worried about mother

Almost two years ago, my mother (now 77) was diagnosed with cirrhosis of the liver after an sudden and dramatic episode of esophagal bleeding. She had no symptoms prior to that, apart from osteoporosis and a bit of fatigue, both of which we put down to old age, so we were very shocked.

Mom has never been a drinker, and the doctors are unsure what caused her cirrhosis.

She has been relatively stable since her diagnosis, and has been having followup appointments to check for esophagal varices and to put bands on when necessary. At her last appointment (July 2007) she needed no bands, and her most recent bloodwork tests (October 2007) were within "normal" limits for someone with her condition, except for a low platelet count. The only medication she is on is beta-blockers for portal hypertension.

This past week, however, she has been feeling "lousy" (her word) with a very poor appetite, no energy, some flu-like aches and pains, and dark urine. She has had short bouts of this before, but not lasting this long. She has been eating better the last couple of days, but is still complaing about feeling tired and rotten and having dark urine. She has a doctor's appointment scheduled for next Monday, but needless to say I'm worried sick that it might be her liver finally beginning to fail in earnest.

This started without warning the morning after Easter Sunday dinner. She actually had a similar bout the day after Easter last year, but she was okay after a day or two. (We think that bout was caused by drinking coffee that was too strong.) I am wondering if this has something to do with eating holiday meals and upsetting her liver with rich food. We had ham for supper last Sunday, but she only had a very small piece...but she also had a piece of lemon pie for dessert, and other things we don't normally eat, like asparagus.

Can anyone shed any light on what might be going on? Having to wait a whole week for her to see the doctor is going to wear me down. I'm ten times more worried than she is...but then I simply cannot bear the thought of losing her.

Many thanks for your encouraging comments, dansbrother. Mom has no confusion...in fact, her mind is sharper than a lot of people's her age. And she has not been complaining about swollen ankles. She also has a good attitude and never gets into a state like I do, so that is probably also in her favor. 

Maybe I am over-reacting...I have a tendency to push all the panic buttons when someone I care for shows any signs of illness. I've lost count of the number of times I've made myself literally sick with worry and then been proven wrong, so you'd think I'd learn my lesson. Anyhow, I am hoping and praying that this bout will ease off and she'll be OK again for awhile.

Thanks to everyone for your helpful and compassionate responses!

I agree about the Internet, dansbrother -- sometimes too much information is worse than not enough, especially when so much of that information is conflicting. I have actually stopped looking up informaton about cirrhosis on the Net as it just made me feel ten times worse.

I don't know how much of Mom's liver is still functioning, but I do know that it is a very resilient and forgiving organ, and that people can actually have liver damage for years and not even know it because they have no symptoms.

Mom is gradually feeling a little better, and actually went grocery shopping this morning. She still feels "blah" and is having dark colored urine, but her appetite is slowly returning. I know that she can't ever be completely normal again, but as long as she is functioning I guess that's something to be grateful for.

Thanks again!

Thanks, 1Shelly1!

I have another question for anyone who might know the answer. What is the difference between fibrosis and cirrhosis of the liver. When Mom was first diagnosed, the specialist told her she had fibrosis of the liver. Is there a difference, or is it just two names for the same condiiton?