This may sound gross. Sorry friends. It’s what I’ve lived with. As your best friend in the Hepatitis C and cirrhosis mess, this may save your life. When the doctor said Portal Valve Hypertension with class 2 varices, it scared me. The pictures were disgusting. I was vomiting blood with Hepatitis C and still in denial that the liver disease was even a part of my life.
When I first searched, frightening words and images jumped off the computer screen and invaded my house. If I turned the computer off, then I could mute the ugliness of it for a while. But it still creeped in my bedroom at night. Those pictures of MY stomach and esophagus were in a folder, in a manilla envelope, in an accordian file, in a box under the bed. I hated those pictures. I did not want to hear it. Here’s my best tips about vomiting blood with Hepatitis C. Here are scary pics of the scarring and how that got fixed in 2023.
Prevent and Treat Bleeding Varices
- If you have cirrhosis, click these links about endoscopy, Magnetic Resonance Image(MRI), Dopplar sonography to determine if you have Portal Vein Hypertension or varices.
- A beta blocker such as Propanolol can help reduce hypertension and keep varices from forming, or enlarging.
- Have regular endoscopies and bandings if necessary. It’s an inconvenience and will lay you out for a day or two. Liquid diet may be all that you can tolerate if they band 3 or more, Just do it. I’ll bring jello and popsicles.
- Varices can also be in your stomach and colon, so the bleeding may be in your stool.
It has been 2 ½ years and I have somewhat accepted all of the tests, medications, and limitations associated with Portal Valve Hypertension and Esophageal Varices. Boy, have I fought against it mentally. Even writing this blog is creating a huge amount of emotion for me.
Liver 101 to help you out. Read about your liver here.
Before I was diagnosed, I had my first bleed. Thinking I had the stomach flu, I ate red jello and thought that’s what I was throwing up. Nope. It was blood. I ignored it. For a few days anyway. If ignored, portal hypertension can cause ascites which is a build up of fluid in the abdomen. When I swelled like a pregnant woman, I ended up in the hospital where an MRI showed a clear picture of a cirrhotic liver and a lot of varices. Within 2 days, I had the diagnosis of Hepatitis C Virus with End Stage Liver Disease (ESLD).
When my varices was first diagnosed as Class 2 out of of 4, I got my MELD score and eventually headed to the transplant hospital. The next bleed raised me to the next class. I quit walking or exercising. Reduced platelets and hemoglobin led to a massive bleed that haunts me even now.
You Have Options when Vomiting Blood
Read about grades and stages of varies here.
Banding – The doctor places rubber bands around each bulging vein. I was in ICU for that one. It is usually done on an outpatient basis unless there is a massive bleed. Heavy sedation replaces total anesthesia. It is much easier on the liver and recovery time is quicker.
I had some banded Friday. It was my 5th one so far. Click here for a blog on what to expect with a varices banding. Usually they band about 5 or 6. This time I only needed 2 veins banded! That is my good news for the day. I am still a little woozy from the sedation.
It only takes 50 mg of Nadolol daily to keep my portal valve pressure down. My doctor tweaks it. The highest dose is at bedtime to prevent grogginess at work. Taking my pulse several times a day to insures that it stays around 60 to 65 beats per minute. I also take Omaprazole daily to keep stomach acid at a minimum. I have to keep my tummy at a good PH level through good nutrition. Probiotics, Greek Yogurt, and a liver loving diet help with that.
You’ve Got This
If you have liver disease from any cause or been diagnosed with acites, varices, portal hypertension, or are vomiting blood – taking these steps can help to reduce the amount of fear. Yeah. Calm down a little. I hope that my story will help to reduce the amount of stress that you feel. Life is not over yet. You CAN overcome with the right treatment. I plan on going another 20 years. Won’t you join me? Let’s not give the liver disease one inch of ground. I’ve got my lipstick on and am heading out to see a comedy. My crying is over for this round. It’s time for some comic relief. For more about bleeding varies go to Hepatitis.net.
Your bff who will NOT give up, Karen:)
35 thoughts on “Vomiting Blood with Hepatitis C”
Great article Karen!
I too am in the same boat, I have not thrown up blood in a long time, boy did that scare me! Actually it only happened twice. I didn’t know the cirrhosis was the cause of the low platelets, which caused the easy bruising, thanks for teaching me that!
Johnny
Thanks so much Johnny! It’s amazing how much we can endure. That which doesn’t kill us makes us stronger, right? Karen:)
Karen thank you so much for the information on vomiting blood with hep C. Just brought my friend to ER because of this. It really took the fear down a notch.
