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Father has Alcoholic Liver Disease, but gets good and bad days. Very confusing.

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Posted 4/2/2013 11:54 AM (GMT 0)
So my Dad is a life long heavy drinker and is now a text book alcoholic. He suffers from anxiety and depression and drinks to cope with that. He's had symptoms for years (in retrospect) but has got a lot worse in the last 6 months.

He has jaundice (yellow in his eyes but not particularly skin), fatigue, confusion, mood changes, loss of appetite, vomiting and weight loss. He doesn't seem to have fluid in the abdomen. He is due for ultrasound tests but keeps missing them because he is so ill. Blood tests have revealed his gamma enzymes (or something) are off the charts.

Here is my issue. He will have alcohol free days and get better, get up and do things and sort his life out a bit. Then after a few days to a week he will crash again and seems on death's door. Is this normal? How severe is his illness?
Anyone else gone through a similar experience?
Posted 4/2/2013 12:49 PM (GMT 0)
Sky

So sorry to hear about your dad but stick around for the others to welcome you and weigh in, there is so much info to be absorbed here and you will learn more than you ever wanted to know about liver disease (which is what your dad is facing, if he doesn't already have cirrhosis).

I jumped in here to let you know that folks are ready and willing to help. To get started, do you know if your dad has been to a gastroenterologist? Has he been diagnosed with, or tested for anything like hepatitis?

It is crucial that he abstain from alcohol at all costs. Those symptoms you describe are just the beginning if he continues down that drinking path. The fluid in the abdomen that you mention will come in time and the other symptoms will get much worse, some you haven't even seen yet.

The good thing is, if he has alcohol-related damage to his liver, it can be arrested and the liver can actually heal itself if there is enough healthy tissue left, provided that the alcohol stops.

It helps to know how much damage there is, and this is best done with a liver biopsy, from what I understand.

Has your dad tried AA yet? Has he sought help for the depression at all?
Posted 4/2/2013 2:51 PM (GMT 0)
There are many members on here who have alcoholic cirrhosis. So you should be able to get some good advice and information.

I will agree with Mae that abstaining from alcohol can lead to signficant improvements in health. My cirrhosis was due to an obstruction that was occurring for years. Once it was diagnosed I was told that my issues was very similar to that of someone who drank alcohol. Now that the obstruction was gone, I should see signficiant improvement in health (which I have) and as long as I take care of myself, diet, exercise, do not drink and watch my tylenol and some other medication intake that I should not really have any other issues. Also I was told my liver will heal itself to a point, and they think I will die from old age before liver issues.

As I said though, we have members who can guide you with more insight as they have been through it personally.
Posted 4/2/2013 6:47 PM (GMT 0)
Hi, Sky, and welcome to the forum! I'm sorry your dad is ill with liver disease. Is he still drinking at all? He needs to know that alcohol is a depressant, so it does his depression no good and makes it even worse. There is medication for anxiety and he'd be better off getting a prescription for that than continuing to drink.

His first stop could be a gastroenterologist, though he really should get a referral to a hepatologist, a doctor who specializes in liver diseases. He most likely needs an MRI with contrast and a liver biopsy, at the very least. Blood work, also. I would suggest that he find a hepatologist at a large transplant hospital, to get the best care now and be prepared if transplant should be needed.

Can someone go with him to the doctor? Literally drag him there if necessary. Without those tests listed above, it is impossible to know just how badly his liver is damaged.

Certainly, his health will improve if he stops drinking. If he needs help in doing this, get him to AA meetings.

Hugs,
Connie
Posted 4/4/2013 1:57 AM (GMT 0)
 Hello Sky , I'm a recovering alcoholic with severe cirrhosis . My liver is still functioning but not enough to do it's job adequately , I have to basically be very careful about food and take medications to compensate for that damage .

