When is it too late for rehab?

[Tinker35]

My daughter and I found this site over a year ago, when her dad (my ex) was in the hospital. We learned then that he had severe liver and pancreas damage from many years of drinking. He spent a week in the hospital, 2 months sober, then another year of heavy drinking. He was rushed to the ER last Thursday, and nearly died that night. He was bleeding heavily from his esophogus. He now has 7 bands keeping the veins from bleeding. He is now deep in the DT stage: confused, delirious, very angry and hostile. His BP is dangerously low, the nurses can't leave him alone because he tries to get out of bed and falls, restraints will make him more agitated. The doctor has said that IF he makes it through this, any alcohol at all will cause his blood vessels to swell, the bands will break, and he will bleed to death within 30 minutes. Calling 911 would be futile. The doctor is talking about rehab. At what point is it too late for rehab? From what I understand, he is in final stages of liver disease. Will rehab actually extend his life, or will it cause him to die in a strange place-surrounded by strangers, instead of his family? Our kids are 24 and 20, and they are struggling with the rehab idea. We all tried to get him to go the last time, and he refused. He is much, much sicker now. If he only has a short amount of time left, the kids want to spend time with him.

[Tinker35]

Randy,
Mark's MELD score today was 13. Does that tell you anything that may help us know what to expect? Misty has the breakdown from the lab results. Let me know if that would help you help us.
He also learned that he has Hepatitis C and he is in on the "low end" of Stage 4 Cirrhosis.

[rpooo]

This is definately good news! I really hope Mark can do it this time. He sure has been through a lot and so have all of you! I hope the very best for you and your wonderful family!

Randy

[dominosarah]

This is great news!  Hopefully he takes a bed wherever one is available.  I also hope he dumps that thing he is married to.

[Tinker35]

Mark is out of ICU, and steadily improving. He told his doctor that he is afraid to go home, because he doesn't trust himself not to drink. He now has 3 choices: Go home without rehab, go home and wait until a bed is available in an inpatient rehab center, or go out of state to a rehab center that has a bed. He has told his doctor to find a bed, and he doesn't care what state it is in!
It will be hard on Misty and Nick, but it will be good for Mark to get away from his wife while he is trying to quit drinking.
His doctor told him today that if he drinks at all, he will be dead within a couple of months. If he doesn't, he could live for years! That was a surprise, and the kids are thrilled.
So now we wait and see what happens. If he keeps improving, he should be discharged later this week.
Thank you all for the prayers and kind words. Things are starting to look up!

[dominosarah]

I would have Nick and Misty get ahold of Human Resources at the hospital and tell them their concerns.   They are his children and have a right to know. I would also let them know the doctor is ignoring them.

Mark knows his time is coming Tinker.  I remember my dad talking to me about things too.  He and my brother talked about different things.  We had the emotional attachment and i believe that is a father/daughter thing.  

Keep us posted, we are here for you~

[Tinker35]

Nick just got home after spending all day with his dad. Mark is doing better today. The MRI showed no head injury. The doctor said that the confusion/anger/crying is a combination of withdrawals and Adivan. They have cut back on the Adivan, and he only gets it every 12 hours now. Nick said that he still had some confusion today, but it was much better than last night. The bleeding is his sinuses "leaking" blood, and the doctor said they may need to cauterize (sp) the vessels. He got another unit of blood platelets today, his 6th unit since he was admitted last Friday.
Misty figured out today (from talking to his nurse) that her stepmom is getting regular updates from the doctor, but she isn't sharing that information with his family. The rest of us have no idea what is going on. Misty has repeatedly left messages for the doctor to call her, but those messages are being ignored. We have no idea what the labwork/blood tests show. We don't even know if the doctor is offering a prognosis.
All we know is that he seems to be much better than yesterday, and the kids are feeling like they are riding a roller coaster now. They are afraid to be optimistic, but aren't going to give up if Mark is still fighting.
Last night, Mark had an emotional talk with Misty about his impending death. He never mentioned it to Nick today. I honestly have no idea.
Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers!