Help ... some much needed advice required

[Debbie2016]

Hi .. I've posted before regarding my oh but now things are worse .. I'm just not sure what to expect (if anything ) so here goes .. my oh was admitted to hospital last week after 10 days of not eating .. daily vomiting and overall feeling of tiredness and just feeling unwell (although still managed to keep down 18 units of alcohol a day) he was diagnosed with alcoholic hepatitis and stayed in for 2 days . His alt was nearly 1000 and this dropped to 500 after 2 days low albumin (under 35 ) . He came home and has continued to drink 18/30 units daily he doesn't eat great and still vomits intermittently .. how long can he go on like this ? Will he get cirrhosis ? Will he just drop down dead ? I'm so worried we have children and I can't babysit him 24/7 although I almost do . Any experience with this would be greatly recieved .. many thanks deb x

[AyrshireK]

You've said in the past that doctors have said fibrosis / stage 4 fibrosis is cirrhosis so he may already have cirrhosis and judging by earlier posts when he had oedema in legs and other symptoms he was showing signs of a decompensated liver. With poorly controlled diabetes as well as the alcohol he really is on a slippery slope. Has he had an endoscopy to check for varices? What did consultant say in January as I believe he was due to attend a liver specialist then? With this level of alcohol consumption on top of an already struggling liver (ALT of 1000 shows his liver is really inflamed - hence the alcoholic hepatitis tag) he really is on a slippery slope. How long he will last is like the how long is a piece of string question?

Have you checked out the British Liver Trust page on cirrhosis? You'll be able to see what symptoms he's showing an how they line up with the severity of cirrhosis. britishlivertrust.org.uk/li...

You need to look after yourself and your children, as you say you can't be his baby sitter 24/7 and you need to seek help for yourself as this situation isn't healthy for you or your kids. The charity Al-Anon ( al-anonuk.org.uk/ ) for the loved ones of those with alcohol issues might advise you better on what it is best for you to do in these circumstances because as of yet your husband is obviously not accepting the situation he finds himself in and is unwilling or unable to tackle it. I always feel for you partners who are literally watching a loved one drinking their way towards a nasty end.

Thoughts with you, Katie x

[Debbie2016 in reply to AyrshireK]

Hi Katie thanks for your reply x the liver consultant discharged him in Jan as he said his liver results were only slightly elevated and there was no acute problem .. as he was admitted last week he has another follow up apt with the liver Dr within the next 4 weeks .. they have told him to stop his atorvastatin 40mg tabs and also his omeprazole 40 caps until his results improve .. his wcc was low as was his potassium (don't k ow if that's relivant) he has always had all the cirrhosis symptoms but no swelling or jaundice yet .. although I'm sure it's only a matter of time .. his blood sugars are so poorly controlled still but then he drinks red Bull and coke like it's going out of fashion x deb x

[Debbie2016 in reply to AyrshireK]

He hasn't had an endoscopy .. but had an ultrasound to check for acites and portal hypertension. . Which he had neither .. x

[papad]

I was doing same thing I ignored all the symptoms ,early one morning I woke up in pain ,my bed was soaked with blood stomachs bloated with fluid legs swollen ,yellow all over ,my spleen was enlarged ,have portal hypertension (hardening of artery that goes throughliver), doctors told my family to come see me for the last time ,I made it through ,20days later my stomachs swelled full of infection ,again family called in . This was 3and half years ago haven't touched alcohol since, I live with what I did to my family every single day, it's a crying shame what people do to their loved ones ,but like any other drug alcohol is number one. I was diagnosed with end stage liver disease, which is now stabilized, guess I'm one of the lucky ones ,don't know if this is what you were looking for ,but I sure feel better getting it out , good luck

[Debbie2016]

Thanks for your reply .. u seem very lucky considering all you've been through . What a relief for your family that you pulled through x take it from me ..to watch someone suffer and waste away in front of your eyes is no easy task. I don't know how long his body can be abused .Dr's have already mentioned in the past that he's so lucky to be alive due to all the pancreatic problems never mind all these new ones . Your post was helpful .. so thank you x

[matt137]

Deb

It really is the hardest thing Ive ever done trying to stop drinking. I have to battle it everyday at the moment and ive been on and off the stuff for almost a year.

Hes sitting there thinking about how much he cares for you and your children, but theres something inside that tells him itll all be ok... he will just have a couple more drinks. After all its just a beer or a glass of wine.

The trouble is it wont be ok if he continues.

Im 'lucky' enough to have found out before any of the big and nasty symptoms arrived, but im told they will come at some point.

The more I drink, the closer the nasties get.

Fizzy water is a saviour for me. And get him to google the nasty side of cirrhosis. It can scare a man to death.

Good luck x

[Emmabskin in reply to matt137]

Fizzy water is great, I drink loads. Not the flavoured stuff just the aqua con gas. xxxx

[soooze50 in reply to matt137]

well said, yes how bad can just a couple of glasses be....she'll be right....Well done Matt, you are in control, not the bottle, that is the way forward

[Debbie2016]

Hi .. I've showed him posts from former alcoholics ... current alcoholics and widows of alcoholics .. he's just not interested it's like talking to a spoil child .his personality has changed so much. His liver results have come down now to 300 (alt) that was from last Friday but they way he's drunk since them I'd be suprised if they weren't double that. He's tired all the time and a short trip out to the shop puts him bk to bed for an hour or more .thanks for the post.. they really do help x deb x

[soooze50 in reply to Debbie2016]

So many wonderful soulmates on this forum, just chat away, these folks become incredible friends because they have walked in your shoes, they have survived tremendous challenges and so understand a great deal of how life is when Liver Disease is part of the family. Keep in touch, you are never alone with this, and hello from New Zealand