Vicki,
You’re a great friend!!! I picture you sitting in the hospital researching and helping your friend look for answers. I am really glad you found the blog. There is a lot of fear when something like that happens. I still live with that fear every day. But with medications and bandings, there is still hope. Even with end stage cirrhosis, the body will begin to heal and the varices can be controlled.
Your friend may have a lot of fear, weakness, and confusion. The bleeding may cause an increased ammonia level. That can lead to hepatic encephalopathy. Strength will come back slowly. Be sure and read about esophageal bandings. It is not easy to swallow for a few days. I hope that you will find a lot of comfort and education here.
Lots of love and hugs sent to you and your friend this morning. Every day starts fresh and new. Love and support is healing, and I offer you mine.
xoxo Karen:)
Karen:
Thank you so much for your heartfelt story about Esophagael Varices. It is a very scary part of HepC and my husband and I have gone through it. He was banded and in the hospital for 4 days after his first episode. Is now on Propanolol and hasn’t had it happen since. It is encouraging that so many people with HepC are willing to share the “ins and outs” of this horrible disease. Your story will help many understand!
Thanks Denise. It’s frightening for their loved ones too. My daughter still has the stains on her carpet and her memories. I’m glad your husband has it under control… And that he has your support, dear one.
yes you are so right, whatever doesn’t kill us makes us stronger 🙂
Karen, how are you? I found your blog again through Facebook. If not been able to find it through a search. I am praying for you. I can tell by reading you’ve been through a lot lately. So sorry. Anything I can do? Love you girlfriend !
Janelle
Janelle, I love you too. You’re an awesome sister-friend. We need to get together!
Thank you for this great informative website.
Yes, you give me hope that we can live another 20! Xxoo
I’m with you JoAnne! Thanks. We need best friends in this journey. I love the thought of defying the odds. xoxo Karen:)
I have chronic hepatitis c.I’ve been though treatment and failed.i have vomitted blood on several occasions and most recentley had to attend hospital .this is a horrible painful disease as im sure you all know.none of the drs have yet to tell me the cause.thankfully your website has just gave me the answer.my blood test according to the latest say my liver is functioning fine.yet my.stomach is swollen badly .how can my liver be working according them fine with these symtoms .can you advise.many thanx.its comforting to see your replys Xx
Robbie,
So the liver enzymes are good. But it sounds like you have ascites if your stomach is swollen.
Have you had an endoscopy to check your stomach bleeding? It could be ulcers or varices.
The bottom line: Is your doctor giving you some answers about those 2 areas. What kind of medication are you getting for them?
Diuretics?
I know several who failed treatment and then cleared with the new drugs in clinical trials. Is your doc discussing this with you?
You deserve some more answers. I am so glad that my story is enough like yours that you found some answers.
You hang in there and ask for more from the doc. I’m all full of questions for you. Please answer back.
YES. Vomiting blood is awful, terrible, scary stuff. I’m worried about you. I look forward to hearing back from you! xo K
Hi Karen, I found this site whilst trying to find out what Hep C is and what it means going forward.
My daughter in law was rushed into hospital on new years eve after vomiting several pints of blood. She was rushed in and had another episode in the hoslital and actually stopped breathing. She was resuscitated and has so far has had 4 blood transfusions – she lost 6 pints of blood in all we were told. One of the possibilities they are considering is Hep C. She has had an endoscopy and they are doing an ultrasound tomorrow. Is there any other test ee should ask for? We are all really frightened for her as she nearly died on tuesday and it sounds as if she may have final stage hep c? Is there anything we can be doing for her? Jo
Jo,
I’m so very sad to hear how sick your daughter-in-law is. My family and I didn’t know what Hep C was when I was diagnosed either. I’m sure you’ve learned it is a virus that silently attacks the liver. The symptoms may not show up for years.
The first thing is to see if she has Hep C. There could be other causes. It sounds a lot like my diagnosis though. Sound like she is getting good care. The endoscopy probably stopped the bleeding and revealed the esophageal varices that caused her to bleed in the first place. The ultrasound will show general liver condition, if there are tumors, also other organs like the spleen can all be measured and examined that way.
I was diagnosed final stage from my first hospitalization. It seemed like the end, but it wasn’t. I saw my transplant doctor today and he said my liver is “compensated” now. The virus is gone and NO transplant was needed. It’s been a long 3 years, but it is possible to heal.
Hers is “decompensated” meaning it can’t carry out the functions it needs to.
My best advice is to go to the START HERE page. It’s on my home page and will list most of the important blogs. I break it down gently and thoroughly. I always refer back to the doctor, but this will help to give you a baseline of information.
