what readings, stats are worth knowing pls

for decompensated liver plus part of thr heart not working, varicose veins removed, water retention in legs and stomach and legs look black and red raw, low sodium what are the measurements, tests that people recommends note the elderly man is in hospital in the liver ward with restricted water allowance. The family are there daily for hours encouraging him to walk, keep active, eat and limit water. We read on the forum there are some interesting readings that are referred to which may help us understand more about the condition & prognosis.

[Readlots]

Hi, I can’t answer your specific question but I think perhaps a family member should try and talk to the doctor who is caring for your relative. If the patient gives permission, the doctor would be able to explain his condition, treatment and prognosis. It sounds as if he’s in the right place being on a liver ward. Bare in mind that some people don’t want to know their prognosis, so tread gently because what the family need and what he wants may be different.

[Hidden in reply to Readlots]

Thanks you Readlots, good point will try and get the stats so we can better understand the situation. At the moment he’s given up but there isn’t justification for it then it seems wrong. He’s on a protein drip in the early hours so giving it a couple more days before speaking to the Drs. Just curious what stats others have found useful as it may give us an indication of how ill he is. So far low sodium at 118 with very low energy, confusion with a lot of sleep in a sitting position seems to be the only issue.

[Readlots in reply to Hidden]

Hi, I can understand your frustration that he seems to have given up, but from what you’ve described and the treatments he’s on I think it’s safe to say he’s very very poorly. I wouldn’t wait a couple of days because it can be difficult to catch doctors as they are so busy and often it’s harder to speak to the right person at weekends.

[BritishLiverTrust6 Moderator British Liver Trust]

Dear ForFamily1947If you are in the UK and would find it useful to talk things over, our nurse-led helpline is open Monday to Friday from 10am to 3pm on 0800 652 7330 (excluding bank holidays)

Best wishes

British Liver Trust