It's been a long day and night

Ang, I was thrust into the caregiving role for my hubby, in April 2013. He was discharged from the hospital after a week with no diagnosis given to me. It wasn't until the day after discharge I noticed him sleeping all day, which went into the next day. At that point, I rushed him in to the ER, due to him gazing with a blank stare into the sky. He wouldn't respond and when he did it was very blank and flat, but never made eye contact. When I got him to the ER, that was when they told me about his ESLD and HE (hepatic encephalopathy) diagnosis. I too, felt all hope was gone. The doctors fed him Lactulose like it was his last drink of water. Slowly, he started coming to, slowly. We (family, friends) all got with him prayed and gave plenty of encouraging words to him. He eventually came to, but had no knowledge of what went on the day before. We had to make out a timeline of the events that occurred within that time. I actually had to go back to the beginning of the month, as he barely remembered that. He did remember losing a really good friend on April 10. That is really the only thing he remembered. But I will tell you this, Ang, he told me about an experience he had with God where he told God he was ready to give up. He said God told him he wasn't ready for him cause his job here on Earth is not done, so in turn, he was given a second chance. He also said he never second guessed what God told him, and he knew then that God had him in his hands.

On July 13, my hubby received his new liver. Prior to transplant his MELD score was well over 40. 40 is liver failure, but he is still here. I know that God has a plan for all of our lives we just have to let him use us. Even when all hope is gone, I hold on to the fact that God is in control, and he truly has a plan for our lives. Please tell your mom she has to hold on to life she is too young to lose hope. Tell her to there is hope, but she has to take control of her life and with everything in her she has to pull through this. It is not always the end until she stops trying.

I'm here if you need help and encouragement. I have plenty family and friends who encourage me daily. My hubby's name is on several prayer list and pray daily for him. I have had several pastors and deacons go to the hospital and pray for him, and what do you know he is pulling through daily. His liver enzymes are trending down daily, AST 29 and ALT 69 bilirubin is 1.9. I am not sure what regular/normal is but it just seems like those numbers are wonderful, being he was in the 2 and 3 hundreds and bilirubin was 30. So I am saying all of that to say, God is able to turn all situations around when you believe. I am here if you need me :)

Tasha

Hep93, true words!!!  It does help and keeping a positive attitude even in the midst of the storm helps!!!  I also believe wholeheartedly, attitude is everything

Tasha

Ang, have they drained her belly at all (paracentesis?)

Hugs,
Connie

My feelings are much the same as Connie's on spirituality. Anyhow I thought this relevant to the question of why the suffering.

"The most beautiful people are those who have known defeat, known suffering, known struggle, known loss, and have found their way out of the depths. These persons have an appreciation, a sensitivity, and an understanding of life that fills them with compassion, gentleness, and a deep loving concern. Beautiful people do not just happen.

But pain insists upon being attended to. God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pains: it is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world." --C.S. Lewis

I think Mr. Lewis nailed it,
Ziff

Post Edited By Moderator (hep93) : 7/27/2013 9:16:34 PM (GMT-6)

 Ang, Why are the docs not doing paracentesis? All that fluid build up has got to be uncomfortable for her. Although the procedure itself is a little unsettling and uncomfortable once it was done I felt 100% better .

 Ziff