Liver Problems and drinking
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Irvine, CA
Posts: 14
Liver Problems and drinking
I started having mild liver pain about a year and a half ago. Prior to that I had been drinking quite often (5-6 drinks per night/5-6 nights per week of strong cocktails) for the better part of four years. I was off and on for the year before the liver pain started (drank once or twice a week, usually got drunk), then I went on a binge of about two or three weeks just before the pain started. When I strated feeling the liver pain I vowed to stop. Since then I will go anywhere from a week to five weeks, then binge for at least three days, sometimes seven days.
Each time I do this I seem to get a few more hints of symptoms of liver problems. Recently, I have been having each of the following intermittently: night sweats (only the few days after my latest binge), mild liver pain, irregular heart beat, cloudy thoughts, kidney pains, prickly feelings in my arms. I become terrified, then I stop drinking, then the symptoms start to go away. Then I vow to quit. I change my diet to organic/raw foods and juicing w/ a few supplements (milk thistle, sAME, Dandelion root). And I exercise frequently. I will stay on this healthy routine for a few weeks until something upsets me emotionally and then I binge again.
I am very isolated and no one knows about any of this. I am a well-respected, somewhat public person. I have never confessed any of this, anywhere.
I guess I want to hear some encouragement because I am really scared and feel very ashamed and alone. I also want to know if anyone has turned from drinking after having health problems (especially liver) and how long it took before their liver (and everything else) felt ok again. I also want to know if anyone has ever seen a dietician and/or knows of any general foods or supplements that have helped them
I know I have a problem and I admit it. I am just ashamed to get help. This is my first step, I guess. I am almost too afraid and ashamed to type these words.
Thanks to anyone who reads and responds.
Each time I do this I seem to get a few more hints of symptoms of liver problems. Recently, I have been having each of the following intermittently: night sweats (only the few days after my latest binge), mild liver pain, irregular heart beat, cloudy thoughts, kidney pains, prickly feelings in my arms. I become terrified, then I stop drinking, then the symptoms start to go away. Then I vow to quit. I change my diet to organic/raw foods and juicing w/ a few supplements (milk thistle, sAME, Dandelion root). And I exercise frequently. I will stay on this healthy routine for a few weeks until something upsets me emotionally and then I binge again.
I am very isolated and no one knows about any of this. I am a well-respected, somewhat public person. I have never confessed any of this, anywhere.
I guess I want to hear some encouragement because I am really scared and feel very ashamed and alone. I also want to know if anyone has turned from drinking after having health problems (especially liver) and how long it took before their liver (and everything else) felt ok again. I also want to know if anyone has ever seen a dietician and/or knows of any general foods or supplements that have helped them
I know I have a problem and I admit it. I am just ashamed to get help. This is my first step, I guess. I am almost too afraid and ashamed to type these words.
Thanks to anyone who reads and responds.
1000 Post Club
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: USA
Posts: 1,202
You gotta tell your doctor, you may have damaged your liver lightly but you're on the right track I think. Also you seem to have some anxiety about it which I understand, could be some panic disorder... I understand the panic I'll tell you that.
Forward we go...side by side-Rest In Peace
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Serene In Dixie
Posts: 36,740
Welcome to SR!
The very best suggestion I have for you is to
have an honest talk with your doctor.
A simple blood test will then give you a base
line as to what...if any damage your liver has
Yes...I too had many symptoms that pointed to
my unchecked alcoholism. And kept drinking too.
The information from this book below
convinced me to quit.
http://www.soberrecovery.com/forums/...influence.html
Amazon usually carries it as well as the sequel...
"Beyond The Influence"
Both have nutritional/supplement plans for healing.
You need to buy the books tho
we don't have it posted here.
Keep posting...we are here 24/7 ...and we do understand.
The very best suggestion I have for you is to
have an honest talk with your doctor.
A simple blood test will then give you a base
line as to what...if any damage your liver has
Yes...I too had many symptoms that pointed to
my unchecked alcoholism. And kept drinking too.
