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Posted 6/1/2006 7:24 AM (GMT 0)
My mom is only 46 years old and has been diagnosed with cirhosis of the liver. I am only 27 and not very informed with this issue so I really need some information. Is cirhosis of the liver (liver disease) if so how long will it take to get to stage 3 the last stage? They say she's in stage B, what does that mean and how long does she have. What signs do I need to look for? I'm not sure if she's going to start drinking again, she hasn't for 5 days, but she's been drinking for 15 years. I don't know what to do I am confused and very scared for her.
Posted 6/1/2006 2:45 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Dye,

Welcome to the forum; we will help you and hopefully your mother as much as we can.

Yes, Cirrhosis is liver disease and can be slowed down but not cured. Progression depends on various factors including life style choices, complications and the grace of God.

The most important thing for your Mother to do is not drink. I hope she is under the care of a hepatologist. Check the excellent resources on liver disease on healingwell.

Keep us posted.

Barb

Posted 6/2/2006 3:55 AM (GMT 0)
Dye,

Sorry to hear about your mother.  If you don't mind me asking, how was your mother diagnosed?  Also, what symptoms did she have that were causing her problems. Hope you get the info you need.

Jd

Posted 6/2/2006 4:59 AM (GMT 0)
Thank you jd for your response. My mom was diagnosed with cirhosis of the liver and just before she was let out of the hospital on Monday, they said she had liver disease. The doctor said their is nothing left of her liver. If she don't stop drinking she will die very fast. She has a chance if she stops drinking. However, she's been drinking for 15 years I don't know if that's possible and she perfers to live on the street. She had jaundice, the whites of her eyes were brown, she has ascites in her abdomen but won't let them drain the fluid, the found a mass that they think is ovarian cancer but she is too weak for a biopsy, she has edema, confused, and sleeping a lot. Are the doctors being truthfully honest to us or is she closer to death than we think?

Posted 6/2/2006 5:01 AM (GMT 0)
hello barabara my mom is stay with my lil sister for now, but she wants to go back to the street. Thank you for the information I need all the info. I can get.
Posted 6/3/2006 2:55 AM (GMT 0)
hello dye,

    welcome to the forum. Sorry to hear about your mom. Please keep encouraging her to quit drinking, but dont blame yourself if she doesnt.   Sometimes the only thing loved ones can do is hug them and tell them how much they are loved and needed,,,,the rest is up to the individual. Im not sure exactly what the drs have said,so I wouldnt know if they are not telling you the truth.  Have you talked to a specialist yet?? good luck and know ya arent alone :hugs:

trish

Posted 6/3/2006 4:57 AM (GMT 0)
thanks trish, the only thing is she won't go for her check-up and me and my sisters aren't talking and she's with my little sister and I can't see her. My uncle by marriage is my only way of checking on her. He says she don't look so good. My lil sister wasn't there at the hospital the entire time my mom was in there or even know what was said she's trying to play hero because of all her guilt. She don't even know what to expect or what to look for. I'm beyond stess, been feeling sick over all this, literally.
Posted 6/5/2006 3:06 AM (GMT 0)
Hello dye, Sorry to hear of your mother's illness and the family problems that prevent you from seeing her. She MUST stop drinking and look after herself to have any chance. But the decision is hers.
Hope everything works out for you.
Marg
Posted 6/5/2006 4:47 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks marg. We'll my aunt took me up to my sisters house the other day and she looked like she was getting bad again. Her legs were swollen and her feet, her stomach is hard as a rock. She said the water pills are not working, she hasn't been peeing. My question also is she hasn't really gone through withdrawls from not drinking and it's been 2 weeks. Is she sneaking the drinks or is she not going to go through detox? Well hope your having a great day.

Posted 6/5/2006 8:31 PM (GMT 0)
Dye, not everyone goes through withdrawal or has to go to detox. She could be sneaking drinks, but there's no way for us to know. The concerning factor is her lack of urination. It could be that she is going into kidney failure. Is there any way to get her to a doctor...the one who prescribed the diuretic?

