Today Jake came over and exclaimed, LOOK at my FEET! At first I thought maybe he was complaining about them for some reason, like maybe his edema / swelling had come back, but I couldn't see anything. I said, "They look good to me." And he said, exactly. He then told me that he has not taken ANY diuretics for FIVE DAYS. Not bad for someone who had doctors telling him less than a year ago, that he'd need a liver transplant to survive, and would probably have to go on disability!
The last update I did here, listing the prescription medications and amounts he was taking, can be seen HERE.
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UPDATE MAY 2015: Jake is drinking detox water which I believe greatly improved his results with the PEMF. You can read more about it on THIS PAGE. This water appears to reduce fibrosis in studies (see my post showing a list of supplements that appear to do this). It also greatly appears to help people with acid reflux. Jake is currently not taking a single prescription (including PPI's and lactulose!) His PEMF machine was wonderful but we are currently saving for a Professional PEMF machine.
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UPDATE MAY 2015: Jake is drinking detox water which I believe greatly improved his results with the PEMF. You can read more about it on THIS PAGE. This water appears to reduce fibrosis in studies (see my post showing a list of supplements that appear to do this). It also greatly appears to help people with acid reflux. Jake is currently not taking a single prescription (including PPI's and lactulose!) His PEMF machine was wonderful but we are currently saving for a Professional PEMF machine.
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From earlier post, 12/1/14:
He is still taking Digoxin (250 mcg) for his heart, and Lactulose (2 tbsp/day) which I'm guessing he probably doesn't need, but I appreciate that he's taking it because neither of us want to risk him going through another episode of encephalopathy. At some point he'll stop taking it but for now it doesn't seem to have any serious side effects. Though I have my suspicions that for some people, it could actually cause elevated blood sugar... which Jake does have (this could have been caused by the PPI's also). I've heard Lactulose does not cause elevated blood sugar, but I've also heard that it can. I need to do more research on that one.
Anyway... the basic rundown on Jake's current medications is:
| Original Prescription Amount (he's tapered down gradually) | What Jake actually takes as of 11-30-14: |
| Furosemide, 80 mg. | NONE (since October) |
| Spironolactone, 50 mg, | NONE (last dose was 5 days ago) |
| Pantoprazole / Omeprazole, 40 Mg., | NONE, for over a month (Good riddance PPIs!!!!!) |
| Lactulose, 10 gm/15 ml solution | Jake said he only takes 1 1/2 to 2 tbsp at night |
| Digoxin, 250 mcg (for his heart). Jake has atrial fibrillation, which does run in Jake's family, but I think it could have been made worse by alcohol | He DOES take this one as recommended... though i'm hoping at some point he will be able to switch completely to CoEnzyme Q10 or other supplements, or a combination of others... will have to look this up more. |
Again, I'm very proud of Jake for being sober for over a year, for following the Burt Berkson protocol of 600 mg Alpha-Lipoic Acid, 900 mg Milk Thistle, and 400 mcg Selenium, and for also drinking Aloe Vera Juice, Apple Cider Vinegar, and taking Probiotics.
Jake does do nightly PEMF treatments with a professional, high-intensity machine we bought and I do think this has helped his circulation quite a bit. Jake rarely exercises (not that I'm much better... I spend most of my time on the couch working on this blog!). He can kick my butt going up five flights of stairs and I swear it's because of this machine because since I've known him for the last 7 years I could always walk faster than him. If you are interested in getting a machine for yourself, just contact me through this website or leave a comment and I will put you in touch with someone who can get you a machine. One more perk: I could swear these treatments have made him grow back some of the hair on his legs, which he seemed to be losing. It has also uh... increased his sex drive. Maybe this is TMI but I'm just letting you know. If you get one of these machines, you're probably not going to need Viagra.
