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Dad with Cirrhosis

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Posted 9/23/2019 2:20 PM (GMT 0)
Hello,

First off the history on this forum has been a great resource for me, so thanks to everyone who’s every posted and helped out.

I am pretty well read on this stuff (now), but have a few questions

Dad has alcoholic cirrhosis. Classic ALT/AST ratio, lifelong drinker, hospitalized a few years ago for internal bleed, super low hemoglobin (4) , etc. After the hospital AND after a recent trip, in which he probably couldn’t drink as much, blew up with fluid (on lasix and spiralactone but iffy on compliance), could that be a sign of withdrawral? Basically instead of getting sick or seizures, loading up with fluid? Talking 20-40lbs here in a weeks time.

Also, as with many, lots of up and downs, mostly downs. Independent, but struggling. Zero appetite. Muscle wasting. Ferritin levels came in at around 1300, above the normal range of 200. The way I understand it, in a case like this, is it’s directly related to current drinking? Considering hematochromatosis could probably be ruled out? And, those levels, are they independently dangerous or more just a signal of what’s going on? Had recent hernia repair. Ascites gets bad if not on meds now.

Thanks
Posted 9/27/2019 2:51 AM (GMT 0)
Hey, I'm sorry for your dads current condition. I see you make no mention of a specialist doctor. Hepatologist are the ones your dad should be seeing. I am a surviving non practicing alcoholic. I had severe edema and reoccurring fluid build up. Long story short, A year of concurrent sobriety and enormous paracentesis during that time. Muscle wasting and lack of desire for food caused me to go from 220lbs to 145lbs over the year of verification of sobriety. I was given 3 months max survivability once diagnosed. MELD score for transplantation at that time was 28 and I was running about a 30. Went into coma for a couple weeks and woke up in ICU. It's been 12 years or more since then.
It's a brutal process to meet, Being alive enough to reach the goal but near dead enough to qualify for real action to stave off death. I at end of my evaluation was given the option for T.I.P.S due to the frequency and volume of fluid being removed from my abdomen and low MELD (18). I took it with full knowledge of increased Encephalopathy and a 50/50 chance of dying on the table. I'll sum this part up with a simple statement. I have lived and being alive is not just surviving, Breathing every day is no existence for human or animal. I had the will to live. Not what most people face daily but a gut wrenching hardheadedness to beat the odds. May you and your father be well and prepare for a fight.

Regards,
Ziff
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