Aa
Cirrhosis and Emphasyma
My brother-in-law was rushed to hospital last night,he has a really bad chest infection which is putting strain on his heart and he can't breathe,he has been intubated and put in a coma to see if it will help him fight the infection.
Now starts the waiting game,he is only 41,
His immune system seems to be taking the brunt of his cirrhosis and emphasyma,
He ends up in hospital every 4 to 8 weeks with some infection or another,he also has a blood infection this time.
I suppose this is related to the liver.
Now starts the waiting game,he is only 41,
His immune system seems to be taking the brunt of his cirrhosis and emphasyma,
He ends up in hospital every 4 to 8 weeks with some infection or another,he also has a blood infection this time.
I suppose this is related to the liver.
Oh good so you knew back then it could be hereditary. Everything was fine I hope?
Is Bil still making good progress?
Is Bil still making good progress?
I didnt read alot about them but one thing not mentioned in that particular acrtice was that they can also be hereditary. You might discuss with your doctor if a CT Scan is should be part of your annual or bi-annual physical. Alot more imformation has been learned over the last 20 years. You know that ou are very fortunate due to the fact a brain anneurysm can be terminal. I thank God we have you Narla.
Randy
Randy
Thanks,interesting read,mine was actually from an aneurysm that burst,but I never knew I had one because I'd never had a CT before.
I suffered from migraines for 20 years,had an EEG in my early 20s showed nothing wrong so it was assumed they were from the stress of a new baby.
After the haemorrage and craniotomy the migraines disappeared,so they think the migraines were being caused by the aneurysm pressing on part of the brain.
I suffered from migraines for 20 years,had an EEG in my early 20s showed nothing wrong so it was assumed they were from the stress of a new baby.
After the haemorrage and craniotomy the migraines disappeared,so they think the migraines were being caused by the aneurysm pressing on part of the brain.
This is the best I could find on SAH. I would guess its not likely that codine or alcohol cause this terrible experience. This is from Wikki.
In 85% of cases of spontaneous SAH, the cause is rupture of a cerebral aneurysm—a weakness in the wall of one of the arteries in the brain that becomes enlarged. They tend to be located in the circle of Willis and its branches. While most cases of SAH are due to bleeding from small aneurysms, larger aneurysms (which are less common) are more likely to rupture.[1]
In 15–20% of cases of spontaneous SAH, no aneurysm is detected on the first angiogram.[11] About half of these are attributed to non-aneurysmal perimesencephalic hemorrhage, in which the blood is limited to the subarachnoid spaces around the midbrain (i.e. mesencephalon). In these, the origin of the blood is uncertain.[1] The remainder are due to other disorders affecting the blood vessels (such as arteriovenous malformations), disorders of the blood vessels in the spinal cord, and bleeding into various tumors.[1] Cocaine abuse and sickle cell anemia (usually in children) and, rarely, anticoagulant therapy, problems with blood clotting and pituitary apoplexy can also result in SAH.[6][11]
Subarachnoid blood can be detected on CT scanning in as many as 60% of people with traumatic brain injury.[12] Traumatic SAH (tSAH) usually occurs near the site of a skull fracture or intracerebral contusion.[11] It usually happens in the setting of other forms of traumatic brain injury and has been linked with a poorer prognosis. It is unclear, however, if this is a direct result of the SAH or whether the presence of subarachnoid blood is simply an indicator of severity of the head injury and the prognosis is determined by other associated mechanisms.[12]
In 85% of cases of spontaneous SAH, the cause is rupture of a cerebral aneurysm—a weakness in the wall of one of the arteries in the brain that becomes enlarged. They tend to be located in the circle of Willis and its branches. While most cases of SAH are due to bleeding from small aneurysms, larger aneurysms (which are less common) are more likely to rupture.[1]
In 15–20% of cases of spontaneous SAH, no aneurysm is detected on the first angiogram.[11] About half of these are attributed to non-aneurysmal perimesencephalic hemorrhage, in which the blood is limited to the subarachnoid spaces around the midbrain (i.e. mesencephalon). In these, the origin of the blood is uncertain.[1] The remainder are due to other disorders affecting the blood vessels (such as arteriovenous malformations), disorders of the blood vessels in the spinal cord, and bleeding into various tumors.[1] Cocaine abuse and sickle cell anemia (usually in children) and, rarely, anticoagulant therapy, problems with blood clotting and pituitary apoplexy can also result in SAH.[6][11]
Subarachnoid blood can be detected on CT scanning in as many as 60% of people with traumatic brain injury.[12] Traumatic SAH (tSAH) usually occurs near the site of a skull fracture or intracerebral contusion.[11] It usually happens in the setting of other forms of traumatic brain injury and has been linked with a poorer prognosis. It is unclear, however, if this is a direct result of the SAH or whether the presence of subarachnoid blood is simply an indicator of severity of the head injury and the prognosis is determined by other associated mechanisms.[12]
Two years prior my enzyme levels were 35,I was told a normal range was 0 to 45 so it was elevated 2 years later it went to 110 so she was determined to find out what I was doing.within 6 months of no alcohol or codeine it was back to 50 last test 6 months ago it was at 25,I'm due now for another one,so we'll see what has happened,
I was spending $600 a month on alcohol too,drinking 3 to 4 litres of Bacardi a week,not to mention the 240mg of codeine a day,I was also on anti depressants 200mg Zoloft a day,sometimes I wonder why I am still alive.why do we do it to ourselves?
