is harder to stop due to low platelet and blood clotting issues & the dark urine can be the build up of toxins as the liver struggles to filter them out of blood and also this then affects the kidney function and they also start to falter.

It's really sad that your partner had such a rapid decline. I could so easily have been in the same boat as yourself in April 2012 when my hubby suddenly threw up loads of blood. I rushed him to A&E and he went an awful yellow colour in hours. After tests it turned out the blood was due to ruptured varices in his oesophagus due to advanced cirrhosis and his blood results were wildly 'deranged'. Thankfully doctors managed to get hubby well enough to leave hospital though they have repeatedly pointed out how seriously poorly he was/is. My hubby got cirrhosis via an auto-immune condition and we never knew he had it till he had the life threatening bleed, we don't know how long he's had it or anything. He is now monitored very closely for signs of him going from compensated to decompensated. I feel dread that it might come to that.

Keep in touch if only for a bit of moral support from folks who understand where you are coming from. There are people on here practically 24/7 who'll give support where we can and there are occasional posts from people who have gone through exactly what you have in that sadly their loved ones have been taken via this most horrid of conditions.

Lots of love, Katie x

[susieanna]

How horrendous and what a terrible shock for you; mmm such a pity he didnt have tests done 7 years earlier it seems. Life is cruel and christmas can bring sadness for many; but in time things will improve for you; take it a day at a time and spend time with other loved ones. xx

[chandler54]

I'm very sad to hear your story. My husband is back in hospital with cirosis and has just the harvoni tablets that has got rid of hep c that he has had for about 14 years. .

But he became very ill a year ago and has,dreadful ascities. They have to drain 15 litres from him every 2 weeks. Its like living a nightmare. He was so fit and strong this time last year. Its all so cruel. I'm so sorry you lost your love. Thinking about you. Ingrid xx

[Hidden]

Hi

Your story made me shed a few Tears. It's awful to loose him that quickly I really feel for you.

Liver disease is a horrible disease and can be very sneaky symptoms can hide undetected for years often being misdiagnosed with other less serious diseases.

I'm thinking of you during this awful time.

Xxx

[sssooo123 in reply to Hidden]

Thank-you xx My partner was a heavy drinker over many years before I met him . So I suppose he had done a lot of damage to his liver.I don't know. But what hurts is that one minute all seems well then they are no longer here.It's not a very nice thing to have and watch your beloved one die .It is right it is a silent killer . I hope one day my pain will get easier xxxx

[Hidden in reply to sssooo123]

Xxx

[liveronmymind in reply to sssooo123]

At least I can look at the sky and know someone else (yourself) are feeling the same way as I do and went through the end stage symtoms and are now going through the same pain loss and heartache.

Poppy 86 said "Liver disease is a horrible disease and can be very sneaky symptoms can hide undetected for years often being misdiagnosed with other less serious diseases." So true. and SO sad

I'm sorry for our losses.

[joecam in reply to sssooo123]

joecam. went through this also.six years ago.i miss my wife today as much as back when.it does get easier.hang in there and god give you strenth.

[Sjade]

Hi, I am also new to this, and unfortunately I have experienced something very similar to yourself so can completely relate. Firstly I am sorry you have had to experience this, watching someone you love deteriate so quickly without any warning is heartbreaking.

I am 26, and my mother,60 who was fit and healthy felt unwell in October and then went to the doctors for blood tests as she turned yellow. She was admitted to hospital on Oct 24th and died November 30th. Like you, we had no warning signs, not even my mum knew how ill she was until she was admitted to ICU and had to be put into induced coma and suffered organ failure. It is scary how quickly the liver can fail and despite all the treatment it was too late. Sadly for us, we don't know the cause of the liver, the GP say it was alcohol related but we weren't aware she was a big drinker,do you have to be a heavy drinker to have alcohol liver failure?

I hope you know there are people around you can speak to,who feel your pain and hopefully find some comfort.

Take care xxxxx

[sssooo123 in reply to Sjade]

Thank-you xxxx

[Tmwalker]

My heart breaks for you. Liver disease is so hard, and your husband dying is brutal. So quickly!