I would think he should have an evaluation with a Hepatologist as soon as he could get in. That way he is established with one before he went into a crisis mode, etc. Hopefully, that won't happen but if it did, you would already have the necessary physicians available.

There are many things you can do to help with encephalopathy which will be a great help. The confusion that comes with that scare me and we have learned from the Transplant Team to get all beef and beef products out of his diet. You know that even jello can cause ammonia levels to go up which causes encephalopathy. Since gelatin is derived from animal hooves, skins, etc. (often cow) it is still not good for him to eat.

I thought that because it was so processed and purified that it would not cause any problems or even be considered a beef product but it is. And I have to tell you that since my sister has not been given beef or anything from that source, her mind has been much clearer. And she was only getting beef maybe once a week.

Sorry to give you so much info at once. Hope I did not make you dizzy headed:)

Keep us posted on how your husband is doing and remember to take care of yourself.

See Hep doc now!

Might be a regional thing, but quite often there is a lot of overlap between Hepatologists and GI doctors, and many of them specialize in both areas.

This is a very serious situation, so a second opinion is certainly reasonable. If you're comfortable with your GI, just ask. He may be perfectly capable to handle what's happening, if it's out of his league, he'll refer you to somebody else.

Two months without drinking is a good start and things should already be improving. Many patients seem to level off after about six months of abstinence, but it can be constantly evolving for years. Symptoms can improve/get worse, medications will be modified, dosages changed, etc. Be prepared for plenty of blood tests, MRIs, scopes to detect for possible bleeds...

It's an ongoing process, but the body can do amazing things once you start treating it properly.

He needs to see a good GI or hepatologist as soon as possible. One other caution - please understand I say this from experience. I was in the same situation as you are in now. My husband, a very successful computer systems analyst, stopped drinking only for a few months. He started drinking again in secret, and was able to hide it from me for 2 years. He died a few months ago, and of course was ineligible for a transplant. I firmly did not believe he was an alcoholic - I never saw him inebriated. If we had addressed the addiction along with the liver, he might be alive today. Here's a link that explains...http://www.facebook.com/ext/share.php?sid=188438495091&h=Xinlg&u=RhiRk&ref=nf

http://www.hbo.com/addiction/thefilm/supplemental/624_nora_volkow.html

Wilbur is right. A lot, if not all, hepatologists seem to train first as GIs, and some GI's are quite the expert liver doctors. I go to a GI, who was actually referred to me by a friend's hepatologist.
A second opinion is always good, sometimes a third is needed. So there is no harm in going to a hepatologist as soon as you can.

Thanks for the replies. He has been eating beef products maybe once every week or two. Also his GI doc recommended a hepatologist at the Lahey Clinic in Burlington, MA whis is at least an hour away. He has been having blood tests almost every week.
Skitwin, my husband is with me all the time except when he goes to AA meetings, so I don't think he is drinking, as he does not drive anymore.
Also, will be seeing primary doc on Monday, will ask for a referral then.

Thanks,
Denise