Personal communication, Dr Yiannis Kallis, Consultant Hepatologist and Gastroenterologist, 5 May 2022

Many people with cirrhosis experience episodes of hepatic encephalopathy, most at a level where it is not very noticeable. In overt stages (where it is noticeable), it can show up as sleep disturbance, mild confusion, subtle personality changes and slightly poorer performances in tests such as drawing a star and connecting dots. It can also feature problems in movement (called ataxia) and speech, slurring of words, tremor and a particular symptom of fl apping hands when you extend your arms (called asterixis). In some people the sleepiness can progress to a loss of consciousness and even to a coma, where it can be life-threatening.

Diagnosing cirrhosis

You have the right to choose which hospital your doctor refers you to. Read our list of hospitals that have specialist liver units here. Exercising our own imaginations and creative power can bring joy, but so can admiring the creativity of others in the form of art, music, literature, film, and more. The chance to find your people A liver transplant may be required in severe cases where the liver has stopped functioning and does not improve when you stop drinking alcohol. Primary liver cancer (hepatocellular carcinoma) is another possible complication of cirrhosis. Not everyone with cirrhosis develops liver cancer, but most people who do develop liver cancer have cirrhosis. If you develop cancer with cirrhosis, your provider might treat it with cancer therapies like radiation or chemotherapy. Or they might judge that the best solution is a complete liver transplant. Liver transplantation In many cases, chronic liver failure results from cirrhosis. Cirrhosis is the scarring of your liver from repeated or long-lasting injury, such as from drinking alcohol excessively over a long period of time or chronic hepatitis infection. As scar tissue replaces healthy liver tissue, your liver loses its ability to function.

Al-anon offers support for anyone whose life has been affected by someone else’s drinking. Call free on 0800 0086 811 or find a support group by visiting www.al-anonuk.org.uk Your liver may keep working even when you have cirrhosis. However, cirrhosis can eventually lead to liver failure, and you can get serious complications, which can be life threatening. A lot of people with alcohol-related liver disease are malnourished. Not getting the right nutrients from your diet makes it harder for your liver to recover, so eating well is key to treating your condition.

Why do I feel suicidal?

Fatty liver disease is reversible. If you stop drinking alcohol for some time (months or years), your liver should return to normal. Alcoholic hepatitis Alcohol-induced hepatitis. This is chronic liver damage from chronic heavy alcohol use. Alcohol may be the most well-known cause of liver cirrhosis, but nonalcoholic causes are also common. In some serious cases of malnutrition, you may need to be fed through a tube (enteral nutrition). The tube is very thin, it goes up your nose and then through your food pipe and into your stomach. This is often lifesaving, but requires very specialist expertise and care to avoid harm. Many patients can be taught to use the tube feeding system at home and isn’t uncomfortable to use. Liver transplants are very successful. They are a major operation so it can take up to a year to recover, most people are able to leave hospital around 10 days after surgery.

Thoughts of suicide often stem from desperation and helplessness, but these feelings don’t have to be permanent states of being. Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). MSD Manual Professional Version. www.msdmanuals.com, last full review/revision January 2021 Cardiovascular disease. Conditions that cause blood to build up in your liver ( congestive heart failure) or that prevent blood from reaching your liver (chronic ischemia) can damage it. Lots of people find it hard to stop drinking or cut down, so ask your doctor for help if you need it. They can refer you to specialist advice and support from alcohol services. If you have consumed a lot of alcohol over a long period of time, you may need medical assistance (a medical detox) to help your body cope without alcohol to start with. non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) – a more serious form of NAFLD, where the liver has become inflamedChoose an activity that sounds like pure fun — not something you feel you should want to do, but something you just want to do. It’s really important to be totally honest about how much and how often you drink alcohol and to find out whether your drinking has caused harm. Knowing about liver damage at an early stage allows you to make decisions that will help your liver to recover. Even if you are worried your liver may already be damaged, finding out for sure means you can get any help or treatment you need.