Liver disease or Pancreatitis?

[cagbgb]

I finally got my husband to go to the Dr. We find out his blood work results next week. I am surprised the Dr did not do xrays, catscan or something more than just talk to him and put him on medicine. Reality of all this is just now hitting me tonight. After years of living with an alcoholic you think you are ok, I am not. He has lost 22lbs now in under 2 wks. Here is the list I gave to the Dr. My husband is sill not right, he is hearing things and says it is the medication the Dr. put him on. He gave him antidepressants, a pill to help him sleep (anehistimean sp? not working) antibiotic.

He is an alcoholic and has been for a very long time.
He is suicidal right now and very depressed
Can't shut his mind off, says it is going in 15 different directions, talks a lot
Thinks he might be losing his mind
Can't sleep
Throwing up, gagging a lot
Tried to drive out to work today and got to weak and almost passed out.
Has lost weight
Still drinking alcohol to sleep
Left hand is currently numb
Recently his hands swelled up/red, mainly his left hand and especially his left hand ring finger, knuckle ballooned out.
pain/tenderness in the middle of his abdomin when the Dr. pressed
Very weak
Has had a sore on the bottom of his foot for almost a year

has High blood pressure
Swelling in his feet and lower legs, redness of the skin, blue feet
Says he has not felt his feet in years
Has had his elbow swell and they thought that was celulitus
Veins in his legs are bulged out
Discoloration in legs & feet
Needs alcohol to sleep at all

[cagbgb]

Wednesday came and he cancelled the follow up visit. We did schedule the 4 wk visit to retest his white blood cell count. He stopped taking all meds except the antibiotic and nexium and is right back to drinking. Its almost like when the Dr. finally checks him and it isn't as bad as he thinks its like a green lite to keep drinking.

[ladybug52]

Meant to say wounds on their FEET, left out an important word, sorry my mind goes faster than my fingers.

[cagbgb]

Thanks. We were just pleansantly shocked but now that I am calm again all the symptoms are just crazy that he had. He really seemed like he was losing his mind and thought he was, he was so bad off. He has not felt his feet or lower legs in years and has had that wound on the bottom of his foot for a year or so without it healing at all. He just showed it to me and it seems to look a LITTLE better ...maybe because the antibiotic and the tetanus shot. What you said makes sense, a lot. We go back Wednesday so we will see what the Dr. says. Problem is I know how he usually does. He wants to stop drinking but it goes away when he feels better ESPECIALLY when his liver checks out fine he is shocked but I feel that gives him the green lite to keep doing it.

I will let you know how the Dr. visits go. Thanks Bill and Bug and everyone so much for talking to me.

[ladybug52]

I'm not a doctor, but I treat patients with wounds on their daily as part of physical therapy. Most of the people who get sores have neuropathy, meaning loss of feeling, usually in the lower extremitiies.  The parts of the body that suffer the most are the fet and hands. Weight loss and neuropathy and wounds that are hard to heal are often symptoms of diabetes, but I am NOT trying to diagnose, just saying that there may be something else besides his liver. I feel for you and know how frustrating it is to try to help someone you love. My brother died of liver failure from alcoholism and hepc and all the intervention in the world could not stop his destructive path.  Now we live with guilt because he died alone. I will pray for you, and who knows, maybe once they get his medical problems under control he will be able to stop drinking. Good luck, God bless, there's always someone here to "listen" let us know what the dr finds out.
Bug

[Bill1954]

Most of us are hear to talk and listen as well; we wish you all the best. Sounds like maybe he bought a little more time; let us know how things progress, OK?

Bill

[lostone2006]

HI I JUST READ YOUR COMMENS AND ALL I AM 32 YRS OLD AND MY DAD WAS AN ALCHOLIC ALL MY LIFE HE WAS DIAGNOSED WIH THROAT CANCER A YEAR AO AND CONTINUED TO DRINK I FOUND OU SIX MONTHS AGO HE HAD A LIVER PROBLEM HE BECAME VERY SWELLED BUT WOULD NOT GO TO THE DR. HE DEVELOPED PANCERITIS AND DIDNT GO TO THE DR TELL IT WAS TOO LATE MY DADA PASSED JULY 15 2006 I FEEL FOR YOU AND I KNOW WHAT YOU ARE EXPERIENCING PRAYER HELPS AND ENCOURGMENT TO UR HUBBY NOT TO DRINK ALTHO I KNOW HOW HARD THAT IS MY DAD HAS BEEN GONE FOR BARELY THREE WEEKS AND I FIND OUT TODAY THAT MY MOM IS IN STAGE 4 OF LIVER DISEASE IS THIS HERIDTRY IM SO WORRIED I WAS TESTED SOME TIME AGO AND MY LIVER COUNT WAS HIGH

[DragonSlayer45]

you are in a tough spot. My buddies wife went through the same things that you going through and had all the same feelings of helplessness. She wanted to leave him but could not. I imagine you will be no different. If you stay your life is miserable if you leave you will you will have the guilt of walking out on him. It is easy for people to tell you what to do but it is not an easy decision any way you slice it. Hopefully he will decide to get help he can not do it alone. He will need an inpatient treatment. The excuses will never stop they never do. They also can not do it alone. I pray for you.

