OT: My mother is doing better

[n6249c]

Sorry to hear of her setback. Praying she turns the corner and is on the road to recovery. All my best wishes to her, and to you. May the year to come be better for all!

 

[Simpelton]

They think it's diabetic damage to the liver. The surgeon removed nearly 5 liters of fluid from her body cavity.

 

[PatsDeb]

They think it's diabetic damage to the liver. The surgeon removed nearly 5 liters of fluid from her body cavity.

Your poor Mom. It's so hard when loved ones get sick...

 

[Pat the Pats Fan]

Wishing you and your mom the best.

 

[NuckyDuck]

Stay strong. She'll recover soon.

 

[Simpelton]

Shes back home but we're no closer to a final answer. She's got a liver biopsy to "look forward" to. And she may be looking at regular drainage appointments at the hospital. Fun times

 

[aluminum seats]

Shes back home but we're no closer to a final answer. She's got a liver biopsy to "look forward" to. And she may be looking at regular drainage appointments at the hospital. Fun times

One day at a time man. Hang in there

 

[Simpelton]

Say Mods, could I get an update to the title to suggest that Mom's doing much better?

As for how I know she's doing much better...

I got up this morning and Mom was back at her old tricks. I caught her going through her old recipes looking for things she could adapt to her new dietary requirements (low sodium diet) and a pot of dried beans bubbling on the stove. This is significant because until yesterday she'd completely surrendered the kitchen to her two oldest sons (me and my older sibling).

She wound up making a ham-bone chilli that was actually really tasty. The only salt in the mix came from the ham bone she boiled the beans with. This was the first cooking project she embarked on since she got sick, so it's a real sign of a return to normalcy for her. She's now continuing to go through her collection of recipes and coming up with dozens of new ideas for adjusting her repertoire, so I doubt this will be the last time she takes the kitchen back over.

She's also seemingly discarded the quad cane she'd been using since she left the hospital, claiming not to need it. That's a bit of a stretcher considering she's fallen down a couple times already, but we permit her her conceit.

She's been up all day and doing her thing, although she sits in a chair to watch the stewpot now she's otherwise back to normal.

Knew it wouldn't be too long. Mom's got a lot of Scots in her, and she's never been one to take bad news lying down. I couldn't be more proud of her.

 

[Wordsmyth]

We rejoice with you, sir.

 

[Tony2046]

Say Mods, could I get an update to the title to suggest that Mom's doing much better?

As for how I know she's doing much better...

I got up this morning and Mom was back at her old tricks. I caught her going through her old recipes looking for things she could adapt to her new dietary requirements (low sodium diet) and a pot of dried beans bubbling on the stove. This is significant because until yesterday she'd completely surrendered the kitchen to her two oldest sons (me and my older sibling).

She wound up making a ham-bone chilli that was actually really tasty. The only salt in the mix came from the ham bone she boiled the beans with. This was the first cooking project she embarked on since she got sick, so it's a real sign of a return to normalcy for her. She's now continuing to go through her collection of recipes and coming up with dozens of new ideas for adjusting her repertoire, so I doubt this will be the last time she takes the kitchen back over.

She's also seemingly discarded the quad cane she'd been using since she left the hospital, claiming not to need it. That's a bit of a stretcher considering she's fallen down a couple times already, but we permit her her conceit.

She's been up all day and doing her thing, although she sits in a chair to watch the stewpot now she's otherwise back to normal.

Knew it wouldn't be too long. Mom's got a lot of Scots in her, and she's never been one to take bad news lying down. I couldn't be more proud of her.

That's great news. Thanks for the update.

 

[nabwong]

Fantastic news!! How are her hands and can she run routes?

 

[Froob]

Say Mods, could I get an update to the title to suggest that Mom's doing much better?

As for how I know she's doing much better...

I got up this morning and Mom was back at her old tricks. I caught her going through her old recipes looking for things she could adapt to her new dietary requirements (low sodium diet) and a pot of dried beans bubbling on the stove. This is significant because until yesterday she'd completely surrendered the kitchen to her two oldest sons (me and my older sibling).

She wound up making a ham-bone chilli that was actually really tasty. The only salt in the mix came from the ham bone she boiled the beans with. This was the first cooking project she embarked on since she got sick, so it's a real sign of a return to normalcy for her. She's now continuing to go through her collection of recipes and coming up with dozens of new ideas for adjusting her repertoire, so I doubt this will be the last time she takes the kitchen back over.

She's also seemingly discarded the quad cane she'd been using since she left the hospital, claiming not to need it. That's a bit of a stretcher considering she's fallen down a couple times already, but we permit her her conceit.