Food came second to the alcohol,and biy! I remember the diarhea, my biggest regret is telling my kids we couldn't afford to do something and then going and buying my alcohol.
It was bought before food,my kids had plenty of food don't get me wrong,but I could have done so much more with them.
I could blame my husband for enabling me,he left me in charge of the finances,he had no idea how much I drank or how much I was spending.
Thank goodness my doctor was sending us for routine blood tests every 2 years and picked it up early,
I had a Sub Arachnoid brain haemorrage in 2000 and sometimes now I wonder if it had anything to do with the alcohol or codeine I was abusing.
I was spending $600 a month on alcohol too,drinking 3 to 4 litres of Bacardi a week,not to mention the 240mg of codeine a day,I was also on anti depressants 200mg Zoloft a day,sometimes I wonder why I am still alive.why do we do it to ourselves?
Food came second to the alcohol,and biy! I remember the diarhea, my biggest regret is telling my kids we couldn't afford to do something and then going and buying my alcohol.
It was bought before food,my kids had plenty of food don't get me wrong,but I could have done so much more with them.
I could blame my husband for enabling me,he left me in charge of the finances,he had no idea how much I drank or how much I was spending.
Thank goodness my doctor was sending us for routine blood tests every 2 years and picked it up early,
I had a Sub Arachnoid brain haemorrage in 2000 and sometimes now I wonder if it had anything to do with the alcohol or codeine I was abusing.
Narla it is really great you have a doctor you know so well and can trust. It sounds like she is really watching over you very well by testing every 6 months. Are your results coming back with normal ranges? That really is great! Prior to your lab tests showing elevated liver enzymes do you think there were any signs she should have noticed? Did everything test fine two years prior?
I look back now and I can’t believe I thought it was okay to drink 23 beers a day and spend $600 a month. Although since I quit you would think I would have an extra $600 but I don’t! lol I do eat allot more now though.
I lost so much strength from not eating. Due to my eating only once a day or forgetting to eat at all my body was malnourished. The human body has an instinct to survive under those circumstances and it will begin to break down muscle fiber for nourishment. When large amounts of alcohol is ingested, your body has difficulty in storing a proper amount of nourishment. This is due to food passing through the digestive system much more rapidly. (Diarrhea) This will also cause ulcers to develop. When your body is not getting the nourishment it needs neither is the liver and with all the alcohol the liver is working very hard. In this circumstance the liver will become fibrotic and is likely to become cirrhotic. Most cirrhotic patients are not lucky enough to catch the disease in the early stages because without a blood test showing elevated liver enzymes you will not experience any noticeable symptoms until your liver has become decompensated. Welcome to end stage cirrhosis.
Randy
Is it time to be quiet yet Sara? Ha ha
I owe you for that one! :)
I look back now and I can’t believe I thought it was okay to drink 23 beers a day and spend $600 a month. Although since I quit you would think I would have an extra $600 but I don’t! lol I do eat allot more now though.
I lost so much strength from not eating. Due to my eating only once a day or forgetting to eat at all my body was malnourished. The human body has an instinct to survive under those circumstances and it will begin to break down muscle fiber for nourishment. When large amounts of alcohol is ingested, your body has difficulty in storing a proper amount of nourishment. This is due to food passing through the digestive system much more rapidly. (Diarrhea) This will also cause ulcers to develop. When your body is not getting the nourishment it needs neither is the liver and with all the alcohol the liver is working very hard. In this circumstance the liver will become fibrotic and is likely to become cirrhotic. Most cirrhotic patients are not lucky enough to catch the disease in the early stages because without a blood test showing elevated liver enzymes you will not experience any noticeable symptoms until your liver has become decompensated. Welcome to end stage cirrhosis.