The information from this book below
convinced me to quit.
http://www.soberrecovery.com/forums/...influence.html
Amazon usually carries it as well as the sequel...
"Beyond The Influence"
Both have nutritional/supplement plans for healing.
You need to buy the books thowe don't have it posted here.
Keep posting...we are here 24/7 ...and we do understand.
Life the gift of recovery!
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Home is where the heart is
Posts: 7,061
I suggest following Carols advice and discussing it with your doctor. The liver can be an amazing organ and many times is able to recover from the damage done by alcoholism once the person completely abstains. But there are times that it doesn't only your doctor can truly tell you whether your liver might recover.
Follow Directions!
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Fredericksburg, Va.
Posts: 9,730
Welcome to SR WillsDissolve!
First things first, see a doctor and be TOTALLY honest with him about your drinking history, keep in mind doctor/patient confidentiality, there is no reason to lie to the doctor, if you lie he may not be able to treat you correctly.
When I went into detox they did blood work to check my liver enzymes, I was diagnosed with a "Fatty" liver which is a presursor to Cirrosis of the liver. My doctor checked my liver enzymes 3 months after I quit drinking and they had returned to normal.
I am NOT a doctor so please do not take this as gospel!!! I have heard that binge drinking is far harder on the body then daily drinking, I was a daily drinker, I had no choice in whether I drank or not for the last 5 years of my drinking, I had to drink to feel normal, if I did not drink I would start to get sick.
I had a "tender" liver for many years according to doctors, of course I was lying to them about my drinking because I was scared they would tell me to stop drinking! The "tenderness" went away in less then a month after I quit drinking.
Sounds like mild withdrawals to me! The more one drinks and the longer they drink the worse those will get.
The truth will set you free my friend! I am not saying to rent a bill board and let the world know, but at a minimum you need to let your doctor, immediate family, and close friends know, most importantly you need to let the people you drink with know.
If the people you drink with are real friends they will support you, if they are drinking buddies you have not lost a thing. Want drinking buddies? Go to any bar about midnight, you will find out they are a dime a dozen!
Let us talk about the scared, it is normal , I was scared crapless when I realized I had to quit drinking, there was this great fear of the unknown, facing the world head on with no liquid medicine was scary as hell for me. I was also scared because I knew if I kept drinking I was going to die, yet I physically, mentally, & spiritually had to drink.
I was scared of not knowing how to live without drinking. A medical detox got me sober, AA has kept me sober and the steps of AA has led me to become a happier person that lives life on lifes terms sober.
Ashamed, also a perfectly norm feeling, one thing that helped me a lot with the shame was to learn that alcoholism is a disease not some moral weakness or a lack of will. The steps of AA helped me to overcome that shame.
Alone!, trust me you are not alone, you have all of us here at SR, there are numerous programs for recovering alcoholics. If you want to see that you are not alone and that this disease is non-discamnatory go to an AA meeting.
In an AA meeting you will find people from every walk of life suffer from alcoholism. In the rooms of AA you will find, the rich and the poor, Aethiest, Agnostics, Christians, Jews, Muslims, Hindus, blacks, whites, hispanics, Indians, Asians, Lawyers, Judges, Doctors, day laborers, carpenters, plumbers, politicians, old & young, male & female! They are all there and they share a common bond, they do not want to drink!!!!
That is the hardest thing to overcome, more alcoholics die form thier alcoholism then quit drinking!
There are 2 main reasons why most alcoholics die from their disease:
1. They do not want to quit.
2. They are to proud or ashamed to ask for help!
The 2 hardest things I have ever done were to first be honest with the doctor about how much I drank and that I could not stop, the second was going to AA and asking for help!
In both cases I was welcomed with open arms and helped! The fear and shame I had were totally unfounded, it was simply my disease trying to continue to control me.
Here is an interesting fact about alcoholism, it is the only known disease that one of the primary symptoms of it is the persoin suffering from it denying they have it.
