Update--Dad with Hep C

Hi everyone, Hope all is well!

Just wanted to give an update on my father. Things continue to go well thankfully. He is trying his best to stick to a good diet and not drinking at all.

His skin is no longer yellow and he seems to have more energy than he has in years. My grandmother (His mom) came from Texas to spend the next couple of months with him.

When he found out he had cirrhosis his entire family was treating it like he was dying. So my Grandmother came to spend "the end" with him. Just goes to show the perception of people! Thanks to this board and all of you, I now know better than to consider this a death sentence

My only question is why is he getting better (Not complaining!) but the cirrhosis doesn't go away so what is the cause of this? Could stopping the drinking turn things around?

Thank you guys!

____________________

LS: I made your title more clear. ML

Post Edited By Moderator (MamaLama) : 3/9/2014 10:17:09 PM (GMT-6)

Music to my ears...so happy for you all. Enjoy every minute with grandma :)

Thanks everyone!

I truly am happy to see things this way when just a month and a half ago my family was all but saying their goodbyes. I think the bigger picture of this is that it was an eye opener for many people in my family that have that "occasional drink" My brother who was headed down the same path just stopped drinking cold turkey a month ago. Learning experience...

And Connie sorry for starting another thread. I thought I was adding to the other posting but did it through my phone and by accident pressed post new topic instead of reply.

No problem, LS.

Does a fish really drink a lot? Hmmmm. Things to ponder when you're bored.

Hugs,
Connie

 Yep, There's always a light at the end of the tunnel you just have to be willing to go the distance to get to it.

 Ziff

Hi Everyone,
Wanted to stop in and catch up on some reading on the board. Always so much information to be learned and I truly feel for those new people that come on here. But at least we are all in a place that is so helpful.

I also wanted to give an update on my father. Things are still better than they were a month ago as he is still moving around and doing things for himself. However, the last couple of weeks I have seen a slow but steady decline. Every time he sits down he puts a heating pad on his stomach as it is always sore and a bit painful. He said it is there daily. But has been the case since this whole ordeal.

Also, his jaundice seems to be coming back. Not nearly as bad as it once was but noticeable nonetheless...My mother is starting to become concerned and fearing he might be headed back the other way.

He is still sober but I think he slips up on his diet every once in a while. Perhaps eating some foods he should not. But overall he has been careful. Eating a healthy breakfast which he never did before. Drinking more water and pomegranate juices.

I'm wondering if this is just par for the course as I know there will be good and bad times down the road, or if he is going down the wrong path? He doesn't have a follow up until December.

I think the last month we have all had a false sense of "back to normal" and have take for granted he is doing better, but we lose site of the fact that things are not the same. But I want to make sure things do not go bad. I will monitor him and see how he looks in a few weeks. If I see a further decline I will take him in.

On another note, I am beginning to worry about my brother now as well. This as well as other problems have taken a toll on him, and instead of learning from it he seems to be using alcohol to cope. He is drinking at a fast pace. Nightly and finishing bottles of hard liquor in a week.

I read that this doesn't always come with age but rather how much you consume in a matter of time.

Post Edited By Moderator (hep93) : 10/14/2013 3:17:53 PM (GMT-6)

Connie, I didn't want to say it because I am trying to believe that he is staying sober but the thought of him having a drink here and there did cross my mind. He is with his friend (A drinker) all day as they are working on projects. I am scared he is around temptation. I really hope that this is not the case. If I see anything out of the ordinary I will have an honest chat with him. But I really hope he is being honest to us and himself.

Being around a drinker every day is not a good idea for someone who is newly sober. Heck, I'm 27 yrs. sober and don't like to be around anyone who is more than a social, occasional drinker. While I'd like to think that your dad is not imbibing, his symptoms tell me otherwise. He is not turning yellow for no reason. With his liver being in poor condition, it wouldn't take much for it to flare up again, and alcohol will do it faster than anything else. I have been with people who were sober but drank again. I know you'd rather not believe it and make excuses or ignore it, but that is simply denial and enabling,

Hugs,
Connie

Well, At first glance of your post I though this is great news!!! Maybe it still is. It's probably just a bug or something like that. You need to make sure there is no blood being passed along with the diarrhea. He starts bleeding and off to the ER you must go. Unfortunately we are more susceptible to viruses due to our lowered immune system. I personally keep away from people as much as possible and do my best not to touch door handles in public places during flu season. This stinking disease has made me a germaphobe. Sorry you've been getting nailed at work but it's nice to be needed, huh? Load your dad up with some Ensure or something of that nature to keep him from wasting away. Do keep us posted at every chance you get.

Ziff

Post Edited By Moderator (hep93) : 11/20/2013 10:55:14 PM (GMT-7)

Hey LS,

Just wondering how dad is doing, and if it just turned out to be a bug or something. Did you find out if he was sneaking the drink? I was just thinking that the reason he may want nothing to do with hospitals it because of the blood labs that will show ethanol if he has been drinking.

Mae

So great to hear from you LS!! My hopes is that you had a great Thanksgiving. My family certainly did. It's hard to know if your dad is slipping a drink here and there. I know what you are saying about your mortality and work. I learned so much from Mike as he faced this disease. Thanks for stopping in.

Sandia

LS, That's a very good way of looking at life and work, wish I had picked up on that 20 years ago. So many things lost never to be recovered in that relatively short span and the majority due to work. While being a divorced father trying to maintain child support and a reasonable existence for myself. I let my health, My daughters emotional needs and my own love life take a back seat. We all do what we HAVE to do and yesterday is gone. We hopefully learn from our mistakes or those of others and move forward from that point no matter where in life that epiphany hit's us.

I'm glad your pop is feeling better now and getting around. I'm a History buff myself so I can appreciate his like for that channel. Hope you guys had a great time during Thanksgiving and hope the test come out good for dad. Don't forget to keep us posted of how he's coming along.

Ziff

Great news! A positive update.