I think one of the BIGGEST things that has helped Jake is that he has a really positive attitude. Despite getting laid off last year, he has really turned things around. He works very hard, he's really valued at his job and has been making huge contributions to his company. I'm very proud of him, and I hope he will be able to give hope to other people who have cirrhosis!!!
CLICK HERE TO FIND AN ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS CHAPTER IN YOUR AREA
CLICK ON THESE LINKS FOR MY OTHER POSTS
to learn about:
Supplements that Help your Liver Regenerate Itself
How PEMF (Pulsed Electromagnetic Field Therapy) Can Help Your Liver
How PEMF (Pulsed Electromagnetic Field Therapy) Can Help Your Liver
Please note: I am not a doctor and I am only able to tell you what I have learned by doing my own research on the internet, and share with you the things that have worked for my husband. Please remember that Liver Cirrhosis is a very serious disease so I am not saying, do not see a doctor. Doctors have helped my husband a lot. But I believe it is wise to do as much research as you can, and find out why they are giving you every one of the medications and treatments they are giving you. I believe they do not always know about or understand every treatment option that is available, and there are many good options out there that can help.
Your health is ultimately your own responsibility, above anyone else's.
Best of luck to you!!!
If you have something to share, please feel free to leave a comment on this blog.
Hi. Your blog is a big help for me to understand my father's illness. He was diagnosed with cirrhosis last year. We didnt know about until this january 2015 when he was admittied because of ruptured gastric varice. He had histoacryl injection twice for his gastric varice. His portal hypertension is being controlled by his propanolol.. now, another problem arise..He has really bad itching problem om both of his hands. His doctor said that it is just allergy. But the itchiness is not getting better despite the antihistamines. I noticed that the skin of his hands are getting thicker and he has wound from scratching. I dont know what to do. Does your husband experience this also? This could be because of his cirrhosis right? What should we do to help relieve the itchiness?
ReplyDeleteYou forgot to mention you in the headlines! Amazing.
ReplyDeleteHi Lobz (sorry i am having to repost this after my original post on 3/19/15).
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry to hear about your father! But glad to hear he still has time to turn things around. The itching is common for cirrhosis patients. For my husband, it was terrible. He itched until his skin would bleed a little. The doctor who said it's just an allergy must not be a gastroenteroligist or understand what happens with cirrhosis.
I am not a doctor but don't think the antihistamines are a good idea because it's just adding more toxins to his system. Does he have cirrhosis from alcohol? If so, please make sure he is going to AA meetings (like my husband did). If he doesn't stop drinking, he will continue to itch and his problem will just get worse, and he could eventually die. Please show him the pictures on the page called, "If you don't stop drinking alcohol, this could happen to you..." (listed on the right side of this page, towards the top).
If you (or he) can find it in your budget, I would highly recommend getting a detox water machine, because it can help remove toxins like nothing else (and those toxins are causing the itching). My husband loves our machine so much, we just got one for his parents, too. It's less than $50 a month on an approved credit score, no interest for the first year. The payments do go up after the first year but we don't mind since we are saving so much money while he no longer has to take any medications, see any doctors, no longer has to take (unpaid) time off work to see doctors, etc..
If you're interested in getting a machine, you can talk to a distributor at 210 -714 -1042. It will also help him with acid reflux (which most cirrhosis patients have) and should help with his varices as well. I say this because aloe vera juice really helped my husband, but we found that this water is even better for acid reflux, so I think it is really good at helping the body to heal in many ways. In my opinion, proton pump inhibitors are VERY dangerous (please see my other posts about them) and can make his cirrhosis worse. They can cause scarring of the liver and osteoporosis. The detox water has been shown to help people with everything from back pain to cirrhosis. My husband has SOO much energy now, I recommend it to everyone.
You can read more about supplements my husband took, on the post about supplements (located in the right column of this blog). The detox water also seems to help all pills to become stronger (so my husband doesn't have as many supplements). It seems to help things get into your tissues better.
Good luck, and let me know if you have any other questions. I have a lot of hope for your father.