I am sure you are wondering if you are an alcoholic or not (maybe you already know), here is a test to take to see Alcoholics Anonymous :
No one else except you can determine if you are an alcoholic.
I can tell you this, if you are willing to go to any lengths to get and stay sober, I know a solution that worked for me and millions of others.
First things first, see a doctor and be TOTALLY honest with him about your drinking history, keep in mind doctor/patient confidentiality, there is no reason to lie to the doctor, if you lie he may not be able to treat you correctly.
When I went into detox they did blood work to check my liver enzymes, I was diagnosed with a "Fatty" liver which is a presursor to Cirrosis of the liver. My doctor checked my liver enzymes 3 months after I quit drinking and they had returned to normal.
I am NOT a doctor so please do not take this as gospel!!! I have heard that binge drinking is far harder on the body then daily drinking, I was a daily drinker, I had no choice in whether I drank or not for the last 5 years of my drinking, I had to drink to feel normal, if I did not drink I would start to get sick.
I started having mild liver pain about a year and a half ago.
Recently, I have been having each of the following intermittently: night sweats (only the few days after my latest binge), mild liver pain, irregular heart beat, cloudy thoughts, kidney pains, prickly feelings in my arms. I become terrified,
I am very isolated and no one knows about any of this. I am a well-respected, somewhat public person. I have never confessed any of this, anywhere.
If the people you drink with are real friends they will support you, if they are drinking buddies you have not lost a thing. Want drinking buddies? Go to any bar about midnight, you will find out they are a dime a dozen!
I guess I want to hear some encouragement because I am really scared and feel very ashamed and alone.
I was scared of not knowing how to live without drinking. A medical detox got me sober, AA has kept me sober and the steps of AA has led me to become a happier person that lives life on lifes terms sober.
Ashamed, also a perfectly norm feeling, one thing that helped me a lot with the shame was to learn that alcoholism is a disease not some moral weakness or a lack of will. The steps of AA helped me to overcome that shame.
Alone!, trust me you are not alone, you have all of us here at SR, there are numerous programs for recovering alcoholics. If you want to see that you are not alone and that this disease is non-discamnatory go to an AA meeting.
In an AA meeting you will find people from every walk of life suffer from alcoholism. In the rooms of AA you will find, the rich and the poor, Aethiest, Agnostics, Christians, Jews, Muslims, Hindus, blacks, whites, hispanics, Indians, Asians, Lawyers, Judges, Doctors, day laborers, carpenters, plumbers, politicians, old & young, male & female! They are all there and they share a common bond, they do not want to drink!!!!
I am just ashamed to get help.
There are 2 main reasons why most alcoholics die from their disease:
1. They do not want to quit.
2. They are to proud or ashamed to ask for help!
The 2 hardest things I have ever done were to first be honest with the doctor about how much I drank and that I could not stop, the second was going to AA and asking for help!
In both cases I was welcomed with open arms and helped! The fear and shame I had were totally unfounded, it was simply my disease trying to continue to control me.
Here is an interesting fact about alcoholism, it is the only known disease that one of the primary symptoms of it is the persoin suffering from it denying they have it.
I am sure you are wondering if you are an alcoholic or not (maybe you already know), here is a test to take to see Alcoholics Anonymous :
No one else except you can determine if you are an alcoholic.
I can tell you this, if you are willing to go to any lengths to get and stay sober, I know a solution that worked for me and millions of others.
Retired Pro Drunk
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Saint Paul, MN
Posts: 901
There was a time when alcohol was messing with my nervous system. There's something called alcoholic neuopathy that I hadn't heard of before I ended up in the ICU back in June.
I believe most everyone knows that the booze does a trick on the liver. What most don't know is that alcohol can mess with pretty much every major system in the body.
It was really tough for me for a few reasons. One, I knew I was doing something that I shouldn't be doing. And when I started having physical symptoms, I thought the roof fell in.