She's been up all day and doing her thing, although she sits in a chair to watch the stewpot now she's otherwise back to normal.

Knew it wouldn't be too long. Mom's got a lot of Scots in her, and she's never been one to take bad news lying down. I couldn't be more proud of her.

 

[Simpelton]

Mom and I collaborated today on what was originally going to be a tuna salad to fit Mom's new diet but instead got so overloaded with veggies that the only way to put it on a sandwich was to puree it. Which we did. It became this gloriouss multicolored mass of tomatoes, carrots, onion, avocado, 2 types of letuce, tuna, mayonnaise and olive that Mom spread on toast and pronounced delicious.

It's nice being able to share what I learned while she was out of the kitchen, with someone who's been slinging supper for 40 years, she really helped refine my ideas, and she was the one who suggested pureeing it.

 

[Patsgofor4]

They think it's diabetic damage to the liver. The surgeon removed nearly 5 liters of fluid from her body cavity.

That explanation is a bit too simplistic. They are likely saying that she has cirrhosis of the liver due to non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) which progressed to non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), meaning chronic inflammation due to excessive fat in the liver, and, ultimately, to cirrhosis (excessive scar tissue formation). NAFDL is the most common cause of a abnormal liver enzyme blood testing in the United States, principally due to the obesity epidemic in this country (currently 33% and rising every year). The principal risk factors are obesity, poorly controlled diabetes and high cholesterol levels.

It is relatively uncommon for a patient with fluid in his/her abdomen due to cirrhosis of the liver to require frequent fluid removal sessions (called paracenteses). In most cases the accumulation can be dramatically reduced with a combination of two different oral diuretic pills along with strict sodium limits in the diet. Specifically she should not be consuming any more than **2000 mg of sodium per day**. In addition to not adding any salt to her food, ham/cured meats, most canned foods/soups and most frozen meals (some are low in salt but that is not the norm) should be avoided. Looking at the nutritional labels carefully is very important. If a patient does not stick to a 2000 mg daily sodium limit, the diuretics are unlikely to work. If the fluid continues to accumulate in the coming weeks despite strict dietary compliance and maximization of diuretic dosing (referred to as refractory ascites), a procedure to reduce pressure in the large vein that runs through the liver would likely be considered.

I hope they also recommended maximizing control of her blood sugar and, if she is overweight, weight loss. I assume that she has a dietitian, who can help her with all of the above. Finally, she should speak to her doctors about the potential benefits of caffeinated coffee and tea. There is abundant evidence in the medical literature that drinking at least 3 to 4 cups of caffeinated coffee or tea can slow the progression of any type of chronic liver disease and, in patients with cirrhosis, can reduce the risk of liver cancer.

Best of luck to her.

 

[Hyped]

Best of luck to your Mother!

 

[SammyBlueCat]

We rejoice with you, sir.

yes we do

 

[qbno12]

Say Mods, could I get an update to the title to suggest that Mom's doing much better?

As for how I know she's doing much better...

I got up this morning and Mom was back at her old tricks. I caught her going through her old recipes looking for things she could adapt to her new dietary requirements (low sodium diet) and a pot of dried beans bubbling on the stove. This is significant because until yesterday she'd completely surrendered the kitchen to her two oldest sons (me and my older sibling).

She wound up making a ham-bone chilli that was actually really tasty. The only salt in the mix came from the ham bone she boiled the beans with. This was the first cooking project she embarked on since she got sick, so it's a real sign of a return to normalcy for her. She's now continuing to go through her collection of recipes and coming up with dozens of new ideas for adjusting her repertoire, so I doubt this will be the last time she takes the kitchen back over.

She's also seemingly discarded the quad cane she'd been using since she left the hospital, claiming not to need it. That's a bit of a stretcher considering she's fallen down a couple times already, but we permit her her conceit.

She's been up all day and doing her thing, although she sits in a chair to watch the stewpot now she's otherwise back to normal.

Knew it wouldn't be too long. Mom's got a lot of Scots in her, and she's never been one to take bad news lying down. I couldn't be more proud of her.

Great news ! Really glad she's feeling much better. Very happy for you and your family. Excellent start to the new year

 

[aluminum seats]

With the new thread title, the 17 sad rankings now seem sort of mean.

 

[HeadHunter]

Love logging on to positive news. Hope she continues to do better!! And super awesome seeing you spend time and cook with her. Moms are the best, love them while you have them

 

[NuckyDuck]

Yeah good news!!!
Tuna salad my favorite