Did you know how sick you were ?
Its a cold and its a broken hallelujah.
Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2011
Posts: 2,887
Did you know how sick you were ?
About 13 years ago, I went to my then doctors office vomiting so uncontrollably from a hangover that he gave me an IV right in his office. That happened two more times. And never did he ask me if I had been drinking.
Ten years ago I had heart palpitations that I did not know were being caused by my alcohol consumption. Put on a Holter monitor. Benign PVC's diagnosis. No one asked me about my drinking.
Five years ago, went to the ER with BP of 165/99 thinking I was having a heart attack. They stabilized me. Gave me some fluids. Yep. no one asked me if I was drinking.
Pepper those years with enough therapy for 10 lifetimes. The various psych's asked about my drinking. I lied of course. Granted I was messed up in the head six ways til Sunday, but I WAS ABSOLUTELY IN CONTROL of my drinking. No problems here. Just a mental release valve that kept me chugging along at the speed I needed to handle my life (which had spun totally out of control).
I just didn't know that it was all because of alcohol.
SMDH
Ten years ago I had heart palpitations that I did not know were being caused by my alcohol consumption. Put on a Holter monitor. Benign PVC's diagnosis. No one asked me about my drinking.
Five years ago, went to the ER with BP of 165/99 thinking I was having a heart attack. They stabilized me. Gave me some fluids. Yep. no one asked me if I was drinking.
Pepper those years with enough therapy for 10 lifetimes. The various psych's asked about my drinking. I lied of course. Granted I was messed up in the head six ways til Sunday, but I WAS ABSOLUTELY IN CONTROL of my drinking. No problems here. Just a mental release valve that kept me chugging along at the speed I needed to handle my life (which had spun totally out of control).
I just didn't know that it was all because of alcohol.
SMDH
Member
Join Date: Dec 2011
Posts: 1,226
Yes, it scares me how doctors and the medical profession turned a blind eye to my drinking. I was having massive panic/anxiety/heart palps from drinking, and they gave me klonopin and xanax.
I didn't tell them about my drinking at the time. And they didn't ask.
I didn't tell them about my drinking at the time. And they didn't ask.
Member
Join Date: Dec 2012
Location: Seattle, WA
Posts: 2,443
I must be very, very lucky.
I went to the doctor with uncontrollable vomiting hoping to get fluids. The ER doctor at the time, somehow, while on the fluid iv, through hours of quiet questioning.....no judgement.....got me to admit my alcohol usage. I was admitted. After a two week stay and apparently close to death a couple of times, he was able to get me into a rehab facility that did not want to take me because my health was so bad.
I don't think I realized how sick I was at the time.
I went to the doctor with uncontrollable vomiting hoping to get fluids. The ER doctor at the time, somehow, while on the fluid iv, through hours of quiet questioning.....no judgement.....got me to admit my alcohol usage. I was admitted. After a two week stay and apparently close to death a couple of times, he was able to get me into a rehab facility that did not want to take me because my health was so bad.
I don't think I realized how sick I was at the time.
Member
Join Date: May 2013
Location: U.S.
Posts: 130
It was a standard routine of questions from the assistant taking my vitals that got me to notice that my drinking had possibly crossed the line and turned into a problem. I didn't answer truthfully, but the questions got me thinking and I was honest to myself at least.
A year prior to that I had a prolonged intestinal illness. I was tested for a few things and they never could come up with a solution. I now think it was directly related to drinking because as a fluke I noticed that I stopped drinking (for other reasons) and the symptoms finally went away.
A year prior to that I had a prolonged intestinal illness. I was tested for a few things and they never could come up with a solution. I now think it was directly related to drinking because as a fluke I noticed that I stopped drinking (for other reasons) and the symptoms finally went away.
Member
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Las Vegas, NV
Posts: 14
Hello all
-
As I type this email I have pvc palpitations so bad that its driving me crazy.
A little background.... two years ago I quit drinking for 6 months after a high blood episode and a diagnosis. Of PVC
I have been drinking again for about 1.5 years.
I want to quit and will. I came here again for the great support you all give.
You'll see more of my posts and thank you in advance for being there for me. Tomorrow. Will be day one
-
As I type this email I have pvc palpitations so bad that its driving me crazy.
A little background.... two years ago I quit drinking for 6 months after a high blood episode and a diagnosis. Of PVC
I have been drinking again for about 1.5 years.
I want to quit and will. I came here again for the great support you all give.
You'll see more of my posts and thank you in advance for being there for me. Tomorrow. Will be day one
Member
Join Date: Aug 2013
Location: Long Beach, CA
Posts: 705
YES I did know, because I wanted to stop so badly. I remember just dropping to my knees to ask God to take me then or help me, I couldn't go another day trying to appease my husband, hide from my co-workers, pretend to my family. I felt completely spent. I never wanted anything as much as I wanted to get off the merry-go-round of daily alcoholism. Waking up nauseous and jittery, then forcing myself to run three miles to burn off the hangover. Trying to hide the tremor in my hands at work and telling myself I would not stop at the store on the way home, then speeding there to get a big bottle of wine, along with some little bottles to drink in the car, then gulping it down and feeling okay for about five minutes. Drinking myself unconscious, then waking up all night to finish what was left (by 2am...any later and it would trigger a binge that could last for days). Barely sleeping to wake and begin again.
Did I know how sick I was? Every minute of every day of my drinking life, I knew.
Did I know how sick I was? Every minute of every day of my drinking life, I knew.
SR Fan
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Mississippi
Posts: 7,910
Congrats on your decision Elmer and welcome back!
