Aa
when is his liver going to give up?
Hello all. My husband - the 44 year old alcoholic who won't acknowledge it - with acloholic liver disease, cirrosis, swelling, jaundice and a weird smell on him even though he showers because he itches like crazy. Looks awful, very pasty coloured, papery skin on legs, bruising, freezing cold all the time. It's a beautiful day here in south Wales (UK) and there he is in several layers, a great big fleecy jacket and wooly GLOVES!!! I'm in a sun-dress.
He has hepatic encepholepathy (I always spell it wrong, sorry), and won't take his medication properly. He is also back drinking Guinness. He was out of hospital for a day and he's back on it. He is staying with his mother tonight and I've just spoken to him on the phone and he is very negative, was rambling has obviously drank today and was slurring terribly. I was told another drink could kill him. That was 2 weeks ago. He's been drinking up to 5 pints of Guinness a day for over a week. I'm at the end of my rope and don't know what to do. Any advice and although I know it's hard to give a time scale but does anyone have similar stories of relatives/friends and how long did they last? Love nana xxx
He has hepatic encepholepathy (I always spell it wrong, sorry), and won't take his medication properly. He is also back drinking Guinness. He was out of hospital for a day and he's back on it. He is staying with his mother tonight and I've just spoken to him on the phone and he is very negative, was rambling has obviously drank today and was slurring terribly. I was told another drink could kill him. That was 2 weeks ago. He's been drinking up to 5 pints of Guinness a day for over a week. I'm at the end of my rope and don't know what to do. Any advice and although I know it's hard to give a time scale but does anyone have similar stories of relatives/friends and how long did they last? Love nana xxx
I have been tested for Hep C, and fortunately I tested negative.
The Dr.'s think that he picked up the Hep C from a surgery that he had in the early 80's. Since they didn't start testing the blood supply for Hep C until the early 1990's he probably got the disease from the blood transfusion that he had during his surgery. He was not a needle user, but he did use cocaine for a period of time. So who knows......
As far as his pain killers, he has been using them for about 3 years. His feet started swelling back in 2001 and at first the Dr.'s thought it was Gout. Unfortunately, the medication that is given for Gout is not very liver friendly and he started to feel worse. That is when they did extensive blood testing and found the Hep C. His foot pain got progressively worse, and some stupid Neurologist started him on the Oxycontin. Of course, my husband never admitted that he had a drinking problem otherwise rhe Dr. probably would not have started him on it.
Once he was diagnosed, I went to work full-time so that we would have health insurance to take care of him. At one point we had him on the list for a liver transplant, but they did random drug and alcohol testing and caught him drinking. Needless to say, he was promptly removed from the list. That was last March. He went to Rehab in April, but came back and started drinking again. Sometimes it is difficult for me to tell if he has been drinking or if he is just confused. I have to go with my gut instinct which says that he has been drinking. As I posted earlier, I have found where he stashes his bottles and I know when he is replenishing them.
My apologies, I did not mean to ramble on but I thought a little history was in order. My husband, like Nana's husband, is very head strong and does what he wants no matter what the consequences. All we can do is keep the rest of the family in order and try to take care ourselves. I'm finding out every day that you cannot help someone who won't help themselves. It still doesn't make it any easier. In the end, people like Nana and myself will pick up the pieces and move on.
jjaz
The Dr.'s think that he picked up the Hep C from a surgery that he had in the early 80's. Since they didn't start testing the blood supply for Hep C until the early 1990's he probably got the disease from the blood transfusion that he had during his surgery. He was not a needle user, but he did use cocaine for a period of time. So who knows......
As far as his pain killers, he has been using them for about 3 years. His feet started swelling back in 2001 and at first the Dr.'s thought it was Gout. Unfortunately, the medication that is given for Gout is not very liver friendly and he started to feel worse. That is when they did extensive blood testing and found the Hep C. His foot pain got progressively worse, and some stupid Neurologist started him on the Oxycontin. Of course, my husband never admitted that he had a drinking problem otherwise rhe Dr. probably would not have started him on it.
Once he was diagnosed, I went to work full-time so that we would have health insurance to take care of him. At one point we had him on the list for a liver transplant, but they did random drug and alcohol testing and caught him drinking. Needless to say, he was promptly removed from the list. That was last March. He went to Rehab in April, but came back and started drinking again. Sometimes it is difficult for me to tell if he has been drinking or if he is just confused. I have to go with my gut instinct which says that he has been drinking. As I posted earlier, I have found where he stashes his bottles and I know when he is replenishing them.
My apologies, I did not mean to ramble on but I thought a little history was in order. My husband, like Nana's husband, is very head strong and does what he wants no matter what the consequences. All we can do is keep the rest of the family in order and try to take care ourselves. I'm finding out every day that you cannot help someone who won't help themselves. It still doesn't make it any easier. In the end, people like Nana and myself will pick up the pieces and move on.
jjaz
You also need to get tested for Hep C.Does your husband have a hx of drug abuse?
Walter
Walter
As strange as this may sound, It's nice to know that I'm not alone. Of course, I would rather not be going through this - I'm sure that you wish the same.
