What to eat

[Kabla87]

Hi, I've been following your posts for the last couple of months. My husband has been diagnosed with stage 4 cirrhosis, he has never drank alcohol, has always been so full of life and a hard worker. We've been told that nothing can be done for him by the transplant team twice, they say that due to his other health problems he is not a viable candidate for transplantation, I am heartbroken because we have searched for a diagnosis for over 20 years with no answers, now after a biopsy they come back with a prognosis of 12 months left to live and that was 6 months ago.i watch as my once strong husband fades away a little more each day. The only thing being done for him is lactulose and xifaxin. He can't eat one bite of red meat without immediately vomiting, so he hasnt ate any for about 4 months now. He mentioned to his doctor that sometimes fish or chicken kind of makes him feel like he is going to get sick, so she said for him to eat no meat of any kind. After no meat for a week he has been so tired and going down hill in front of my eyes. He is also diabetic and has a underlying blood disorder that they have not been able to give a name, COPD without ever smoking, and they say he has lymphoma along his spine but it has not changed in 3 years. Doctors say he will die of cirrhosis before he dies of the lymphoma. My question is has anyone else been told to quit all meats? And what should he eat, I worry he is not getting enough protein, he also is having horrible muscle cramps all rough his body that nothing stops., we just feel so cheated all any of the specialists he goes to just say ,I'm so sorry that nothing can be done to help you. And they send him on his way, just to go home and die is how we feel. Thanks guys, sorry this is so long

[AyrshireK]

We had a member of our forum who's husband went completely vegetarian and saw massive improvements from it (less Hepatic Encephalopathy symptoms etc). There are ways to get protein from a veggie diet - eggs are fantastic protein, peas and pulses, things like the soya proteins etc.

[Hidden]

Hi

Sorry to hear about your husband's prognosis, it must be a horrible feeling of hopelessness.

When I was diagnosed with end stage cirrhosis, I wasn't eating red meat, just fish and chicken. Now I've stopped eating chicken too, just fish and lots of veg. Hope that helps.

Keep on fighting, I hope things work out for you both!

[Porphyriamaniac]

I'm sorry to hear of your husbands health, he's really been through the mill as have you. Just to add to what others have suggested,oats, avocados and nuts and seeds have good protein and are energy/calorie dense(Good fats) so might help energy levels if he were to snack on them or add to meals, natural nut butters aswell. Low fat natural Greek yogurt thats good for protein too I top mine with nuts usually almonds,oats and bluberries. Like Katie said, eggs are fantastic and good for the liver too I believe. Wishing you all the best. Xxx

[Kabla87]

Thanks everyone, good info here, I'm going to try to learn more about vegetarianism, it's so hard getting him to try new stuff though because he has zero appetite.

[Hidden]

Don't know if eggs are palatable, but there is quality protein in the whites and the yolks are full of vitamins that are difficult to come by in a vegetarian diet.

Hope this helps.

[Hidden]

Dear Kabla87

The Trust has some information on diet and a publication you can download on our website at:

britishlivertrust.org.uk/li...

britishlivertrust.org.uk/li...

You could also ask your husbands medical team to refer him to a hospital registered dietitian for more specialist dietary advice, they should do this for him.

If you would like us to post a copy of the publication to you or want to speak to someone then please do call our helpline on 0800 652 7330.

We hope this helps.

Best wishes

British Liver Trust team