I knew alcohol was affecting my health towards the end of my drinking. I just kept promising myself I'd quit tomorrow or next week, or some other time, just let me get through this day! I really had no idea, though, that alcohol was causing most of my anxiety/depression and taken over my thinking, or that it had robbed me of joy. I wouldn't find those things out until I got sober.
I knew alcohol was affecting my health towards the end of my drinking. I just kept promising myself I'd quit tomorrow or next week, or some other time, just let me get through this day! I really had no idea, though, that alcohol was causing most of my anxiety/depression and taken over my thinking, or that it had robbed me of joy. I wouldn't find those things out until I got sober.
Member
Join Date: Nov 2012
Location: Central America/Florida USA
Posts: 4,064
Originally Posted by alphaomega 
About 13 years ago, I went to my then doctors office vomiting so uncontrollably from a hangover that he gave me an IV right in his office. That happened two more times. And never did he ask me if I had been drinking.
Ten years ago I had heart palpitations that I did not know were being caused by my alcohol consumption. Put on a Holter monitor. Benign PVC's diagnosis. No one asked me about my drinking.
Five years ago, went to the ER with BP of 165/99 thinking I was having a heart attack. They stabilized me. Gave me some fluids. Yep. no one asked me if I was drinking.
Pepper those years with enough therapy for 10 lifetimes. The various psych's asked about my drinking. I lied of course. Granted I was messed up in the head six ways til Sunday, but I WAS ABSOLUTELY IN CONTROL of my drinking. No problems here. Just a mental release valve that kept me chugging along at the speed I needed to handle my life (which had spun totally out of control).
I just didn't know that it was all because of alcohol.
SMDH
Ten years ago I had heart palpitations that I did not know were being caused by my alcohol consumption. Put on a Holter monitor. Benign PVC's diagnosis. No one asked me about my drinking.
Five years ago, went to the ER with BP of 165/99 thinking I was having a heart attack. They stabilized me. Gave me some fluids. Yep. no one asked me if I was drinking.
Pepper those years with enough therapy for 10 lifetimes. The various psych's asked about my drinking. I lied of course. Granted I was messed up in the head six ways til Sunday, but I WAS ABSOLUTELY IN CONTROL of my drinking. No problems here. Just a mental release valve that kept me chugging along at the speed I needed to handle my life (which had spun totally out of control).
I just didn't know that it was all because of alcohol.
SMDH
These are doctors, they didn't hook me up to a lie detector. The drinking and lying are my fault, not theirs. I brought all of the health problems on myself. I was dishonest with my medical professionals and that's nobody's fault but my own.
Glad you are feeling better, and, just like me, have realized that there's no point in lying to a doctor again!
Recognizes the Beast
Join Date: Nov 2012
Location: In the kitchen, cooking up a storm
Posts: 704
I knew for at 15 years that I was an alcoholic, but also thought I was in control at the same time, if that makes any sense.
"I finally got around to admit that I had a problem, but it seemed like too damn big of a mountain to climb." line from Joe Walsh's One Day At a Time. Kinda sums it up how I felt.
"I finally got around to admit that I had a problem, but it seemed like too damn big of a mountain to climb." line from Joe Walsh's One Day At a Time. Kinda sums it up how I felt.
Member
Join Date: Aug 2013
Location: 510
Posts: 19
The doctors arent turning a blind eye on anyone. They only operate on you based on the information you voluntarily give them. They aren't stupid but they aren't going to bring up alcoholism with you unless you do first.
It's there job to treat us but it's our lives so if you tell them you need they will help you. But it's not there job to assume.
It's there job to treat us but it's our lives so if you tell them you need they will help you. But it's not there job to assume.
Member
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: Ohio
Posts: 3,785
I know most of the examples have been physical but the ones that continue to become clear for me is the mental side of it.
Last night in my BB meeting we are reading The Family Afterwards. I am an alcoholic but I was also married to one, twice. The first was the father of my kids and I was thinking about the part where it says the wife takes over as the husband is unavailable due to his drinking.
I saw that side too because I was there. I can't tell you the times I wanted to take a break and have him handle the house, the kids or the bills but being an alcoholic I could not see he was sick and I wanted it for purely selfish reasons. I wanted it because I wanted to go drink. I wanted to be like him. I wanted to push those deeds to someone else so I could go and drink like he did.
One of the comments I made was wishing he had at least tried to do more with the kids. Like teach them to drive. Then it hit me...The man had five DUI's.
This is how selfish and sick I was. I wanted to push off a deed on him because I wanted to mentally clock out of it but the fact that he had that many DUI's did not even occur to me. The fact that if he had taken the kids out driving that the chances were high that he would have been drinking or drunk when he did it.
Today I see how sick and selfish I have been over the years. How I may have been there physically handling the household but I was not there mentally. Mentally, I was unavailable.
Last night in my BB meeting we are reading The Family Afterwards. I am an alcoholic but I was also married to one, twice. The first was the father of my kids and I was thinking about the part where it says the wife takes over as the husband is unavailable due to his drinking.
I saw that side too because I was there. I can't tell you the times I wanted to take a break and have him handle the house, the kids or the bills but being an alcoholic I could not see he was sick and I wanted it for purely selfish reasons. I wanted it because I wanted to go drink. I wanted to be like him. I wanted to push those deeds to someone else so I could go and drink like he did.
One of the comments I made was wishing he had at least tried to do more with the kids. Like teach them to drive. Then it hit me...The man had five DUI's.
This is how selfish and sick I was. I wanted to push off a deed on him because I wanted to mentally clock out of it but the fact that he had that many DUI's did not even occur to me. The fact that if he had taken the kids out driving that the chances were high that he would have been drinking or drunk when he did it.
Today I see how sick and selfish I have been over the years. How I may have been there physically handling the household but I was not there mentally. Mentally, I was unavailable.
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