Last ultra sound was this. nodular contour and heterogeneous parenchymal echotexture.
This latest test was worded like this. Somewhat heterogeneous echotexture and slightly nodular contour.
Is this progress or am I reaching hard for a positive outlook? The words "somewhat" and "slightly" stuck out to me. Thanks
My 36 year old brother has been drinking heavily for almost 6 years since we lost our mum, and recently he was showing worrying symptoms like jaundice, swollen belly, swollen leg, and finally yesterday he agreed to get checked out. He‘s been admitted to hospital and the doctors think he might have decompensated cirrhosis. My parents were both heavy drinkers and died of alcohol-related issues (mum had cirrhosis, dad had an aortic aneurysm), so my mind is going to the worst place of what might happen. I just hope it’s not at the point of no return, but I’m so scared.
Can anyone tell me what he might be feeing and what his body is going through at the moment in terms of withdrawal? He‘s been drinking every day for nearly 6 years, often this is 10-12 beers a day and sometimes he would drink 3 bottles of wine or prosecco in a day. So I know this detox is going to be a real shock to his system. His last drink was yesterday morning when he said he drank 10 beers before we headed to the hospital. I’m hoping to visit him tomorrow but want to have an idea of what to expect while he’s going through this.
my dad has had liver cirrhosis for a while. it was really bad in 2019 (we were told he wouldnt make it, but ultimately he bounced back). between 2019 and this year he has been hospitalized numerous times. Then this summer it was even worse (since he chose to drink even after the 2019 situation) and we were told treatment wasnt working and he would have to go into palliative care basically until he passed (giving him 6 months tops). He also had hep c. His meld score was around 24 at this time, and since he had been drinking just prior to hospitalization, he was not eligible for a liver transplant.
By some miracle he survived again (I really really believed he wouldn’t make it because his condition was so bad and doctors had no hope).
In November, it will be 6 months marking his “expiration date”. He is doing better, hasn’t drank since may, physically looks healthier (although he has trouble managing his sodium intake). Last time I heard (around july) his meld score had dropped to around 15.
Despite all this, im curious if death is still a possibility? He hasn’t drank since may but i wonder if developing some type of liver cancer is a possibility? or if its possible that he seems to be doing fine and then one day his liver just decides it cant function anymore? he is on medication from a different country so idk what happens when those meds finish… Has anyone experienced this?
of course I’m beyond grateful he is still with us, just asking to be cautious (and im genuinely curious if this is even possible or if we’re in the clear).
Hello, my stepfather is in the end stages of heart failure and was recently diagnosed with end stage cirrhosis of the liver as a result of the heart failure.
I know almost nothing about this condition, so forgive my ignorance here. Immediately before the cirrhosis diagnosis he was sleeping almost all of the time and not really alert when he was awake. Once he was diagnosed and put on a medicine to lower his ammonia levels, he seems like an entirely different person.
He seems to be in what I can only describe as a manic state. He is hyper and alert, but also confused. He has become obsessed with hunting, something he enjoyed when he was younger but has not been able to do in a long time due to his heart failure (among several other conditions) and being in a wheelchair. He has spent quite a bit of money on hunting gear and a new rifle, but he is spending money that he doesn't really have and seems to have no concept of that. He has ideas of starting to drive and work again, but these are things he has not been physically able to do for many years. There are other things that he is doing that is causing a lot of stress on my mother, but I won't get into all of the details here.
The doctors called this condition hepatic encephalopathy. Does anyone here have any experience with this? Does this sound normal, and what can we expect moving forward?
I appreciate any and all help understanding this.
I was wondering if anyone had advice for managing edema in a tough situation. I became homeless a bit over a month ago and the fluid build up in my legs has increased dramatically, it was barely noticeable before but from what I assume being constantly on my feet all day has made it so much worse. Compression socks help marginally and due to my situation its really hard to find places to lay down and elevate my legs, im also really struggling to reduce my sodium intake as I can't cook anything and am stuck pretty much living off of cheap fast food which is definitely making things even worse. Within the past week my legs continue to swell and now they are super sensitive to touch and are constantly falling alseep. I also have budd chiari syndrome which im sure is playing into it, it wasn't really explained to me in any detail but I was put on a medication to lower my blood pressure to manage the chiaris
Has anyone evey traveled with decampansated cirrhosis on a long haul flight ? My dad has a bleeding event 15 days back, the ruptured viens were glued and he has been stable since then. However his CT scan showed a small amount of ascites and some residual gastric varices. We will be having an EUS procedure done to coil and glue them.