Please stay in touch Jo. I’ll be thinking of you tonight. Love and hugs. xo Karen:)
Thank you very much for your reply. I will let you know when we have a proper diagnosis. I know her haemoglobin count is only 6 ( or 60) Which is very low. I will look at your home page as suggested. The
I hope your health continues to improve – this gives me hope.
Many thanks
Jo x
Jo,
I’ve thought about you all weekend with a prayerful heart. That’s why I write – to offer hope. Anything is possible!! My life is proof.
Keep me posted. Karen:) xoxo
You are a brave lady, thankyou for posting your sickness on line and giving hope to people like you. My wife is the person who is sick, she is 84 years old, and had an episode of vomiting blood one time 2 months ago, due to H.c for years. Had a band ligation, was put on Inderal 20mg twice a day, and Pantoprazole 40mg. daily, and is going for an second endoscopy July 26. Please, she and I are seniors and very private,so I beg you that if vou have any comment to do it with the name of Mili.My wife side effects with Pantoprazole are bothering ,any suggestion? Hope that you are well so you can give hope to more people. Thank you very much.
I saw that you wish for privacy. I always protect my readers and never give out emails or names. I changed YOUR name to John in this response. I hope you see it.
You are a kind man to care so much for your wife. She is very bless that you are taking care of her through the bleed and banding. It is a good thing to keep those checked and I hope her second one has no problems with varices. The medication can be a life saver.
You mention the drug is bothering her. It is given for acid reflux. I take Omaprazole for the same thing. It controls the acid and keeps varices from becoming worse also. I wonder if a change in the prescription can help? Be sure and talk to her doctor if you have not done it already.
I am hopeful for a good outcome. You and your wife have my prayers and blessings as you continue to heal from this terrible virus. Eat well and love well my friend. Let me know how it goes, ok?
Much love and thanks,
Karen:)
Hi Karen,
I was just told that I have Esophageal varicose from my GI doctor today 🙁
He plans on blood tests, MRI, CT scan, and a another endoscopy. It all started when I was throwing up for 3 hours and it looked like coffee grounds, I wen to the ER and saw my GI doctor. They are telling me that I got the Esophageal varicose from my Portal Hypertension.
I never know that there was a relationship between Portal Hypertension and Esophageal varicose, but after reading your post here, it sure does.
Fantastic article!
Johnny
John Barrett recently posted…Flash And AIR 14 Released
Hay Johnny! Great to see you! Yep, the whole portal hypertension thing creates a lot of mess and is even connected with the ascites. It sounds like they quit bleeding without a banding which is great.
Are you taking a beta blocker? They can really help prevent varices from forming and bleeding! I’m having an endo again soon and hope there are no new ones!
Stay in touch buddy! It is really good to hear from you,
xo Karen:)
good afternoon karen,
i have been following your info regarding banding varices. iam so frightened, i cannot function, your explanations and to see you doing well has eased me fear a little.
Karen when varices are banded does the whole vein die off, or is it the varices that drops off. iam due to go into hospital for banding at end of march. could you give me some idea of things i can eat or drink, and any little hints to help me manage the first week. e.g. can you lay down in bed or is it better to be propped up on pillows . many thanks karen regards robyn
Dear Robyn, I am so sorry to hear that you had to have banding. I am also sorry that I did not see this in time to give you any support. Karen just had a procedure done, I am her friend Dee and I am helping her out for a bit.
I hope you are doing well. Would you want to share your experience with others. I remember when Karen had her banding and she ate very soft foods like jello, oatmeal, pretty much easy to swallow food for a few days. I thought she did very well but I know it had to be hard for her as well. She had no warning this was coming, it just happened so she had no time to prepare. I hope that you did well. My thoughts and prayers are with you. If you get a chance, take a look at Karen’s liver loving recipes. Again, really sorry this post did not get answered before you had the banding. Take Care, keep in touch, Dee
I only have a blocked portal vein and esophageal varices…liver appears to be okay. On beta blockers as had 3 bleeds which were scary. The most scary thing is I do have lots of friends who care but I don’t think understand about the very swollen sore belly. I was only told this week ‘congratulations you kept that quiet’ it was kept quiet as it wasn’t happening. I couldn’t have children and I don’t want to explain it all happened due to a botched op taking out my gall bladder. However, I am still here and still smiling! Endoscopy done yesterday and banding done. I feel like I’ve been kicked in my chest.
Hey there, thank you so much for writing.
I am impressed you are able to write while feeling like you have been kicked in the chest. You have been through hell and back as far as I am concerned. I am happy to hear that you got through the endoscopy and banding. I remember Karen saying that she had to eat soft food for a few days after her banding. She had it done on an emergency basis.
