My husnad went to the dr a few years ago. The Dr asked if he drank. He stated ..."a little". I would say a case a day is slightly more than a little... anyway, The dr said his liver is enlarged about 2 cm. Is that a Big amount? He wont stop drinking and said he will probablly die drinking. What size is real bad? He already has a bloated body,poor circulation, don't eat a lot and hasn't lost any weight, but sleeps all the time.
abijann
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Alcohol is the number one reason for
cirrhosis of the liver. If the liver is
enlarged, it signifies that there is
inflammation inside of it. The doctor
can feel that on examination and if he
feels that, he may get either an ultrasound
or Ct scan to confirm it.
All liver patients are told not to drink any
alcohol. If the doctor is sure that alcohol
is the cause of it, stopping the alcohol and
following the doctors orders could reverse
the condition. However, if he continues
to drink and it is not treated...it could lead
to death of the liver cells and then there
is no turning back. He will be on his
way for having cirrhosis of the liver that
leads to a transplant. This is a horrible
disease. He may feel fine now, but he
will become more tired as time goes on.
He will develop his whites of his eyes
turning yellow and his skin also. His
abdominal area will enlarge with fluid
that has to be drained...otherwise he
will have difficulty eatting or breathing because of all the pressure. He May
develop "encephalopathy" in which he
won't be able to think clearly and someone
else is going to have to handle his affairs
now. That means an advanced directive
or power of attorney needs to be set up.
He could also develop a problem with
the blood trying to find its way back to the
heart and then varicose veins inside the
esophagus could break open and bleed and
he could bleed to death internally. If he
ever coughs up blood or anything that
looks like coffee grounds...get him to the
ER fast...it is an emergency.
He may not have any of this right now,
cause the liver doesn't usually show signs
of a problem until the functions it does
to keep the body well starts to deteriate.
A transplant costs in the range of
$250,000.00 and up. The drugs you have
to take afterwards can cost over $10,000.00
or more a year. You need the very best
insurance that will cover this. There is
no guarantee that comes with a transplant
as far as how long you will live with one,
whether an organ will become available for
you, whether you will be well enough to
withstand the long hours of 6 to 14 hours
surgery, etc.
There is alot more to this disease than
meets the eye.
I hope your husband will seek help now to
try and stop the alcohol. The doctors have
medications, if he is addicted, that will
ease the transition of all the symptoms
of coming off this fluid. There are also
program for detox at the hospital.
I am posting here so you can read more
about cirrhosis and also a picture of
someone with Ascites (which is build up
of fluid in the abdominal area).
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/cirrhosis/DS00373
http://www.emedicinehealth.com/cirrhosis/article_em.htm
http://depts.washington.edu/physdx/liver/index.html
There are many causes of cirrhosis of
the liver not just alcohol. Some people
can drink for years and never have a problem...others just take an occasional
drink and their body is not able to handle
it because their body is sensitive to it.
I would take this very seriously, if he
wants to continue to live.
The doctor can do blood tests like
the liver enzymes and the liver function tests
to see how well his liver is doing and if
there is any damage now. These tests,
however, just gives the doctor an IDEA
of what is happening in his body.
I know this is hard, but the sooner he can
turn things around the better off he will be.