Cirrhosis Prognosis

[Her_Husband]

My wife was diagnosed with cirrhosis of the liver brought on by alcohol, although she was a light drinker.  She developed Jaundice and ascites with leg swelling.  She was hospitalized for two weeks with very favorable results and after 1 1/2 months on diuretics her blood tests are all normal and the swelling is gone in her legs and going down quickly in her mid section.  She is of good spirits, eating well, and quite energetic.  My question is, we can't seem to get a definitive answer about her life expectancy, either from the doctors or the many web sites I have visited.  Can you help define what her expectations in number of years should or could be.

[liverhealth]

The liver is the only organ that can regenerate itself, however it cant regenerate areas where there is scar tissue.

Depending upon how bad the liver is scarred will depend on the prognosis.

I recommend taking an assortment of vitamins including an herb called milk thistle and also staying away from protein food and watching your sodium.

How old is your wife and does she still drink??

God Bless and Good Luck!!

[carpetina]

My GI surgeon told me I can expect to need a liver transplant within about two years. I have chirrosis from HCV. He visualized my liver while doing a gallbladder removal. I only had fibrosis until this last biopsy. I would try to find out how you can get on the liver transplant list. Sometimes it can take a year or two to get one. But, the good news is that many people do quite well following the transplant. Our state's governor had one and looks good now.