The final stage of liver cirrhosis

[Unregistered]

I often wondered what was the final stage of liver cirrhosis since my mom had it. She was NOT an alcoholic. All her liver problems was due to her Hepatitis B and clotted of the bile ducts. I had tried to research the information on the Internet but was not very sucessful. Until I found this website, I found it to be very helpful and gave hope to my family. But in May, I finally got to see the end results of liver cirrhosis because she had passed away. So now I wanted to return the favor by passing my past experiences to a person or other family members who has a loved one with liver cirrhosis and hope it would help them.

That Friday, before she passed away, she was fine. She EVEN did some baking with me. But the following day, she got a little confused. She put on her make-up and painted her nails and thought she was going to see the doctor. Yes, she was going to see the doctor but not until the upcoming Thursday. I just thought she forgot what day it was. She also had some illusions of the couch being on fire. I checked her temperatured and it was 99. I thought she was dehydrated so I forced her to drink every 15 minutes. A couple of hours later I checked her temperature again and it had drop. By Monday, she got worst. She lost all her muscles movements. Her blood pressure was 70/40 so we rushed her to the ER. The doctors placed her in ICU. They said she had two infections in her blood but can not found where it was coming from. The doctors tried their best to cure mom but by Wednesday she passed away at the age of 68. It was not the first time she had the blood infections she had two a month before and even then they did not know where the infections were. Even though I missed her terribly, I know she is in a better place with no suffering.

My point to all of you is DO NOT ASSUME ANYTHING!!!!!!!!!!! BE AWARE OF INFECTIONS!! All my thoughts and prayers are with you all.

[ronii6]

I am sorry to hear about your mother, my father as well is at the end stages of cirrhosis of the liver. He was taken today to the emergency room and is now in the ICU. He collapsed at a friends house and was bleeding profusly from the mouth and nose. An anuerysm has busted either in his esophogus or his stomach. He now lies in a hospital bed with tubes down him and has had a blood transfusion. He is in so much pain and it breaks my heart to see him this way. I am at wits end investigating on line just hoping that some one will tell me what might happen next. I know when he goes he will be in a better place and there will be no more suffering but, it doesnt make it any easier. God bless.

[Unregistered2008]

Dear ronii6

I am sooo sorry to hear about your father. It is NEVER easy to see a loved one in so much pain when all we wanted to help them. Your father, you, and your family are in my prayers and thoughts. Hope he is still with you and with less pain. I don't know what is ahead for your father since everyone's experiences are different. From my mom's experience, the end result of liver cirrhosis was jaudice (yellowing of the eyes).

Best wishes!!!

[ReneeWager]

My step father passed away April 22nd of this year to cirrhosis of the liver due to alcoholism. You know, no matter how much you search and read on line, the fact of the matter is, it doesn't prepare you for what's going to happen. His choice of drink vodka - and a lot of it - at least a gallon every other day or so. And wine, he liked his wine. Last week my mother walked into the office where her and my stepdaddy worked and she was stopped in her tracks by his appearance. She said it was like looking death in the face. She said he was yellow, like the deli mustard, and his eyes weren't white anymore, but yellow. And he looked frail. And apparently he started losing muscle control in his legs that week as well. A friend of his had to help him at the post office because he had fallen. He was starting to become paranoid and making rash decisions. Something that my stepdad would never do. He had the IQ of a genious. (Wonder why someone that smart couldn't figure out that drinking was killing him.) That's when my mom called his biological children and told them (again) that their daddy was very sick and they should come and see them. Thank God they did. They spent the whole day Saturday with him. He could barely walk, but he made it through the day without falling. On Monday (April 21st), he lost total control of muscle in his legs. Every time he tried to stand up he would fall. He kept telling my mom "If I can make it to my car, I can drive". RIGHT! NOT! My mother had a co-worker call 911 and an ambulance came to take him to the hospital. His blood pressue was so low, the cuff wouldn't measure it. He had a lung collapse due to the pressures of the build-up of fluid in his chest and stomach. He was due to be drained the next day. The doctor came in and told him that if he wasn't responsive within 48 hours of administration of the medications, that there was nothing that they would be able to do for him. My mom said they talked the whole day. They were making plans of moving the office to the house so that they could continue running the business while mom cared for him. After all this was well over his 5th or 6th trip to the hospital and he went home each time. Why wouldn't he go home this time??? Mom said he was lucid while they talked. Unfortunately, we later found out that he didn't understand what he was saying. And most of what he was saying was untruths. Not that he was lying, but maybe he really thought that he had taken care of things or said things or done things, when in fact, none of it was true. How were we to know? He was talking normal. And it wasn't anything off the wall. Just untruths. My mom stayed with him until 11:00 that evening. She kissed him goodnight and said "I'll be back in the morning". He responded with "I'll be right here". She said "you promise?" and he said "yes". When she got to the hospital at 6:45, she walked in to a room full of nurses. He had slipped into a coma. Mom asked how long he had been like that and they said since about 5:30 a.m. They put him on a morphine drip in case he was in pain and couldn't express it. He didn't not keep his promise. He was still there, just not conscious. She talked to him. Tried to get him to respond to her. She kept telling him to open his eyes. At some point he did. But he was staring into space, not blinking, just staring. She asked him to squeeze her hand, but she got no response from him. She did say that everytime she touched his shoulder he would move it in a nice slow motion as if to say - yes I feel you. He took his last breath at 9:30 a.m. My mom was there by his side. She said he gasped two times and his eyes closed and his head fell softly to the side. And he was gone. Just like that. She said the hardest thing to do was to walk away from him. I can't imagine the pain she felt that day. He died on his 66th birthday. My stepdaddy drank until he was hospitalized. The doctors kept telling him he was killing himself. But he said that's what made him happy, so that's what he wanted to do. This is a very cruel disease. All aspects of it. My mother is going to have a very hard time coping with this. I don't think she realizes how much time she spent caring for him. Taking care of the things he couldn't. My mom loved that man with all her heart. And she stuck by his side. That's all you can do when you know someone that is dying of cirrhosis of the liver. Even she couldn't get him to stop drinking. I think I could go on writing forever. Of everything that happened over the last year. This was good for me. I don't think it has really sunk in yet that I'm never going to see the man that was more of a father to me than my real dad. I love him dearly and he will be missed by many.

