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Old 10-05-2010, 06:16 AM
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oshobabi
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Join Date: Sep 2010
Posts: 8
Am I Just Watching my Brother Die?

My 52 year old brother is an alcoholic. For a very long time he was a herion addict although he has not used in a number of years now. He was in detox and treatment in December 09, at that time he was having a lot of peripheral edema that took a lot of time to get under control. He lived with me for 3 months and he seemed to be doing okay. But he moved out in March and started drinking again. By June in was in terrible shape and went back into detox and then treatment. While in detox he was taken to the ER because of high amonia levels in his urine. After a week of detox he went into a 3 week treatment program. While he was in treatment he had to be taken back to the ER and that time they kept him for 2 days before releasing him back into treatment. Diagnoses, besides Hep B and C, and cirrhosis and ascites include hypothyroidism, high blood pressure, thrombocytopenia, hematuria, and back problems. These are the ones I know about, I am sure there is much more going on. After this last treatment he came back to live with me and has been here for 3 months and is not doing well although he has not been drinking out here. I kind of live out in the country the nearest store is several miles away. He can't physically walk that far, nor does he have any other way to get around except for me taking him places. When he got out of treatment he came home with a ton of prescriptions and while some of them may have been for short duration I am sure he needs to be on some of them daily. Meds he has been prescribed are levothyroxine, potassium, gabapentin, oral generlac, inderal, hctz, roboxin, lasix, folic acid, amlodipine, and procardia. He refuses to go see a doctor. Currently he is on SSI so he has medicaid. Intellectually I know there is nothing I can do, but it feels like I have brought home a body to watch die. He keeps saying he wants to get into subsidized housing but has made no attempt to do so. I understand too that he is in end stage alcoholism so I guess there is no good prognosis for him. I think he has given up. He will not talk with me. He just says he is fine, has HBP meds, doesn't need to see a doctor. He does very little here and never wants to go anywhere other than the grocery store. At this rate I think I am just watching him die. There are many days that I may not see him at all. I am scared, every day I wonder if I will wake up and find that he has died. If anyone has any advise, support to help me with all of this I would appreciate it.
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