Severe Cirrhosis, any hope?

[Trembles1]

Hi,

My DF is in hospital with severe cirrhosis. He has been drinking a litre of vodka a day for 2 years. It sounds silly but none of us knew about it. He never seemed drunk. We are beating ourselves up wishing we could have intervened sooner. We phoned his DR after finding the empty bottles and he was admitted to hospital.

We've been told the liver damage is severe, with severe decompensated cirrhosis and his kidneys are struggling. I am wondering if anyone knows if its reversible at this stage? He is incredibly yellow and his bloods are unchanged despite treatment.

However, today he ate breakfast and showered with help. I'm not sure if this is him appearing better because the initial withdrawal is over, or if its a sign he might somehow survive this. We are waiting to hear about today's blood results.

The DRs told us we could be waiting on a phone call :( but after seeing him today, the optimist in me thinks there's still a chance.

Have a read of this website - The British Liver Trust. There is a lot of helpful information there, and it also has a helpline and forum.

Cirrhosis of the liver - British Liver Trust

Thank you @quizzys I may contact a nurse via the site. It seems like liver disease is very varied and dependent on the individual.

Hard to say and don’t want to give any false hope….

but my DFather was in hospital 2 years ago and I was told he wasn’t going to make it. Advanced cirrhosis, kidneys failing, brain damage from alcohol, heart damaged etc etc.

he was at deaths door and was held under the deprivation of liberty safeguarding as he had no understanding as he was hallucinating and rambling absolute jibberish.

he was detoxed in hospital and kept in while he had various treatment for different organs. Was finally convinced that this was his last chance at life and if he drunk another drop it would kill him. He hasn’t drunk since and says he’s not remotely tempted.

I think he was incredibly lucky as I was prepared by the dr that he wouldn’t make it. Had several middle of the night calls to rush over. Somehow he pulled through.

ongoing issues with liver, kidneys and heart. Thankfully the brain damage has recovered. Lots of medication for the rest of his life. But he’s here and he’s sober.

How is he OP?

My friend woke up one day incredibly bloated and took herself to hospital. They diagnosed severe liver cirrhosis affecting the kidneys too. She went into intensive care and passed away a few weeks later. Unfortunately she had also been very secretive about her problem and managing to keep other symptoms hidden up to the point of hospitalisation.

Thanks for the replies. Not great tbh. No change in bloods since treatment has started 10 days ago. It's confusing to watch as he appears better but I'm wondering if that's because he's through withdrawal now. He is very yellow, with yellow eyes, struggling to walk. They have him on these Amber drips and my fear is that they're keeping him going and when they are withdrawn, there may be a steep deterioration.

Sorry to hear about your friend. That is very quick.

Oh @Trembles1 I’m sorry to hear this. Sending you best wishes. You never know, he may be one of the lucky ones 🤞

I'm sorry to hear this. My late BIL was an acoholic whose drinking destroyed 80% of his liver. The doctors were very blunt and told him that if he carried on drinking he would die. He stopped drinking (I assume with help) and lived for several more years.

However, the damage was done, and it affected his brain. Eventually, my SIL couldn't cope with him at home and he lived in residential care for the last few years of his life.

I know this won't give you hope, but maybe help you manage your expectations.

My friends husband went through what you're describing 3 times. Only on the last time did the treatment fail and he died (after treatments 1 and 2 he carried on drinking alcohol)

So there may be hope for your Dad 🥰

Thanks for your replies and sorry to hear about your relatives.

It seems like it is so individual. We have no idea of timescales or what he might be left like.

He seemed less yellow today which is a small win 🤞 just taking it day by day.

How are things, @Trembles1 ?

My father also went through this. He had about 5 episodes where he ended up in intensive care and nearly died but came back from all of them. He was told after number two that if he gave up drinking he'd probably survive another 5 year and might be eligible for a transplant. He didn't give up and sadly died the 5th time after he was taken in to hospital with mass organ failure.

dont beat yourself up
you didnt do this to him
he did this to himself op
the liver is great at regenerating, best wishes

So sorry to hear that @surlycurly 😞 it's such a painful addiction to watch. You just want them to stop more than anything.

Thanks @Bestyearever2024 for asking. He is being discharged next week with some tablets. The DR told us the liver damage is unrecoverable. They've said there's nothing more they can do, and as he isn't reacting to treatment, he may as well be home. I have absolutely no idea what to expect.

Thanks @Willmafrockfit. I've had those angry moments at the self infliction of it, I wish he had spoken to us.