The good news is that once we stop drinking, the body is pretty good at repairing itself. And the liver is fairly resilliant once we stop poisoning it.
I want you to know that you are not alone. A shame is part of the deal. Not that you should feel ashamed. But I know it's really common. I know I was pretty ashamed of myself.
I too was a closet drinker. I held down a good job and never had any run-ins with the law or any of those more embarassing consequences.
Help is out there and is available from places you would least expect. The hardest part is asking for help. Once you do, you'll be glad you did. I promise you that.
Hang in there and reach out. I'm pulling for you.
I believe most everyone knows that the booze does a trick on the liver. What most don't know is that alcohol can mess with pretty much every major system in the body.
It was really tough for me for a few reasons. One, I knew I was doing something that I shouldn't be doing. And when I started having physical symptoms, I thought the roof fell in.
The good news is that once we stop drinking, the body is pretty good at repairing itself. And the liver is fairly resilliant once we stop poisoning it.
I want you to know that you are not alone. A shame is part of the deal. Not that you should feel ashamed. But I know it's really common. I know I was pretty ashamed of myself.
I too was a closet drinker. I held down a good job and never had any run-ins with the law or any of those more embarassing consequences.
Help is out there and is available from places you would least expect. The hardest part is asking for help. Once you do, you'll be glad you did. I promise you that.
Hang in there and reach out. I'm pulling for you.
Member
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Florida
Posts: 20
I can't give you advise- I was drunk just last night but I want you to know you definitely aren't alone! Most people would be surprised by how much I drink and I completely understand your fear and shame.
Member
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Orange, CT
Posts: 20
I felt pain in my liver area before I quit which was one reason I did. I did indeed have a high LST level but but the pains I was feeling turned out to be stress! It was strange, the pains went from right lower ribs up to my right shoulder as is normal but when my doctor pressed into my liver it didn't hurt any worse than if she was to shove her fingers into any other part of my body! So the pains had nothing to do with my liver but if I hadn't had them I wouldn't have insisted on the blood tests.
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Irvine, CA
Posts: 14
Thanks to you all for your responses. I am thinking about all of this and learning a bit more about terms like "recovery" and it all seems quite strange but I guess the whole point is that you need to be open to the idea. I am sure I will be on here a bit more. I haven't drank in 6 days which is good. My symptoms have gone down quite a bit, back to just the mild liver pain that comes and goes. Hopefully it will go away too if I lay off the poison. Thanks for listening again.
cunning. baffling. powerful.
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: NY
Posts: 183
About a year ago, I posted the "straight up dirt" about drinking and liver disease on this forum. I'm not a doctor yet and it is not meant to replace going to a doctor, but I did post it to help people understand WHY they should go talk to a doctor if they are concerned about warning signs.
Liver Disease: The Explanation
Good job on the 6 days.
~SK
Liver Disease: The Explanation
Good job on the 6 days.
~SK
Member
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: chicago, IL
Posts: 93
My story is similar. It went on until I had a friend die of cirrhosis. Never new he had a problem until the day they took him into the hospital..he never came out. That was my wake up call. I did not want to go out that way if I could help it. Grab life while you can.
Recovering Nicely
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 935
Russelrb: your friend was never yellow, swollen, etc.? Just like that came upon him? Reason I ask is my AH has alcoholic liver disease (fibrosis, not yet cirrhosis) but that was a year ago (biopsy) and has still been drinking 15-30 beers per day, weekend sometimes more.
Another Day in Paradise
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: Upland, CA
Posts: 900
Wills,
I first faced my drinking problem when I was turned down for a large life insurance policy that was required to complete a business partnership. I had elevated liver enzymes. I went to a Dr. and was "almost honest" about my drinking and he told me "you are an alcoholic and if you don't stop you will eventually die from this."