Oh…I am Dee, Karen’s friend, she had a liver transplant on April 13th, so I am trying to help her out while she recovers. She is doing well though she is having back pains from the long operation. I am really glad to hear that your liver is ok. Are you able to take anything for the pain? Or use heat or ice? Can you soak in a tub of Epsom Salts? I know the pain is interior but the heat could help if you are allowed to do that and the magnesium from the epsom salts helps the muscles to relax. I know how hard it is for other to understand our illness. Everyone always tells me, oh you look so good, you must not be sick, haha. I have cirrhosis of the liver and am hanging in there, trying to pay it forward in the name of others who helped lift me up. I remember once someone saying “We are standing on the shoulders of Giants”
I wish I could give you a hug
I hope you will keep in touch and let us know how you are getting along. My best to you Dee
Hi there! I am thinking of you, I hope and pray that you are feeling a little better dear one. I am so sorry that a doctor did this to you. What a nightmare to do what you are supposed to do and your doctor made a mistake. I have never heard of your particular problem. I wish I had more information to share with you. I am always the person who likes to do research. I will try to find something if I can.
Take care, be kind to yourself, rest, my best to you, Dee
Live to die another day
PS i dont have hep c
Hello there! Thanks for sharing, nice to year from you YOLO 🙂
Hi Karen i lov ua blogs alot they have taught mi so much thank and God bless you.
Hi Karen, I don’t know if I have hep c or cirrhosis but I know I have fatty liver. Today they did an endoscopy with a biopsy and found grade 1 varices in my esophagus and 1mm. I am so scared. What shall I do?
Hi there, please don’t be afraid. There are things you can do. You can cut out red meat, fried foots, fats, drink lots of water.
This is just a simplistic version of what I normally say. I can see you are panicked, please don’t panic. It could be from the fatty liver and people can improve. Are you saying you have not been tested for Hepatitis? I would try to find out if I were you though it doesn’t matter as far as Karen and I are concerned, we just want to help people.
There is not a lot of help and understanding out there. Do you have blood work? Can you look at your ALT AST Hemogloin, Platelets?
Here is something to get you started. A link to Karen’s liver loving recipes. In addition you can also google liver healthy or even heart healthy diet. A close relative of mine had a blockage in her heart. She read Dean Ornish’s book and was able to turn her life around, with diet. Several years later during an operation she had no trouble as the blockage was gone.
I know of people who have changed their health by eating right. I will have to check out the varices, what did the doctor say? Is he going to watch them? Does he want to band? Karen knows this part but I will search now, Take Care, Dee
https://www.ihelpc.com/liver-loving-recipes/
Hi if they said grade 1 varices that is a low level. I looked it up and found this. I don’t think you have to do anything unless the doctor suggests a medication to reduce the portal hypertension. Some people are given medication. I hope this helps. Dee
http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/esophageal-varices/home/ovc-20206457
My went into the hospital on Feb 3rd. He was throwing up blood and very ill.. He had an endoscopy done and they found the varises in his throat. The Dr. said he had to much old blood in the stomach and that she couldnt get down far enough to see where the bleeding was coming from. Because of that she felt he was going to be okay untill the morning. At 6am he had gone into shock and he passed. Few hours later.. I need answers. There is so much more to this story. Karen if you can email me id love to know any info that may help me with answers. Kelleykane.db@gmail.com
Oh honey,
This breaks my heart hearing how you lost your loved one. It is really a traumatic experience. My husband and daughter were with me and it was a sad night for us all. They sat in ICU for 2 days.. like you did. But you had a very tragic outcome. I’m so very sorry.
There must have been a few things going on. Only your doctor can tell you but my opinion is this:
1. The varices were deep in the stomach and the source of bleeding could not be seen. I have several varices in my stomach to this day. They shrank down now, but they were at the TOP of my stomach where doctors could see and band them.
2. The blood loss was extreme during this varices bleed. I lost several pints one night and almost died. I think because my doctor had banded me a few months before, he knew exactly where the bleeding was coming from. That – and I got there by ambulance within 30 minutes. Timing is so crucial with a massive bleed out.
3. The must have been some long term bleeding. He may have been severely anemic from long term hidden, and slow bleeding. Sometimes we don’t know that there is internal bleeding and our blood loss is slower. Because of weakness the body simply goes into shock.
I’m sending prayers for your loss and hope that you find all the information you need to help you understand this awful disease.
All my love,
xo Karen
Please read here for more. https://www.ihelpc.com/varices-grades-and-treatment-in-hepatitis-and-cirrhosis/
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