Cirrhosis

[jackslammer]

Life changes as you get older, I've said the phrase "its like boiling a frog", but its true. You don't really know your negatives until something drastic happens because they happen so slow.

We all have temperatures that we can tolerate before jumping out of the pot.

[Sanderz]

My dad has supposedly stopped drinking, but he's been hiding his alcohol consumption for awhile. He's felt much better over the past two weeks after changing his diet. Basically its low sodium and low protein. He told me he was going to AA on monday but I haven't talked to him since.

I think it comes down to what his liver tests said on whether he'll live or not, but I haven't seen them. My parents aren't creative enough to keep a suitable diet for him going for long. He was already bored of plain salads and unseasoned meat after a week, and they don't listen to my suggestions.

Oh well.

[lawlerbation the hardcore squatter]

Keep hopeful and mindful.

[Meekslol]

End stage liver disease usually represents irreversible damage to the liver but the cause of problem can affect prognosis. With compensated (aka your body is still able to function with the reserve that is left) cirrhosis the outcomes are much better with median survival over 12 years. Decompensated (aka your liver is FUBAR) cirrhosis the median survival is <6 months. Decompensated includes: Variceal hemorrhage (variceal means enlarged veins due to poor blood flow through the liver.. it backs up into the veins that lead up to it... Esophageal veins are one such branch that commonly ruptures and bleeds), spontaneous bacterial peritonitis, hepatocellular carcinoma. hepatorenal syndrome, hepatopulmonary syndrome.

For him since the main cause was alcoholism, abstinence would definitely improve life expectancy. How much longer depends on how far the liver damage has progressed to and if he has other health issues.

How is his kidney function?
Other co existing health issues?
What are his blood coagulation studies (PT, INR, bleeding time, platelet count)

Also what medications is he currently taking. Liver failure requires adjustment of many medications.

Does he have good insurance? Is he able to see a hepatic specialist?

I will send you an uptodate (aka wikipedia for doctors) article about cirrhosis fb message me your email.

[Holla]

cirrhosis is tough because it basically mean that your dad's liver has been replaced by scar tissue. this scar tissue is unable to do the work of a normal liver and would also not have the ability to replace itself... hence transplant is needed. that he's already had to be seen for ascites is very concerning though.

KU has a very good liver transplant program and i *think* nebraska medical center does too. Keep in mind though, most transplant centers won't put you on the list unless you've cleaned up.

feel free to ask me (prob via FB msg is best) about meds, esp OTC's. ur on the right track w/ not using tylenol for pain ^-^

o and if he's sick of unseasoned stuff, low salt doesn't necessarily mean "bland." ur mom may be able to experiment w/ other seasonings that don't contain salt. like think curry ^-^ or even just using other herbs like rosemary or thyme or oregano to add flavor w/o the salt.

gud luck friend! cirrhosis can be a very challenging disease to deal with. focus on spending time w/ ur family.

[Sanderz]

Updates on my father's health since others are posting:

The ascites has mostly subsided due to the low sodium diet. Their dietitian told him to eat 100 grams of protein per day, but he may have shown some confusion over the weekend after eating a large meal. That was my mom being crazy apparently.

He has also been getting headaches and the doctor told him to use tylenol. Acetaminophen won't cause further damage provided he doesn't drink alcohol and stays under the recommended dose of 2000mg. As of this weekend, he also had stomach pains. He's getting more tests done on Wednesday, so I'll know more next week.

For the medically inclined, he had a MELD of 25 on the 13th and 22 last week. He had a MELD in the low 40s when he was admitted to the hospital in mid January.

[Sanderz]

My dad passed away on Sunday. He had internal bleeding from being tapped for fluids, and complications from fixing that destroyed his kidneys and the remainder of his liver. His blood pressure was simply too low for a transplant, even though KU rushed his transplant qualification tests.

He made it 7 months, which was more than I had expected given his prognosis. I made the time I had with him count, even if it seemed he was going to make it to a transplant.

[Barantos]

[Firecrest]

Condolences. Glad to hear you were able to put in some quality time.