Could it be Cirrhosis of the Liver???

Question

Over the past 10-15 years my mom has gone from social drinker going out on Fridays to a sheltered and depressed woman who drinks alone daily- With nothing more on her mind than wanting to be dead. In the past 2-3 years Ive seen my mother go from bad to worse and everything in between. She just recently came down w/ a kidney infection that left her in bed for 2 weeks--And she denies it, but I know she was drinking even then. Not a day passes when she hasn't vomited or almost dropped to her knees in pain. She also suffers from bulimia on top of her alcohol addiction. She's constantly bleeding and claims it's just hemorrhoids, but everybody assumes otherwise. She's 54 years old and looks like a 65-70 year old woman. Although I hate to admit it- I can tell by looking at her that she's slowly dying... She's now past the point of being saved. Im just wondering if anybody knows of any really good websites I could go to to find out the signs and symptoms of Cirrhosis of the Liver--OR if anybody can share their experiences on the subject....ANY input is encouraged and greatly appreciated.

Answer 1

I am really sorry to hear what you are having to go through with your Mother. I had my unfair share of troubles with my Mother abusing pain medicines and not taking them like she was supposed to do.

I, too, tried rehab for my Mother and it doesn't work for people

that do not want to be cured. So, until they admit that they have a problem and that they want help or possibly a cure, there isn't much you can do, other than to make your Mother

comfortable. It is really hard to say just how much longer she

is going to be with you, considering that she doesn't want help

and she is continuing to drink.

Please allow me to offer my condolences about your Mother. It is really hard on children to know just what to expect the alcoholic to do or how the child(ren) can just make their Mom more comfortable. I hope that you will never turn to liquor as a solution to any problems you may have because it is nothing but a cop-out for extremely weak people that don't want any help and since this is a serious disease they are almost always beyond any reason whatsoever. This is a serious illness not to be taken lightly.

Best of luck to you, sweetie. This isn't your fault and there is nothing that you could have possibly done to prevent this from

happening. My heart really goes out to you.  Ã¢Â™Â¥

These web sites may provide some helpful insight to you as to what is going on and what may possibly happen in the near

or distant future.

http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases...

http://www.medicinenet.com/cirrhosis/art...

http://www.webmd.com/search/search_resul...

http://www.merck.com/mmhe/sec10/ch136/ch...

And I also found this page that is informative as to how to tell if someone has Cirhossis of the Liver:

The most common symptoms of liver cirrhosis are:

Weakness

Loss of appetite

Weight loss

Dark skin color

Intense itching

Confusion

Nose bleeds

Breast enlargement in men

Fluid retention in the legs and abdomen

Fluid retention occurs because the liver decreases its production of a protein called albumin. When the blood level of albumin decreases, fluid retention occurs.

Jaundice

When the liver's production of bile is compromised, bile can back up into the blood, causing the skin and eyes to turn yellow and the urine to become dark.

Gallstones

The abnormal production of bile causes gallstones to develop.

Blood Clotting Difficulties

The liver makes certain proteins that help the blood clot. When the proteins aren't made properly, the blood doesn't clot properly.

Esophageal Vein Bleeding

Esophageal Vein Bleeding occurs in advanced cirrhosis.

What Causes Liver Cirrhosis?

The above topics and information can be found at:

http://www.mamashealth.com/stomach/livci...

I know this is a lot to absorb, but I am hoping you will find something here to help you get through the rough days and nights as being the child of an alcoholic parent.  Ã¢Â™Â¥

Answer 2

From what you're describing I'd say there's about a 90% likelihood that it's cirrhosis.  The bleeding would indicate that it's fairly severe.

Unfortunately, if you can't get her to stop drinking the prognosis is very poor and she is probably looking at less that 5 years.

On the other hand, the liver is very resilient and while scar tissue from cirrhosis won't heal, most of the remaining "good" liver cells will repair and she can recover - IF she gets treatment and stops drinking.

Answer 3

Apply for the show Intervention... or get your  mom into help ASAP!!! Her life depends on it!  

Answer 4

It could, but, then again, it might not.

Consult a physician before asking strangers on the net.