Checking in... a number of months... still in pain... still crazy!
 

Hi everyone,

It's been quite a while.... months... since my last drink! Hurray. Unfortunately, the dull pain in my liver hasn't gone away. I have lost 20 pounds from eating veggies and lean proteins. I can do 45 minute aerobics classes now. But the pain remains....

I'm still so scared it's too late. I thought this would be over.

The health anxiety has not gone ANYWHERE. I lost my job (laid off) so I lost my ability to go see a counselor. I was doing well for a while. I now talk to support groups online and go to meetings but I am quiet at them. I am still staring at my chest to check for spider nevis and my eyes to see if my whites are yellow. The other day I had a big dinner with cheese and some things I hadn't eaten in a while and now I'm five pounds up after a few days and I am scared again that it is ascites.

I do think that I am probably crazy. But has anyone had this problem? The pain that doesn't go away? Did you get diagnosed with cirrhosis? How do you deal with it if you can't afford a psychiatrist?

Welcome back madz. I have health anxiety so I know exactly what you are dealing with. Have you checked into any low cost or reduced rate counseling centers in your area? You aren't crazy at all - health anxiety is a very real and quite common affliction. But you most likely need some professional help to deal with it.

Mindfulness and meditation have helped me quite a bit...there are lots of books and websites out there with free info on how to approach them. Lots of anxiety podcasts and groups out there as well. I use both but I do see a counselor occasionally still. And price wise, I spend a heck of a lot less on those visits than I was spending on alcohol, so it's a good investment IMHO.

And one real important thing I learned...stay away from Dr. Google. The internet and health information is your worst enemy as you can pretty much diagnose yourself with almost any affliction if you want to.

Go online and find a walk-in clinic that charges on a sliding scale and get a blood test. You don't need a psychiatrist for that. A standard blood panel will check your liver, kidney, and blood sugar values and check for any infections or anemia.

It's better to get the real info...our brains can scare us to death.