let me try that again....
"I hope your father has stopped drinking. He needs to stop drinng totally or his liver disease will continue to progress rapidly and he will get sicker and sicker."
Here is a link to a good web page that will give you a good overview of cirrhosis of the liver. It should help you to understand better waht is happening to your father and some of the symptoms he is experinceing.
http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/cirrhosis/
Take care.
Hector
Hello.
I am sorry to tell you your father has advanced liver disease. It is known as decompensated cirrhosis. His liver is so damaged from the alcohol that it is no longer able to function fully. That is why he is having complication of his cirrhosis.
"Decompensated cirrhosis" means that the severe scarring of the liver (cirrhosis) has damaged and disrupted essential body functions. Patients with decompensated cirrhosis develop many serious and life-threatening symptoms and complications.
There are all complications of decompensated cirrhosis.
Ascites and edema (He has had approx 10 litres of fluid in his enlarged stomach and swollen feet).
Portal vein 7mm and enlarged spleen. These are also common effects seen in people with advanced cirrhosis of the liver.
With about10 litres of fluid in his enlarged stomach In this case, periodic drainage of the fluid (paracentesis) may be required. This is done by inserting a needle into the abdomen and withdrawing a large amount of fluid from the space around the abdominal organs.
I hope your father has stopped drinking. He needs to stop damaging totally or his liver will progress rapidly.
Your father should get an appointment with a hepatologist at a liver transplant center near by. So he can recieve the best care he needs, to manage his illness.
Best to you and your father!
Hector
I will wait for others with more expertise to respond. Based on the info that you posted, I would say that your father has advanced Cirrhosis, as indicated by ascites (swelling) and portal hypertension. Has he had any bleeding? Is he jaundiced? Does he have any confusion, loss of memory, or unusual behavior?
It would be important for your father not to drink any alcohol, reduce salt intake, drink water, not to eat red meat, take vitamins that do not have iron, and run all medications past his hepatologist as some medications can be hard on the liver.
It would also be important for him to be under the care of a good hepatologist, given his advanced Cirrhosis.
Keep us posted, and I'm sure that others with more knowledge than me will respond soon.
Advocate1955