hello fellow dopers-i hope this is the right place to post this…
Two days ago my mother suffered a ruptured vein in her neck due to chronic drinking. We found her in a stupor with blood coming out of her nose. The paramedics came and we spent the day in the hospital. Her liver is in severe shock, so we’re waiting for that to turn around.
I don’t think I have been any more depressed, lonely or scared in my entire life-there is the possibility she might die. But she is 56, has never had any serious medical problems her whole life and as of now her vital signs look great. Her Heart is fine, lungs are fine-everything except the liver, which must filter out lots of toxins.
I would like to hear from any other dopers who have had the agony of going through an experince like this. How often or how much can the liver heal itself.? What should i expect? I need all the support i can get…Thanks.
I’ve had lotsa hospital experience, but nothing on what you are going through. Take stuff with you to keep you busy: a book, magazine, notebook and pen to write down all the medical jargon the doctors and nurses whip at you.
Is your mom married? Do you have any family (siblings? Aunts/Uncles?) in the area to talk too? It is frightening to do something like this alone. If she is chronic drinker, have you ever attended an AA meeting for family members?
All I can say is take it one drama at a time and try not to worry too much. It is beyond your control and power.
I hope your mom recovers and realizes she’s been given a second chance at life and that she has someone who loves her despite the battle with such a powerful drug.
I can’t imagine what you must be feeling. That would frighten anyone. It’s good that her vital signs are strong. The best thing is that she has someone who loves her so much.
The hospital probably has a chaplain if that would help you to get through these days.
I’m sorry that I don’t know more to tell you. I will think of you and your mother.
Yes, she has family. Right now, only my brother and my father have been visiting her. But tomorrow other relatives will come down to see her. The only other family on her side is her brother.
She was hospitalised one time before, about ten years ago. That was nothing compared to this-they basically just said her electrolytes were low and pumped some stuff into her for a few days. Her drinking is usually episodic, on for a while, then off.
I’ m just hoping her liver isn’t so damaged it can’t recover- it was so bad she had jaundice. They have her on lots of sedatives so she can only barely move her eyes and stuff. I’m just praying tomorrow we will see some sign of improvement.
I feel your pain cheesepickles, The women in my family have serious breast cancer problems, and even though they’re all very careful about it it is always causing problems. My mother is in her third year of Chemo and my aunt is going through her third year.
I know this might not sound like good advice, but what you need to do is be happy. All the time, as long as you can stand it. It’s hard most of the time, but I’ve found that being happy somehow rubs off. And believe me, the most important thing in these type of situations is no the pills or meds, the doctors or the hospital. It’s the will the sick person has to survive.
I hope everything gets better, and I hope you feel better too.
Cheesepickles, I’m sorry for your pain. My sister-in-law was in her 30s when she went into a coma from severe alcoholism and her liver was functioning at about 10%. She was drinking about 1/2 gallon of vodka a day, nearly every day, for over 10 years. She was hospitalized over a month, and the doctors said she wouldn’t survive (except one doctor, who felt she’d make it – he was right). They installed a shunt in her to alleviate the pressure and keep a major abdominal blood vessel from rupturing (sounds like what your mom is going through). Her blood vessels throughout her body were weakened. She had nose bleeds and a lot of rectal bleeding for some time before she got really sick.
She quit drinking for about six months, and then started up again (mind you, she only had 10% of her liver function). She wasn’t drinking quite as much, but she was still drinking daily.
she lived another seven years. It finally caught up with her last January. She died at the age of 42.
Cheesepickles, the liver is an amazingly resilient organ. If your mom can stay off the booze, she has a great chance of living a normal life. Use the services that are out there to help you and your family cope. I wish you the best.
