Expert: james52144@earthlink.net - 11/30/2009

Question
Hello-
I hope you can help us out. My mom is 63 years old and has been a wicked heavy drinker for at least 35 years. She drinks until she passes out, become incontinent. She's lost memory, but still manages to function and go to work. This past holiday I saw her looking her worst. Her belly is very swollen, her face looks drawn, her legs are very thin. She in essence looks beyond horrible. I don't know what is happening with her, she refuses to go to a doctor. At this point, she's had a few falls at home, that I know of. My sister and I are very concerned, and believe that she can't live like this for too much longer. She won't talk to us about how she feels either. I have no idea whats happening with her or how to help. My sister seems to think that our mom isn't going to be around too much longer. I'm not sure she will either..  

Answer
Dear Lauren

What your mother is experiencing is the extreme acidosis created by consuming large amounts of alcohol, which is very acidic. Fat accumulates around the middle of the body and the liver becomes enlarged, which causes the extended abdomen. It is impossible to say how long she would last, my mother lived until she was 78, drinking the whole way. Sometimes the alcohol keeps them alive.