I have a lot of foot and leg swelling, due to my liver tumor impeding the flow of blood. In this case, diuretics do not help.

Hugs,
Connie
Posted 6/5/2006 10:14 PM (GMT 0)

Hello Dye, welcome to the forum. As Connie has said not everyone will go through withdrawal. Often in advanced cirrhosis, there will be renal insufficiency or renal failure. If she is not urinating she needs to see the doctor. It is very important that your mother continue to be under close medical supervision. The most important thing is for her not to drink alcohol! Whether she is sneaking the alcohol, you may never know. You mentioned she had confusion or forgetfulness in another post, this is called encepalopathy. This is from high ammonia levels usually, it can have similar characteristic of someone drinking when actually they are not. The signs can include incoherent speak, unsteady walking, bad breath, hand tremors, hand flapping, sleeping alot and coma. These are some of the signs of encepalopathy, doctors usually prescribe Lactulose for this, in some cases antibiotics are given also. I do hope someone can get her to a doctor.

My husband has endstage cirrhosis and has the ascites (fluid in the abdomin), encepalopathy, mal-nutrition. Hopefully he will get a Liver transplant soon!

My heart goes out to you as I know how hard it is to have a sick mother, and now I have a sick husband. I will have you and your family in my prayers!

Hugs

Teresa

Posted 6/6/2006 12:40 AM (GMT 0)
thanks for the word of encouragements, teresa.  As I've stated earlier, she is with my little sister and we are not on talking terms. The only way I can see her is on the steps for 5 minutes. My mom don't want any friction between us, which there already is, but for her happiness I try to stay away. However, I feel that her living there in a house setting is worse than the street. At least I got to see her than and talk to her. She is very inactive and seems to be dying very fast right before me. I'm trying my hardest to get my oldest sister out here so she can dominate the situation. It's been almost 2 weeks since her E.R. visit and has not went for a check-up. I will put you and your husband on my prayer list, I hope it gets his transplant very very soon.

Posted 6/6/2006 7:31 AM (GMT 0)
Hello dye,
It must have been good to see your mum even though she is very ill. She must get further medical help. When I was in liver failure I had the same symptoms but after a proper diagnosis was made i was able to take medication which improved the liver imflammation allowing it to function a little better and gradually the pregnant belly disappeared. It took a while though and much assistance from medical staff and medication. She can't do it without help. Hope you big sister can take control. Hopefully your mum might listen to her and get some help. At least she's stopped drinking.

Remember the choice is hers. You can advise, pray, hope etc but in the long run, only your mum can make the choice.

Hope things improve soon. Marg
Posted 6/6/2006 3:13 PM (GMT 0)
thanks marg!!! I am praying that my big sister does help this whole situation out. My main concern is getting my mom to her check-up! It's been a long road with my mom. I left at 16 years old because I couldn't cope with her alcohol addiction. I regret it very much. Things just really fell apart with the whole family. 15 yrs. lter she's dying. i know it was going to happen sooner or later, i just wish it wasnt so soon. i havent had the chance to even get to know her. Our family since I was born but especially in the 3rd grade has gone through many terrrible terrible things. What are my chances of being an alcoholic?
Posted 6/6/2006 9:14 PM (GMT 0)
 

 

Hello dye and Welcome to the forum. Sorry to hear about your troubles.

Are you from Canada? Do you know Val (lerie)? You just remind me of her.

 

I will keep you in my thoughts and prayers.

 

Hugs,

 

donajean

Posted 6/7/2006 3:29 AM (GMT 0)
hi donajean, i'm from california my sister is named valerie, but she's from here also. Thank you for taking your time to pray for me. Hope your having an enjoyable day.
Posted 6/7/2006 9:18 AM (GMT 0)
Hello dye,
Despite all the things that have happened to your family it should not make you an alcoholic unless that is the choice you make. You can't change the past either. Be grateful for the time you have now with your mom. You had good reasons for leaving home when you did. It was her choice to drink and ultimately her choice that you left. Don't blame yourself at all. Though this is easy for me to say. Sadly we always have regrets when it is too late.
Hopefully she'll take advice and continue to have medical assistance. You may have for a long while.
Marg.
Posted 6/7/2006 4:59 PM (GMT 0)
Well I know the ultimate choice of drinking will be mine, so I hope I make the right one. Sometimes when life gets too difficult I do desire to drink and sometimes I fall into the trap. So, that's where my fear comes from. I never really had a relationship with my mom, but I care because she is my mom. I don't know why she hates me, but she always has. I am in school and doing good so I keep pretty busy. Well I hope all is going well with you, have a great day.

