About 2 years ago, my mom was diagnosed with cirrhosis. She kinda shrugged it off as it wasn’t affecting her too much. She would take her medication and visit her specialist, but she continued to work full time. Every now and then she would take some time off, whenever she had her bad days.
Lately, her bad days have been coming more and more often. Her doctor has recently suggested she apply for disability as she should not be working full time. Due to various circumstances, my father is not working at this time. He is 50 and has been trying to find a job for months. He has an interview with a security company (he’s buff for his age) on Monday, so we’ll see how that goes.
Also, me and my mom had been planning a bus trip to NYC for months now. We always said that after I graduated, we would go to NYC, see a Broadway show, maybe go to see a taping of Regis and Kelly, you know, the kitchy touristy stuff. I just called the other day to cancel the trip. Because my mom’s been feeling worse and worse lately, she can’t guarantee how she’ll feel come October. So much for that.
Has anyone else had a family member or friend who had to deal with cirrhosis? As she’s just starting on a downturn, what can I expect? My mom and I are so close, and I really don’t want any surprises. Please share your stories to ease my mind.
I’ve had varied experiences with liver disease. I just lost my sister-in-law to cirrhosis. She was a very heavy drinker and went into a coma seven years ago. Her blood pressure dropped drastically, she was hemmorhaging, and she had acites (sp). They gave her last rights a couple times, but she pulled through.
She began drinking again a few months after her release from the hospital. It finally caught up with her in January.
My ex had liver cancer due to bouts with hepatitis and a disease called hemochromatosis, which is the inability of the body to process iron. He got very jaundiced and weak and tired.
My girlfriend’s mom died of cirrhosis. She had the acites, weakness, and finally went into a coma.
My mom died of liver cancer that originated as colon cancer. Because the cancer traveled throughout her body, it’s hard to say which symptoms were the liver and which were the colon.
I’m sorry your mom is sick. It’s hard to see someone slow down so rapidly. What kind of prognosis does the doctor have for her? What kind of medication is she on? I know people can go for long periods of time with no symptoms, and then suddenly it hits hard. I wish you and your family the best of luck with this.
I’m not exactly sure about the prognisis or medication. Although I do know that her specialist tries new things every once in a while, trying to find what works best for her.
I know that in regards to a transplant, the doctor has basically said that right now she doesn’t need to go on the list, but as soon as she needs one, she’ll need it fast. My mom’s pretty lighthearted about it, and has even paraphrased the doctor “There isn’t too much to worry about until I either start turning yellow, or crapping my insides out.”
Oh, and not to imply anything or whatever, but liver problems run in her family. She has never been a heavy drinker.