Randy
Is it time to be quiet yet Sara? Ha ha
I owe you for that one! :)
I have blood tests every 6 months,believe me she checks everything,not just the liver.
She has been my doctor for over 20 years and was devastated when she didn't pick up on what I was doing to myself.
She has been my doctor for over 20 years and was devastated when she didn't pick up on what I was doing to myself.
Okay thank you ladies. I didn't want to seem rude. Narla you must had gotten a good scare when your liver enzymes levels tripled. I am so glad you acted on it immediately. I am certain you saved your life. You should still see a doctor annually for lab testing and a physical.
Since I started going through trying to survive as long as I can with end stage cirrhosis the most important thing I have learned is that you have to take your health into your own hands! This is a big key to survival. It is your responsibility to learn as much as you can about your health problems so that you and your doctor can communicate perfectly. Your doctor wants nothing more than to be able to help you. Honesty is crucial! Don’t make your doctor guess what’s going on when you already know. Now when my doctor wants to run a test I want to know why and what he's thinking and be able to understand so the together we can make the best judgment. I have gone as far as to recommend testing for this or that.
Narla I do keep my fingers crossed that I might have a enough of a good liver left to live a full life without a transplant. Even a bigger problem I face is that since my liver isn't functioning correctly it has lost the ability to filter out all the toxins from my blood. Mostly ammonia is the biggest problem. So as the ammonia level gets higher in my blood it travels to every organ in my body slowly causing more damage to these organs including the brain. This is where Hepatic Encephalopathy comes in (HE). Remember the liver is the only organ in the body that has the ability to heal itself. Once the ammonia level gets to high a patient will subside to coma. It is unclear why some patients with cirrhosis will not be diagnosed with HE although their ammonia levels can rise just the same. More research is greatly needed.
I could go on and on but I hope this gives people who are struggling with quitting drinking the enthusiasm they need to make the final commitment to STOP! I did, but it was to late. Will you?
Randy
Since I started going through trying to survive as long as I can with end stage cirrhosis the most important thing I have learned is that you have to take your health into your own hands! This is a big key to survival. It is your responsibility to learn as much as you can about your health problems so that you and your doctor can communicate perfectly. Your doctor wants nothing more than to be able to help you. Honesty is crucial! Don’t make your doctor guess what’s going on when you already know. Now when my doctor wants to run a test I want to know why and what he's thinking and be able to understand so the together we can make the best judgment. I have gone as far as to recommend testing for this or that.
Narla I do keep my fingers crossed that I might have a enough of a good liver left to live a full life without a transplant. Even a bigger problem I face is that since my liver isn't functioning correctly it has lost the ability to filter out all the toxins from my blood. Mostly ammonia is the biggest problem. So as the ammonia level gets higher in my blood it travels to every organ in my body slowly causing more damage to these organs including the brain. This is where Hepatic Encephalopathy comes in (HE). Remember the liver is the only organ in the body that has the ability to heal itself. Once the ammonia level gets to high a patient will subside to coma. It is unclear why some patients with cirrhosis will not be diagnosed with HE although their ammonia levels can rise just the same. More research is greatly needed.
I could go on and on but I hope this gives people who are struggling with quitting drinking the enthusiasm they need to make the final commitment to STOP! I did, but it was to late. Will you?
Randy
People need to know what can happen PB.....So just keep talking. Narla and i will tell you when to be quiet!!!!!!! lol
Don't apologise,that's why we are here,to chat.
My liver enzymes were high,they more than tripled in 2 years,that's when my doctor said to me what's going on?so I told her the truth about the alcohol and codeine,I stopped drinking and abusing codeine on that day,within 6 months my enzymes were back to normal.
We won't talk about my 3 day relapse with the codeine. LOL (not really funny though)
I am glad you are feeling pretty good rpooo,maybe your liver will heal,fingers crossed...........
My liver enzymes were high,they more than tripled in 2 years,that's when my doctor said to me what's going on?so I told her the truth about the alcohol and codeine,I stopped drinking and abusing codeine on that day,within 6 months my enzymes were back to normal.
We won't talk about my 3 day relapse with the codeine. LOL (not really funny though)
I am glad you are feeling pretty good rpooo,maybe your liver will heal,fingers crossed...........
I go to the doctor every two or three months depending on whats going on. In between visits I may sometimes need to go for a different test of some sort. I'm fortunate to have a good doctor and really good insurance. It's really sad to say but it makes a big difference.
