Hi Everyone,
This is my first time posting, and I'm hoping someone can give me some insight on my friend's condition.
She has been an alcoholic for many years, and is now in, I am assuming, end stage liver failure. She has very little contact with her family, and no one is helping manager her care. She was recently in the hospital, but checked herself out when they told her there was nothing more that coudld be done for her, other than a transplant. Her drinking has continued up until very recently, and her condition is so bad that I don't think she could ever survive the surgery even if she could qualify for a transplant (which I doubt) or live that long.
She is anorexically thin, like a skeleton, but looks 8 months pregnant due to the swelling in her abdomen. Her skin and especially her eyes are very yellow with jaundice. She is extremely weak, it's hard for her to walk across the room without help. She vomits even the smallest bit of food that she tries to eat, can't keep anything down and has no appetite anyway. She is now coughing and wheezing a lot, I'm not sure what that could be from?? Would she develop pneumonia?? She is disoriented also, and living alone. Some friends are stopping by to help her, get her to eat, walk her dog, etc. but she adamantly refuses to go to the hospital. And her family wants nothing to do with her. Since I am just an old friend and not a family member, I have no way of speaking with her doctor to ask how much longer she has to suffer like this... I know she is on a lot of different medications, including antibiotics and lactulose... not sure of what else.
If anyone has any insight into this situation, I would so appreciate any information or advice. I am in the dark here and trying to help her!
Thank you so much.