This should be discussed mainstream, I'm sure not many know about this awful condition. My brother had this and lost his life at 54. He died alone with none of his enablers to be seen.Such a waste of a beautiful soul .
I hope he gets IV thiamine very quickly, Shihan, and that he recovers well and then is able to stay off the alcohol. Thank you for sharing this. All the best to you and your brother, Beth
My brother has this now...horrible, evil affliction. Can't form new memories, and lives in a sort of fantasy land about the present. He recalls everything from the past with laser precision. I'm truly sorry for your loss.
My father (lifelong excessive beer drinker), stopped eating and slipped into a severely declining state over the pandemic resulting in him being unconscious on the ground for 2 days having lived off beer for a few weeks. He was diagnosed with WKS and spent 54 days in hospital (was stable and could've been released 2 weeks earlier but he was still recovering and his final discharge assessment would determine if he kept his medical power of attorney, so we kept him there hoping to get him over the bar). Luckily his organs recovered quickly in hospital but his walking (ataxia) and his memory (new short to long term memory) were severely compromised. We were told he would likely need full time care for rest of his life and he may never walk. I worked with him daily starting on day 15 in hospital through discharge for 60 days both physically and mentally and slow recovery was noticed, i got him to shuffle walk and remember things for 1 hr, then 2 then a day, but progress started to noticeably taper and was almost stagnant at around day 120. All the research I did basically said there is basically no treatment (given neuron brain damage) other than 100% no alcohol and vitamin B. But then I started looking into TBI and stroke recovery since there are some parallels and found some recent stem cell trial results that looked very hopeful. I tried to contact several research doctors but no response and there weren't any new trials soon or that i wanted to risk him being in the 50% placebo group so I looked for clinics internationally and found a few. after looking up reviews and distances we ended up choosing Bioexcelerator in Colombia. The clinic didn't have any experience treating his condition and was hesitant because of the rate of progression from continued alcoholism, but I advocated hard and they accepted him as a patient. 6 months after his hospitalization we were in Colombia and he got 110 million stem cells injected via IV(Not as needed) and 40 million stem cells injected intrathecally into his spinal cavity fluid to migrate to the brain (this was the main hopeful treatment). 48 hrs later he was noticeably sharper and clearer eyed, 72 hrs later he could remember details from earlier in the day or a movie he was watching much better, 2 weeks later he could still remember his trip to Colombia and what connecting flights he was on and where we stayed on the route from Colombia to Canada, etc. 3 weeks later he drove himself to his dental appointment, settled the bill and drove back home all on his own with his face frozen! and now he recites summaries of articles he read in the paper 1-3 days before.. It's been like a miracle. I felt like I needed to share my experience in case it helps even one other person, we still have a long road ahead and we pray his recovery continues at the current pace, we are now on week 4 after treatment. As positive as my father's response has been, I can't say it would be the same in all cases (i don't want to give false hope, but I do want to give hope and credit where it's due) we also don't know yet how far the treatment will help him get back to his former baseline, as you may know, WKS is considered as a spectrum from acute /temporary(Wernicke) to more chronic/permanent (korsakoff), FYI in my dad's case the doctors indicated based on his clinical diagnosis and MRIs he was likely mid spectrum with some definite permanent damages but hopeful prognosis on some recovery over many mths/yrs.
Thanks. My father just moving into rehabilitation phase... He's memory in tact but his speech and balance is bad. He not the same guy.... What you shared was helpful
@@kylehernandez2850 I'm glad it helped, sorry for your situation, it's not easy. Be very grateful his mind is still there, and keep working with him on the speech and balance (there are no guarantees but pro progress definitely happens in the first year)
@@kylehernandez2850 I happen to be with him now, but we have a house assistant who comes 5 days a week to do exercises with him. He has mostly hit a plateau with his balance and walking, (he had bad walking form before all this also) he is still inching better with his memory, and his speech is pretty good, (sometimes sounds like he's had a few drinks when he obviously hasn't)
@@chrism3188 got ya... I am try to prepare my self what I am getting into... Sounds like your father had it pretty bad. I am sorry bro. My dad bad off and not the same but he Las good long term memory and can't walk with help to the bath room and feed him self. But he not the same guy. Thanks again for getting back to me
Thanks from Texas, Dr. Colby. A lot of well explained information you've laid out here. My brother has this now - it started about 7 weeks ago. Confusion about the here and now. The past he remembers quite clearly. It's only the present he confuses, and he fills in the gaps with fantasy - just like you said. It's kind of like he's dreaming, but he's awake. We both like our drink. He can no longer have it, and I'm tapering mine off to zero soon, and am taking a supposedly 'oil soluble' B1 supplement, that my missus found me. She's also a Londoner. She was raised near Heathrow and sounds a lot like Sharon Osborne. I think maybe you are originally from up north? She's always trying to teach me the different accents. I confuse them, but I digress. I will not allow this thing to affect me. I cannot end up like that. Thank you very much for your videos.
