My friend was diagnosed two years ago and has been relatively healthy since. Losing a lot of weight, eating healthy and rarely drinking. He has been feeling sick lately and feeling bloated. Also feeling pain around the liver area. This seems to come and go. He was told a few months ago his spleen was enlarged but there has been no follow up appointment yet?. He is worried this is the start of things going down hill. I am so worried about him. I have told him he must be persistent with his gp. Anyone else feel like this?
Thanks
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lifebegins53
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Is your friend seeing a liver specialist at the hospital? It is an absolute must that he is properly monitored as like he fears these additional symptoms could be a range of side effects linked to his cirrhosis. You have to be your own advocate when dealing with liver disease and must push and make sure you are having correct monitoring and treatment.
When you say 'rarely drinking' do you mean he is still consuming some alcohol, complete abstinence it the only way to stop further damage and perhaps reverse some of that done plus the medical profession do liek to see people making some efforts to improve their own postition.
Feeling bloated could potentially be a sign of some fluid build up which can become a medical emergency so he should try and get in to see GP between Christmas and New Year when surgeries reopen. When was his last monitoring scan? The NICE guidelines stipulate that the minimum monitoring for Cirrhosis is 6 monthly scans and 6 monthly bloods.
You/he need to be more forthright in chasing up some appropriate monitoring and treatment.
Hi Katie, thankyou for your reply. His treatment is very hit and miss. He had a fibro scan about 3 months ago. Bloods taken last week. He has the odd glass of red wine which he has promised to stop. I think he's frightened now. And thinks he's only probably got eight years to live. He was told the average is 12 years. I am so worried about him. How is your husband doing? I have recently read your posts.
I'm always told my spleen is absolutely massive. It seems to be common symptom of cirrhosis. The only thing he can do is stop drinking. It's easier said than done though for some people it's not easy to do that as it's psychological. The liver unit I'm at has a psychiatric nurse to try and help people who can't give it up.
Complete abstinence is the key. You get good days and bad, I've given up on seeing consultants and taken the living my life route, don't need reminding every other day.
Yes, abstinence is a MUST! One is advised to avoid foods with even small amounts of alcohol in. This is essential. I'm sorry, tgere are no half measures.
It must be difficult with head-on advertising pre-Christmas and socially acceptable attitudes to drinking.
It's about time the goverbment embarks on an anti-drinking campaign as with cigarettes, which has reduces addiction and serious illness.
I can't see it happening soon as the tax on booze is massive and many politicians are boozers - bars in the House of Commons and Lord serving 'subsidised' loonatic broth! Baaah
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