How long she have?

Question

My friend was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2001. Although they did everything as aggressively as possible it got in her bones and liver. Then the chemo caused curoruhus sp?of the liver. Yesterday I found out she's in the last stages of liver failure. When it gets to that point, how long is the normal length of time pple live with liver failure? She is one of my best friends and I want to make sure we have time to get her affairs in order before she passes.

Thank you all for all your answers, all are very informative and comforting. She has had her stomach drained at least 4 times already, maybe more. Right now she is still very coharent , and alert most of the time. She's still eating, although losing weight. She can walk short distances, but it does wear her out. Sunday evening she had a hallcunation that her toothbrush was floating and she couldn't grab it and then dropped it and couldn't pick it up, and the Dr said that was a sign that the liver is failing. I've known for a while(in my mind) that she wasn't going to be a survivor of breast cancer after it got in her bones. I tend to research everything. Wed her and her husband are going to the Dr again, and he wants to know what time frame is "minimal" which is what the Dr said.
I'm heavily invested in my friend and her husband, they are also my bosses where I work. Today her husband and I sat down and talked in depth on what we need to do, get done and when she does pass how I ca

I'm heavily invested in my friend and her husband, they are also my bosses where I work. Today her husband and I sat down and talked in depth on what we need to do, get done and when she does pass how I can run the business while he prepares for the funeral and whatever else needs to be done. The business is a boarding kennel, so not taking care of the dogs that are there is not an option. Guess I'm more putting my thoughts in writing for myself than for anything else.
Thanks for listening.

Answer 1

I am really sorry for your friend. This is what is called. It is still an ENIGMA. You do not know how and when it attacks. It does not give any advance notice and once detected then everything has to be attended automatically.

Only if it shows up in the early stage - Say Stage only and the Grade (Speed of splitting of Cancerous cells) is also I or II efforts may be successful in curing. -

Now for your friend nothing can be said as it is Multi-organ disease. She may take less or more time and the suffering will be there. Please pray for her and also give encouragement to her as well as to her family.

Answer 2

Cirrhosis of the liver is the death of the liver cells. When
this happens, the functions that the liver once did, to keep
the body healthy, no longer are done appropriately.
If she is developing fluid in her abdominal area, she is
in the very last stages. This fluid is known as "Ascites".
It develops because the liver is no longer able to make
a protein known as Albumin that normally holds this
fluid in the vessels of the body...but, since it isn't there,
it leaks out and develops in the abdomen instead.
Here is a link that will describe to you what symptoms
your friend may be going through with this:
http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/cirrhosis/

Since you have said that this was breast cancer that has
gone to her bones and liver...once the cancer has spread
like this to other areas, it is very difficult to control in any
way. It may be in her lungs also.

Only the doctors can give an educated, professional
guess on how long she might have left...from what her
blood work and other testing show. She should have
hospice right now and the doctors can sign for her
for this to happen. Someone in the family should have
either an advance directive or a durable power of
attorney to handle things concerning her....the privacy
laws are torturous if they don't. Some of these can be
found on line, according to the state you are in, and may
be free. I would get in touch with the area of the aging...
they provide services for those who are aged, but sometimes
will help others who are terminal also.
Someone with cirrhosis of the liver and cancer, in the last stages, are not able to think clearly and become confused very fast...this is due to the toxins building in the body and
passing the blood brain barrier. If she has anything
that needs to be signed, it needs to be done before she
is considered by her doctor to be incompetent.

I know how difficult it is to deal with someone so sick.
The best thing now is to make her as comfortable and
pain free as possible, to be with her and show you are
there for her, to help out anyway you can, and be sure
she feels your love....that is the greatest blessing she
could hope for.

Some things that will help the family are:
Bringing prepared food to the home.
Offering to do housework and yardwork.
Doing errands.
Staying with the patient while they do errands.
Sending cards.
Having other prayer for her at church she used to attend.

I hope this is of some help.

Answer 3

When my mother suffered cancer the last stage was liver cancer and that caused her hepatic encephalitis, she forget almost everything and did not recognize people, even she forgot my sister who lived with her. For that reason I can tell that when the liver stopped working the brain got the toxins not eliminated by the liver and then comes the brain failure, after this my mother lived only 15 days more, because she was at home and the doctor said nothing can be done. Fix all the things with your friend and try to have everything in order.
I will pray for you and your friend.

Answer 4

From what I have seen of family and friends, once the liver fails, time is short.

Best wishes to you both.

Answer 5

She doesn't have much time. If there are things that are vital and she is alert, do the most important things first. I'm sorry to hear this.