Cirrohosis -- It's simple until it's not

Cirrhosis is the most common ailments associated with alcoholism. Upon receiving the diagnosis, many people feel lost in a huge pond without a rowboat or paddle. Doctors speak in “doctor language” while the rest of us speak in “regular language.” The thing that is the clear is that the patient must stop drinking. That is true, but there is a lot more to cirrhosis than that.

Cirrhosis is the hardening of the liver as the cells die.

As a part of the “Surviving the Chaos” workshop, I created the below illustration.

Alcohol that has been metabolized in the liver creates metabolic waste which is filtered by the kidneys to controlling the bodily fluid balance. The more liquid a person consumes the harder the kidneys have to work to eliminate the fluid.

The kidneys send the fluid to the bladder and then it is sent on its journey into the sewer system.

Sounds pretty simple.

The system gets complicated when the liver cannot metabolize all the alcohol thus sending it back through the bloodstream over and over again. The toxins (which in fact are poisons), one of which is plasma ammonia, accumulate in various organs.

Let’s start with the liver and the most well-known alcohol-related disease.

CIRRHOSIS – With the consumption of large quantities of alcohol, the liver becomes scarred and the scar tissue blocks the flow of blood. The more scar tissue created the less the blood the liver can process. If the liver doesn’t function properly, the affect will be more toxins, such as plasma ammonia, not being eliminated. The blood will begin to thin and risk of infection will increase.

Some of the signs and symptoms of a malfunctioning liver include:

Jaundice -- yellowing of the skin and eyes

Fatigue and weakness

Loss of appetite, nausea

Red spider-like blood vessels visible just under the skin

Swelling of extremities, such as hands, legs, feet from fluid build-up

Swelling of the belly

As the liver damage increases other diseases develop.

 The liver is a miraculous organ because it can regenerate itself if the alcoholic ceases ingesting alcohol permanently. However, each time alcohol consumption resumes the less time required for scarring to begin. By the time cirrhosis has been diagnosed, other complications have developed that are not as forgiving as the liver.