Is he eating? Friend’s father couldn’t eat and was being denied water (he was allowed a small amount, something to do with water and lungs). He was hallucinating and said he was ready to die.

I suggested meal replacement drinks, she gave him one and he enjoyed it. So she bought more.
He made a slow steady recovery and was discharged home around ten days after.

Decompensated cirrhosis is ,sadly, irreversible , and means he is nearing the end stage of liver disease - if he was abstinent he would possibly be eligible for a liver transplant (if other body systems were still functioning well enough) but I'm presuming this may not be achievable for him? Is he going to be sent home with any input from addiction services? He may possibly be appropriate for support from local palliative services but it's going to very much depend on how he reacts to this event and whether he will be straight back drinking as soon as he is home.

@RickyGervaislovesdogs he is eating but not much, he manages about half a sandwich a day at the moment. However, last week he couldn't eat a thing so that's an improvement. I will look into meal replacement drinks, thank you!

@123anotherday so the bloods show his kidneys aren't functioning very well either. Yes, he's had support from the addiction and mental health nurses and I'll ask today if they can continue working with us at home. The disease seems to affect people so differently. I've been reading 2 years max online for someone in his condition though.

He should get them free in hospital- Fortisip they’re called. They do fruit type juices and milk shake styles. I would probably try one of each depending on his tastes- as they are quite expensive.
Hope he improves OP.

@Trembles1 so hard to see someone you care about in this state , I do hope he gets the support he needs from services once he is home.remember you can get support for yourself via al-anon friends and family services.

oh yes, I’d forgotten about the meal drinks. My dad was prescribed 3 x daily and they really helped him get his appetite back.

Hi- my sister died of alcoholic decompensated liver disease a month ago. It was three year's since she was first in hospital, diagnosed with decompensated cirrhosis, possible kidney damage and told to stop drinking. She thought she would die at this point but ended up discharging herself after three weeks. She was told she would need a liver transplant which she did not want and, in fact, kept drinking vodka. The doctor said she would be dead in two to five years- he was correct.

I think the honest answer is the course of disease is variable- the doctors appear to treat the acute episodes e.g. breathlessness, draining ascites, confusion, but my sister would not engage with the long-term support. As a result, my sister was in and out of hospital, fine at other times but her quality of life continued to decline. She ended up confined to her bed as she had no balance, kept blacking out and struggling to breathe. She died as her blood was not clotting and she refused any further treatment. I am struggling with how someone so young can die like this.

It is not easy- you feel a bit like a helpless observer at times but responsible for everything. Make sure you look after yourself, make sure you express your opinions and make sure you use all the support available. I hope things turn out well for you.

Sorry for your loss @NCO99
It's so hard watching someone destroy themselves.

Oh my @NCO99 I am so sorry. That must have been horrendous to watch your sister deteriorate and continue to drink.

Today's symptom is very itchy skin. He's not had that until today.

Sounds very difficult for you. Do you know what his blood results are? INR? - this measures clotting and is a good indicator of severity of disease. I used to work in a liver unit, it sounds pretty advanced liver disease. Most likely symptom management will be the best option, I'm sorry it sounds likely his disease is too advanced to cure.
Find support for you and him, liver disease is not a good thing to go through. Is there a Clinical Nurse Specialist at the hospital? They can be really good for information and support and will have access to his specific results etc.

My partner died last year due to alcohol (and drugs) aged 35 😢
He had been drinking his whole life. His family were drinkers. He stopped eating , lost so much weight He was skin and bones .

Yet what I find the hardest part is alcohol like cigarettes , cause so much damage to people , costs the NHS so so much money and yet its acceptable. There's so many people with alcohol problems and it's just there on the shelf , ready to buy and slowly destroy your body.

I know it's down to the individual to have self control but it never makes sense how acceptable it is in life to drink when it causes so so so many lives to be destroyed and not just the person drinking it. It causes dv , money problems , family issues. Its mad that its just sat there ready to destroy a person's life.

@MagnoliatheMagnificent thanks for your reply. The DR said the bloods were very very bad. They showed his kidneys were struggling too. He didn't tell me numbers though, I will ask.

Yes the DR told us it's past the point of recovery or regeneration and he will likely decline. I'm assuming he must not require palliative care yet though or they'd have set up a care package? I'm not sure. We are working around his care between us as a family.

I am hoping GP contacts me after discharge note.

So sorry @Friend2023, that is no age at all 💔 yes, drink is advertised everywhere.