New Member, My heart is breaking.

My husband went into the hospital last week in liver failure, with slight confusion, acute edema, ascites, low Albumin; no jaundice, no pain. He is an insulin dependent diabetic.

He has been undergoing 80mg of Lasix, 3-4 Lactralose a day, and Albumin.

He was diagnosed with Hepatitus C, Cirrhosis - essentially end stage. This is the first episode, although I now know things had been building up and about two months ago, the edema was very acute, then became worse. He was misdiagnosed with a root cause of Hypokalemia - treated with Lasix, and pain meds. The misdiagnosis continued until last week when I switched hospitals.

They have said they are going to release him to rehab, to see if they can rebuild some strength before they can begin Hep C therapy. I am scared to death I am going to lose him. Can anyone give me any insight into what I might expect? The doctors say end-stage, but rehab is positive, right?

I know he will ultimately need a transplant, if he's eligible. I am willing to move heaven and earth to get him there. He doesn't drink alcohol very often, and never really has.

Thank Mer,

My husband rarely drank as a matter of course, I've actually never seen him drink more than two glasses of wine at a sitting. I just meant that alcohol wasn't a contributing factor in his overall health snapshot. Alcohol is off the table for good, as is red meat and salt!! He doesn't smoke, or do anything really - his worst contributing habit to liver disease would probably be food.

Luckily he loves fresh fruit and vegetables, I am going to consult with a nutritionist to come up with a healthy food strategy when he gets home, and ask about some of the natural supplements I've read about - like Milk Thistle. I've been wondering if there's any benefit to some natural or homeopathic solutions that could work in an ancillary position with the medical treatments. He has been having some anxiety, and I told the doctors I do not want him on ANY drug that can impact his mental acuity, in any way. The encephalopathy scares me more than just about anything else, barring losing him.

It's been a roller coaster for sure, and it's only been 5 days - last night I was sure he wasn't going to be okay enough for rehab - today he was mobile, sharp and asking about our business. I was elated.

Thank you, Mer, for the warm welcome. I know I will be using this site as a great resource - I already found some valuable insight into how to speed up Disability. Bear with me, I haven't had much sleep - but I plan on sticking around. Over the last two nights, this site pretty much saved my sanity.

Hi SS,

I too am a caregiver of a Hep C hubby. He was infected in 1970 and has been living his life every since. Unlike your man, he WAS a regular drinker, though he gave up drugs the same year he was infected. Perhaps if he had not continued drinking he would not have gotten into the condition he was in in the fall of 2010.

But 6 months of AA, a lot of lactulose, lasix, spirolactone, xifaxan, etc. plus no beef, low salt, lots of fruits, veggies, whole grains, beans, etc. and HE lived long enough to be evaluated for transplant. A donor liver became available 24 days ago and here he is, in our living room, contemplating the rest of our life, with his shiney new healthy liver.

His liver function tests are normal. His mental acuity is BACK. Though he is very weak and recuperating from a 13 hour surgery!

Now we pray the Hep C doesn't come back too soon or that if it does, the new treatments become available for post transplant candidates.

Good luck. Sounds like he has 50% of the race won...having a partner willing to help him do whatever it takes to keep him alive.

Carol aka Mama Lama

Post Edited (MamaLama) : 5/23/2011 7:43:09 PM (GMT-6)

ITA with David.

Also, check out the Hepatitis Resources folder at the top of the main page.

Hugs,

Connie

Hello Shell shocked just wanted to add my welcome to HealingWell....So glad you found us.

Mer and all the rest have already given you some great advice. Just know you are not alone.......we are here for you.

Take care........thoughts and prayers.......

Don't forget to take care of yourself. Once my husband received his liver and everything seemed to be going our way - I broke down emotionally and have been seeing a psychologist - for anxiety and clinical depression. I am feeling better now - I'm hoping my lesson learned - will help others.

Lasix and spironolactone (Aldactone) can be hard on the kidneys.  When I saw my kidney function (creatinine and BUN) increasing, I reduced my dosage to twice a week and halved the Aldactone.  That seems to have worked for me.

Hugs,

Connie