[cagbgb]

I really appreciate all the posts, it does help. I am so sorry about your Dad. I hope that your Mom will be just fine. We got the lab results back today and surprise to us his liver is ok. His Pancreas ...some count was off a little it was 19 and should be 21-101 or something like that range. His white blood count was a little high so they want to re test that and his glucose count was a little high. The nurse telling me a LITTLE gave me some comfort but all these symptoms and he seems to check out better than we thought. With all of his symptoms it really shocked us. He has lost over 22lbs now in just a few wks. He stopped taking all the medicines except the antibiotic and is back to drinking.
I will keep posting. Thank you so very much. I really needed to talk.

[Bill1954]

Just a couple of quick thoughts to add. It sounds to me like you

[cagbgb]

Thank you Bill. I just needed somewhere to talk about it. I feel like this is spiraling severely. When he did not sleep for 5 days he talked a lot and told me he was done drinking as God is his witness, only to go get some beer as soon as I left, he said to help him finally sleep. I know without asking all of this has to do with his drinking a liter a day or 18 beers. We have done the AA thing in the past but right now I see nothing helping. He is spiraling is best as I can describe it. I have looked up enough info that I know what is going on and knew all these years, thats why I made the list to the Dr. behind his back so finally getting him to GO to the Dr. that the Dr. could help so I was just surprised a little. They did give him another pill I don't think I mentioned. It is a pill to help him stop drinking but he is drinking. He drank again last night, a ton of beers. This is NOT helping his health at all. I can't fix this for him, I know that. Like I said I just needed last night somewhere to go and talk and I found this website. Today is Friday and they took the labs on Monday. They told us 5-7 days and they are doing lab specifics on the Pancreas and Liver. Thanks Bill.

[Bill1954]

Wow,

First of all, this is a patient to patient forum, with no doctors present. Most of us are Hepatitis C patients, and by no means medical experts. Anything you read here should be validated by a qualified physician.

Your husband could have any number of things going on with him; it sounds as if his doctor is moving forward in a methodical manner. The blood tests should help him paint a better picture of your husband

[cagbgb]

You brought tears to my eyes. I do know what is ahead after living years of this. I feel like I am sitting on railroad tracks and waiting for the train and the impact. Many times he has said he knows he has a problem. This time with not sleeping for days he was SO desperate and said he wants to stop and he said it is a choice but than he drank the same day he told me he was done. He also told the Dr. HE was done and it was finally for HIM not for someone else. Only for him to drink last night and the night before. His excuse is he needs to sleep and the medicine is not helping. There is always an excuse no matter what you do. He has no control over this at all anymore. I know with him losing 22lbs (that seems to really slap me in the face where we are now) we are not headed down a good path. People tell me to leave him, I don't know what to do. I know if I leave him he will drink, if I stay he will drink. This is INSANE. I am calling the Dr. this morning to see if the labs are in and we will go from there. I am very very sorry you have that pain with you but KNOW that he is out of pain now, seriously ...he hated it too and he is finally NOT suffering so I hope you can find peace with that. Sometimes I wish my husband would just be out of pain.

[DragonSlayer45]

I really feel for you and your husband. I witnessed my best friend go through something very similar. He was an alcoholic and developed stomach cancer. They removed his entire stomach and 1.5" of his esophogus as a result. He became very depressed and started drinking very heavy after that. Almost straight alcohol with a little soda to add color. Everyone tried to talk to him and I even had a major argument with him where I screamed at him and told him to look at what he was doing to himself and to think about what this was doing to his poor wife. It was really hard on her. We basically watched helplessly as he drank himself to death. It was very sad, we had been best friends since we were in elementary school. Even though we lead totally different lives (he drank and I did not) we stayed very close all those years. In NJ we could not have him committed to a detox against his will which is what he needed. In the end his eyes turned yellow, then his skin until he ended up in Intensive care. I will carry that pain around for the rest of my life. The only hope is if he stops drinking. Unfortunately unless your husband realizes he has a problem and wants to get help to stop drinking you may have a rough road ahead of you. He needs to realize he can not do it alone he needs to get help, my friend said all the same things. His wife hid the keys and took his credit cards away but still he managed to find money (he had it hidden) and would walk miles to the liquor store as soon as she left. I am not trying to depress you but reading your story really brought back the feelings of what his wife and I went through. I will pray for you.