Hubby has tests this week

Hubby will be having endoscopy tomorrow late afternoon.  Praying for improvement and/or stable from 13 months ago.  Last time it was noted he had very small varices that did not require banding and also gastropathy.  We will see what a year of no alcohol and propranolol has done for his condition. 

He won't be taking his morning meds tomorrow.  When he had a colonoscopy 6 months ago he had very low blood pressure (without the meds) and had a difficult time coming out of the anaesthetic.

Then on Saturday he will have blood work and ultrasound.

I will post back how it all goes.

Emma

Emma, I'll bet his tests all show major improvement--may even be normal! Will be looking forward to hearing about the results.

Zero, how are you doing these days?

Hugs,
Connie

I've got them crossed for you as well. Extra hugs, Carol

Thanks for the well wishes. I will be leaving work in about an hour to take him to appt. Will post an update later tonight.

Emma

That's true Connie. So he had 50 weeks, then a slip. On the recount he is at 89 days. I don't want to forget about all the hard work it was to get to the 50 weeks, but know that we are counting over.


So, endoscopy is done. Varices and gastropathy are stable from a year ago. I am seeing the glass as half empty. I was hoping that with the year on the propranolol that the varices would have gone down. So, his GI doc is going to have us up the monitoring of blood pressure and HR for the next month. Depending on those, he may tweek his bp meds. Or bring him back in for banding.



I am feeling disappointed. I know that he is in better shape than many of the patients here, and I am mindful of that. But for right now today, I feel sad about this. Not overwhelmed like I felt a year ago when he was first dx, but still sad. Things have been going so well, especially this last month since he quit his bar job. I guess I was feeling too free of all this. Anyway.



So, next up - ultrasound and blood work on Saturday morning. Should have blood results on line by Sunday night. It's back on my knees for praying...



Emma

Post Edited By Moderator (hep93) : 12/5/2011 10:07:17 PM (GMT-7)

Thanks Connie. 

I am much calmer now than I was when we first got back home.  I was just so hopeful (I am always hopeful and chipper...that is when I am not worrying!)  I do know that it's not the worse place we could be.  The doctor isn't sure if he can increase his bp meds since his heart rate is in the mid 60s.  Doctor doesn't think there is much room to work with on increasing the dosage, as he doesn't want the HR to go below 60.

Thanks for the spelling corrections!    I wish HW had a spell check or would underline when words are not right. 

You always are here for the posters.  Thank you so much for that.  It is noticed and appreciated.

Emma

Emma,  I read your posts on Hubby's labs and endoscopy and have 2 thoughs.

First, maybe it isn't so bad that there is a daily reminder that he didn't get off booze with NO lasting problems.  Could it discourage further relapse to KNOW damage was done and more WILL be done if he slips again?

Second, regarding low resting plus rate.  Mike was on nadolol, not propranalol but similar, before and after transplant.  He takes his BP each morning and if the pulse rate is below 60 he skips that day.  If over 60 he takes the med.  Maybe there is something in that regime that your doc would consider.

Things going well here, mostly.  Mike more involved in Christmas preparations than in years, though we are having a low key holiday. We got some stuff out of the attic... together...there is a  ladder involved and when I just didn't have the strength to move the piece of sheet rock over the hatchway, he was able to climb up there and yank it loose!

Hugs,

Carol

Post Edited (MamaLama) : 12/6/2011 8:37:20 AM (GMT-7)

Emma, that's wonderful that you can see such a change in your hubby. If he stays on the right track (sober), I'm sure there will be many more to come. He is becoming the person he was meant to be.

I also am having a problem with low BP but high HR. I only take my BP med if the systolic is 120 or above and the diastolic is not lower than 50. However, most of the time my pressure is quite low, but the pulse is 100 or better. Surely there must be a med that addresses only the heart rate and doesn't lower the BP! I am going to ask about this when I can get with my TC, who has not been at work for 2 days.

Hugs,
Connie

Hi Mr. E.

Hubby is doing well. He has good energy levels. Not sure where the jaundice will be...will have to wait for the blood work this coming weekend.