I am a recovering alcoholic, and have been hospitalized and in rehab for it in the past more times than I can count. I don't know why God was so patient and merciful with me - I should have been dead many times, and certainly should not, by medical standards, be fully mentally functioning again. But the Lord heard my cries and prayers for deliverance from the beast of alcoholism, which was a learned coping mechanism I got stuck in to "cope" with trauma and despair. It's literally a trap, though. Call on Jesus to rescue you and your brother. He created us to live, and to live abundantly, and His ways and statutes are meant for our good. "Wine is a mocker and beer is a brawler. Whoever is led astray by them is not wise." ~Proverbs 20:1 Oh how I know this full well. What a loving and mighty God He is to redeem us from this downward spiral if we submit to His good Way. I will pray for you and your brother. You can do it in Christ's strength - I'm living testimony of it. God is a good, good Father who cares and binds up our afflictions. I devote my life to Christ, He paid all my penalty on the cross, and was kind enough to not let me die or sink further under the gulf of this horrible condition. I love having my health back, and I always aim to use it wisely now, for God's glory.
When I see videos like this, I praise God that He heard my cries and prayers to be delivered from the affliction of alcoholism. I wrongly used it as a "coping mechanism" for a lot of trauma and despair. It was not the answer, nearly killed me many times, nearly obliterated my mind, body, and soul. Jesus is the answer, my friends. He will pull you from this pit if you call on Him and submit to His good Way, which is meant for our best. "Wine is a mocker, and beer is a brawler. Whoever is led astray by them is not wise." ~Proverbs 20:1 I learned this the hard way after being an alcoholic half my life. The good news is, there's a better Way, in Jesus Christ. I pray everyone finds healing for their bodies, minds, and souls in Him. He's wonderful, and loves us so much that He died to defeat all these things so that we, too, can defeat them in His strength. God bless and keep you all.🙌
Is it normal for them to repeat things over and over and obsess?? My dad has wet brain and also cirrhosis…yet he won’t quit drinking so I can’t get him help. The hospitals just send him home…I don’t understand why.
HI there. Thank you for your question. Wernicke's Encephalopathy ('Wet Brain Syndrome') is due to DEFICIENCY OF THIAMINE (usually caused by chronic excess alcohol use) and has specific symptoms. The ocular (eye) symptoms do not occur in pure Hepatic Encephalopathy. The treatment for Wernicke's Encephalopathy is intravenous thiamine. Hepatic Encephalopathy is not the same condition as Wernicke's Encephalopathy and is caused by anything affecting liver function that leads to BUILD-UP OF TOXINS (such as ammonia) in the bloodstream. Other causes of hepatic encephalopathy apart from chronic liver disease (cirrhosis) include medication, infections, kidney disease, bleeding from the gastrointestinal tract, and many more. Hepatic Encephalopathy is a serious but treatable condition.
This should be discussed mainstream, I'm sure not many know about this awful condition. My brother had this and lost his life at 54. He died alone with none of his enablers to be seen.Such a waste of a beautiful soul .
My older brother has been diagnosed with W-E, this week, at age 55.
I am sorry to hear that, Teresa. Best wishes, Beth
I hope he gets IV thiamine very quickly, Shihan, and that he recovers well and then is able to stay off the alcohol. Thank you for sharing this. All the best to you and your brother, Beth
My brother has this now...horrible, evil affliction. Can't form new memories, and lives in a sort of fantasy land about the present. He recalls everything from the past with laser precision. I'm truly sorry for your loss.
