Re: Cardiomyopathy

[Guest guest]

I read everything you write about and I think you know alot. My husband found a

doctor that gave him Librium to detox himself from alcohol. I think there are

many problems with this. First of all he is still drinking while he is taking

them and also I'm afraid of what the Librium does to his liver. That sounds

crazy because I know the alcohol is doing damage as well. He is telling me that

he is going to his liver doctor tomorrow. I guess we will see.

---- abijann <no_reply > wrote:

> This is very serious. The fluid that is pushing up against the

> diaphram could leak into the chest cavity. If this happens, he

> could have more serious problems. If he is having difficulty

> breathing, he may be taking in less oxygen which will cause him

> to breath even harder and his heart to beat faster to supply this

> oxygen to other areas of the body. It is causing his heart extra

> work and putting a strain on it and, considering he has

> cardiomyopathy...it may cause the heart to start beating out of

> rhythm and cause a heart attack. If he is on any heart medication,

> this should not be taken with alcohol. Another thing is that

> he should not mix alcohol with Tylenol or he could develop more

> liver damage.

>

> Cardiomyopathy is the disease of the heart muscle.

> Cardio means heart

> Myo means myocardium which is the heart muscle

> Pathy means disease

>

> I do not know if the Ascites (fluid build up in the abdominal area)

> is from his heart disease or his liver disease since both of them

> can cause this. Paracentesis is a simple procedure that is done

> to release the fluid from the abdomen. He should not be scared of

> it. They make a tiny incision in the abdomen, after it is numb

> so you cannot feel it. They insert a tubing into the area and

> attach the tubing to a bag or bottle. The bag or bottle is

> usually a vacuum, so that it will pull the liquid gently from the

> abdomen into it. It will take a little while to drain the liquid,

> but the relief it brings to the patient is well worth it.

> They will watch his blood pressure during this time to make sure

> that it won't drop too low. The doctor will decide how much

> fluid will be taken at one time. They may give him some

> Albumin, which is a protein liquid, by IV if they take too much.

> This will keep the fluid from building up fast again if they

> do this. I was with my husband when he had this done and he

> felt much better after it was over. He said it was like instant

> relief.

>

> Remember that we cannot see your husband and see how enlarged his

> abdominal area is...we don't know all of his medical conditions..

> we don't know the medication he is on...we don't have his lab

> work. We can only go by what you post here...this makes our

> suggestions for his care a big " if " not only because of this

> but also because we are not professionals. Please let us

> know how you and your husband are doing. I wish he did not

> take alcohol. It is hard to consider someone doing that when

> they were so close to having a life saving operation...they say

> that alcoholic tend to care about nothing but another drink...it

> must be true. I'm sorry to hear you are going through so much

> and I sure hope things work out okay for you.

>

> Don't be afraid to get in touch with his doctor. If you cannot

> get him at his office, call the hospital and ask them to page

> either him or one of the transplant team members. Since they

> will not have his record with them or his chart, I would tell

> them every medical condition he has, his medications and what

> is going on. It is your decision about the alcohol...They may

> or may not find this out when they test him, if they do.

> It depends on what tests he has done, how long it was since his

> last drink and how much he drank.

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

I hope he see's the doctor also, if not only to make the end of his life as

comfortable as possible.

MaC

Abijaan wrote:

I hope that he will see his doctors soon and keep his word to

you.

__________________________________________________

[Guest guest]

I just wanted to let you know that my husband went to the hospital today and was

admitted. He went at 3 this afternoon to the emergency room at the direction of

his doctor for medical detox. I did not go with him. He called a few minutes ago

to say they were admitting him to detox. I am glad that his doctor will probably

check on the condition of his liver disease to see what damage has been done. I

am always in the dark. I always never get the truth about anything but I assure

you I will be the one taking care of him again. Forgive me for my obvious anger.

Thank you for the input on the drugs.

---- abijann <no_reply > wrote:

> He is doing something very dangerous. Alot of people don't know

> what Librium (chlordiazepoxide)is...but they do know what Valium is.

> They are from the same class of drugs know as benzodiazepines.

> They both are a central nervous system depressant.

>

> Enough of the medical terminology... These drugs have a very

> relaxing, sedative effect. They are used for people to calm them

> down if they are having panic attacks and they are also used

> to help them stay off of alcohol by lessening their craving.

>

> However, taking alcohol, with this drug, could cause the drug to

> go into the toxic range fast. If this happens, they may have

> decreased breathing, feel extremely tired, be confused, and can

> go into a coma. No one should take these drugs normally and not take

> cautions about driving as they prolong the reflexes of the body

> normally,....Add to that the alcohol, and innocent peoples lives

> become endangered.

>

> These drugs can become habit forming just like alcohol, if they

> stay on them too long. They usually only keep a patient on

> them long enough to give them time to no longer crave alchohol.

>

> I could go into how these drugs work in the body, but I'm sure

> that that info is not needed, only what the outcome may be

> if he continues to take them. It all depends alot on how

> much of the medication he is taking, how much alcohol, and

> how much his body can tolerate both. These two drugs both

> have an effect on the liver and can worsen his liver condition.

> The pros and cons have to be weighed for the benefits of using

> these drugs. No drug is without side effects and some of them

> being very dangerous.

>

> If you ask yourself why some people react violently to being stung

> by a bee and other don't, then you understand that it depends on

> a person personal body chemistry what the end results may turn out

> to be.

>

> To me it seems like he is on a downward spiral and if the doctors

> find out that he is in destructive nature, they may try to get him

> help now, but I'm pretty sure he will be removed from the list.

> If he was remorseful and it was considered just a mistake and a

> one time thing that he would really try to prevent doing again,

> it might have been different.

>

> I'm not wise...I have " what they call " a little knowledge.

> I'm glad I could be helpful to you...but my heart aches for

> what people have to face and go through and what you are going

> through now. You did not cause nor did anything to bring all of

> it on yourself...you are a victim of it. Whenever my husband

> went through pain...it was like, I was going through it myself...

> I could not stop the pain he was having, without help, anymore than

> you can stop your husband destructive nature, without help.

>

> I hope that he will see his doctors soon and keep his word to

> you.

>

>