My father is in hospital with severe cirrhosis. He has been drinking a litre of vodka a day for 2 years. It sounds silly but none of us knew about it. He never seemed drunk. We are beating ourselves up wishing we could have intervened sooner. We phoned his DR after finding the empty bottles and he was admitted to hospital.
We've been told the liver damage is severe, with severe decompensated cirrhosis and his kidneys are struggling. I am wondering if anyone knows if its reversible at this stage? He is incredibly yellow and his bloods are unchanged despite treatment.
However, today he ate breakfast and showered with help. I'm not sure if this is him appearing better because the initial withdrawal is over, or if its a sign he might somehow survive this. We are waiting to hear about today's blood results.
The DRs told us we could be waiting on a phone call but after seeing him today, the optimist in me thinks there's still a chance
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The liver is an incredibly resilient and unpredictable organ. The key thing is that alcohol has been removed now he’s been admitted to hospital and been through a detox. The constant assault has ceased and it should give his liver a chance to get stronger. With good medical care and a bit of time who knows what’s possible.
so true! I have decomp cirrhosis - have not had a drink in about 4-5months (drank to excess every single morning, noon, night) my bilirubin is high and some yellowing of eyes, but feel so much better after abstinence. God made a good organ with the Liver - miracle cells.
Glad to hear you feel better than you did. How is your quality of life and are your symptoms manageable? I'm not sure what to expect timing wise, I've read 2 years median life expectancy after a diagnosis of his severity. I hope you continue to heal.
I feel blessed. I sleep ok.. my symptoms are pretty much gone - except the yellowing. I get more blood work in June. Timelines are probably very variable, stay positive. It works. Also how long has he been an abstinent? Is a transplant an option?
I was rushed into hospital l was yellow they said they were only keeping me comfortable did not look like l make it l pulled through but my liver was decompensated l stopped drinking but did not make any difference to my liver damage was done l had a transplant 2 years later 5 months after assessment just in time dont think l made Christmas but now your dad has stopped drinking people make a recovery without transplant there will always be damage there it just all depends on bloods for next few weeks it can repair its self in a months if its not gone to far wish you luck Lon
I was the same almost exactly 2 years ago. I was admitted to hospital severely jaundiced and spent 5 weeks there with ascites, damaged kidneys and then developed pneumonia and sepsis! I was told my prognosis was very poor (I was 57) and really thought I would never go home. I hardly ate anything and my bloods were severely deranged. I lost all my muscle mass and could hardly walk. Although when I was discharged I was by no means well, I was given an array of medication, including steroids. I have not touched alcohol since and, 2 years on, I have never felt better. I am on no medication and make sure I get plenty of exercise and eat well. I have 6 monthly bloods and ultrasound scan and so far they are all ok. So, in answer to your question, your father can improve but, he MUST stop drinking. I never thought I would be able to socialise without a glass of wine in my hand but it is actually quite fun watching Thea antics of others whilst sober. Good luck- he is lucky to have a supportive family, I don’t think I could have got through it without my husband 🤞
At least you know the reality of the situation, if he continues to abstain from alcohol he has a much better chance of controlling the condition.
I was diagnosed with decompensated cirrhosis seven months ago, stopping drinking immediately and was finally discharged from hospital three weeks after admission, having been admitted with jaundice, ascites and had 29 litres of fluid removed from my abdomen.
By treating the underlying cause ( the alcohol ) and taking a combination of drugs, it is possible to reverse to a compensated stage, but the cirrhosis is obviously irreversible.
He needs a good support network and a lifestyle overhaul away from alcohol. The main thing is for him to continue being focused and to concentrate on his health. He has to want to do it.
Don't beat yourselves up. The shame that comes with being an addict is so deep that people become masterly at hiding it. There is definitely hope. If you just put decompensated cirrhosis into the search engine on here, there are many miracle stories. Stay away from DrGoogle. I am living proof it's not always true. Your dad needs long term support to stay off the booze. Now, the sheer fright will make him abstinent. You will all be watching for weeks and months, too. However, at some point, if he is to stay sober, he needs to address how he got there. People who drink to excess are usually self medicating over something unresolved psychologically. Also, if transplant becomes a possibility, the doctors will want to see evidence he is working on his sobriety with treatment. There are online options now, AA for instance. AA is not for everyone though. His doctor should be aware of local alcohol services. Keep hope and I wish you all well.
Wow these stories are very reassuring and comforting to read. I'm pleased to hear you are all better and managing to stay off alcohol. Yes, hoping his bloods start looking a bit better soon. We will hear an update on them today. He had very bad depression and was using drink to cope. Now we are aware of it, we will be doing everything to help him mentally and emotionally, in the hope he stays off alcohol. If he recovers, he will be moving in with me, which hopefully means I can keep a closer eye on him and support him.
I too was diagnosed with Decompensated cirrhosis 11 months ago.
Just had the results of my first scan. No change at all but I feel good, eat well and more importantly abstain from alcohol.
It took me about 4-5 months to start feeling more like the old me. I was told in November 23 I was now compensated due to my liver stabilising.
The initial diagnosis is hard and felt like a death sentence. But I’m feeling and looking better than I have for years.
The main advice is stay off google, listen to the Dr’s and focus on his own health. When alcohol is a huge part of day to day life it’s a hard adjustment but you soon realise how much better life is.
I too hid my drinking, nobody realised how bad it was. For me Complacency going forward is the enemy.
It will feel like a long road but the Liver can adjust, patience and perseverance is key.