He has to return to his home country now which is a 14 hours flight, what questions should I ask the GI after he performs the EUS (endoscopy ultrasound) procedure ? We need to get him cleared to take this long haul flight. No swelling or stomach enlargement was seen after he was discharged 15 days back, no malena in his stools. He has been doing okay health wise.
Also please let me know if any precautions need to be taken before and during the journey. He is taking cardivelol for reducing portal hypertension. I am really worried about his rebleeding again, please do help
Hi all
Quick background: was diagnosed back in July with decompensated cirrhosis with ascites, edema, jaundice and with what I suspect was the beginning of HE. MELD was a 29 at the time of diagnosis and basically was told in the hospital that I needed a liver transplant but would not be eligible at that time. I’ve made massive changes, quit alcohol, dropped a ton of weight and managing the ascites with diuretics. Jaundice and HE are for the most part gone and my MELD is 15 now.
I went back last month for my 3 month follow up and got the positive news that my bloodwork has improved a lot and seems like I’m stable and doing pretty well for the most part. Dr is very happy with my turnaround and significant progress so has tabled the discussion regarding a transplant until December as she wants to see if see I continue to make progress and lower my score more. I see a GI doctor for the first time this week and was told by the Hep about getting an endoscopy done with the GI doctor to check for varices (she thinks it’s likely I may have some) and if I have them she’ll start me on beta blockers. At this appointment she had mentioned Hepquant and getting bloodwork work done as it can tell me how much of my liver is still functioning. She didn’t push me to do it but just let me know about it after I asked about liver function I have left. It isn’t in network for my insurance so it’ll cost me about $2k to get done. I can get the money together to pay for it luckily but obviously it’s a steep price tag and I’m trying to weigh out if it’s worth it to do. Just wanted to get people’s opinion on it. My husband and I were discussing it and don’t really know how much info this will add and if it does, will it change or open up treatment options.
Hi everyone. I found this group during a really difficult time in my life. I can see how supportive people are here, and I honestly don’t even know whether I’m looking for comfort, understanding, advice, or maybe just someone who has been through something similar.
People say that bad things rarely come one at a time — when it rains, it pours. That’s exactly how my life has felt.
I’ve been going through an incredibly difficult period. I lost my baby to sudden infant death. Not long after that, our dog died. Then, about a year later, my mother became seriously ill with liver cirrhosis.
She had been drinking heavily for a long time and was also taking quite a lot of medication.
I work as a nurse in a hospital. I have already admitted my mother to the ward where I work twice. Both times she was extremely unwell, and both times we managed to pull her through and get her condition stabilized.
My father is a long-distance truck driver, so he is rarely around. He also struggles with addictions. Throughout my childhood and my parents’ marriage, he was repeatedly unfaithful to my mother and was rarely home. Later he developed a gambling problem, and he still gambles now.
My mother drinks partly because of how unhappy their relationship has been.
I keep asking my father to stop gambling and to support her. Their relationship is very complicated, and I don’t expect him to suddenly fix everything, but I keep asking him to at least try — even if only for my sake. But it feels like he simply doesn’t care.
My mother raised us, but she was always angry and unhappy. There was physical and emotional abuse during my childhood. She wasn’t always a good mother to me, but despite everything, I have always worried about her and cared for her. I’ve always felt sorry for her.
Now she doesn’t work and is financially dependent on my father, although I help her as much as I can. For now she can still take care of herself, although her blood clotting is impaired. But lately I suspect that she may be drinking again.
The first time I admitted her to the hospital, the gastroenterologist told us that her liver still had some reserve and that her condition could partially compensate if she stopped drinking. But she started drinking again and became much worse.
The second time, I brought her to the hospital again, and somehow we managed to get her through it once more. Her condition improved again.
That’s what makes this so painful. She really could still live. But sometimes it feels like she almost wants to die. She talks about how she wants to be buried and what should happen after she dies.
It hurts knowing that I cannot control her drinking or make her want to live.
I’m also terrified of what might happen if she gets worse again. I already lost my baby, and I honestly don’t know how much more grief I can survive. I’m afraid that if I have to arrange another funeral, something inside me will completely break.
I’m afraid of her suffering too. Right now she doesn’t have esophageal varices or ascites, and she only has mild hepatic encephalopathy. So there is still hope. But none of that matters if she continues drinking, and I cannot control that for her.
I’m exhausted.
I feel like I’ve been left alone to carry all of this.
Thank you to anyone who took the time to read this.❤️🌷