cirrhosis- liver failure- need help

I tried this post on two other forums without any success. I hope sommebody out there can help me. I am married to a 56 year old alcoholic. He was diagnosed with cirrhosis in l995 and has had two medical indents in the last two years (bleeding varises)
The doctor said he woud need a transplant within 3 years in 2000.
Myy husband went to rehab, but walked out within 4 days and has coninued to drink. He is showing signs of liver failure (white nails, yellow eyes, bronze skin, bruising, foul breath, and his doctor said his platlets are down from l50,000 to 36. Now he is refusing to go to the doctors, and says all his symptoms are from a bad hip. Xrays showed nothing. I realize this is denial, but need to know what are the symptoms of liver failure and when to call an ambulance. A counselor said I can't force him into treatment, so I am swimming in a sea of blindness.
Can anyone help me?

[mrmichael67]

Listed below are the major symptoms of liver failure.  Do a search on your favorite search engine and you will find a ton of info.  Here they are:

GENERAL
Weakness
Anorexia
Weight loss
Abdominal discomfort  Hematologic
Bruising
Epistaxis
Petechiae
Thrombocytopenia
Anemia
Decreased fibrinogen
    activity
**********************************
CARDIOVASCULAR
Flushed skin
Hypo- or hypertension
Dysrhythmias
Bounding pulses
Spider angiomata
**********************************
RESPIRATORY
Pleural effusion
Hypoxia
Decreased lung  
    expansion Fluids & Electrolytes
Ascites
Hypokalemia
Hypocalcemia
Hypomagnesemia
Dilutional hyponatremia
Hyperammonemia
**********************************
GASTROINTESTINAL
Rectal varices
Esophageal varices
Fetor hepaticus
Clay-colored stools
**********************************
DERMATOLOGIC
Jaundice
Palmar erythema
Pruritus
Vascular spiders
**********************************
RENAL
Decreased renal perfusion
Brown urine
Decreased renal output
Increased urine bilirubin
   and urobilinogen
**********************************
ENDOCRINE
Gynecomastia
Female escutcheon
Testicular atrophy
**********************************
NEUROLOGIC
Personality changes
Disorientation
Sensory alterations
Asterixis
Peripheral nerve
   degeneration
Coma
Kernicterus (in neonates)
**********************************
LABORATORY VALUES
Elevated AST, ALT,
   alkaline phosphatase,
   bilirubin, PT, PTT
Increased or decreased
    BUN
Decreased platelets,
   serum albumin & protein Immunologic
Increased susceptibility
    to infections
  Decreased WBC
    phagocytic activity

[Kush]

OMG! He has a lot of them- what do all the systems begin to because the liver is shuting down? His symptoms began about 6 weeks ao. Every week he seems to manifast a few more. This is really scarey. I belong to Al Anon and everyone says get him into a hospital NOW. He refuses to go.
I have done a google search. Perhaps there is no real answer about whe to cal an ambulance, besides hemmoraghing and the last time he almst died. nce he is refusing help at this point, I feel terribly helpless.
Thanks for the list. Gosh- he is in trouble.

[mrmichael67]

You need to get him to the hospital right away!  I don't understand how he can be so flip about his life like that.  He does understand this all is terminal, doesn't he?  He only has one liver, and needs it.

[fishman59]

I don't want to scare you but perhaps you should let your husband read this thread..My father in law died 1 year almost to the day that my first son was born,he was only 47 years old and had so much to live for.It was truly a shame that he was too unhappy to care about his own life.If he won't go to the hospital for himself--will he go for your sake?And if not and the law won't allow you to commit him may I be so bold as to tell you to give the paramedics another reason to take him to the hospital (conk).I'm not trying to be humorous here my own foster  father was nowhere near as ill as your husband sounds and also refused so I gave them another reason to take him in it only helped temporarily but did give him time to dry out and semi-realise what he was doing to himself.
                     Best of luck
                     may you BOTH live long and prosper

[Kush]

Thank you for the input. I tried to talk to him yesterday and he just walked out to the patio in the middle of our discussion. I think much of it is denial. I was very direct about the possibility that he is dying. I even suggested that if this is his choise, then I will make arrangements for hospice to come and help him with his pain, which I said will be worse than he is experiencing now.This morning he said he thinks everyone "hates" him. I believe depression is some of the problem and is attempting to divert the reality of the situation- the best defense is a good offense. Still denies alcohol is the root of the problem or that his symptoms are related to his liver. Still thinks his right side pain is related to his hip replacement and  that the severe bruise that runs from his waist to his knee cap is hip related. (xrays showed no damage) Now he has severe shooting pain on rt. side (near the hip) I think it is possible this is liver pain radiating down his right side.
I wonder if encephlaopathy is playing a role in this? I have put a call into the outreach program I am working with because now he wants to drive to our camp in Maine - 11 hours away for a vacation! I am terrified

