Liver failure - is there any hope?

[Anonymous]

So sorry. Sending love and hugs. Her poor family. How awful.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No. There is no chance, zero, that your family friend will recover and become healthy again.

She may make it out of the hospital this time, although my prediction is that she will not. But she will rebound quickly and be admitted again soon.

It is only a short matter of time before she dies.

I work in liver transplant on the east coast. The fact that the kidneys are essentially gone, along with the liver (and probably the pancreas) means she has a very, very poor prognosis.

This was my mom. She stayed sober for a bit but then ended up drinking again. She died in her sleep from heart failure.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. She passed away yesterday. I knew it was inevitable but I'm so sad for her family, especially her young daughter.

How sad. Sorry, OP.

[Anonymous]

What does liver cancer have to do with failing kidneys?

[Anonymous]

Hard to feel sorry for her but I do feel for her family and her daughter.

[Anonymous]

For those with experience with this, how heavy was the drinking? I worry about family members.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:For those with experience with this, how heavy was the drinking? I worry about family members.

My mother was drinking a fifth of vodka a day in her last year.

[Anonymous]

I’m sorry, OP, how very sad for her family. Sadly alcohol abuse is common and not everyone seeks or gets the treatment they could use.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What does liver cancer have to do with failing kidneys?

She didn't have cancer. She had cirrhosis of the liver. It's common for the kidneys to fail once the liver is badly damaged. Ultimately her heart stopped and they were unable to revive her.

As to how much she was drinking, I doubt we'll ever know. Some people drink heavily for decades and don't die from it. I guess it's the same way some smokers die young of lung cancer and others never get it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Has she tried milk thistle?

This is a crappy if a joke and totally ignorant if not.

OP, sorry for your loss.

[Anonymous]

I'm sorry - this happened to my friend's husband. I had hung out with him many times and had no idea he had a drinking problem. People are so good at hiding it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Has she tried milk thistle?

This is a crappy if a joke and totally ignorant if not.

OP, sorry for your loss.

NP. Milk thistle does help with liver support, but it’s not a miracle cure.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have a family friend who is in the hospital for end stage liver failure. She's only 40 but she is an alcoholic. Because of the alcoholism, she isn't eligible for a transplant (has to be sober for 6 months). Her family is understandably trying to stay hopeful, but it sounds grim. Her MELD score is 40 and her kidneys are only functioning at 35%. Realistically, if she's at the point where the specialists have said her liver has failed, is there any hope of recovery? I know two people who have gone into liver failure and both passed away within a few weeks. It's such a sad situation and my heart breaks for her family.

My XH drank himself to death this way in about two months. He was deemed ineligible for a transplant and slipped away soon afterwards. Sorry!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. She passed away yesterday. I knew it was inevitable but I'm so sad for her family, especially her young daughter.

I'm sorry for your loss.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Has she tried milk thistle?

Just stop, please. This is like saying, I severed an artery, does anyone have a bandaid?