Forehand36

Not sure whether we talk about liver diseases due to alcohol on this forum?

i was just diagnosed with fatty liver yesterday, and although there are two main reasons one gets fatty liver, obesity and alcohol, im skinny, so mine is from alcohol consumption,excesss.

i read on internet that with abstinence and proper diet, the condition can be reversed. any of you guys successfully reversed the condition? and how long did it take? my life sure has been bed of roses since i quit drinking 5 - 6 weeks ago.

Not being able to sleep is hard enough by itself, but now i have to worry about this sxxx.


i wish i can go to sleep and never have to wake up.

Chrisy

I have a fatty liver today, but mine is because I used food to numb my pain of abuse as a kid. My mom is verbally and mentally abusive to me. I ate to numb the pain. Now at 54 I am diabetic and have a fatty liver, plus because of neck and shoulder problems which cause me chronic severe pain, am addicted to oxycondone. Day 3 for me and I feel like I am being hit by a train. I am sure you know the feeling. Even though our drug of choice might be different at this point in time, I also can't drink as when I did drink I would never want to stop and blackout. I thank AA for saving my life in regards to not drinking anymore. I am an addict. We go from one addiction to another.

I believe if we eat healthy food and cut out the fast processed food that we will be able to reverse the condition. We have a choice. I choose to keep fighting with every ounce of my breath and not give up the fight. I have lived in hell for years and have done things that I am ashamed of today. Yet, I am not going to give up and just roll over and die. I may want to, but as long as their is breath in me, I will fight to overcome my struggles and reach a place of peace and freedom, far away from the abuse, the enslavement to drugs that is sucking the life out of me. I am a fighter and I don't give up.

Hopefully, you too will decide to fight to survive, and not just talk like you want to give up and die. I am sorry if I sound hard, but as long as you are alive you have a chance to be free and find a happy life.

suki44883

The liver is an amazing organ and the only one that can repair itself if problems are caught in time. Fatty liver is the first sign that drinking is affecting your health. I hope you will heed the warning and do what is necessary to regain a healthy liver. All the annoying side effects of quitting drinking will go away in time. No one can say how long it will take, but if you keep putting one foot in front of the other and continue doing the next right thing, it will happen.

Carlisle

I had an fatty liver due to alcohol last year prior to entering rehab. After 6 months of not drinking my liver was normal. However, I started drinking again moderately around December and then heavily around March. My last check-up, about two weeks ago, showed raised liver enzymes.

So, in my case, it was reversable. But if I drink heavily, I will do long term damage to my liver.

winslynn

The next stage is alcoholic hepatitis which I had for years as I struggled to find sobriety.After I finally got sober through the AA program it took 3 years before my liver had normal test results.I had taken it right to the brink of cirrosis.
At the end of my drinking,if the doctor told me things were getting better,I would drink again,telling myself "This is the last time,I'll go back to AA Monday".This went on for a few years as I spiralled downwards until I cracked up mentally and physically.
How precious is my sobriety 19 years later,so very precious to me.How hard it was to give it up,so very hard.

Engel

How do you know if you have a fatty liver? In the first days of sobriety I had liver pain and it was tender to the touch. It feels fine now and my belly is less bloated.

suki44883

If you are concerned, engel, please see your doctor.

Ranger05

Do most people who end up with cirrosis go thru these other conditions first. Does it generally go Fatty Liver, then Hepatitis, then Cirrosis?? If so, that sure does show how truly difficult it can be to stop drinking. First Fatty Liver lets ya know your doing some damage. Then if that warning is not heeded then comes the more serious Hepatitis. THEN finally after all that, here's comes the big C. So some people get two warnings prior to destroying their liver and still can't put the bottle down. That's a sobering thought.

suki44883

Along with all the other warnings they get along the way that have less than desirable consequences.

