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Bouncing back after being near death from liver failure

My husband started suffering from edema in his ankles and calves last summer;Then the fluid moved up into his belly causing Acistes. He had to be hospitalized for four days and was in really bad shape. Over the early months of this year he has to be drained of his fluid every two weeks or so. My question is has anyone ever heard of someone who was this bad returning to almost normal? He has lost a lot of weight. but he is not swollen anymore. He can walk and get around. It is almost like he was never sickl I am wondering if this is only temporary and what signs should I be looking for? I am happy he feels better. Unfortunately the better he feels the more he drinks.
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729009 tn?1237326883
Yay!!! I'm so glad to hear he's doing better!....  Wait a minute. Did I just read the last sentence correctly? If so, this improvement will be short lived. I sounds like I was probably worse than your husband considering I had a major GI bleed in addition to the ascites, BUT I am doing FANTASTIC now. This was Jan. 2008 when I was diagnosed and was prepared for the transplant, etc., but my numbers just keep getting better. So, I am a really good example of how one can turn things around... BUT I had no problem whatsoever stopping alcohol, so you seriously need to warn him that something dangerous will happen (and it *will*) and they may or may not be able to save his life once he's had a GI bleed. This early is his 'game', the cirrhosis will rear its ugly head and he better get his sh*t in gear because he's being a complete a**hole right now (for doing this to you and himself) if he thinks he can still drink. My GI bleed came almost 4 months after the initial diagnosis, so watch out. Sorry I'm being harsh, but he has such a good chance of really returning to a pretty normal and so much happier life if he can let go of his 'mistress'. Let me know!! I want updates! ;-)

Nicole
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Avatar universal
How did you know you were having a GI bleed?  
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729009 tn?1237326883
I was throwing up copious amounts (and I mean buckets) of blood. I was such a tard that I didn't even go to ER until many hours later because I didn't know what it meant. Way too close of a call. Scary.  Before I started throwing up the blood, I just remember feeling nauseated and loopy tired.
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Avatar universal
A black or very very dark stool can also be a sign of internal bleeding so, watch out for that. Throwing up blood is hard not to notice - I threw up 4 units on 2 occasions from esophageal varices. Those are distended vessels inside the esophagus but varices can also develop in the stomach and intestines.
He absolutely must not drink any alcohol. We all die but, liver failure is not an easy way to go.
Impress upon him the urgent need for him to stop drinking!
Mike
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