All I can say is never give up hope. As other members have posted, there can be a future for your beloved Father. I know from experience with a close member of our family how devious an Alcoholic can be at not showing signs of drinking. However, there did come a time when we realised tell tale signs. I sincerely hope your Father will realise the love of his family and abstain from any form of Alcohol when he is released from Hospital. He, I know, will have your dedicated support to get him through this. Please look after yourselves too and you are doing your absolute best.
Thank you everyone. It sounds like it's very unpredictable and the outcome can vary between individuals quite significantly. I will hold on to hope. We get the next blood results on Monday so I hope to see some response to treatment soon 🤞
Medics will do all they can to try and bring him back from this stage but you have to know it can go either way once other organs like the kidneys become involved. If they can get him more stable then he has the potential to recompensate and with continued abstinence it can hopefully keep some symptoms at bay. What age is Dad? Some people have become stable from this stage but still transplant needy but that will involve commited abstinence and lifestyle changes and it will also depend on Dad's age whether that will be a potential option BUT that is for the future. At the moment it's all about getting his condition more stable.
Look after yourself in all this as it can be traumatic seeing a loved one with such severe liver disease.
Thanks Katie. Dad is 59. I managed to get a chat with the DR, who said there's a slight improvement in bloods today. He is now off oxygen too as his oxygen levels have stabilised.
The liver is highly regenerative, so I’m very positive it can restore itself IF one is willing to eat correctly and be kind to it. Unfortunately drinking doesn’t fall into the kind category. Is he willing to stop and stay off the alcohol?
Consider visiting L D N Research Trust dot org and type "addiction" into the search bar. This is very beneficial. I wish you and your dad much success.
I should mention he's getting his last banana bag tomorrow. I wonder if it's common for a patient's condition to deteriorate slightly when this is withdrawn? Just not sure what to expect.
I had liver failure Feb 2023. End stage cirrhosis kpa 75 (as bad as it can be), enlarged spleen, asiatis heart attack. Sober 14 months now, living a normal healthy life.. just eating well n of course no alcohol
Hello from across the pond. I have had compensated cirrhosis for 3 years this past March. I had to go to the ER because they thought I had a blood clot skip a long story later diagnosed with cirrhosis at 38.
My drinking didn’t bad until Covid which here was roughly 2.5 years.
DON’T blame your self for not knowing about the drinking it was not your fault and even if all of you intervened he likely would have continued drinking.
Everyone on here is spot on about about the liver being the most impressive Organ we have. It can heal itself, function well with limited healthy tissue, it’s truly amazing. I have seen some people in such bad shape at a liver clinic that I did not look like they would be around much longer only to see them a 1.5 years later for their 6 month check looking as healthy as someone without cirrhosis. Keep that optimism!
Thanks for your reply. I hope you are doing better.
The DRs told us yesterday that he's had no improvement in his bloods since treatment began 10 days ago. Apparently the nurse was wrong to tell us otherwise. 😕
He is very yellow and shaky. He's on these Amber drip bags, I think they replace liver function? Do you know if I should expect deterioration when these are removed?
Very confused. Thought him coming off oxygen was surely a positive sign but I'm wondering if withdrawal causes reduced oxygen, so it's a sign of withdrawal being over Vs actual improvement.
I remember those drip bags. They are likely the ones the pharmacist makes on the spot based on the nutritional and vitamin deficiencies your dad has. Alcohol basically strips your body of all nutrients. The shaking, jaundice/yellowing, likely disorientation and confusion are largely due to alcohol withdrawal but could be HE. I wasn’t drinking as much as you mentioned he was but I had those symptoms from withdrawal except jaundice and it’s pretty terrible to go through. In the states they also won’t give you much information. If that’s the drip bags to replenish his system like I suspect but could easily be wrong they prob won’t even know how well his liver is functioning until after they get the bags in him. I felt much better after the bags but was still disoriented and not myself for a few months. It’s going to take a while for them to fully know the state of his liver which can be good because they could say something this month and could be different 6, 12, 18 months later because the liver is a powerhouse. Example: I just went through all my medical records and they suspected I had cirrhosis at the ER, 6 months later, MRE results indicated cirrohis but said they wanted to see if it reverses any, and do a fibroscan, think it took them combined a year to formally document my liver diagnosis.
The blood work will take a while to improve or at least mine did.
That’s a great point Readlots and extremely important. It’s a rough disease for the person who has it as well as loved ones. My family doesn’t even know the severity of mine, only that I damaged my liver.
Hi folks, he got out of hospital on Fri. They discharged him as said there's nothing more they could do and they needed the bed for new patient. They said he didn't respond to treatment, but gave him pills (I think the pills are similar to what they gave him via drip). Anyway today, he's got itchy skin all over. Strange as this is a new symptom. He is still very yellow. I feel like I'm stuck in this unknown limbo.
The itching is due to the build up of bile salts in his system and is called pruritus. It sadly another symptom of decompensated cirrhosis. This will be an intolerable itch and there is a big danger of infection if he scratches and breaks the skin. Cold compresses, menthol cream, light clothing might help. GP might be able to prescribe some tablets that might help - Fexofenadine is an antihistamine, Eurax Cream and Ursodeoxycholic acid.
Has any hospital follow up been arranged at all? It seems very unfair and unusual to discharge with no after care plan in place when they haven't in anyway got him stable.
Are they saying he's palliative care now?
You both need to see his GP to see what discharge paperwork said, it may even be the case that GP says he should be readmitted.
Symptoms of cirrhosis and other useful information at the BLT page:-
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