r/Cirrhosis

Hi everyone, 44M, diagnosed with cirrhosis due to drinking too much.

My doctor told me I have to quit drinking completely and he's given me all this stuff on what I can and can't eat. And honestly a lot of it is kind of overwhelming. If I give up drinking (which I know I need to do) I'm not sure how many of my friends will be left. I'm also still not sure what I can and can't eat.

For those of you who've gone through it, did the diet/quit drinking... Looking at your life now, was it worth it?

Are there specific things you can do now, or aspects of your life that you could not do before that would make you say "100% I would do it again"?

Thanks in advance!

Hello all,

I was diagnosed yesterday and waiting on my follow up exams in the coming weeks. I’ve cut out all alcohol but struggling to find foods. So far I’ve bought chicken breasts, whole grain breads, and salads. Is there a thread where people share recipes?

Hi all. Mums been booked in for her first ever drain on Friday morning. She wants to go in blind but I’m a massive preparer and hate being blindsided.

What’s your past experiences of drains? I’ve read some people are in agony the first day or so afterwards.

I get married next year and we’re supposed to go shopping for my dress the next day, but I’m not sure whether to cancel and do another day if she’ll be in too much pain.

I want her to enjoy this as much as me. She never got to do it. She’s a very talented seamstress and was so insecure when she got married she made her own dress. It’s been the one thing she’s always said she wants to do.

This day has been in the calendar for a while as my future in-laws are in the country (they live abroad.) it is possible to do it next week but with mum having a 6-12 month prognosis I feel like I’ve got to have my foot on the gas pedal and do everything while I can.

I know the drain is likely to make her feel much better. They’ll be trying her on water tablets afterwards to try keep the water off. I’m also terrified. I just don’t want her in pain or to feel poorly. I know it’s all because of the alcoholism but I just want my mama back. 😢

my dad was in the hospital (constantly) recently for about 2-3 months due to decompensated liver cirrhosis. we have known of the disease for a while (as he’s been sick since 2019). long story short, it got really bad to the point doctors didnt think he’d make it out of the hospital, and gave him a 6 month estimated survival period. my mom took him out of the country to get treatment and he’s home now, doing well… we’re optimistic that he’ll make it past 6 months.

while at the hospital, it was recorded that he has grade i and ii esophageal varices, and i had a few questions regarding that:

1. how bad is grade i-ii? and how likely are these to rupture?
2. if he no longer drinks and seems to be doing well now, can the varices still rupture whenever?
3. how likely is a person to survive if it ruptures? does this likelihood change based on what grade the varices are?

he has liver cirrhosis, ulcerative colitis, and had hepatitis (c i believe) while at the hospital (i’m unsure if he still has it). his meld score was a 24 when he first reached the hospital, and last time it was checked (around a month ago) it was 15

do i need to be worried at all about anything? any info helps, even if it’s not exactly answering my questions! thank u!!

So anyone else in my boat? I’m 47 (m) compensated cirrhosis. When I started my journey my platelets were in the low 60’s. Last February they had risen to 123K over the course of a year and I was so excited. First 80, then 110 then 123. Today my labs had me back down to 92K. My head is spinning as I thought I was getting a handle on this and now I’m seeing this drop in number. I don’t know if I should be freaked out or not. I have dropped 25lbs in the past 3 months on zepbound - but I don’t know if that contributes to this or not. Any thoughts are appreciated.

As described in another thread, my mother was admitted to the hospital with decompensated liver cirrhosis (presumably alcohol-related). Since she won't and can't give me any answers (HE), I keep wondering how long she's been an alcoholic without me noticing. She must have had compensated cirrhosis for quite some time. What are your experiences? How long does one drink before reaching this condition? I know for sure that she's been drinking hard liquor since December 2025, but now I think it was much longer.. Thank you for your experience.

Last drink was on the 2nd

Feeling good, biiig appetite lol but still pretty yellow, mostly face head cheat and eyes ofc. Arms look normal. Have all my appointments set up, next checkup and blood test is Wednesday, feeling very hopeful my bili levels have gone down a bit with the slight fade in yellowing. Urine is almost completely clear which is reassuring but won't know til Thursday where my levels actually are.

Overall I feel a pretty good, all things considered, very hopeful. I have no symptoms besides the jaundice and occasional itching. Just taking it day by day. I do have a birthday very soon and not looking forward to my family seing me like this, still get bouts of feeling like a failure for letting it go this far, but knowing I'm doing everything I can is helping

Trying to eat healthy. Low fat low salt low sugar lots of fiber and lean proteins.

Hello everyone 35F here, my diagnosis day is December 21st 2024 and my sobriety date for alcohol is December 28th of the same year. Initially I was diagnosed with early stage cirrhosis, with an enlarged spleen and portal hypertension. The good news is my spleen is now normal size and for the most part my labs are good. It's practically taken up until June for my AST and ALT levels to be considered within normal range. Curious though, I was told it was abnormal for me to have normal albumin. Mine usually varies between 6 - 8 which is slightly high and has always been that way. Not that I'm complaining, but I'm curious what could be the reasoning. If anyone has any insight. Let me know. Thanks!

I'm new here. I was diagnosed last December with cirrhosis and I have Chronic Hep B and all I was drinking was beer and smoking weed. I quit everything December 19th 25. I did all my blood work and ultrasound February everything was good doc said again in six months, just did blood work and ultrasound in August and again everything good on all levels again get letter saying everything good do again in six months I get nothing more! I'm 66yr old 223 lbs lost 12 lbs since December and try to eat a good diet, biggest thing is I'm hearing impaired and have no one to talk to, kinda makes my mind go to thinking to much!! I'm scared, and alone, it seems there's people here just like me I think? Not sure what to do anymore...

