My mom has been an alcoholic for at least 15 years.  She would drink
herself to sleep every night.  Vodka was her drink of choice and lots
of it.

This past summer, she was diagnosed with Cirrhosis.  She lives 500
miles away from me, so I emptied my savings and flew down to Tennessee
to see her.  I had just seen her a month prior at my wedding, I did not
recognize her.  She had always been a heavy woman and now she was 92
pounds.

I walked in to the hospital room and she was sleeping, I let out a
scream because I had thought that she was dead.  She was swollen and
yellow.  I woke her with my scream, at that point I had calmed down.
She said that she was fine, and for me not to worry.  She was also
saying a lot that did not make any sense.  I spoke with her doctor, who
said that he had never seen a person in such denial as her in his 30
years of practice.  Her platlets were only 20k. She couldn't walk or
sit up because of the swelling.  I had told her to come home with me
and I would take care of her...free room and board.  She didn't want no
part of it, and got nasty with me when I had suggested it.  I was only
able to be down there for one day.  As soon as I left, I learned that
she had checked herself out of the hospital, with one of her alchoholic
friends to take her back home.
The next day, her neighbor had went to check on her, and she ended up
calling 911 and she went right back to the hospital, this time staying
for a month, and she was in a nursing home two months after that.  I
thought that this was terrific, 3 months of her not drinkng, and
knowing that one drink could kill her, she was saved, I thougt.  She
had already endured the DT's and was no longer dependant.

I spoke with her on the phone two weeks before Christmas and she told
me that she is hardley drinking anymore...all she said she drank was
Zima.  I told her she can't drink anything and she told me "I'm fine!!
You worry too much!!"  Right after that, she said she had laundry to
do, and she let me go.  I had tried calling her the days to follow, but
no answer.

Five days before Christmas she went across the street to her neighbor's
and told her that there were people and human-sized rats in her house
trying to kill her and that she needed a gun.

God bless her neighbor, she took her to the hospital Tuesday night and
they put her in the Phych unit on a 3 day hold.  They let her out
Christmas Eve so she could be at home during the holidays.

No one has heard from her since then, she is not answering her phone.
I have called Adult Protective Services on her, and they told me to
call the police right away to go check on her.  I am now waiting for
the phone call back.  I will post again very soon.

If you have Cirrhosis, or a loved one who does, PLEASE POST!  I feel
like I am all alone and I could really could use a little insight on
the disease.  I know that she is the only one who can help herself.  I
have done everything that I can at this point and I feel so helpless.
It is like knowing that someone is going to commit suicide and there is
nothing you can do.

Very Sincerly,
Kristi