Hi all
As per my original story I am seeking support in caring for my Dad. It has been a year now since we were in a general hospital having the acities drained. His appetite is good and overall doesn't look as jaundice. He says he can feel the fluid though his stomach is not distended. Can anyone give me advice as to what the end symptoms would be? Would this involve more frequent requirement of drainage? I dont want to rely on this if it is not solely true, one year seems hopeful.
Life expectancy with cirrhosis is very difficult to predict, even for a board certified hepatologist. The "Child Pugh" score can provide some rough guidelines, and is fairly easy for the layman to understand. You do need some labs to do the calculation (bilirubin, albumin & INR).
Once you get these labs, and have a rough understanding of the encephalopathy and ascites issues, you can easily find an online calculator (Child Pugh Calculator) to determine his score and general timeline. Life expectancy for Child Pugh Class-A can be up to 20 years. Class B, 5 to 14, & C 1 to 3.
It's important to understand these are only rough guidelines. There are never any guarantees when it comes to advanced liver disease.
in general, it would not be liver failure only,
but one of the many other conditions that occur with a failing liver , that will likely play the final roll.
but it sound like you are in a good place now [ stay there ]
If Dad is still sober then his liver sounds like it has stabilized and he is doing ok in the grand scheme of things. When is his next ultrasound due? He should be having one every 6 months. U/S would spot if there is indeed any fluid in the abdomen.
Diuretic resistant ascites (i.e. where water tablets are no longer working and more frequent drains needed) is one of the specifications for making someone more of a priority on transplant list so it is a very advanced symptom and one which indicates the liver is on it's way out.
Have you read the British Liver Trust page on cirrhosis? It provides details on signs and symptoms to watch out for. There is also a handy page on living with liver disease which also covers caring for someone with the condition.
britishlivertrust.org.uk/li...
britishlivertrust.org.uk/li...
Whatever you and Dad are doing keep it up because he has bounced back from the brink and sounds like he's doing not too bad.
Katie
Hi Lsstewart
We are sorry to read your dad is unwell. The helpline is open tomorrow 10am to 14.45 if you would like a chat.
Best wishes
Trust1
Hi Lsstewart,
You say it has been a year since your Father was seen to drain ascites - is he seeing a doctor on a regular basis for this?
My husband has cirrhosis and was in liver & kidney failure with ascites in Nov 2015 and once out of the hospital has been seeing his liver doctor every 6 months for follow ups.
Hubby quit drinking while in the hospital and hasn't restarted and feels good [except he's grousing about a pulled muscle in his back]. He takes medications for high blood pressure and HE and some meds for tingling that may be the result of long term drinking, but his doctor has said hubby pretty much has a normal life span ahead of him at this point.
Your Dad's doctors would be able to give you more information I think.
Best wishes to you both,
Mary
He had an endoscopy which showed varicies that did not need banding at that time and then did not return the 6 months after (with the fear that if he started bleeding they wouldn't be able to stop it) - my dad suffers extreme anxiety. I know he is consuming Guinness but off the hard stuff (vodka). He went to a detox ward though had a bad experience and came out almost delirious as they whipped him off most of his medication. I know he is taking the water tablets though isn't taking the blood pressure tablet as they told him his blood pressure is too low so he self stopped this. He is reluctant to go back to hospital or GP again unless his stomach becomes significantly worse. Not much else I feel I can do if that is his mind set. Thank you for the support all.
Guinness and Vodka are the same hard stuff, it is called alcohol and is in both products. Consuming either will cause problems. If he is consuming alcohol then he needs medical supervision to stop.
Decompensated Liver/End stage Liver Disease
Hubby recently diagnosed but virtually at the end stage
End stage liver disease 
End stage alcoholic cirrhosis remarkable improvement.
End stage liver disease 
