Ascites and Liver Failure

[JanaL]

MY Husband was diagnosed with Hep C four years ago. He has since gone through the ribovirin and intepheron (sp?) therapy and is currently in remission. The last liver biopsy detected cirrosis. Fast forward, this past week I rushed my husband to the ER with extreme fluid build up ( ascites ) he was treated ( drained ) but not before the ER doc told us that my husband is in "End stage liver failure" Currently, we are heading to a renal specialist this week. My husband has no insurance so we are going through a state run clinic. Here's my question, with end stage liver failure how long does my husband have to live? I doubt we will be able to get a liver transplant because of his insurance situation. I am confused and scared to death. Please help me try to understand what all of this means. My focus is for my husband to be comfortable, is liver failure painful? Doe she have years or weeks to live?
My husband no longer drinks ( after being diagnosed with Hep c ) he stopped. He dosen't smoke. He is now on a low sodium diet and is on a dieretic. Thank you for your response.

[LvdByGod!]

this is one of my personal suspisions that the liver can continue to die even after suscessful treatment of hepc in some folks...

my first dr said to me that doing treatment would only be half the battle for me, because i have a lot of fat in my liver (i am overweight as well...drinking causes fatty liver too), and this fat can cause the liver to continue to die even after tx and clear...this was a shock to hear but at least i can watch it and try to loose weight before it happens and perhaps i can stave it off for awhile, or do something to get the fatty liver down.

i am so sorry this happened to your husband...now is the time to be really aggressive with the dotors/specialists because most of them will not be if they don't take from us that we insist on help and are persistant...it's a sorry state we're in cause we put so much trust in doctors...

i went thru end stage/liver cancer and death with my mother who has now passed on from it...she was 65. she had liver damage from drinking but had stopped drinking completely 20 years BEFORE her liver failure...at the time i didn't know what to do and i wasn't up on it...it happened really fast...we didn't know she had liver disease until 6 months before she died. it hid out for 20+ years until it caused cancer and her liver then failed. she needed a lot of pain meds in the end and hospice care...she was close to God and this helped her alot...for someone with so much pain she had so much peace...so this i'm so greatful for...

had i known then what i know now, i would have realized that i should have pushed the doctors to concider transplant...it would have been nice had they even talked to me about it...but they didn't even mention it...for her with cancer of the liver it probably would have been too late anyway since her liver was covered with tumors...but no exploratory surgery was ever suggested either...

i feel terrible that i left all this up to a doctor who wasn't even a hepatologist or gastro...i just didn't know, so i took what they said at face value and didn't even question...so now i want to educate people on what can be allowed to happen if we are not aggressive with our own lives and doctors...

i would like to believe that if you are very persistant and aggressive that you can find the help you need for your husband...don't leave it up to the doctors...if he has no cancer yet i can't understand why he couldn't get on a transplant list...

only a transplant specialist can help you with this asscesment of your husband...i can only hope and pray that there would be programs to find that can help you guys accomplish that goal before it's too late...

there are those here like "new sojourn" that have had a transplant after liver failure and are now doing great...if you see his name here on a current post please write him and talk to him he will tell you his story of success with liver failure and transplant...

i pray the Lord will answer your prayers concerning finding help for your husband quickly...i pray that he gets the help he needs...

sandi


here are some great support groups/sites that i pray can help you find the help you need...cut and paste.



HOW TO QUALIFY FOR SOCIAL SECURITY DISABILITY PAY:
  http://communities.msn.com/CirrhosisSupportGroup/socialsecuritybenefits.msnw


ABOUT TRANSPLANTS:

http://communities.msn.com/CirrhosisSupportGroup/transplants.msnw


http://communities.msn.com/CirrhosisSupportGroup/cirrhosisinformation.msnw


CIRHOSIS SUPPORT GROUPS:

***@****

[cuteus]

do you have copies of all his bloodwork?  It really helps to keep your own medical folder.  Does his liver panel include a PCR RNA test? if so, what did it show?  If he is negative and liver damage seems to be progressing, I would try and get another opinion, you need peace of mind and satisfactory answers real soon.  Is he seen a hepatologist? If not, try to get in touch with one , they specialize in liver abnormalities and can better serve his needs.

[JanaL]

Thank you for your response.

The last liver panel done by my Husbands GI was 7 months ago, at that time it showed the HCV to be gone. His liver enzymes were slightly up, but we were told that this is normal.

I am confused, how can this change so DRASTICALLY in 7 months?

I hope that my post has not confused you, but the doctor never gave us a "mortailty" comment. He instead told us to continue with our out patient status.

[William05]

Regarding your husband's insurance coverage, I stongly suggest contacting your local or state FIA (Family Idependence Agency) or a social worker and apply ASAP for Medicaid coverage.

[cuteus]

no one, not even a physician could tell you how long a person will live with a terminal condition, I hope they are wrong about their dx. Could you get a second opinion? Was his hcv really cleared? How sensitive are the PCR tests done to him?
Check the thread started by Kia "I need questions.." for the posts and comments there while you wait for responses here.
I wish you serenity in the midst of this turmoil you are facing.