Worsening condition

I think hubby is worse. He is looking bad and sleeping more. Yesterday he told me that he had diarrhea and could not control it...Made a mess 2 or 3 times. I asked him if he wanted me to call the Dr. and see what they could do and he said no. Then in the next breath he said, you and I need to get out of here for a couple of days and just talk. I said, what do you want to talk about and he said we'll talk when we get there. I have a funny feeling about it and think he's wanting to discuss more end of life things he's been thinking about. Even though he's not running fever, could the diarrhea be a symptom of SBP with his ascites? I don't know how concerned to be about that or if it's just a part of his liver shutting down. Any thoughts on all of this? It's been on my mind all day........Thanks!

Sadwife

If your husband is just drinking alcohol and not eating, that is probably the cause of his diarrhea.  He's not on Lactulose, is he?  You can try rc's suggestion or the BRAT diet (broth, rice, applesauce, dry toast) to get it under control.  It could be that the ascites fluid is infected.  If he would get tapped (drained) they would test the fluid.

Why would you need to go away in order to talk?  It doesn't sound like he is in any condition to be going anywhere.  However, it's always good to have a talk about his wishes for end of life.

Hugs,

Connie

His diuretics may need to be increased, but ask the doctor about that.  If he continues to have diarrhea, make sure he is drinking enough water or he can become dehydrated very easily.  They like to control edema and ascites with diuretics.  Only when that doesn't work and the fluid continues to increase will they consider draining.  And when drainings become too frequent or they're not getting enough fluid out, they may suggest the TIPS.

Hugs,

Connie