My father (lifelong excessive beer drinker), stopped eating and slipped into a severely declining state over the pandemic resulting in him being unconscious on the ground for 2 days having lived off beer for a few weeks. He was diagnosed with WKS and spent 54 days in hospital (was stable and could've been released 2 weeks earlier but he was still recovering and his final discharge assessment would determine if he kept his medical power of attorney, so we kept him there hoping to get him over the bar).
Luckily his organs recovered quickly in hospital but his walking (ataxia) and his memory (new short to long term memory) were severely compromised. We were told he would likely need full time care for rest of his life and he may never walk. I worked with him daily starting on day 15 in hospital through discharge for 60 days both physically and mentally and slow recovery was noticed, i got him to shuffle walk and remember things for 1 hr, then 2 then a day, but progress started to noticeably taper and was almost stagnant at around day 120.
All the research I did basically said there is basically no treatment (given neuron brain damage) other than 100% no alcohol and vitamin B.
But then I started looking into TBI and stroke recovery since there are some parallels and found some recent stem cell trial results that looked very hopeful. I tried to contact several research doctors but no response and there weren't any new trials soon or that i wanted to risk him being in the 50% placebo group so I looked for clinics internationally and found a few. after looking up reviews and distances we ended up choosing Bioexcelerator in Colombia. The clinic didn't have any experience treating his condition and was hesitant because of the rate of progression from continued alcoholism, but I advocated hard and they accepted him as a patient.
6 months after his hospitalization we were in Colombia and he got 110 million stem cells injected via IV(Not as needed) and 40 million stem cells injected intrathecally into his spinal cavity fluid to migrate to the brain (this was the main hopeful treatment).
48 hrs later he was noticeably sharper and clearer eyed, 72 hrs later he could remember details from earlier in the day or a movie he was watching much better, 2 weeks later he could still remember his trip to Colombia and what connecting flights he was on and where we stayed on the route from Colombia to Canada, etc. 3 weeks later he drove himself to his dental appointment, settled the bill and drove back home all on his own with his face frozen! and now he recites summaries of articles he read in the paper 1-3 days before.. It's been like a miracle.
I felt like I needed to share my experience in case it helps even one other person, we still have a long road ahead and we pray his recovery continues at the current pace, we are now on week 4 after treatment.
As positive as my father's response has been, I can't say it would be the same in all cases (i don't want to give false hope, but I do want to give hope and credit where it's due) we also don't know yet how far the treatment will help him get back to his former baseline, as you may know, WKS is considered as a spectrum from acute /temporary(Wernicke) to more chronic/permanent (korsakoff), FYI in my dad's case the doctors indicated based on his clinical diagnosis and MRIs he was likely mid spectrum with some definite permanent damages but hopeful prognosis on some recovery over many mths/yrs.
Thanks. My father just moving into rehabilitation phase... He's memory in tact but his speech and balance is bad. He not the same guy....
What you shared was helpful
@@kylehernandez2850 I'm glad it helped, sorry for your situation, it's not easy. Be very grateful his mind is still there, and keep working with him on the speech and balance (there are no guarantees but pro progress definitely happens in the first year)
@@chrism3188 what ever happened to your dad? You still taking care of him
@@kylehernandez2850 I happen to be with him now, but we have a house assistant who comes 5 days a week to do exercises with him. He has mostly hit a plateau with his balance and walking, (he had bad walking form before all this also) he is still inching better with his memory, and his speech is pretty good, (sometimes sounds like he's had a few drinks when he obviously hasn't)
@@chrism3188 got ya... I am try to prepare my self what I am getting into... Sounds like your father had it pretty bad. I am sorry bro. My dad bad off and not the same but he Las good long term memory and can't walk with help to the bath room and feed him self. But he not the same guy.
Thanks again for getting back to me
It’s basically people would rather Drink then eat . So it causes the body to not absorb
See Onlyusemeblade
He's probably already here or on the verge
For some folk, perhaps, but for others, the alcohol stops absorption of B1 in the stomach, which is extremely important.
