Introduction

[Sstteevve]

Steven .2001 my father was diagnosed with cancer and died my mother was also murdered that year I became suddenly homles over night for about 10 years living in woods and coast I lived off the land suffered with my mental health and alcohol became my only friend I never stopped till last year when I ended up in hospital for 3 months i totally stopped drinking i was told i might not make it I came home October was back in November vomiting a lot of blood almost died again blood transfusions all night it started with swelling in the anckel and my stomach started to swell I had to have it drained iv been fine lately but have no idea how bad I am this is worrying my 24 7 I cant seem to get any answers from my gp and contact with the hospital doctor has become impossible since lock down down just a bit about of my story if anyone can relate thanks ps I never intend to drink again to scared

[AyrshireK]

So sorry to hear your full back story and what led you to the bother with alcohol. Glad you've now managed to make alcohol a thing of the past as that will help you no end going forward.

This covid situation is playing havoc on heath care and follow up which is really bad when someone is at a crucial point as you are.

It would appear that you currently have decompensated cirrhosis in that you have had bouts of ascites (fluid build up) and bleeding which I assume was a variceal bleed.

All is not lost though, you are obviously out and about which is a good thing so you can make major improvements from this point - your liver will not return to normal but it will hopefully be possible to return to a compensated state. Zero alcohol and healthy living are very much required.

It might be that because alcohol is the cause and it has come so far then you may see further deterioration despite going alcohol free, however, if you can sustain a 6 month period of abstinence and commit to life without the booze going forward then you might become a suitable candidate for transplant. We have many forum members who have reached that point and gone on to have successful transplants and brighter futures.

As you have a cirrhosis diagnosis you should be being monitored every 6 months or more frequently as you've had a bleed and ascites. You should have an ultrasound scan every 6 months plus monitoring bloods. You may need regular upper GI endoscopy to check for and treat varices in your oesophagus and you should now be under the care of a hospital consultant who is either a gastroenterologist or a hepatologist. (Covid has really put a spanner in the works for a lot of people as regards this contact with hospital but they are still working and you should be able to email, phone or write to your doctors secretary if there are particular things you need to know or get your GP to push).

The British Liver Trust main web page has all sorts of pages which might be useful to you at the moment. I'll put you in the direction of the cirrhosis one and the one on the patient charter but you'll find other stuff on there if you navigate around. Diet, Living with a liver condition etc. etc. Any other questions then fire away and you'll always get an answer on here.

britishlivertrust.org.uk/in...

britishlivertrust.org.uk/li...

All the best,

Katie

[Hidden]

Good morning Steven,

Welcome to this supportive forum.

Well done on your abstinence.

I can see AyrshireK has shared links to British Trust information with you, and suggested the folllow up that you should expect.

You can also call the nurse led helpline on 0800 652 7330 Mon-Fri 10am-3pm if you would like to speak with one of the nurse specialists

Take care of yourself,

Trust9

[lawrencepark]

very tough life you have had. please get yourself connected to a hepatologist. no other doc can deal with this. go to emergency dept or whatever..just don't put it off. clean living is helpful, but you need ongoing monitoring and possibly medication/procedures. stay well. good job kicking the booze.