My partner has been home for exactly two weeks now after a three week stay in hospital for alcoholic hepatitis. He has made so much progress already. To be honest he has astounded me with his recovery! He is eating really well, walking around and having plenty of fluids. The jaundice is slowly going (wish it would go quicker) and the swelling in his legs and stomach are also slowly going. He is on diuretics for this but he is impatient as he can’t see the results. Due to the hot weather his feet are more swollen than of late.
I have had to take the discharge papers into the doctors surgery myself, Chase for blood test and referral to the liver specialist. I feel as we have been abandoned to a degree and left to sort everything out ourselves. There is a lot of confusion on what I was told by the hospital regarding diagnosis and what they told my partner. We will have to wait until we see the specialist to see exactly what is going on regarding treatment etc.
The future is certainly looking a little brighter than it did a few weeks back 😊
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Heartbr0ken
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We have no idea when his appointment with the consultant is. He has a blood test next week and the GP said he will refer him after the blood test. It does state on the discharge paper that he needs a follow up appointment but unsure when this will be arranged. I will definitely be chasing for it though!
I really feel for you. It's very hard chasing things up all the time. I've done it a lot over the years. You feel like you are banging your head against a brick wall.
Delighted for you and goes without saying that abstinence from alcohol now really needs to be a big part of the lifestyle plan for him going forward. In truth, there really is no other way/solution. Alcohol is a ‘cunning/baffling/powerful’ foe and relapses are a real danger, from cravings if/when a person can feel ‘great/healthy’ again. Just my experience. Personally AA/12 step programme works for me. I was admitted with the same condition and symptoms in sept 2012 and was near death in truth. The symptoms are similar to cirrhosis they said, but I was also told that the liver’s condition can stabilise or improve with good diet, exercise but most importantly to abstain from alcohol completely. A next step might be a biopsy to get a definitive diagnosis. Or a fibroscan. I really wish you well and bear in mind that this could be a blessing in disguise/wake up call to get a second chance at hopefully a normal, long happy life, albeit without alcohol. The cravings disappear substantially after about 6 months to a year and with a ‘one day at a time’ philosophy, alcohol in future years has all the appeal of poison. Just my experience. Giving it up...a small price to pay in truth.. Healthier, more acceptance of ‘life’, serenity, peace, gratitude, new found happiness and especially hope again. Even my sober years, I’ve lost many friends in their 40’s/50’s to alcoholism and that’s quite a shock. They just couldn’t stop, or try recovery options and ignored the warnings. Just a final note...the first few weeks or months of sobriety, I think it’s vitally important that he gets help/support from alcohol recovery groups. That’s a danger time and to drink again on a severely damaged liver would be highly dangerous. Kindling effects (google) also come into play. And potentially a life/death situation. God speed on your journey..
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What should we ask at hospital? 
An update
Update from a worried mom.
Day 8 and hubby is still alcohol free
