Is this an end stage to liver disease...

My mother is almost 60-years-old, and is an alcoholic. She was diagnosed with cirrhosis of the liver 10 years ago. Over the past couple of years, she started showing signs of the disease - bruising, legs swelling, bad circulation, jaundice, etc...

A couple months ago she was admitted to the ER  for low sodium levels, which then turned into low magnesium and potassium levels too. She was released, but since then can't seem to keep any levels stable. She's 5'2 and is down to 98 pounds...maybe lower now. She's jaundice, gray, no muscle, disoriented (not sure if that's alcohol though), and has low sodium again. Her doctor has told her to go to the ER for evaluation but is refusing.

Is this the start of the end??

Hi sbdancer, welcome to the forum. This is a great place to get heaps of knowledge as well as support. My husband is also an alcoholic and suffering with end stage liver disease. What Connie said is so true, especially if she keeps drinking. My husband (Ben) stopped drinking for 2 years when he was first diagnosed with cirrhosis of the liver and he still had many bad days but some good too. The only propblem is he went back to drinking. Now he has basically dug his own grave. I think he was so scared of dying that he started drinking again to hide his fears which doesn't make sense to alot of people but did to him. Now I care for him in our home as he refuses all treatment also. Over the last 6 weeks he has deteriorated heaps to the point where he is going blind, can't walk without me helping, doesn't eat, can bairly talk, very weak and tired, passing blood and bleeding from the mouth and jaundice like I have never seen. Two days ago our doctor came to the house to see him and now suspects he is internally bleeding. It is a huge mess. He is only 34yo, I am 30yo and we have a 15yo son and 18mth old baby. This site has been my god send. People around me don't fully understand and the feelong of isolation and helplessness is overwhelming at times. At least here you can vent and get support and ask questions and other members are very knowledgable and open to share with you so I hope you find this helps you also. It is so hard on the ones watching our loved ones go down this track, so make sure you take time for yourself whenever you can and take care of you too.

Krista xxx

Sbdancer, your spelling of ascites was correct. I think the doctor wasn't entirely accurate in his statement. I had ascites and edema the first time I had liver cancer and a revision of my left hip replacement...but not now, and I have liver cancer again (which is necessitating a transplant.) They got the fluid under control with diuretics, which I still take twice a week.

I completely understand your pessimism about your mom staying sober on her own. I know I couldn't. Even when I got involved with AA, it took me 8 mos. of relapsing before finally surrendering and admitting that I was powerless over alcohol. And that was 25 yrs. ago. I never could have done it without AA. In fact, I know very, very few who have. Some turn to religion, which seems to work for them.

I know that you must have heard your mom promise to quit drinking a dozen times or more--and she didn't. There's no reason to believe her now. But if she's serious about living longer, she needs to quit.

It sounds like her doctor is being very upfront about her disease and what lies ahead.
Be sure to check out the Caregiver thread where you can vent and get lots of support.



Hugs,

Connie

Sorry to say, it doesn't sound good.

Thank you for the update.

Hugs,
Connie

Sb, I'm sorry but not surprised...and I suspect, neither are you. I can tell you that when I was about 43, I cut off communication with my mother (she was in her mid-60s then and we were over 1,000 miles apart.) She continued to drink and lived to be 81. I only found out about her death a year after it happened. At that time, she was living in a NH, so I'm sure she wasn't drinking then...but had been until then. I couldn't believe she had lived that long.

Hugs,
Connie