Spouse has been diagnosed with stage 4 liver cirrhosis. Happens about 2 years ago. Is living fairly normal with the exception of a short fuse, anger and irritability. Does not take responsibility for what’s happened and deflects and blames me for everything that’s been wrong. I’m looking to reach out to the liver transplant team for recommendations on a psych for them to see. Has anyone had these issues? Is there medicine to help them not be so explosive? I’m gonna talk to my spouse tonight or should I just call the team and tell them what’s going on? I don’t want them kicked off list if it’s a problem to get a liver.

My dad was diagnosed with stage 3 cirrhosis of the liver a few weeks ago and I was wondering what the average life expectancy is. He still drinks around 70-100 units a week (guesstimate) and does moderate physical activity each day. He's in his late 50s. Thank you!

Hey all,

It's been a few days since the diagnosis came in. He had some routine bloodwork come back with some abnormalities. Got a liver biopsy and found out it was stage 4 cirrhosis. He said he hasn't felt any different, and, aside from dropping some weight, he hasn't shown any symptoms that I know of. My mom is in denial, wavering in one conversation from "there's nothing wrong with him" to "I would give up everything to save him." They should be contacting the doctor today.

I live on the other side of the country, and I want to go back to be with them, but without a follow-up doc's appointment, I don't even know what I could be doing to help. Talked with my mom and I think me going home would make it "real" in a way that she's not ready for.

Knowing what you all know about this disease, would it be better to go home sooner rather than later? Or should I wait until they have a treatment plan? I can only really afford one trip home this year, so I want to go when I can have the most impact.

Hello,

Just trying to find some support. My little brother age 42 is currently hospitalized. 1.5 week ago, he had a really bad bleed and lost ALOT of blood. They went in and did 12 bands and were able to stabilize him. Hes currently on propranolol, xfaxin, Lasix and a gamet of vitamins. He has minimal acites, but some lower feet swelling. His bilirubin is up, but ammonia has come down. He is 1 month sober currently. His current MELD is 28. The team came in and said transplant is only option but they don't think he will survive till then. (He did have a bleed and band 5 years ago and his MELD was 39. By a miracle he came back from that and was compensated and doing well and sober. Now here we are again. After a very tragic event he went back to drinking and got really sick really fast. The doctors have him stable but he is just so weak. The weakness and low bp abd potassium seem to be an issue. He also isnt eating barely anything They are moving him to physical rehab next week. We are so lost. Terrified. I hate alcohol so much. Can someone help me and my family manage our expectations?

So been a while since I put a post like this up. I’m 47 male, dx about a 1.5 years ago. I have biopsy proven cirrhosis and 14 HPVG for portal hypertension. I’m blessed to say I’m fully compensated - I would not have known I even had something wrong except for a low platelet alert on a random physical….then down the rabbit hole I went and landed with compensated cirrhosis. I recently have started Zepbound as well and I am curious to see if this helps future scans and labs. Overall my labs are close to a non-cirrhosis patient - which again makes digesting all of this so much harder. I’m just curious who is else is in my boat and how do you manage the day to day. I have my next labs and MRI coming up in a few weeks and after having an LR-3 on my first one - ended disappearing - I know have PTSD right before the’s bi-annual tests. Thinking of everyone that is going through this!

I just want to express what I’m feeling and share our story with this group, which has been one of my biggest support systems since 2024. ❤️

My father was diagnosed with liver cirrhosis, an enlarged spleen, and esophageal varices in October 2024. For the past three months, he has been experiencing extreme fatigue, and both of his legs and feet have become severely swollen—so swollen that his feet almost look like an elephant’s foot.

Today, he finally opened up to us and honestly said that he feels like he’s about to give up. His body is so tired, and he feels like he can’t take it anymore. After spending three weeks in the hospital, he asked if he could finally go home.

It breaks my heart to hear him say these things. As his daughter, I feel so helpless watching someone I love so much become weaker and weaker. I just want him to be comfortable and free from suffering.

Last week, we also received the devastating news that he has liver cancer, with a 6 cm nodule. Unfortunately, he is also not a candidate for a liver transplant.

I just wanted to share this with all of you because this group has been with us throughout this difficult journey. Reading the stories and positive experiences of people who are also living with cirrhosis has given me strength and hope during some of our darkest days.

Thank you to everyone in this group for sharing your stories, experiences, and words of encouragement. You may not realize it, but your posts have helped me keep going since 2024.

Thank you for being part of our journey. ❤️

My prayers go out to all of you who are suffering from the same illness as my father. 🙏❤️ This journey is incredibly difficult, not only for the person fighting the disease but also for the entire family.

Please don’t give up. Keep holding on to your faith and remember that God is always with us, even during our darkest moments. 🙏

I pray that everyone who is suffering will be given strength, comfort, and peace. And if the time comes when we can no longer fight, may there be no more pain and suffering in the afterlife, only eternal peace. 🕊️❤️

A friend in a different support group posted this. This is what I have been observing for a few years. Its nice to see some recent studies.

https://www.journal-of-hepatology.eu/article/S0168-8278(26)00018-8/fulltext

NOTE!: This is NOT an excuse to keep drinking! You degenerate recovering alcoholics, lol(like me...)