Posted 6/13/2006 3:18 AM (GMT 0)

Dye,

I can only imagine the pain this must be causing you. I am so sorry that you must endure such pain from your mother.

My 42 year old sister-in-law is an alcoholic with end stage liver disease from

cirrhosis. She has 2 daughters ages of 22 and 20, she has been heavily drinking since the age of 15 or 16. It is a miracle that her beautiful girls were not born with fetal alcohol syndrom. Her father was a severe drinker but she was not raised by him. I believe that Debbie's choice to drink was partly due to things that were done to her when she was a teenager that she has never been able to gain closure on and it just eats at her. My sister-in-law nearly died about a month ago from total liver failure. We are in Texas and her oldest brother and myself along with both of her daughter's live in and around the Dallas/Fort Worth area. Debbie was living in Houston with her mother and had been for most of her adult live. Debbie did not raise her children, the oldest was raised by her grandmother on the father's side. The youngest was not so fortunate, the grandmother felt she could not handle both girls and Samantha (the youngest) was stuck living with her mother for awhile then her father, she lived with her father's brother and finally when she was about 11 years old she ended up back with her mother. With no place to live and ended up having to go live with my mother-in-law, who didn't want Debbie living there and sure did not want Samantha. Debbie sent Sam to live with a couple from her aunts church who would only take her if they could adopt her. That didn't work out and she ended up back with her father. Debbie's drinking has been a terrible hardship, embarrassment, humiliation, frustration and any other negative word you can think of, for the family. She has never had a good relationship with her girls and if she is talking to one she has to be mad at the other. Both of her daughters have the same problem that you mention about drinking, when things are going very badly with their mom or dad they tend to drink more than they should. We constantly remind them that they have a genetic disposition to becoming alcoholics too. But hopefully, they will seek help with the terrible childhood that they were forced to endure as a result of their mother's drinking. We can only pray and be there for them. It is very difficult for them now because they both felt hate for their mom but having to face her impending death is very difficult for them. They realize they do love her and wish they could tell her and find closure with her passing. This is impossible with her continued drinking and now that she was released from the hospital no one knows where she is living.

We are here for you.

Bev

Posted 6/13/2006 4:29 AM (GMT 0)
Well I can honestly say I can relate to the two girls. It's like when we decide to drink it's not a conscious decision, it's natural I guess that's why they say it's hereditary. Sometimes I let the alcohol win me over, however I do know when to stop. It's once in a blue moon when things get really bad I'll have 1 or 2 drinks. I don't go anywhere. The girls should really seek some counseling. At my school they have free counseling and let me tell you it really helps. If it wasn't for that a few semesters ago I don't know what I would have done. My life hasn't always been great, so I'm very determined to make my daughters the best I can. The girls should know that their mom loves them and she knows they love them. Like I never told my mom I love her, bought her a card and even know when she's so ill I can't even give her a hug. It's a mixture of not knowing how and hate and resentment that I have for her. She chose a bottle over her children, we had to raise ourselves. She prefers the street over us. I'm pretty sure your sister-in-law is probably in the same situation. I don't know why they feel like they have no responsibility. My mom thinks we owe her were suppose to give her things. Its nice to finally have someone that really can relate to what I've been through and what I feel. Nobody gets it when I say I have a lot of hate for my mom and its hard love her. I care for her strongly so I assume their is love for her. I can't say the words, but I will write them. The girls really need to express their problems to someone they don't know, get it off their chest. My e-mail is [email protected] they are more than welcomed as well as you. thank you so much you have really touched my heart.
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