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My 45 year old brother is dying
Hi,
I am fairly new here. My Brother was diagnosed with end stage cirrhosis of the liver 2 years ago and given 6 months to live, he never even slowed down with his drink of choice (vodka around a fifth a day) 2 weeks ago he took a turn for the worse. He was as yellow as mustard, even the whites of his eyes are yellow. Even though he didn't want to go to the hospital, his nephew, my son, is a police officer and basically "made" him go because he was not able to make decisions for himself.Once in the hospital they did a test to see what his Bilirubin counts were, they were 27, his ammonia levels were 67% he was making no sense at all when he talked, just talking a lot of crazy stuff. He was admitted. The next day the DRS said this would be his "terminal" event and he only has 4% liver function left. The immediately put him on a medication to reduce his ammonia levels and this made him have severe diarrhea but did make his brain fog clear up so we could have conversations with him. The Dr told us he would be transferred to end of life care as soon as a bed was available. Last night they could not control the bleeding from the sight where they drained fluid from his stomach. They told us that today they would be doing a blood transfusion and putting a tube down his throat to locate the source of his bleeding. When I got there first thing this morning I was told by the internal medicine DR they would NOT be doing either procedure because he may die during either one. I had been doing ALOT of research and asked the DR if it was esophageal verices. She said that more then likely it was and putting a tube down his throat may "burst" something causing him to bleed to death. She also changed his code to "DNR" they are backing him off ALL his medication with the exception of his Morphine pump, he can dose 1mg every 10 minutes. SOME sorry my post is so long, my family just wants to know what to expect and what may happen next. We do not want him to suffer any longer. He spends more time asleep then awake and is refusing food. My actual question is only God knows for sure but, how close to the end do you think he may be? What happens now? Especially since any meds he was being given to help improve his condition are being stopped? Why would they do that? Any information anyone who has been in this situation has would be EXTREMELY helpful and comforting to my family. I know this sounds harsh, but we don't want this to continue to drag on in the shape he is in, no one wants to see a loved one suffer. He seems to have just given up as well.
I am fairly new here. My Brother was diagnosed with end stage cirrhosis of the liver 2 years ago and given 6 months to live, he never even slowed down with his drink of choice (vodka around a fifth a day) 2 weeks ago he took a turn for the worse. He was as yellow as mustard, even the whites of his eyes are yellow. Even though he didn't want to go to the hospital, his nephew, my son, is a police officer and basically "made" him go because he was not able to make decisions for himself.Once in the hospital they did a test to see what his Bilirubin counts were, they were 27, his ammonia levels were 67% he was making no sense at all when he talked, just talking a lot of crazy stuff. He was admitted. The next day the DRS said this would be his "terminal" event and he only has 4% liver function left. The immediately put him on a medication to reduce his ammonia levels and this made him have severe diarrhea but did make his brain fog clear up so we could have conversations with him. The Dr told us he would be transferred to end of life care as soon as a bed was available. Last night they could not control the bleeding from the sight where they drained fluid from his stomach. They told us that today they would be doing a blood transfusion and putting a tube down his throat to locate the source of his bleeding. When I got there first thing this morning I was told by the internal medicine DR they would NOT be doing either procedure because he may die during either one. I had been doing ALOT of research and asked the DR if it was esophageal verices. She said that more then likely it was and putting a tube down his throat may "burst" something causing him to bleed to death. She also changed his code to "DNR" they are backing him off ALL his medication with the exception of his Morphine pump, he can dose 1mg every 10 minutes. SOME sorry my post is so long, my family just wants to know what to expect and what may happen next. We do not want him to suffer any longer. He spends more time asleep then awake and is refusing food. My actual question is only God knows for sure but, how close to the end do you think he may be? What happens now? Especially since any meds he was being given to help improve his condition are being stopped? Why would they do that? Any information anyone who has been in this situation has would be EXTREMELY helpful and comforting to my family. I know this sounds harsh, but we don't want this to continue to drag on in the shape he is in, no one wants to see a loved one suffer. He seems to have just given up as well.
Jela,
Don't give up hope just yet. Bleeding varices is very dangerous. Ask them about the time they have to do the banding if one did burst. As someone who is on the transplant list and waiting, I'm fairly well educated about the issues. The key question to ask is what is his MELD score. While he doesnt qualify for a transplant, it will give you an idea of how sick he is. I dont know where you live but get him to the hospital that does the most transplants. Theyre the ones who have the most experience. When I was diagnosed, I was given two weeks to live, that was six years ago. Today, I'm not cured but I live a very fully life. Feel free to ask me anything from the patient perspective. .
Don't give up hope just yet. Bleeding varices is very dangerous. Ask them about the time they have to do the banding if one did burst. As someone who is on the transplant list and waiting, I'm fairly well educated about the issues. The key question to ask is what is his MELD score. While he doesnt qualify for a transplant, it will give you an idea of how sick he is. I dont know where you live but get him to the hospital that does the most transplants. Theyre the ones who have the most experience. When I was diagnosed, I was given two weeks to live, that was six years ago. Today, I'm not cured but I live a very fully life. Feel free to ask me anything from the patient perspective. .
I am so sad to hear this, Jela
Your brother is dying and it's a good thing that he won't spend his last hours doing unnecessary procedures that won't benefit him. Don't be afraid to let him know that is OK for him to go.
I know this must be so difficult for you and your family but I am hoping that his passing is peaceful and that you can find comfort in the fact that you did everything that you could and are with him and showing him your love and support even still
You have my deepest respect and condolences
Your brother is dying and it's a good thing that he won't spend his last hours doing unnecessary procedures that won't benefit him. Don't be afraid to let him know that is OK for him to go.
I know this must be so difficult for you and your family but I am hoping that his passing is peaceful and that you can find comfort in the fact that you did everything that you could and are with him and showing him your love and support even still
You have my deepest respect and condolences
They told us today they will not be doing anything about the bleeds. To me that was not a good sign. He is just so weak and tired and seems almost ready for it to be over. This is just such a horrible disease, I pray he just goes peacefully in his sleep. Thank you so much for responding.
Sorry you are having to go thru this. If he does have variceal bleeding, he can't last long without it being banded. I would ask you if a hepatologist (liver specialist) or gastroenterologist have seen him as they would be better able to tell your family what to expect.
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