Chronic

Hi, been reading posts for a few weeks and this is my first post.

I'm, 35 y/o male alcoholic, four weeks sober. I have begun in AA and have been going to meetings everyday. I'll post more of my story later.

Right now I have an issue with my physical health which I have not been able to find any shared experience for. The problem is that I wake up feeling absolutely crap every morning. The symptoms are hard to explain but it is similar to a hangover but a lot more toxic feeling (if that makes sense). Some symptoms when I wake up are:

- feeling like I've been poisoned in my sleep;
- Unrefreshed, wake up feeling achey (like flu aches) and still tired;
- dehydrated, dry mouth and acid/bitter taste;
- Feeling hot and flushed but no high temperature;
- Feel like my insides are burning (like my blood is boiling);
- nausea, occasional dry retching;
- a bit shakey/trembling/anxious.

I'm pretty sure that it is connected with alcohol withdrawal because I don't have the symptoms when I'm drinking. The syptoms always come back after being sober 10 days - 2 weeks. I've been sober for 3 months twice in the last year and both times these 'hangovers' happened and did not improve even after three months.

I've seen numerous doctors, pysch's etc and had heaps of tests, even an overnight sleep study to test for sleep apnoea. I've tried relaxation and/or excercise and take a multivitamen and reflux med before bed.

I haven't been able to get a medical diagnosis and nthing I've tried seems to give any relief. I'm familiar with PAWS and can't really pin it to that.

I'm not seeking medical advice just if anyone has had any similar experiences. My attitude is that it's just my body recovering from 20 years of alcohol abuse and that it will improve in time but it would be reassuring to hear that if someone else has had to go through this, that they could tell me how long it lasted and if there are any tips on how I can help myself through this.

Thankyou for reading.

CarolD

Hello...
I have no idea and sorry you are having such
a difficult time. Sounds miserable.

Welcome to our Alcoholism Forum...

suki44883

Welcome to SR, Chronic! That sounds pretty lousy. You say you have seen numerous doctors, but have you been honest with them about your drinking history? Just curious because it seems like if they knew, there would be someone who could help you.

problemchild

Yup my first detox i went through the same crap, no one could pinpoint it but i felt like CRAP all the time. Not a suggestion, but i drank again for 3 months and stoped , all my symptoms were gone. The only diagnoses i had that made any sense was my nerves and panic disorder, which i still deal with, Good luck and God bless.
Take care,
John

Chronic

Hi John and others, I'm always fully upfront about my alcoholism with all my doctors. I have a history of depression and I think because the docs can't find anything physically they either put it down to depression or just say that it will go away if I stay sober.

Fortunately I'm beyond using this as an excuse to relapse.

Tazman53

Way cool, and the proper way to handle it.

Have you had any doctors suggest anti-depressants? You know another thing you may want to do is go to a nutrionist, you may be suffering from some sort of vitamin or mineral deficiency?

tommyk

Work through it, seek answers and solutions from doctors.

Your life is worth it.

Keep coming back here.

beingjenagain

Do you take meds for depression? or any other meds? for your B/P or sleep or nerves? Maybe they affect you differently without all that alcohol in your system. Does this feeling last thru out the day or does it go away?

Chronic

Thanks for all your suggestions and support.

I take an antidepressant called Lovan (same as prozac I think). I have been on various antidepressants off and on for 9 years and some anti-anxiety meds. None of the antidepressants seem to have had a great effect. My gut feeling is that my depression is mainly due to alcohol abuse and the downward spiral it has taken my life into. I think the pros call it 'Situational Depression'. However, I'm not taking a risk in early recovery and will keep taking them for now for insurance.

I'm seeing my GP (family doctor) tomorrow and will request a test for vitamin/mineral deficiency. He's a vey good doctor who's known about my alcoholism for years but I'm not sure how experienced he is with treating alcoholics. I am going to ask him if he can refer me to an addiction specialist who may know or be familiar with my symptoms.

arieswoman

Chronic - I had a very similar experience to yours; mine was getting off the booze as well as prescription benzos.(Klonopin, which I took regularly for years). Believe me, it was hell on earth! I know exactly what you are going through and I can empathize. I never, ever, want to repeat it!

It gets better. Trust me. For now, just take it one day at a time, one minute at a time. See your doctor, and I agree with you that seeing an addictions specialist would be the best thing. A regular MD may not have experience in this type of thing. The doctors i saw were trying me on so many different antidepressants, I think that added to my body and mind being so whacked-out. Go out for walks, go the meetings, try to eat healthy, and just get through this awful time.

The great news is: you WILL feel better! Much, much better! Just get through it and don't drink and know that there is light at the end of the tunnel. I have 3+ years now of sobriety and feel wonderful. Physically and mentally. Just gotta give yourself time. If you drink, then you just have to start all over again. Misery! So hang in there. It might be PAWS, but it does go away and gets better with time. Be good to yourself. Be very gentle with yourself.