[Unregistered508]

Dear ReneeWager,

I am very sorry for your loss. You and your family are in my thoughts and prayers. Eventually Time will heal all wounds.

God Bless

[slfuhrer]

My dad was diagnosed with esophegeal varicies two weeks ago. He was told this was due to his cirrosis in his liver. He wasn't given any substantial information except he needed to cease drinking right away, which he has and is also stoping smoking. He has now developed ascities in the last week and yesterday they drained 7 liters from his abodemen. He feels as if there is still fluid in there today. I am very concerned about his prognosis and feel we don't have all the information we need to understand the complexity of this disease. He is in the process of being referred to a liver specialist in the meantime I would appreciate any information from personal experience that anyone could provide.

[Shyloh29]

My granddad is also in the final stage of Liver cirrhosis. he was diagnosed 5 years ago and doctors says that he was probably exposed to poor nutrition or contaminated water while he was a child. His brothers both died of liver related diseases.
After years of my grandma taking care of him - we watched him slowly lose the ability to stand, walk, have a conversation and so much more. We had many close calls and stays at the hospital. But unfortuantly - we brought him to the hospital last week and his kidneys were blocked. After numerous scans and ultrasounds, his liver is just too sick to continue working. The antibiotics they tried to give him was not working at all. Doctors have told us he only has a couple of weeks left before the toxins reach his blood and his main organs can no longer function. He's had fevers at night only, and at times has been extremely alert. But other days he sleeps the whole time. I agree with a previous poster that it is a very cruel disease. I've seen him go from near death - to him smiling and making jokes and i heard this is common with cirrhosis. My grandparents had a great love story and its going to be very painful to see my grandma lose the only thing that meant everything to her. The bright side is that people can still live a couple of years more than expected if they eat/drink right and take care of themselves. Be alert for any or all symptoms. Anything out of the ordinary could be an indication that the liver is weak and needs help to work.

[sunedae]

well...as I have read many threads today am really realizing what my family has coming and it frankly appears to be very ugly...my Mother who is 71 was diagnosis by her Hepatologist with end stage liver cirrhosis 2 weeks ago...her primary physicians totally dropped the ball when she saw her with complains of being cold...fatigue...bloating... and edema of her legs..she mearly picked up her pants leg prescibed Lasix and lab work and sent her out the door...abnormal labs atleast showed severe anemia which luckily got her a trip to a Hematologist who upon entering the room noted the size of her abdomen before anything was said and ultimately sent her to see the Hepatologist she has now...while I know she has probably had silent symptoms for years it's very irritating that in the 2 years she has been with her primary Physcian she has never had her clothes off...the anorexia is unmistakeable...the huge rigid abdomen cannot be missed ...paleness and her general fagility in undeniable...its very frustrating the primary physcian could be so blind...question is where do we go from here...she's had her first paracentesis taking 9 liters off about a month ago and is schedule for the next one in a week...she will have a scope done the next week when the Hepatologist reviews her labs work..to see if esophogeal varises are present...she can bareley swallow ..partially do to the ascites and I'm afraid varices so nutrional staus is poor she has history of hemmorage..and I know this is a life threatening situation...about the only thing I'm not seeing is jaundice and confusion yet...I plan to care for her at home as much as I can...any input would be appreciated...Thanks for listening PS her problems according to the Hepatologist stem from Primary billiary cirrhosis

[sunedae]

