ER Trip

Just got back from the ER with DH. You may remember my last post about a new cirrhosis diagnosis? Well, after 10 days, was so uncomfortable that another drain was needed.

Labs today came back with a bilirubin of 6.1 (was 6.9), creatinine of 1.24 (almost the same) and INR of 1.7, which brings his MELD to 21 according to the Mayo calculator. He Is feeling so much better (other than fluid retention), and am REALLY surprised that his score jumped that much. WBC was high, and they thought about keeping him overnight, and would have if they could have pinpointed the infection in abdominal fluid.

Can someone PLEASE explain INR in layman terms? I never have had that # before. Is it called something else?

Thanks, Folks.

Maybe I should have specified we don't know WHY his INR jumped and bilirubin dropped? These #'s are going to drive me nuts!

1,000 mgs a day, huh? We will do it (that is down from 2,000 mgs/day we were shooting for). They bumped up both of his diuretics, hopefully that will help.

He hasn't gone to AA since last Saturday, though is still sober. I want to strangle him. He doesn't "get it" that going sober on this journey will only help in the now, and documentation is needed down the road. He says he's going tomorrow, Sunday and Monday.

Thank you for the response while you have your own things going on...Prayers from MinneSNOWta.

Post Edited (Martijean1) : 10/3/2014 8:57:12 PM (GMT-6)

Marti,

This is on him. He certainly sees how sick he is.

And he has a chance to get some of his life back if he complies.

I am so sorry he has not yet fully embraced his recovery. But day by day. He has decided to go the next 3 days and that is on him. He will or won't.

And either way, you have your life to live...oh but that we could control all the pieces of this world.

Mike was so sick when he agreed to go to AA. He was at deaths door and they wanted him to detox at a center and I could hardly imagine him off somewhere dying with strangers in a setting that likely could not manage his medical condition. I cried a river of tears.

Finally he agreed to the AA and agreed to a weekly ethanol draw...to fully document his sobriety. No mouthwash with alcohol. NO ALCOHOL SWABS AT THE BLOOD DRAW! He was 0 everytime.

I think he was sober and stayed sober on his own BUT it was the meetings that convinced him he was a good person who was sick from the disease of addiction, and that he deserved to get well and live.

I went to some Alanon meetings myself where I learned that his journey is his journey and I own my journey. Tough stuff. I think I should be the ruler of the world. Not so... And I learned good people die...often. our time here is measured.

Feeling all your pain.

MamaLama

The sobriety requirements are actually serving two purposes. One is to increase his chances of survival. Two is to demonstrate his/her willingness to comply with the program. The first is common sense, Alcohol kills a damaged liver. The second gives the doctors the comfort of knowing the patient is serious and will do what is required (Not a waste of time and resources).

Sometimes ascites can be controlled effectively by prescription meds. Other times it gets beyond that and surgery has to be performed to avoid it. Time is needed to allow the body to heal and often combined with the proper dose of diuretics, diet and tenacity he can overcome these issues. Time..... Time is not on his side. This is no joke. Every ounce of time must be used to reach the goal of pre-transplant requirements and anything short of that will be a death sentence or postpone a chance to make a new life for himself.