What does dying from alcoholism look like?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In the summer of 2010 my uncle died after a long history of alcoholism and he used to do a lot of other drugs too. He basically never woke up from sleeping one night, and was found by his landlord the next day. The autopsy showed a liver 3 times the size of a normal person. Cause of death was determined to be alcohol overdose but I might argue liver disease/cirrhosis was what finally did it.

PP here - I should add that he was early 40's (can't remember exactly, maybe 42 or 43).

[Anonymous]

I'm hoping to get into a 3 day detox tomorrow--afraid I already have severe liver damage but this life is hell. I cannot stand to look in the mirror. Gotta start over....again.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm hoping to get into a 3 day detox tomorrow--afraid I already have severe liver damage but this life is hell. I cannot stand to look in the mirror. Gotta start over....again.

I wish you luck. FWIW, the father of a close friend was a severe alcoholic when we were in high school. When we were in college the family was told by his doctor that they should prepare for his death because his brain stem was degenerating. He finally stopped drinking and lived 20 more years of unexpectedly good quality.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:MIL's long-term boyfriend (in his mid-60s) is dying from liver issues and other complications due to being a hardcore alcoholic all his life. His body is producing too much ammonia, which rises to his brain and makes him very disoriented. His stomach gets full of fluid and he has to go to the ER every so often to get his stomach pumped. This makes him lose about 10 lbs each time b/c the fluid is so much. Currently he's been having issues with his gall bladder and has been projectile vomiting.

To be perfectly frank, I'm surprised he is still holding on. He has a terrible quality of life. What else (in general) can be expected when someone is dying of liver failure?

Btw, he is on the liver transplant list, but who knows if he would even make it through a transplant surgery, much less actually receive an organ. Sad.

Since this is an anonymous forum...I guess I can say this....

I don't think that he should get a liver, when there are so many people who didn't drink their lives away who probably deserve it more.

Thanks for the input, coward.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:MIL's long-term boyfriend (in his mid-60s) is dying from liver issues and other complications due to being a hardcore alcoholic all his life. His body is producing too much ammonia, which rises to his brain and makes him very disoriented. His stomach gets full of fluid and he has to go to the ER every so often to get his stomach pumped. This makes him lose about 10 lbs each time b/c the fluid is so much. Currently he's been having issues with his gall bladder and has been projectile vomiting.

To be perfectly frank, I'm surprised he is still holding on. He has a terrible quality of life. What else (in general) can be expected when someone is dying of liver failure?

Btw, he is on the liver transplant list, but who knows if he would even make it through a transplant surgery, much less actually receive an organ. Sad.

Since this is an anonymous forum...I guess I can say this....

I don't think that he should get a liver, when there are so many people who didn't drink their lives away who probably deserve it more.

Thanks for the input, coward.

OP here. I thought I'd updated the thread but he got the transplant and is like a new man.

[Anonymous]

My Mother is unfortunately an Alcoholic, she has been battling it for longer than 20 years. when i was 14 she got take into hospital at deaths door. she has full detox and was off it for 3 and a half years, sadly she started drinking again. im 19 now. she wont listen to me and she wants to die her own way she says. she has got cirrhosis of the liver and its already failed once. i know one day ill see her dead. she has told me to be strong for her. i love her with all my heart. just sad that alcohol should be even be the one thing that keeps her going.

[Anonymous]

Sadly, my father has cirrhosis. He is in his early 70s and hardly ever drank- his is non alcohol related cirrhosis. I can tell you what I see happening to him and would imagine it might be similar for someone who has cirrhosis due to alcohol abuse. His hands are incredibly shaky now and he cannot open a bottle or jar at this point. He has lost a lot of weight and looks so skinny and frail. Except for his stomach that is so distended because it keeps filling up with liquid. He has to have it drained at the hospital frequently. His thinking is very fuzzy. He used to be a very, very sharp man and no longer is. He sleeps most of the day. He has some other serious health issues as well, but these are things his doctors have told us are due to the cirrhosis. He is not eligible for a transplant. My understanding is it continues to get worse and eventually he will not be able to take care of simple life tasks for himself. It is sad. I feel for anyone who is watching a loved one go through this.

[Anonymous]

It is a long road of destroying all your relationships and blaming everyone else while you live in denial and your brain and body rot. It all starts with your first drink.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:MIL's long-term boyfriend (in his mid-60s) is dying from liver issues and other complications due to being a hardcore alcoholic all his life. His body is producing too much ammonia, which rises to his brain and makes him very disoriented. His stomach gets full of fluid and he has to go to the ER every so often to get his stomach pumped. This makes him lose about 10 lbs each time b/c the fluid is so much. Currently he's been having issues with his gall bladder and has been projectile vomiting.

To be perfectly frank, I'm surprised he is still holding on. He has a terrible quality of life. What else (in general) can be expected when someone is dying of liver failure?

Btw, he is on the liver transplant list, but who knows if he would even make it through a transplant surgery, much less actually receive an organ. Sad.

Since this is an anonymous forum...I guess I can say this....

I don't think that he should get a liver, when there are so many people who didn't drink their lives away who probably deserve it more.

Thanks for the input, coward.

OP here. I thought I'd updated the thread but he got the transplant and is like a new man.

What a shame that someone else will now have to die who did not make an effort to kill themselves.

[Anonymous]

Is it possible to have a relatively physically demanding job and still be so sick from alcoholism that you could go to work, then go home and die? Or would the person have to be really sick, so sick they couldn't work, before they died?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Is it possible to have a relatively physically demanding job and still be so sick from alcoholism that you could go to work, then go home and die? Or would the person have to be really sick, so sick they couldn't work, before they died?

Anyone?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It is a long road of destroying all your relationships and blaming everyone else while you live in denial and your brain and body rot. It all starts with your first drink.

Yes, because all people who drink will die of alcoholism

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is it possible to have a relatively physically demanding job and still be so sick from alcoholism that you could go to work, then go home and die? Or would the person have to be really sick, so sick they couldn't work, before they died?

Anyone?

It depends. Sometimes people's brains sort of blow up. This happened to a popular bartender some years ago. The work was somewhat physically demanding in that he was on his feet for 9 hours every night. I believe he was 52, and had lost a successful career before becoming a bartender.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't know anything about alcoholism, but I do know that a liver cancer diagnosis is basically a sure death notice that isn't dragged on for long like some other cancers. Symptoms show up too late. My father passed away in 6 months later from the day he was diagnosed.

I know this is an old post on an old thread, but my mother had a liver cancer. It took 3 biopsies to finally get it diagnosed. By the time we got a DX, she was in Hospice. She never even learned what it was, but the docs wanted us to know. Total length of illness was about 4 weeks. Every day of her life had been devoted to a healthy lifestyle - a healthy diet, daily exercise, and no smoking/drinking.

Liver cancer really sucks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It is a long road of destroying all your relationships and blaming everyone else while you live in denial and your brain and body rot. It all starts with your first drink.

I hope the person who wrote this is having a truly lovely day.