I fought the idea and most certainly didn't want to stop drinking. I too stopped for awhile and then started up again only harder and faster. After a multitude of excuses I finally went to a friend and in fact my insurance agent, who was also a member of AA and he took me to a meeting. I wasn't all that excited about being with a bunch of drunks, after all I was a respected businessman and I still had all the stuff, so I couldn't be a drunk. I was sure I could control my drinking and just learn to drink better.
Fast forward: After I finally got "sick and tired of being sick and tired" I gave up and went to AA for real. I will tell you after 8 years of AA I am healthy, 6 years ago had a policy issued with no rating and based on a "healthy liver count."
Life is very good and I look back at what drinking gave me and what sobriety has given me and there is no comparison. If you are ready to stop, I SUGGEST that you may want to look into AA. You are located in the heart land of AA meetings. In fact I spent the weekend in Laguna Beach and on Sunday at 10AM attended the meeting overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Life is what you decide you want to make it. It takes a commitment, but there are plenty of us who know where you are coming from and will be happy to help if you want it.
It is your life and your choice. Best of luck.
Jon
I first faced my drinking problem when I was turned down for a large life insurance policy that was required to complete a business partnership. I had elevated liver enzymes. I went to a Dr. and was "almost honest" about my drinking and he told me "you are an alcoholic and if you don't stop you will eventually die from this."
I fought the idea and most certainly didn't want to stop drinking. I too stopped for awhile and then started up again only harder and faster. After a multitude of excuses I finally went to a friend and in fact my insurance agent, who was also a member of AA and he took me to a meeting. I wasn't all that excited about being with a bunch of drunks, after all I was a respected businessman and I still had all the stuff, so I couldn't be a drunk. I was sure I could control my drinking and just learn to drink better.
Fast forward: After I finally got "sick and tired of being sick and tired" I gave up and went to AA for real. I will tell you after 8 years of AA I am healthy, 6 years ago had a policy issued with no rating and based on a "healthy liver count."
Life is very good and I look back at what drinking gave me and what sobriety has given me and there is no comparison. If you are ready to stop, I SUGGEST that you may want to look into AA. You are located in the heart land of AA meetings. In fact I spent the weekend in Laguna Beach and on Sunday at 10AM attended the meeting overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Life is what you decide you want to make it. It takes a commitment, but there are plenty of us who know where you are coming from and will be happy to help if you want it.
It is your life and your choice. Best of luck.
Jon
Member
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: chicago, IL
Posts: 93
queen,
I saw him about 10 days before he crashed. He had no outward signs other than looking like he had gained a lot of weight. It was probably ascites in retrospect. As you probably know you AH is heading down a bad road.
I saw him about 10 days before he crashed. He had no outward signs other than looking like he had gained a lot of weight. It was probably ascites in retrospect. As you probably know you AH is heading down a bad road.
Member
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Arizona
Posts: 872
Hi Wills...
Sorry, did not see this until today.
How are you doing? More importantly, what is the plan this time? Don't mess around with your health, get yourself to the doctor and have your liver checked...
Also, have a plan of attack for recovery -- my experience has proven to me over and over that my willpower vs. alcohol is a losing battle. I MUST find a program of recovery and get to work. For me, it's AA...
Please check in and let us know you are OK.
NMB
Sorry, did not see this until today.
How are you doing? More importantly, what is the plan this time? Don't mess around with your health, get yourself to the doctor and have your liver checked...
Also, have a plan of attack for recovery -- my experience has proven to me over and over that my willpower vs. alcohol is a losing battle. I MUST find a program of recovery and get to work. For me, it's AA...
Please check in and let us know you are OK.
NMB
I got nothin'
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: My house.
Posts: 4,890
To Willsdissolve
Last November I began getting skipped beats/heart palpitations. It scared the crap out of me. There seemed to be a connection between the screwy beats and my drinking. It took me a full 45 days or so to quit even though I was worried about my health. After I "quit" (about once a month I got drunk) the palpitations did not disappear. Some days it would be really bad--every 5th or 10th beat would "skip" for hours with short runs of premature beats occurring every other beat. I'm sure some people know what this feels like and would not wish this sensation upon anyone. It is very frightening, but usually it's not harmful. Mine seemed to get worse when I was anxious (which was nearly all the time). I worked myself up so much with fear that a few times I was convinced that my heart had stopped beating and that I was going to pass out and die. Anxiety is a nasty beast.