The biggest things/health improvements have been that he goes to sleep and sleeps all night. Before, he was up for a couple of hours every night...would go to the couch, watch tv, read...and have another drink (or two) to try and sleep. We didn't have ANY IDEA that sleep disturbance was a symptom of liver disease. Also, he would gag/dry heave almost every morning. He hasn't had this since he stopped drinking...NOT EVEN ONCE! Also, he would have days where he just couldn't get out of bed. Just too darn tired. This is a thing of the past too. And, bloody noses. He was getting those more often and they would take a very long time to stop. Since he stopped drinking he has only had one...and that was in the first week of no drinking. And it didn't bleed as long as the others.

So things are certainly better than when he was first dx. Still crossing all the fingers and toes and saying lots of prayers that ultrasound and blood work will all be good.

You know, Connie always tells posters that regular doctors, GPs, internists...whatever we call them don't really know much about liver disease. All the things that I just described...sleep issues, bloody nose, fatigue, the gagging. Husband had been to internist many times over the 4 years before dx complaining about all these things. We were steered to an ENT to check his throat, the internist wanted him to have a sleep study to see if he had sleep apnea (and my husband said over and over that isn't the problem) he had a previous mammorgram because he got the "man-boobs". Never once did the internist suggest liver disease.

SO---listen to Connie! She knows what she's talking about!

Mr. E-I hope you are still not drinking and that you are enjoying your family. You haven't posted for a while. I was hoping we would hear back from you that you had finally been to the doctor...have you? Take care.

Emma

Emma thats great that your husband has such a positive attitude. I hope that he can reach all of his and your goals. I know that I am getting better every day living a healthy lifestyle.He sounds like a nice guy. Hope the best to the both of you!

Emma thats excellent news, both improvements and at least some stability.  Its a shame about the varices - but who knows - as has been said - they may help in a strange way so long as they remain safe.

Yes - I am off the booze forever, it is 1 year and 7 months.  I dont count - I just know when I stopped.  This is Christmas number 2 without it - no problem and more enjoyable (for everyone if im honest).

No - no doctor.  Varices and the potential thereof worry me, tiredness I can live with just about and the red palms are there.  Once or twice a week - very very light nausea for half hour or so.

Does your husband stick to a healthy diet as well as staying off the booze?  I dont - I cant get into a routine - but am starting to wonder if it would help me feel better - because if your husband does stick with a good diet - then maybe I should too.

Best of luck with your tests this weekend - heres hoping his and your efforts yield good scan and blood test results so that you can both relax some over Christmas.

E

 

Mr. E,

Congrats on the 1 year 7 months. That's the best thing you can do for your health.

Hubby and I follow a decent diet. I have eliminated all salt from cooking. He adds it to his food at the table. We eat red meat once a week. His GI hasn't hammered him on that one. We eat lots of fresh fruits and veggies. He also likes fresh fruit smoothies. Fruits and veggies are the largest part of our grocery bill. There is not enough room in the frig, and there is always fruit on our kitchen counters. We rarely dine out and even less than that do we have fast food. Hubby likes the sweets and has a small dish of ice cream almost every night. I don't say a word about it, because I am certain that it is a replacement for the alcohol. And I know we need to decrease the amount of fat in our diet. We use olive oil for cooking, but we also have too much butter. Since he quit his job, hubby has been taking a walk almost every day. 30-45 minutes. So, we are trying to be as good as we can.

Thank you for the well wishes, very much appreciated.

Another thought on the doctor---if you are afraid of varices, it is important that you be tested. To be sure there are none. If they are present, your doctor can band them. You can be prescribed BP meds to help prevent rupture. Our doctor has told us that bleeding varices are life threatening. This would require an ambulance call. Our doctor has said that there is a 50% chance of dying from bleed varices. Get yourself to the doctor. Get treated if you need it. You will feel so much better, and will be doing both yourself and family the best you can.

Emma

Waiting on test results.  One has come in so far.  CBC.  Except for platelets, everything is in normal range.  Platelets are 124.  16 points below normal.  This is lowest it has been since his dx.  At that time they were 95.  So, I feel my inner nervous nellie coming out.  I am hoping this is not a bad sign of the other tests that are to come. 

Emma