 I've been coming here for a few years now and help out when I can and particularly with the alcoholic cirrhosis folks . I think you'll find we are a honest and informative bunch here . Alcohol induced liver disease can have a unique set of issues all to itself . Overcoming the addiction and fighting to stay alive from the effects of liver disease is really hard , It can be done but it will be no walk in the park . I was given a maximum of 3 months to live by my doctors when I first was hospitalized . I've came close to death a few times but managed to keep going through to now going on 5 years . Quite a few over the years have sadly died fighting since I been coming here .

 If your father has the will to live and learn how to stay alcohol free he stands a good chance of enjoying the rest of his life . He must put down the alcohol for good or he will only speed up a very painful death spiral . He must deal with the sickness and go to all his appointments , Being too sick to see a doctor is no excuse ( Ambulance if needed ) . His family doctor will not be suffice as Connie mentioned and he should be seeing a G.I doctor at the minimum until he gets a referral to a Hepatologist . Assessing the damage he's done to his liver is priority one so he knows what he needs to do to live .

Please feel free to ask questions and I'll check in a bit more frequently should you have more questions of me . Connie ( Moderator ) has been down this road of alcoholism and can be your best source of medical info . I wish you the best and tell your dad there is hope and help he just needs to apply himself .

 A. Ziffle      

 

Posted 4/4/2013 2:18 AM (GMT 0)
Yes, I am a sober alcoholic (26 1/2 years now.) I tried detox 3 times, but would go back out and drink. With the help of AA, I stopped drinking when my life was a mess and I saw myself becoming like my mother, who was a lifelong alcoholic. I went to meetings 5-6 x a week the first year or so, and then 3-4 x a week for decades.

Fortunately, when I was diagnosed with hep C, I had 7 years sober. I developed cirrhosis and HCC as a result of hep C, not alcohol. So that was never an issue when the time came for transplant.

I hope your dad will put down the drink, and get help if he has difficulty with that.

Hugs,
Connie
Posted 4/4/2013 11:22 AM (GMT 0)
Sky,

Those of us familiar with the horrors of ESLD (end stage liver disease) from alcohol is bad enough and often leads to the need for transplant, but those who have ESLD from Hepatitis are in a worse situation. After transplant, the hepatitis starts attacking the new liver. So your dad is fortunate that he can do something about it and can have a much more rosy future. He has all the classic symptoms, and there are even more severe ones to come if he continues.

Because your dad can stop drinking and arrest the damage done, his liver may regenerate if he has healthy tissue left, and in the worse case, he could possibly be eligible for transplant but needs 6 months of documented sobriety. So if he stops now, he may be healthy enough in 6 months to even be evaluated for TP. The TP centers are very strict on this documentation too. He needs to stop NOW, just to have a chance.

I won't go into the horrors of cirrhosis, but I'm sure you have a pretty good picture. And yes, you can be feeling fairly well one day and the next be nearly comatose from HE (hepatic encephalopathy). Is he on any medications? The best thing for you to do is get him to a specialist ASAP and stay with him. Sometimes ammonia levels make them fuzzy and they don't remember a whole lot.

Ciao for now
Posted 4/4/2013 11:35 PM (GMT 0)
Sky would you consider introducing your dad to this forum, firstly just to read what some of the guys & their loved ones go through. I have chronic liver disease & alcohol related hepatitis, I have I face just been given a big buch of flowers from my hubby as its 1 year today my journey to sobriety began, I too would do the things that your dad does. What u need to give him in my opinion is Tough Love, tell how it is, at this time he will be in denial. Show him pictures of a damaged liver, no antibiotics can cure your liver, people on here are fighting this disease to stay alive and live a good life with their family. Looking back over the past 12 months I get angry with myself, I lost my driving licence DUI, fined heavily also. I could have gone to jail or even worse killed someone. My stomach went to so so big I couldn't bend over. The guys here are fantastic I wish I new about the forum before I got to knocking on deaths door, glady no one was home that day. Please be tough he will call you, hate you, you name it. But one day he will love you for it. I know a few people who don't want to upset their loved ones, my husband guilt trips himself all time with IF ONLY. If shuch a little word with a being meaning. I wish you well & your Dad of course. Hang on in he will thank you.


Regards

Sue (Liverpool) Eng
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