Cirrhosis Support Group

Is this HE?? Dad seems more & more 'distant'. He just kinda "drifts off", even when I am talking to him. Yesterday he told me many, many times a few things that had happened in the am, but had trouble remembering other things & finally just said I don't know. Sometimes he's real depressed & sometimes he's happy & talkative. He sleeps alot more latley, sleeping at night (finally) & on & off during the day. I was in midconversation with him & he said "thank you" midsentence of speaking to me, it was like he thanking someone else but there was nobady there, strange.

Sure sounds like HE to me or possibly the alcohol. Is he taking his lactulose? Will he even take it? It is very possible for a person with advanced liver damage to slip into an hepatic coma due to HE. I borrowed this from Wikipedia: "A person in a coma cannot be awakened, fails to respond normally to pain, light or sound, does not have sleep-wake cycles, and does not take voluntary actions." Watch out for this as you need to get him to the hospital ASAP if it does occur.

I'm not trying to scare you here but I did end up with a few comatose periods myself and I had stopped drinking a year prior.

Hang in there! I can appreciate what you as a caregiver provide! Your situation is especially poignant to me as it sounds like my father 25-30 years ago. My thoughts are with you!

Dennis

he won't go back to the dr, much less take anything. I don't know if it's because he's at peace within himself or if he's in denial. Are there any other signs I need to watch for, other than coma? I do the best I can but he is never completly honest with me.

Have you read lovinwife's post on Cargivers Sites, listed in the General & Support Forum? She has a couple of good ones listed there which might help prepare you and the family for the tough times ahead. Here's a link to a passage from the Manual for Mortals that deals with liver disease:

http://www.growthhouse.org/mortals/mort2514.html

Yell if we can help.

Hugs and Prayers,

Bobbi

I think I've read everything there is to read at least twice,lol. This is just so hard without a dr to help guide me through & answer the questions. I keep on reading though, maybe somewhere in the back of mind I think I might find an answer. I do appreciate all the suggestions & responses, it helps me a ton.