Carlisle

The only way to find out if you have fatty liver is to go to the doctor. They can tell what your liver enzymes are from a blood test. Raised is the first level of concern. Once mine were really elevated I had an ultrasound like thing done to determine it was "fatty". I don't know what the steps are from there since that scared me enough into rehab.

LDT

Blood screening revealed I had elevated liver enzymes. I also had elevated blood platelettes, which scared me more than the liver enzymes. I quit drinking and....end of problem. I am better than "normal" these days.The liver has amazing healing capabilities.

Veritas1

My blood test was fine, but an ultrasound showed fatty liver. Ultrasound is how I found out.

winslynn

The last couple years I drank I was preoccupied with thinking about my liver,constant nagging thoughts that something terrible would happen.Thank God I don't have that on my mind constantly anymore,it was so mentally tough I don't think I could smile about anything.Forget about enjoying anything in life when you think like that.

Zee

Livers are strange organs to dianose I think.
I was admitted to hospital last year at deaths door. Acute ascites (drained 7 litres of fluid from abdomen), malnutrition, high enzyme levels. I was in hospital for a month to detox, be tube fed, to be monitered etc.
On my discharge papers it read: decompensated alcoholic liver disease & etoh hepatitis. Yoikes!
Nearly 9 months sober now... all fluid gone... all liver function tests "excellent"... after endoscopy, no varices or ulcers... after second ultrasound, no evident 'brightness' anymore (there was apparent brightness on ultrasound when admitted to hospital).
Now, nobody has told me I have cirrosis or not and nobody has gone into any further descriptions of hospital 'diagnosis'. I'm still none the wiser after numerous doctors visits and two liver specialist visits :-/
Personally, I feel loads better (apart from some neuropathy in feet) My appetite has come back with a vengence as well.
I think the only way you can really find out if you have cirrosis is with a biopsy, but that can be pretty dangerous.
All I have at the moment are two quotes... one from the Liver specialist and one from the ultrasoud guy... they both said that If they had my 1) levels & 2) non-brightness on ultrasound, they would be happy! Hmmmm
I'm still not gonna drink anymore though! x

Ranger05

I was due for a liver biopsy once because I was taking the drug Methotrexate which is super hard on the liver. But I stopped the MTX about a month before the biopsy and never took it. I wasn't looking forward to it that's for sure.

winslynn

I had a liver biopsy about 7 years ago;stage 2 liver disease.There are 4 stages,cirrosis is stage 4.It was relatively painless,the new techniques are much better than 1985 when I had my first biopsy which was nasty and inconclusive.
I'm glad it's only stage 2,I also had hepatitis C which was cured in one month by interferon and anti-viral pills.
I am lucky to live a normal life today after almost destroying myself.Nothing is more important than my sobriety today.I still carry the seeds of my own destruction in my alcoholic mind,I must do the AA program or else......

Orbea

I get bad psoriasis from steep. It was so bad this fall they wanted to put me on methotrexate. I said Hellz no. I did 3 months of pure UVB instead. W that said I am scared of liver results. I am going on the anti inflammatory diet.

Orbea

Ranger why were you put on metho? It's a chemo drug...

jra

I also was just diagnosed with fatty liver . . . .

I started feeling pain in my upper right abdominal quarter about six months ago, but I continued drinking and did not speak to my GI about it. Earlier this month I realized something was wrong with my liver.

On May 11th I was diagnosed with fatty liver after an ultrasound.

I've been drinking hard for about five years, a couple of glasses of wine every evening at first, and in the end I added a few shots of vodka to my repertoire.

I also have gastritis which was diagnosed months ago, so my drinking has inflicted a toll on my body.

Yes, I've been a jackass, ignoring the signals that my body was not happy.

Ranger05

I have Psoriasis like you. But I also have Psoriatic Arthritis. I was on MTX mainly for the arthritis. Back then I didn't have very much Psoriasis. Now I have lot's of Psoriasis and the arthritis has mostly went away. Go figure.