I guess you could say I had my wake-up call to quit.
I finally took my uninsured butt to the doctor this month to find out what's going on (I was very honest about my drinking history). Everything seems to be okay and right now the palpitations are being treated as anxiety related. Interestingly enough, soon after I went to the doctor, I rarely feel the premature beats. Going for a simple walk did set them off all the time. Now, if they are happening at all, I do not feel them. Hopefully they've stopped, but I'll be sure to keep my fingers crossed. Premature beats seem to come and go at random. Gratefully I hardly think about them at all after going to see a doctor. The peace of mind was worth the money. Even if the doctor had said that something was seriously wrong with my heart or liver, I would have felt better mentally knowing exactly where I stood. Not knowing drives me crazy.
Even though I haven’t completely stopped drinking (this past month I’ve gotten drunk more than a few times) I am doing much better than I was a year ago and that’s important for me. I moved out from a college town a year ago because I knew if I stayed I would not make any attempt to quit. My motivation was to leave that place alive and NOT in a body bag. I still have a long way to go, but I haven’t given up on myself yet. I hope one day I will have the strength and determination that so many others have displayed here. I have tremendous respect for the veterans of successfully attained sobriety.
Take it easy, Willsdissolve. I hope you can get to a doctor. It’s not easy to sit down and tell a stranger your past. I bawled my eyes out in front of three people that day. I apologized a thousand times for being a mess. They didn’t mind. They probably see people complaining of physical problems from their addictions all the time.
Last November I began getting skipped beats/heart palpitations. It scared the crap out of me. There seemed to be a connection between the screwy beats and my drinking. It took me a full 45 days or so to quit even though I was worried about my health. After I "quit" (about once a month I got drunk) the palpitations did not disappear. Some days it would be really bad--every 5th or 10th beat would "skip" for hours with short runs of premature beats occurring every other beat. I'm sure some people know what this feels like and would not wish this sensation upon anyone. It is very frightening, but usually it's not harmful. Mine seemed to get worse when I was anxious (which was nearly all the time). I worked myself up so much with fear that a few times I was convinced that my heart had stopped beating and that I was going to pass out and die. Anxiety is a nasty beast.
I guess you could say I had my wake-up call to quit.
I finally took my uninsured butt to the doctor this month to find out what's going on (I was very honest about my drinking history). Everything seems to be okay and right now the palpitations are being treated as anxiety related. Interestingly enough, soon after I went to the doctor, I rarely feel the premature beats. Going for a simple walk did set them off all the time. Now, if they are happening at all, I do not feel them. Hopefully they've stopped, but I'll be sure to keep my fingers crossed. Premature beats seem to come and go at random. Gratefully I hardly think about them at all after going to see a doctor. The peace of mind was worth the money. Even if the doctor had said that something was seriously wrong with my heart or liver, I would have felt better mentally knowing exactly where I stood. Not knowing drives me crazy.
Even though I haven’t completely stopped drinking (this past month I’ve gotten drunk more than a few times) I am doing much better than I was a year ago and that’s important for me. I moved out from a college town a year ago because I knew if I stayed I would not make any attempt to quit. My motivation was to leave that place alive and NOT in a body bag. I still have a long way to go, but I haven’t given up on myself yet. I hope one day I will have the strength and determination that so many others have displayed here. I have tremendous respect for the veterans of successfully attained sobriety.
Take it easy, Willsdissolve. I hope you can get to a doctor. It’s not easy to sit down and tell a stranger your past. I bawled my eyes out in front of three people that day. I apologized a thousand times for being a mess. They didn’t mind. They probably see people complaining of physical problems from their addictions all the time.
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