I need help/advice...please - Hepatitis Message Board

ChihuahuaLady · 06-29-2003, 07:23 PM

hello all...
I need help and or advice...I have a friend that has Hep C...I don't know to much about it except what I have read, and that is all in dr's terms...ya know...hard to understand unless the dr is there to tell you in english what it really means...*S* anyway...he has Hep C...and to me...is in BAD shape!! I have known him and his wife for a few months now and have noticed him go drastically down hill...he weighs about 110 pounds (she says he used to weigh around 200 7 years ago)he has lost about 20 pounds in the last few months I have known them...if not more...she says he has explosive diahrea, and violent vomiting on a daily basis...worse on some days...about a month ago he went to sleep and according to hospice..was in a coma for three days or so...she was told to call family because this was it...and it wasn't...he woke up and felt wonderful...was wild!! but...he does seem confused a lot of the time...but thinks he is 100% ok...he also says now he is going to refuse the care of hospice because he doesn't need it and that they have ****ed him off (hospice has mentioned twice that they are going to get childrens services involved for thier 4 and 5 year old daughters, because he can not care for them while she is at work, and that has him ****ed, but in reality, he can't, but doesn't understand)...and he has quit taking all of his meds that he was on(because a religous lady laid her hands on him and said she could feel his illness and was healing it, and told him he would need no meds anymore that she was healing it which is fine by all means if you believe in that)...I feel like he is close to death...and fighting it...and others also feel the same...does anybody have any advice on this situation?? or know of anybody else that has gotten to this point and how things went or if they turned around health wise...I could write so much more about this situation, but don't want a post that is a mile long...*S* but any help or advice would be very much appreciated...*S*
thanks

Organica · 06-29-2003, 11:18 PM

No he is not doing well. It is very likely he has a problem with his liver and it is poisioning his system this is what causes him to act crazy and not realize it is a problem. Tim went through this shortly before he died it is a normal course of events when liver is failing. They can come back and feel perfectly normal sometimes lose whole days when they were out of it. When they are like this they are a total handful worse than an unruly child because they think they are fine and can do what they want. Tim lost alot of weight also hep C in some people is a wasting diease causes loss of appetite so person is not eating enough or often enough if at all or cannot keep it down. But if I am correct and this is not being induced by medicine then he probably needs to be in a hospital.

ChihuahuaLady · 06-30-2003, 01:06 AM

thanks for the reply organica...

he definately has a failing liver, she has told me he looks very yellow sometimes...I haven't seen him in about three weeks...he has been in the hopital numerous times in the last few months getting fluid drained off of his lung..my husband was telling me about something else he has (long name) but apparently all of his organs are infected or something and that is why the fluid is on the lungs..whatever it is...confuses me...*S*

she also told me that he wanted to go get oranges from the store..she drove him there and dropped at the door because he insisted he could do it..well it was an hour and a half before she finally found him...with an avocodo...she said she was shocked...he was lost in Super Walmart....

as for his diet...she says all he eats is Ramen Noodles...once a day...that's it...here is my question on that...how long can one have such explosive diahrea and vomiting ALL the time and survive with such little going in and so much going out?? I don't understand how that works...how is this man still alive?? it just blows me away...I feel he needs to be in a hospital, but they say that is why hospice is involved...so he can stay at home...*shaking head*

I feel so sorry for her...she works 12 hours shifts, and after working she has to go home and clean all of that up, plus whatever other messes he has made....plus take care and love two small children...

askherjohn82 · 06-30-2003, 01:25 AM

hi mimi
this is a pretty sad situation no doubt.i lost a dear friend over the samething, also just found out yesterday that "yet another"friend is really bad and she won't stay in the hospital, as she is caught up in the "booze scene"and she doesn't want to educate herself about hep.when we have the virus we want to learn what we can in order to help ourselves or just like you trying to help your friend.he really needs to learn about this, but "he will have to take that step".regarding liver enzymes.......(in my oppinion)i have seen them higher than that,but the person stopped consuming alcohol, started eating a well balanced nutrisiouse diet, exersize etc, and now his (alt and ast enzymes),(i feel are of most important),have come down tremendously!i hope that this is of some help, and that i hear from you again.
keep the faith, bless you..........mj

Organica · 06-30-2003, 11:04 AM

I feel for your friend having just been through this myself. It is a hard row to hoe. It seems to me hospice should have info that could help her find some child care as opposed to threating her. As a friend perhaps you could look into it. There is a lot for the caretaker to handle when someone is this bad, it is really ovewhelming. I was lucky we had good friends and family to help me.
The throwing up and diarea is probably from his stomach being inflamed unable to keep anything in this also happened to Tim. Mostly dry heaves and alot of gas.
If he is yellow and crazy he probably won't last to long it is way beyond diet and excersise and at the point of liver transplant. Some people go for along time like this but most like Tim only last a short time in this state. My heart goes out to you and your friend this is a really hard thing to go through for everybody concerned including him.