Bad night

posiepurrs

posiepurrs

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As I have said before, my husband is very ill. He had a very bad night last night. If you or any of your loved ones has liver disease, PLEASE talk to your doctor about hepatic encephalophy. They don't seem to mention it as a possibility after the liver disease diagnosis. It is a terrible thing. The patient shows the same type of symptoms as an Alzheimer's patient. There is no specific test for HE - they just rule things out. Not one doctor he has seen since he was diagnosed over 25 years ago mentioned HE. If we had been forewarned, it could have potentially saved a lot of stress. Well, I am off to try to get him to go the the ER.
 
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posiepurrs said:
As I have said before, my husband is very ill. He had a very bad night last night. If you or any of your loved ones has liver disease, PLEASE talk to your doctor about hepatic encephalophy. They don't seem to mention it as a possibility after the liver disease diagnosis. It is a terrible thing. The patient shows the same type of symptoms as an Alzheimer's patient. There is no specific test for HE - they just rule things out. Not one doctor he has seen since he was diagnosed over 25 years ago mentioned HE. If we had been forewarned, it could have potentially saved a lot of stress. Well, I am off to try to get him to go the the ER.
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:grouphug:
 
susanm9006

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I feel so bad for you. It is just so hard to support someone through an illness that seems to be spiraling downward. I hope that you have family or friends that you can lean on and that can help you get through this.
 
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posiepurrs

posiepurrs

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I haven't gone to the hospital yet - visiting hours don't start for another hour. I hope to get to speak with his doctor when I get there. We do know from talking to the admitting doctor that he has multiple issues and I want to know the plan of attack. Our kids all live within a hundred miles of us so I do have support. My eldest sons wife texted me to see if I needed her to come take care of the pets last night. I also have great neighbors. I guess the hardest part is knowing that this is probably not going to get any better - he will continue to get worse unless he can get a liver transplant.
 
di and bob

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I'm really surprised this wasn't mentioned to you, I'm an RN and we were taught extensively on this condition. It results when the failing liver cannot properly remove toxins, particularly ammonia, from the body and it affects the brain. Confusion, delirium, and bouts of anger can result, often mimicking Alzheimer's. The two most common treatments are lactulose and antibiotics. Having frequent bowel movements helps to remove toxins. This can be reversible, depending on what is causing it within the liver. The liver is a wonderful organ, able to take a lot and come back. My thoughts and prayers are with you to get a transplant, may God watch over you both......
 
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posiepurrs

posiepurrs

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di and bob said:
I'm really surprised this wasn't mentioned to you, I'm an RN and we were taught extensively on this condition. It results when the failing liver cannot properly remove toxins, particularly ammonia, from the body and it affects the brain. Confusion, delirium, and bouts of anger can result, often mimicking Alzheimer's. The two most common treatments are lactulose and antibiotics. Having frequent bowel movements helps to remove toxins. This can be reversible, depending on what is causing it within the liver. The liver is a wonderful organ, able to take a lot and come back. My thoughts and prayers are with you to get a transplant, may God watch over you both......
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Apparently it isn't unusual. I belong to an HE caregivers group on line and not one person has responded that their doctor mentioned it. On the contrary, all of them said they had to do the research and find out about it by themselves.
He looked better yesterday, but the doctor said his numbers were worse. I haven't seen his regular doctor yet, just the one assigned to the floor he is on. She told me that his blood count is so low they are considering giving him transfusions (it has dropped even lower since he went into the hospital). They are trying to find out why. He also is suffering from a UTI. He is on lactulose and several other medications (8 pills). I just wish they could make the lactulose in pill form! He says that stuff is the nastiest stuff he has ever had to take. I know he would gag when he first started taking it.
 
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