[Kush]

Oh Gosh! Yes his breadth is awful. He uses mouthwash all the time. I would say more of a musty smell. It wakes me up at night and I have to move to another bed. I know about encephalopathy and watch for signs. I noticed a couple of weeks ago he tried to put on a new shower head I got him for his birthday. He worked for over an hour and couldn't manage to do it. Took me about a minute. He has a masters degree in engineering so he is not incapable.
He sleeps a lot, pretends to read and then falls asleep. He gets irritable and frustrated over little things. So far he still makes sense, except for his denial and pretending this is a hip problem (not to mention still drinking).
So far it's little things I notice, but not major yet. More agitation and irritibility and lack of concentration.
Thanks for all your support and input. It has helped me immeasurably- much more than you know.

[sissy101]

As a critical care nurse I could tell you that the biggest "warning" sign is a change in mental status.  That would mean his ammonia level was starting to rise- if not addressed he will go into a coma.  Do you notice a "fruity" smell on his breath?  Is his belly much larger than normal?  If your husband is refusing to go to the doctor or hospital its not good.  The only thing you can watch for is if/when his mental status changes, then you can call an ambulance or bring him yourself because he would then be considered disoriented and therefore not competent.

Good luck- I wish you well.

[1fortheroad]

i'm so sorry about what you are going thru.  i was at a family reunion yesterday, where i watched my husband's uncle literally sit like a statue all day long...he is dying because of liver failure as well.  he continues to drink.  we thought he would die last year, but he somehow continues to live - not a life any of us would want.  his wife cannot go anywhere - she has to be by his side every minute - he cannot function without help.  i was VERY surprised to see him there, but i think his wife really wanted to come and dragged him along.  everyone went into the back yard to have a family picture taken....everyone except him.  he couldn't make it down the stairs.  he would rather sit back and have his cocktail...it is so incredibly sad.  drink or life...pills or life?  all of us here have some kind of choice to make.  i'm sorry you have to watch your husband do this to himself.  i have no advice to give...i'm very sorry.

[Yo_Tony]

Sometimes people who refuse help have to keel over before paramedics are allowed to work on them. By the time your husband can no longer refuse medical treatment, chances are it won't do him a great deal of good.

It's very difficult to sit still and watch someone commit suicide, but when someone can legally refuse treatment, there's not a whole lot you can do.

There are some liver herbal remedies, but they're not intended to fight alcoholic binges. Your husband is at the crossroads, as you yourself have realized. Do all that you can, but the decision is his. Forced detox is your only other bet, but it's risky and illegal.

[Kush]

Thanks for the advise. Ot is horrible to think he is committing a slow suicide, but when you get right down to it, that is what is really happening. Guess I better prepare myself for the worst and keep hoping for the best.
Thanks again
Kush

[19drifter57]

Kush,
I’m Sorry to hear about your situation. I am presently going through some of the same issues myself. the only difference is, I'm the one with Hep C and Cirrhosis. However, so far my Liver is still fully working and very soon I will began treatment that will hopefully cure the Hep C. untimely there's a good chance for total recovery. the minute I was informed of the cirrhosis I stoped drinking. But I wanted to tell you that I can understand how your husband feels, these issues are very overwhelming for the person with the illnesses.The sense of hopelessness is just unbelievable, I was there for a short time.  

I also wanted to commend you for sticking it out with your husband.  I wasn’t that fortunate, my fiancée decided to break it off with me just weeks after learning about the treatment process and knowing they wouldn’t start any treatments without a stable support system at home. 48 hours after she wrote to me telling me everything would be fine and we’d get though this together, She forced me to move out of our home and then made it impossible for me to even have any contact with her. After reading some of these blogs, I guess I can’t blame her for not wanting any part of it, I just didn’t expect that to ever happen.  But we will drive onward anyway, I’ll pray for you to find the strength to move through this awful situation and I’ll also pray for your husband, that he may deiced very soon to get the help he needs.
God Bless,
Mark  

[IBKleen]

Hi Drifter,

This post is some 8 years old and I do not believe any of these members are currently posting. This thread will quickly return to archives so I don't want you to think no one saw your post.

You should start your own thread and let the folks here get to know you. You can do that by going to the top of this page and hitting the green "Post A Question" button.

Hope to see you stick around.