Meal sizes

[Male47]

I'm sticking to what I should n shouldn't eat and the same with fluid.My question is, is it safe to each larger meals ( again with the correct nutritional details ), it is just the larger the portion the more bloated I feel. This is only temporary and if I didn't have cirrhosis i would probably just put it down to being full. Apologies in advance if this is a silly question, I just over analyse everything since being diagnosed.

[golly123]

Hi. I don't have an answer on your question but I.was wondering if you could help me please? I'm 60 and also have cihrossis. It was decompensated but it's now compensated. I quit drinking when I was told in August 2021. No-one has told me what to eat or fluid intake. Could you maybe give me any advice please? Thanks Golly

[Male47 in reply to golly123]

You have gone from decompensated to compensated, I think we need you're advice 😉 what where your kpa then n now? I'm not a doctor, but told no salt, fat or sugar.. just eat protein n carbs. Do a little exercise . Restrict fluid under 2ltrs.

[golly123 in reply to Male47]

Hi. Thanks so much for replying. I will give that a go. I was just given a diet sheet. Not told about restrictions of fluid intake. My stomach is huge. It keeps getting scanned but there is no ascites found each time. Unfortunately I created this liver disaster. I can't blame anyone else. I am totally to blame. Some people do drugs. Some over eat. Some starve themselves. I was seriously depressed so i just hit the booze. Called blotting everything out. Well it didn't work. The problems were still there the next day.

I hope you are doing OK. And thanks for replying too. Have a good weekend. Best wishes Golly x

[Male47 in reply to golly123]

With you on that, used alcohol to self meditate after a marriage break up. Never done drugs, used to eat healthy n gym. One thing we learn, alcohol doesn't solve anything. We are.where.we.are now, so we face and deal with what we need to.Tale care, always here if need

[golly123 in reply to Male47]

Thank you. That was exactly what I did. I used alcohol to self medicate after the end of a long marriage. It didn't solve anything at all. I checked out of being a decent human being. I ruined my sons childhood from when he was about 13 too. The guilt I felt just made me drink more. I will never forgive myself over ruining my sons happy childhood. He has forgiven me for which I am very lucky. I was 60 in January. I am pretty sure I have shortened my life by drinking so I now intend to make the most of what I have left. I nearly died twice when I was in hospital in a coma in July to September 2021. So I am incredibly lucky to be alive. Just hearing the birds singing early in the morning makes me realise just how lucky I am to be here. I've stopped worrying so much and I'm a much nicer and kinder human being than I was before. I was not a pleasant drunk at all and I'm totally ashamed of some of the things I did when drinking. A bit like Jekyll and Hyde. I am glad I got the sober slightly better human being being back. I still at times think about a glass of red wine. Is it worth it. No. It really isn't. Thanks for replying. I think a lot of us use alcohol to self medicate. One of the worst things about alcohol is that it is a depressant anyway, so, instead of improving anything, it just makes things worse. Have a good weekend. Best wishes Golly x

[kensimmons in reply to golly123]

Relax. If you get off the booze and stay off it - no 99 percent but 100 percent - immense improvement is possible. Go to "google" and type in "Fatty Liver Cookbook" (I know you have it worse, but this would be where to start) and "Heart Healthy Cookbook" and follow one of those (the diets are essentially the same). Don't be too despondent, if you change your habits you can do great.

Example -

newsweek.com/alcohol-nearly...

[golly123 in reply to kensimmons]

Thank you so much for taking the time to reply. I haven't had a drink for nearly 2 years now. I would have led a completely different life if I hadn't touched alcohol. But I did unfortunately go down the wrong path. I nearly died on this and I am really thankful and grateful that I have been given a second chance at life. So many decisions I made were so stupid I just want to kick myself at times. I'm here. I'm alive too and I FEEL SO MUCH BETTER BEING SOBER ITS UNTRUE. I'm really glad that my son forgave me for being such a bad mother to him at times too. Thanks for replying. Have a good weekend x

[Male47 in reply to kensimmons]

Definitely 100% off alcohol for the rest of my life. Thank you

[BritishLiverTrust8 Moderator British Liver Trust in reply to golly123]

Dear golly123

If you have liver disease eating a good, balanced diet is essential to maintain strength and a healthy weight. Here is the link to information on Diet and Liver Disease on our website, which you may find useful

britishlivertrust.org.uk/in...

You might also need to change the food you eat depending on:

the type of liver disease you have

the stage of the damage to your liver - people living with cirrhosis have special dietary needs

any eating difficulties you experience such as loss of appetite or feeling sick (nausea)

If you have already been given dietary advice you should not make changes without first talking to your consultant or dietitian. If you haven’t seen a dietitian, or you have specific questions about your diet, you can ask your doctor to refer you.

Best wishes

British Liver Trust

[Hidden]

I was told that the critical thing (for me, not necessarily everyone will be the same) is to aim for 3,000 calories per day including requisite amounts of protein. The basic message was eat little per meal but eat often as your liver is constantly consuming your protein intake, particularly when you sleep at night - hence, the importance of supper before bed.

Personally, I struggle (and I do mean struggle) to eat 3,000 calories every day so I'm a touch surprised that you are able to eat larger portions. Broadly, I eat approximately every three hours, or roughly five times a day.

Your bloating may be impacted by the Ascites. Suggest you discuss using something like Lactulose with your GP. Really all depends on the frequency of your bowel movements. There is a time-delay with Lactulose, so I used to take 20ml three times a day, just to help move things alone - some days maybe more if I was particularly uncomfortable or if I needed to free up space to consume a meal. No longer using it though, thank goodness, as it can be unpredictable if you are leaving the house. You can buy it OTC at any pharmacy - probably cheaper than a prescription (unless you get your prescriptions for free).

David,

[Male47 in reply to Hidden]

I'm basically the same aim for 3000 calories, protein n carba. Carbs str before bed. I'm probably eating 6/7 meals q day with healthy snacks in-between. I used to be 21stone and carried no fat , I went down to 13stone, so pre alcohol o always have eaten well and plenty. Bowl movements are fine , I do tale lactulose twice a day, I see.it as precautionary and I have normal stools twice a day back to how I was pre alcohol. The bloating doesn't last long after eating larger amounts, I guess I'm just being over precaution.

[Kristian]

If you can't eat larger meals then don't. There's no great rule on meal size as far as I was aware. Best thing to do is it what you can when you can. If that means eat little and often then that should be fine if its the best way for you to get the nutritional intake you've been advised.

[BritishLiverTrust8 Moderator British Liver Trust]

Dear Male47

Here is the link to information on Diet and Liver Disease on our website, which you may find useful:

britishlivertrust.org.uk/in...

If you have already been given dietary advice you should not make changes without first talking to your consultant or dietitian. If you haven’t seen a dietitian, or you have specific questions about your diet, you can ask your doctor to refer you.

Best wishes

British Liver Trust

[Oztrax]

it’s interesting I used to have 1 decent whisky and Coke Zero each afternoon whilst exercising my dog, that plus a few extra drinks over Christmas.

My AST was X2 and my ALT X3, my doctor started doing more LFTs after that.

Normal ALT for me is 40 and would start creeping up to 45.

Stopped all alcohol in February, ALT went down to 29.

So “only one drink a day” doesn’t work if your liver is struggling.

Actually haven’t missed drinking alcohol, it was just a bad habit I had got into

My liver is 3.4 kpa with moderate steatosis