To answer your question "do I feel sick?" No, I feel pretty good, I have my days of not feeling good too. Usually I dont know right away when I wake up but the first ten minutes of being out of bed I know if its a bad day. So I let my wife know so she knows what to exspect. I have alot of muscle and joint pain but I can deal with that just fine. Pain pills are not anything I should ever take due to my addictive personality and because these pills metabolize in the liver. I never look sick so im glad for that but sometimes walking can really hurt and i have to be careful stepping up or down over a curb.
The part I hate the most is the Hepatic Encephalopathy (HE) I get confused all the time also I cant remember things very well at all.. loss of balance the list goes on and on!
Well I wrote way more than i meant to, I dont mean to drag it out on Narla's post. I appologize Narla.
To answer your question "do I feel sick?" No, I feel pretty good, I have my days of not feeling good too. Usually I dont know right away when I wake up but the first ten minutes of being out of bed I know if its a bad day. So I let my wife know so she knows what to exspect. I have alot of muscle and joint pain but I can deal with that just fine. Pain pills are not anything I should ever take due to my addictive personality and because these pills metabolize in the liver. I never look sick so im glad for that but sometimes walking can really hurt and i have to be careful stepping up or down over a curb.
The part I hate the most is the Hepatic Encephalopathy (HE) I get confused all the time also I cant remember things very well at all.. loss of balance the list goes on and on!
Well I wrote way more than i meant to, I dont mean to drag it out on Narla's post. I appologize Narla.
How often do you have your liver checked? Lets just hope and pray that yours stay in the normal range for a long time to come~~~
A high bilirubin level is one of the first indications of liver disease. This test is performed by a simple blood test. When the bilirubin level gets to high then Jaundice appears. Jaundice makes the skin turn yellow and the whites of the eyes. I had this really bad at the time of my diagnosis. Elevated bilirubin is due to the livers inability to be able to filter out toxins. AST/ALT levels will also increase. For patients with alcoholic cirrhosis stages A - B the liver enzymes returning to normal ranges is expected once the patient has stopped drinking completely. In patients with alcoholic cirrhosis end stage (c) "me" this is less common due to the amount of scarring in the liver. This is good news for me but not by any means is it an indication that I have enough of a functioning liver to ensure my survival for many years to come. Although it sure makes things a whole lot better! ha ha
That is fantastic news PB!!! Is this normal to have happen? Do you feel sick or anything?
Your such a good Narla! Oh hey I went to the doctors yesterday and my lab results showed my bilirubin is with in range! First time since my diagnosis. I am so happy for me!! lol
Hey Sara,I promise I don't need a whoopin,I still have pain because of the sciatica but I haven't abused the codeine,as of 4 days ago I decided the codeine wasn't helping much anyway so I stopped taking it,I'm just using normal paracetamol now,
It's amazing the headaches I got when I stopped.but they have gone as well now.
BIL is still in hospital,but seems to be getting better slowly.
Now you can put the whoopin stick away. LOL
It's amazing the headaches I got when I stopped.but they have gone as well now.
BIL is still in hospital,but seems to be getting better slowly.
Now you can put the whoopin stick away. LOL
So Sarah, you must be a kick a** chick too huh? Do you think you could apply that whoopin Narla might need from time to time? ha ha
I would spar with you!! Your right about the lifestyle change. No matter what you are getting healthy.
Yep- same trainer,working me hard,I I'm not losing weight and my doctor and trainer can't understand why,I have had many tests to try and find out what the problem is but nothing shows up,they tell me I'm fit and healthy.
So now I have decided the weight isn't a priority,what is important is that this is a lifestyle change that will be part of my routine forever.
And yes rpooo I am a kick a$$ chick,I love the boxing more than the other stuff I do,the women won't spar with me they say I hit too hard,so I spar with the men,nothing better than hitting a guy as hard as you can,when they are holding the pads of course,LOL ONLY JOKING.
So now I have decided the weight isn't a priority,what is important is that this is a lifestyle change that will be part of my routine forever.
And yes rpooo I am a kick a$$ chick,I love the boxing more than the other stuff I do,the women won't spar with me they say I hit too hard,so I spar with the men,nothing better than hitting a guy as hard as you can,when they are holding the pads of course,LOL ONLY JOKING.
I forgot about your high blood pressure...
How much weight have you lost now? Still the same trainer??!!!!
How much weight have you lost now? Still the same trainer??!!!!
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