TIPS and alcohol consumption

My dad has cirrhosis and had numerous variceal bleeds this spring. At that time he had the TIPS procedure done. It has seemed to help (no more bleeds and ascites). He is an alcoholic and had not had a drink since December, but has recently started drinking again. His ammonia levels have gone up and he is starting to have bouts of encephalopathy. What will happen if he continues to drink (especially with now having the TIPS)?
Thanks for any information!

[Bob368]

I'm sorry to here about your father. My family is dealing with a simular situation. My brother is 39 and has been a heavy drinker all of his life. He's been in the hospital for over 3 weeks now. He has cirrhosis of the liver, ascites and dementia. We don't know what is going to happen next. I wanted to give you my best advice. Your father has made it through the worst part. Now he needs to stay away from drinking alcohol. If he doesn't he will just keep getting worse until he's back in the hospital. You really should try to get him to quit. Try to get him into some counseling, something that will help him stop drinking.

God Bless You

[Manda29]

Thank you for your reply. I am sorry to hear about your brother. Alcoholism is such a horrible disease. Has your brother had the TIPS procedure done? What are his symptoms?
My dad is 64 yrs old and has drank heavily for a very long time. The only reason he quit was because he wasn't driving anymore and I refused to buy it for him... but now he is driving again and that now means frequent trips to the liquor store. I have talked to him about it and now he just hides it from me (very well I might add).
In the last 2 weeks he has gained 22lbs! That's 10L of fluid!!! All in his abdomen and legs. i don't want to say I'm giving up on him... but if he doesn't care about his health, then should I?
I have my own medical problems and my health right now is number one.
Sorry- I think I have just vented a bit....

[Bob368]

My brother got out of the hospital 3 days ago. He's home now, my family and I are helping him out. He's weak and has problems walking around.
His symptoms when he went into the hospital were jaudice, pain and swelling of the abdomen,(Ascites). They drained off 10 liters of fluid for his stomach cavity one time and 12 liters another. He has been a heavy drinker of gin for 20 years. He has not had the TIPS procedure done.

I know you have to care for yourself, but I wouldn't give up on your father. You may be the only person he's got to help him. If you don't and he keeps on drinking, you know what lies ahead for him. All you can do is try to get help for him. Be honest and tell him if he doesn't quit drinking, it's going to eventually kill him. I don't know what else to say. If you need to talk more I'm here for you.

God Bless