What should I do or expect next?
(I did read the community highlights which I found very helpful, this is more specific to my circumstance).
On Wednesday I went to the ER for a distended stomach that lasted 3 weeks. After some tests, especially the catscan and ultrasound, I was told it’s cirrhosis and to go to a specialist.
Long story short, insurance made it complicated and now it’s Saturday. I can’t make an appointment with the specialist until Monday, and I feel stuck in more ways than one.
More urgently, I am miserably uncomfortable and in so much pain. They didn’t drain any of the liquid, which they said was aceites, and it’s hard to breathe deeply, cough, sleep, or even move normally. It hasn’t gotten worse since the ER, and I told them all of this at the time. Maybe it’s normal they didn’t? Idk, I don’t want to go back to the ER, mostly because who knows how much that would cost me even with insurance, but I’m going on week 4 of feeling like a watermelon was implanted into my abdomen, and it’s consuming my life.
Less urgently, more generally, what should I expect for my first appointment with the specialist?
Will they run more tests?
Will they give me a diet plan?
What sort of numbers and scores and “stats” or whatever will I be given?
What’s to be expected if I’m stage 4?
Am I pretty much guaranteed to be stage 4 since I waited until symptoms became unbearable?
Will I be given a timeframe for life expectancy?
For personal context, someone mentioned on here how unfair it felt compared to other people in their life, and thats spot on for me. I know so many people who drink so much more than me, who started drinking so much earlier than I did.
I know dwelling doesn’t help, but fuck, that’s frustrating as hell.
Anyway, any personal advice, anecdotes, stories, are all welcome.
(ETA: in case it’s relevant or anyone cares;
35f, I drank excessively for 5 consecutive years. Prior to that, I only drank with friends and never daily)
UPDATE: The ER sent me home :(
They said since my vitals are good and I don’t have a fever etc, the liver specialist needs to be the one to drain it for diagnostic reasons. They called it an “elective procedure” because I was requesting it for “comfort”. I emphasized the fact that it had been over 3 weeks without any draining, and the difficulty breathing, but that changed nothing. At least I tried, thank you everyone for the encouragement.