Wow! Thank you Doctor, what a great overview! I appreciate it.
You're very welcome!
Thanks from Texas, Dr. Colby. A lot of well explained information you've laid out here.
My brother has this now - it started about 7 weeks ago. Confusion about the here and now. The past he remembers quite clearly. It's only the present he confuses, and he fills in the gaps with fantasy - just like you said. It's kind of like he's dreaming, but he's awake. We both like our drink. He can no longer have it, and I'm tapering mine off to zero soon, and am taking a supposedly 'oil soluble' B1 supplement, that my missus found me. She's also a Londoner. She was raised near Heathrow and sounds a lot like Sharon Osborne. I think maybe you are originally from up north? She's always trying to teach me the different accents. I confuse them, but I digress. I will not allow this thing to affect me. I cannot end up like that. Thank you very much for your videos.
You're very welcome, Steven. All the best to your and your brother. Best wishes, Beth
I am a recovering alcoholic, and have been hospitalized and in rehab for it in the past more times than I can count. I don't know why God was so patient and merciful with me - I should have been dead many times, and certainly should not, by medical standards, be fully mentally functioning again. But the Lord heard my cries and prayers for deliverance from the beast of alcoholism, which was a learned coping mechanism I got stuck in to "cope" with trauma and despair. It's literally a trap, though. Call on Jesus to rescue you and your brother. He created us to live, and to live abundantly, and His ways and statutes are meant for our good. "Wine is a mocker and beer is a brawler. Whoever is led astray by them is not wise." ~Proverbs 20:1 Oh how I know this full well. What a loving and mighty God He is to redeem us from this downward spiral if we submit to His good Way. I will pray for you and your brother. You can do it in Christ's strength - I'm living testimony of it. God is a good, good Father who cares and binds up our afflictions. I devote my life to Christ, He paid all my penalty on the cross, and was kind enough to not let me die or sink further under the gulf of this horrible condition. I love having my health back, and I always aim to use it wisely now, for God's glory.
When I see videos like this, I praise God that He heard my cries and prayers to be delivered from the affliction of alcoholism. I wrongly used it as a "coping mechanism" for a lot of trauma and despair. It was not the answer, nearly killed me many times, nearly obliterated my mind, body, and soul. Jesus is the answer, my friends. He will pull you from this pit if you call on Him and submit to His good Way, which is meant for our best. "Wine is a mocker, and beer is a brawler. Whoever is led astray by them is not wise." ~Proverbs 20:1 I learned this the hard way after being an alcoholic half my life. The good news is, there's a better Way, in Jesus Christ. I pray everyone finds healing for their bodies, minds, and souls in Him. He's wonderful, and loves us so much that He died to defeat all these things so that we, too, can defeat them in His strength. God bless and keep you all.🙌
Thank you for your post. People use alcohol for all sorts of reasons, and you are right, there IS a better Way. God bless. Beth
Is it normal for them to repeat things over and over and obsess?? My dad has wet brain and also cirrhosis…yet he won’t quit drinking so I can’t get him help. The hospitals just send him home…I don’t understand why.
Oh yes. They will retell the hell out of a story that isn’t even true
There are differences between Wernicke Encephalopathy and what's referred to as hepatic encephalopathy, like "Wet Brain"?
HI there. Thank you for your question. Wernicke's Encephalopathy ('Wet Brain Syndrome') is due to DEFICIENCY OF THIAMINE (usually caused by chronic excess alcohol use) and has specific symptoms. The ocular (eye) symptoms do not occur in pure Hepatic Encephalopathy. The treatment for Wernicke's Encephalopathy is intravenous thiamine.
Hepatic Encephalopathy is not the same condition as Wernicke's Encephalopathy and is caused by anything affecting liver function that leads to BUILD-UP OF TOXINS (such as ammonia) in the bloodstream. Other causes of hepatic encephalopathy apart from chronic liver disease (cirrhosis) include medication, infections, kidney disease, bleeding from the gastrointestinal tract, and many more. Hepatic Encephalopathy is a serious but treatable condition.
I'm not M.A.D.D.
I recognize this is a serious issue, I also know there's all good things in moderation.