Re: Re: I have to ask!

June 2, 2008

Hi, ba9540. I have been through this with someone close to me. My very best

friend in the whole world. Her name is Ardis . There are pictures of her

in the photo album. She had alcoholic cirrhosis and was given 3 years to live

in 2004. She did manage to live till August 1st,2006. We made the very very best

of the time we had, and my wife and I loved her like our own. She was estranged

from her family,in part due to the mental status changes that occured when her

liver failed. She developed portal systemic encephalopathy, a condition from

high amounts of ammonia, and other toxic things that can sneak into the brain

through the blood stream of people with liver disease. The liver sometimes has

troube filtering blood. These things can cause a bunch of terrible symptoms, but

they include sleepiness, insomnia, day and night reversal, sleep all day, awake

all night. I know that I have had times where no matter how hard I tried, I

could not sleep. And

could not stay awake in the daytime. My clock got mixed up. Another symptom is

mantal status changes, meaness, short temper, memory loss, hallucinations,

confabulations, (made up stories ) that can be elaborate and detailed. Ardis had

all of these things. I had to learn to recognize them. Other friends she had did

not realize that when she called them the F word she didnrt really know what she

was saying. I developed thick skin, and realized that it was her liver doing all

the talking, and after a while I didnt fall for it. Even her last week, I had to

leave her company for a break to let her calm down, and when I came back, she

was as sweet as tupelo honey. I did love her with all of my heart, and her

passing nearly killed me. Literally. I had suspicions that I too had liver

disease, and drank very heavily after she passed away, and then quit for good

after a month and a half, and sought medical treatment and find myself with the

same exact condition

she died from. I am trying to get a liver transplant, but my life has been

busy. Here is our story, I wrote it down in the weeks following her death, and

she lives on, especially every time someone reads her story.

http://robertwalkingeagle.googlepages.com/home

Thank you for joining our group,God bless you, and good luck with what you are

going through,. I can be reached 24 hours a day at Yahoo messenger

(robwalkingeagle). Love, Bobby moderator, livercirrhosissupportgroupyahoo

http://billybobswildride.blogspot.com/

Re: I have to ask!

Hello everyone,

I have been a member of this group for a while just watching and

afraid to ask but hubby refuses treatment and has edema in the feet

sleeps almost 24/7 wakes up maybe 30 mins 3 times a day eats very

little vomits a fair bit gets the hiccups alot and when he does wake

up he has lost his short term memory he remebers things from months

ago like they were yesterday and imagines thing that never happend,

he is also very nasty at times. Does anyone know how long this goes

on I need to tell our daughters they just think he is sick, I need

to tell them but I would like to wait as long as possable has anyone

been through the final stages with maybe a family member or ???

Sorry to ask but I need some answers.

If someone has been through this to the end you can even e-mail me

privatley but I need to know he wants to stay at home but it is

getting very difficult.

Thank you all.

>

> Why would my wife be so tired and sleepy all the time...... She is

so fatigue.. Why does the liver do that for. & nbsp; & nbsp; For those

who , have friends or family members... How long does this go on

for... this fatigue and tiredness... Please, I can take the honest

truth. & nbsp; ..and am dealing with it, the best I can... It does

hurt...

>

June 3, 2008

So sorry your husband is ill.

I was caretaker of my mother to the end with cirrhosis.

Is your dh on lactulose for high ammonia levels? I would want the doc to check,

it might help clear up his mind a bit.

Sleeping alot, yes we saw that. Edema yes, but my mom reabsorbed most all of

her fluids in the last two weeks as she wasn't eating much.

I think it is different for everyone, some people seem to get a little better

then go quickly, or just have a steady decline.

How old are your children? Depending on their ages, you might want to start

preparing them. Even if it is still months left, having talks about daddy not

getting better might make the shock less sudden. If they understand he isn't

going to be getting better then you have the opportunity over the next days and

weeks to discuss what is going to happen to daddy and where he'll be etc. We

focused on Heaven and our reunion there with Grandma. It will also give them

the opportunity to express their feelings to him.

Nothing fills the hole left behind when someone so dear to us is gone. It is

just a sad fact, but even in that loss and pain we can still enjoy life and our

loved ones would want us to.

I'm so sorry wish I could give you a hug. It is such a hard time. But know you

aren't alone.

Pamela