****...as I have read many threads today am really realizing what my family has coming and it frankly appears to be very ugly...my Mother who is 71 was diagnosis by her Hepatologist with end stage liver cirrhosis 2 weeks ago...her primary physicians totally dropped the ball when she saw her with complains of being cold...fatigue...bloating... and edema of her legs..she mearly picked up her pants leg prescibed Lasix and lab work and sent her out the door...abnormal labs atleast showed severve anemia which luckily got her a trip to a Hematologist who upon entering the room noted the size of her abdomen before anything was said and ultimately sent her to see the Hepatologist she has now...while I know she has probably had silent symptoms for years it's very irritaing that in the 2 years she has been with her primary Physcian she has never had her clothes off...the anorexia is unmistakeable...the huge rigid abdomen cannot be missed ...paleness and her general fagility in undeniable...its very frustrating the primary physcian could be so blind...question is where do we go from here...she's had her first paracentesis taking 9 liters off about a month ago and is schedule for the next one in a week...she will have a scope done the next week when the Hepatologist reviews her labs work..to see if esophogeal varises are present...she can bareley swallow ..partially do to the ascites and I'm afraid varices so nutrional staus is poor she has history of hemmorage..and know this is a life threatening situation...about the only thing I'm not seeing is jaundice and confusion yet...I plan to care for her at home as much as I can...any input would be appreciated...Thanks for listening

[Gibby]

Hello to you all. It helps to read your stories...so I hope mine can be of some help.
My father is 58. Last year, he suffered a heart attack( 2 stints) and started entering stage 4 kidney failure. He was always a heavy drinker (30-35yrs). Before the heart attack, he knew of his kidney issues and diabetes, but continued to drink and ignored what his drs where telling him. After the heart attack, he stopped drinking, but they noticed his liver was severely damaged and he was enetring end stage liver failure. Cirrosis child class b. He never let me know of his liver failure, though I figured with the heavy drinking, kidney failure and congestive heart failure that his liver had to be in bad shape.
Exactly one month ago, He was found on his bedroom floor. Blood sugar at 17, he was slipping into a comma. he was in ICu for 2 weeks and they weren't sure if he would come off of the ventalator..but he did. Shortly after, the hospital suggested hin for the TIPS procedure. I had already read about it, but questioned if he was too far gone for it to be effective. they life flighted him to a hospital in a different state. When he arrived, they confirmed the worst.
Due to Hepatorenal syndrome( kidney and liver failure), the congestive heart failure( severe right heart failure causing pulmonary hypertension in his lungs) he was not a candidate for TIPS. In fact, they said he would need a liver, kidney, heart and lung transplant at this point which would be impossible to manage due to too many organs in failure and too weak to be considered for transplantation of any of those organs...there's nothing they could do but try to make him comfortable.
His ammonia levels remain high even with lactilose 3 timesa daily and now his bowels have even stopped functioning( 5 DAYS NOW). He did have a ferocious appetite up to 2weeks ago, but that was due to how much energy his body was burning off just trying to function. Now, in the last week, he barely eats or drinks anything. they have tapped his lungs and belly 20= times over the last year, but now, his belly is larger than ever..yet there's no fluid to remove( the liver has expanded and they can't get the fluid out. The liver is absorbing it. His legs are 4 times the size that they ever were. His privates are severely swelled as well. they could barely manage to get a cathiter inserted and even when they did, he's only putting out 300 cc daily. Everything is shutting down. Only the left heart is functioning. he's sleeping alot, but it's restless sleep. tugging and pulling on bed linens and clothing, talking , shouting in his sleep. Skin is discolored, complete loss of all muscle tone. I've been told a week or two at best...yet they've been saying that for a month now.
In the last month, we've been in 3 hospitals, 30-40 specialists and today, they are sending him home with hospice crisis care because they feel it's not much longer and that's where I know he would want to be. He's been in denial about his condition all along. "when I get through this" started most of his converstations until I screamed at his doctors to be truthful with him instead of "we're looking into it buddy...everything looks good!" meanwhile, those same drs are telling me to make sure all his affairs are in order.
My step mother( she and I have always had a strained relationship) yesterday blamed me for his condition worsening. She said by having his drs. explain why hospice is needed and that transplantation is no longer an option...I'm helping him to give up...die faster. I know she is grieveing and she is in denial that he may live another year( I still thought it was a vicious attack upon his only child still in his life)...even though he's displaying the classic last stages of life. that really hurt. I'm trying to help him the best way that I can. To give him closure and not keep him guessing as to when the miracle cure is arriving. I don't want to lose my father, but I want him to have the dignity and respect he deserves by having a peaceful passing. he worked hard all his life and was six months away from his retirement when this all started a year ago. His job was a huge part of his life and really he began to give up when he knew he couldn't work anymore.
I don't now what to think or do. I feel terrible I pulled down the wall of denial for him, but someone had to be honest with him. Anyone out there struggling with that aspect?
My prayers to you all. This is one of the hardest diseases to watch someone suffer from. I just want his suffering to end. it's too difficult to watch.