My husband has very swollen feet, and 2 weeks ago he had to have fluid drained from his belly. They extracted almost 4 liters! He constantly complains about his feet hurting (he has a neuropathy of his feet) and, of his back hurting. Not only does he drink, but he takes pain medicine (oxycontin) for his feet. I'm sure that the oxycontin is probably not the best thing for him to be taking. He also has Hep C. The bad thing about his drinking is that he says that he has stopped drinking, but I keep finding little bottles of whiskey hidden. I know where he stashes them and I can tell when he has been replacing the bottles with new ones. I had hoped that after his last hospital stay, it would have been enough to scare him straight. Unfortunately, it did not. Right before he went into the hospital he was sleeping alot - 14 to 18 hours a day. He was okay for a day or two after he was released from the hospital, but now he sleeping alot again.
I'm sure that we can help each other get through this and stay sane in the process.
Stay sane and stay strong!
jjaz
My husband has very swollen feet, and 2 weeks ago he had to have fluid drained from his belly. They extracted almost 4 liters! He constantly complains about his feet hurting (he has a neuropathy of his feet) and, of his back hurting. Not only does he drink, but he takes pain medicine (oxycontin) for his feet. I'm sure that the oxycontin is probably not the best thing for him to be taking. He also has Hep C. The bad thing about his drinking is that he says that he has stopped drinking, but I keep finding little bottles of whiskey hidden. I know where he stashes them and I can tell when he has been replacing the bottles with new ones. I had hoped that after his last hospital stay, it would have been enough to scare him straight. Unfortunately, it did not. Right before he went into the hospital he was sleeping alot - 14 to 18 hours a day. He was okay for a day or two after he was released from the hospital, but now he sleeping alot again.
I'm sure that we can help each other get through this and stay sane in the process.
Stay sane and stay strong!
jjaz
Hi - I've been off this for a while because I was exhausted at trying to make sense of it all. Yes, Jaz, our situations have spooky things in common.
My husband doesn't acknowledge he has a problem but I KNOW he knows that he does. He's told me not to cremate him and often talks about dying but in a comical way. He has drunk about 50 pints of Guinness this weekend. Unbelievable that someone has the capacity to drink that much and not get or seem drunk. He doesn't pass that much water though and it's a funny colour. Like algae. When he poos it's like a series of small explosions and it's all black and stinks. He isn't taking his meds at all any more so is swelling up daily and starting to shake more and more. His gums are now bleeding again. The pain he is in every evening is terrible. His back. I don't think it's muscular as his legs won't work. It might be his nervous system - I don't know. I'm just going on what the doctors told me the last time he was in.
I'm watching him go downhill every day and I'm sure that soon his body will have to shut down because of what he's putting it through. ~The little bit of liver he has left must be screaming. I'm carrying on as normal but it was his birthday on the 2nd and I can't see him lasting til Christmas let alone until his next birthday. He's 45. It's obscene.
I'll be back online later. Thanks for your message. Sorry you are going through it too. God what a mess! xxxxxx
My husband doesn't acknowledge he has a problem but I KNOW he knows that he does. He's told me not to cremate him and often talks about dying but in a comical way. He has drunk about 50 pints of Guinness this weekend. Unbelievable that someone has the capacity to drink that much and not get or seem drunk. He doesn't pass that much water though and it's a funny colour. Like algae. When he poos it's like a series of small explosions and it's all black and stinks. He isn't taking his meds at all any more so is swelling up daily and starting to shake more and more. His gums are now bleeding again. The pain he is in every evening is terrible. His back. I don't think it's muscular as his legs won't work. It might be his nervous system - I don't know. I'm just going on what the doctors told me the last time he was in.
I'm watching him go downhill every day and I'm sure that soon his body will have to shut down because of what he's putting it through. ~The little bit of liver he has left must be screaming. I'm carrying on as normal but it was his birthday on the 2nd and I can't see him lasting til Christmas let alone until his next birthday. He's 45. It's obscene.
I'll be back online later. Thanks for your message. Sorry you are going through it too. God what a mess! xxxxxx
You are in my thoughts and prayers. I too, have been struggling with my husbands "death wish". He is a little different in the fact that he pretends to be doing all the right things: goes to AA meetings in the morning and Celebrate Recovery meetings on Friday evenings. Its all show and I know it.
It is so difficult seeing someone you love throw everything away. He has also been in and out of the hospital - 2 visits in the last month. Has your husband talked about his pain, or about the fact that he does not want to go on? The other night my husband told me that he thought that he was dying and told me that he wanted to be cremated when he dies. It just crushed me to hear him speak like that. I'm sorry, I don't mean to go on about me, but I think that we have a lot in common. I KNOW what your going through! Maybe we can console each other, and remind each other of the other things in life that are important - ourselves and the other members of our family.
Lots of Love!
jjaz
It is so difficult seeing someone you love throw everything away. He has also been in and out of the hospital - 2 visits in the last month. Has your husband talked about his pain, or about the fact that he does not want to go on? The other night my husband told me that he thought that he was dying and told me that he wanted to be cremated when he dies. It just crushed me to hear him speak like that. I'm sorry, I don't mean to go on about me, but I think that we have a lot in common. I KNOW what your going through! Maybe we can console each other, and remind each other of the other things in life that are important - ourselves and the other members of our family.
Lots of Love!
jjaz
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