Another week, another trip to the hospital for mom. She was readmitted after vomiting blood (the result of esophageal varices), which has been the sole culprit of her recent hospital stays. An ultrasound was performed on her abdomen, revealing a pocket of fluid in her stomach. Ascites, the medical term for her condition, can be caused by a number of medical problems, but the most common causes are cirrhosis and severe liver disease. Mom told me several tests will be performed on the fluid, which should pinpoint a cause for its presence. The common link between esophageal varices and ascites is impaired liver function, so, in my view, the only question is, How bad is the damage? I'm trying to remain optimistic, but it's difficult. Countless scenarios – some of them morbid, all of them dark – have passed through my mind during the past few weeks. I try to avoid silence, especially at night, in bed, because my mind tends to wander into those darker channels, and once the thoughts begin to reverberate, it's near impossible to suppress them.
xx
2 comments:
When the liver starts shutting down several things begin to happen. The liver is like a sponge and it acts as a filter to clean out the blood from toxins and waste. When cirrhosis occurs, the liver begins to harden and the blood starts searching for other ways to get through. Sometimes the hepatic portal vein is what gets used. It is the biggest vein and can pump more blood. The problem with that is it isn't equipped to handle the load because it isn't strong enough. This causes the bleeds. Once you see a liver specialist they will most likely prescribe a beta blocker to reduce the blood flow pumping through the body. Usually they will want to use an acid reflux medication also, something like previcid or omeprazole. The biggest thing is to get rid of the encephalopathy which causes brain confusion and can lead to a coma. Encephalopathy is the result of ammonia not clearing the bodies system and it needs to be flushed from the body to clear the brain of toxins that are in the blood. A medicine called lactulose is usually given and it is used as a diuretic to expel the ammonia from the body.
My prayers are with you and your family.
Thanks much for your comment. You seem rather knowledgeable about varices -- do you have a personal experience with them?
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