I'm rooting for you!

Tazman53

Chronic that is awesome, seeing a specialist may be the ticket, I have been sober for almost 2 years going to AA and also coming here for a while, and I am still hearing things about the physical and mental aspects of both drinking and stopping drinking that I am so thankful I have not gone through yet that I had never heard of before.

As arieswoman said, it does get better with time..... I will add that time, does take time!

laurie6781

Chronic I had similiar symptoms until almost 6 months sober, and not until my dr started checking out my gastronic system and pancreas which my 24 years of drinking had really screwed up did we start to find some solutions. Go back and talk to your doctor. Get a referral to a Dr that is very familiar and treats alcoholics and start from there.

To this day, I have a bad gasronic system, am now diabetic (pancreas doesn't work right) get bouts of pancreatitus, get gerd, etc. Alcohol can destroy many parts of our body.

Get that referral!!!

J M H O

Love and hugs,

Thane

On a previous stretch of not drinking, I had some of the symptoms you've mentioned: the feeling of being poisoned, the flu-like aches, feeling hot and shakiness. It was found around that time that I was borderline diabetic, but I never quite knew if any of the symptoms could be attributed to that, rather than or in addition to stopping drinking. Have you thought about having any bloodwork done?

For even up to four months after, I still had very shakey hands and the heat sensation, much to my frustration. I didn't find much that would abate it aside from trying to stay relaxed. I never found out if that plan of action would have eventually eliminated those symptoms, because I drank again before giving it enough time. But the attempts at relaxation really did seem to help when I gave a go at it. Breathing exercises and whatnot. Perhaps it was psychological, but whatever works, eh.

Chronic

Thanks Laurie and Thane.

Laurie, I can really relate to your post as I too am recently diabetic due to damaged pancreas through drinking (pancreartitis). I've also had gastro problems in the past and take medication for reflux. I recently had a gastroscopy (camera down throat) and the results did not show anything significant. I am seeing the gastro specialist next month and will quiz him again to see if there's anything he can suggest.

Thane, I think I've had all the blood work that can be done. My doctor has pages of blood results but there is nothing that can be attributed to these symptoms.

All in all, I have caused a lot of physical damage to myself through alcohol and I think it's just going to take time for my body to heal. Hopefully it won't be any longer than the six months it took Laurie.

At least I've found some people here with similar experiences, maybe I'm not going mad afterall!

fulminouscherub

Around new years I noticed I was feeling like crap all the time. Aches and fevers would come and go. It just seemed like one thing after another. I'd just been dumped by a woman I'd loved hyperbolically and I figured that my broken heart must be compromising my heretofore unusually strong immune system.

After a while my symptoms began to include swelling and tenderness in my foot and hand. On-line searches suggested gout. As I was drinking around a pint of vodka and a bottle of wine every day this seemed reasonable. So I stopped drinking until I should begin to feel better.

Except I didn't. My fevers got worse. I started experiencing ferocious night sweats and serious fatigue. I figured it must be withdrawal from all the alcohol.

Eventually I succumbed to browbeating from my friends and mother and saw a doctor about it. A trip to the emergency room later, it turns out I had a serious bacterial infection in my blood, probably caused by overzealous flossing.

My doctor insisted I be admitted to the hospital immediately to treat it. Within a week I'd had a stroke, open-heart surgery, and one of my valves replaced with a titanium-teflon job. It turns out it wasn't a broken heart after all. Just a diseased one!

So see your doctor. While it may be true that different people experience detox differently, don't make my mistake and let that become the catch-all excuse for what ails you. See a professional.

dancinggirl

Chronic: welcome! and good for you for advocating for your own health!!! Sometimes we really need to stay on top of doctors in order to get the right care. You know when there's something off and you must make sure to keep fighting to get all the tests/specialists at your disposal.

Chronic

Wow fulminouscherub, that sucks to say the least. I hope you are feeling as good as you can be given the circumstances.

I think i've had all the tests and seen all the doctors I have required. I don't actually have a high temp but just feel like I do and have been regularly tested for infection as I had a nasty infection in my pancreas just over a year ago which took some time to fix.

One interesting thing that I found out the other day was that alcohol numbs your central nervous system. Therefore, after an alky has stopped drinking for a little while (in my case after 10-14 days) the nervous system starts working again and you start feeling all the aches, pains etc. that the alcohol has been previously suppressing. Makes sense in my case.

I'm sure that my health will improve with time. It took 20 years to dig the hole, I can't expect to dig out in a few weeks (or even months)! Patience and delayed gratification is not this alkies strong suit but definitely something I need to learn.

CarolD

Thanks for checking back with us..

Wishing you all the best in your new
healthier sober life.