I have numerous health problems....just diagnosed with stage 4 liver cirrosis

[blondy7761]

I am miserably exhausted and  frustrated as docs in this town refuse to treat me and i feel so awful all the time due to fibromyalgia and DDD....I have only medicaid insurance so and hardly any dr,s here will accept it...I recently started swelling up all over and that makes the pain much worse. I can barely walk and need to know if this is due to the cirrosis or what??? My GI Dr says getting a transplant would be difficult given I have other health issues. He says i may live 5 years.(without one)...I am tired of suffering and almost ready to give up. Any advice would be helpful. Thanks, Teri

[rpooo]

Hi Teri,
I too have end stage cirrhosis diagnosed 03-23-10. SuzG has offered good advice that will make a difference for you. The medical term she was looking for is called ascites. Since your liver is no longer function very well anymore diet is going to be very important for you. A low sodium low fat diet is what you need. 5 years is the average life expectance for a person with stage 4 cirrhosis. I suspect this could be why your doctor mentioned this. You should be aware that many people can live another 20+ years with cirrhosis. It all about how far along you are at the time of your diagnosis and how well you take care of yourself. What testing was used for you diagnosis? Ct scan or biopsy?

Also what is the cause of your cirrhosis? If it is alcohol then you must stop drinking immediately. There is a lot of information I can share with you to help you begin to feel better.

You should be taking a multivitamin every morning but choose it carefully. You need one that is designed more for seniors because you don’t want ne that offers iron.

Also B-complex will quickly help you begin to feel better.

next if you have had an endoscopy done and your diagnosed with varices then vitamin C /rose hips is very helpful.

Your body also is no longer able to filter out toxins very well and so you should be eating plenty of foods that are high in anti-oxidants.

As the toxins build up in your body daily exercise is helpful and stretching. The muscles will begin to ache and when you do exercise the blood flow to the muscles increases and helps remove the toxins that is causing the ache. Please consult your doctor before beginning any type of exercise.

Also you mentioned you have other health problems I assume you take medication for this as well. Under no circumstances should you take any pain medications. Not even headache pills. These medications metabolize in the liver and cause inflammation as they irritate the liver causing the cirrhosis to progress.

I hope this will help you out. I if you have any other questions feel free to post or you are more than welcome to email me. I hope the best for you Teri.

Randy

[SuzG]

Sorry to hear of your misery Teri. Stage 4 cirrhosis is no picnic, ever! You do need medical attention, the swelling may be fluid build up - this can be drained (there is a medical term, but cannot remember it) fairly easily and it can help the discomfort. You also need to take all salt out of your diet because it causes fluid retention. Also take red meat out of your diet. You would benefit from the prescription lactulose. Make sure your bowels move, drink plenty of water. Even with Medicaid, you should be able to find medical treatment for some of your symptoms.