Lipitor

Hi everyone.
Firstly , Im not asking for any medical advice; just other experiences.
Once again thanks to everyone who has sent private messages, and thought provoking, helpful posts regarding my issues in the past. I appreciate it greatly .

6 nearly 7 weeks off the dreaded demon drink, I started to feel somewhat unwell.

Cough, general malaise,joint pan and slight fever .

My Doctor diagnoses Pneumonia , and placed me on a medication regimen.


He said that the cessation of Alcohol after long term use often causes the body to be "more" likely to develop other health issues. EG infections.

It seems quite ironic that in the pursuit of health and a better life that the body protests like this ...(if that is the appropriate word)

My question , : Has anyone else experienced this, or something similar??

Looking forward to your responses

L

Belier

Hi - Yes it happened to me after about 60 days I got the flu and chest infection for around 2 weeks. I also wondered if it was the body getting rid of toxins etc. I seem to be ok now and am on around 100 days.

recoverywfaith

Treatment in 2000 I got an ear infection and streph throat, my body totally reacted after no booze and pills, just awful. In time I did start feeling better.

Lipitor

Well,,cover me with eggs and flour and bake me for 20 minutes..


That is "Great" to hear that the body is , in its own way, getting well...

THanks so much for your quick reply .

L

Lipitor

Thanks so much for the reply and so quickly too.

If you dont mind me asking ? what pills?

Ive done a 7 or 8 week (cant really remember) taper from 60mg Cipramil antidepressants at the same time.

I appreciate any info...

Kind regards

L (cough cough)

recoverywfaith

It was either xanax or valium. Did not start taking anti depressants until about 5 or 6 mos sober. Prayers for quick healing for ya.

Rewired

After not drinking for 7 weeks I ended up with a sinus infection. I ended up sleeping for a week I have never felt so tired from being sick. It took about 10 days to clear up. That's after not being sick for about 3 years while drinking.

Anna

On a slightly different variation of this, I neglected my health totally for about 3 years when I was drinking. I didn't go to the dr at all, for obvious reasons and I had a lot to catch up on when I stopped drinking.

Lipitor

Hi .... Were you , when you said catch up ....was that on general medical maintenance? or did you fall into the infection abyss like I have. ?

Im interested to know, Ive had 2 big health issues while still drinking.

1 Bowel cancer at 39 (surgery and recovered)

2 Prostate cancer at 48 (surgery and recovered but left impotent)

Both alcohol related ...and Im now 49 1/2




I did not get the small stuff like a cold or the flu , I got the heavy artillery

Id be interested to hear more about your story


Kind regards

L

laurie6781

My first bout of pneumonia was at about 6 weeks sober. I had pneumonia 9 times during my first year.

At about the 3rd or 4th go round I commented to my doctor that I must have really depleted my immune system during those years of my drinking. He looked at me and said "what immune system?"
He did have a lot of sober alcoholics as patients, (as a matter of fact my sponsor sent me to him as I did not have a doctor, lol)and did say that it would get better, and it did. Told me it was not uncommon in the first months of recovery to 'catch' things.

I also have to say that by the time of my first Anniversary I was much healthier and was no longer getting sick.

So take care of yourself, take a multivitamin daily, eat healthy foods and you too will start to help your body heal.

J M H O from my own experiences.

Love and hugs,

ExBudGal

oh my....Am I in for a double whammy??? I quit drinking and 3 days later smoking after 30 years of both......I'm on day 57 but after reading this am I destined to get sick???? I've been getting lots of rest and taking vitamins and other than being tired feel fine.
YIKES.

SixStringZen

Damn, brother...you are clearly meant to be alive! Keep up the good work!

EmeraldRose

Eighteen years ago I had double viral pneumonia and was in ICU for 10 days literally on my death bed. I vowed to myself to stay healthy and remove unwanted stress. Only about 6 years ago did I 'feel like' I was coming down with something and ran to the dr. for antibiotics. I have eluded sickness all this time-the past five winters on the midwestern prairie...until now! Three days ago I came down with a cough, stuffy head and nose. Not really happy about this.

Missy7

EmeraldRose, I'm so sorry you're not feeling well. Take care of yourself. We need you here.

I have a kind of opposite phenomenon. I have had many upper respiratory problems over the past years, including pneumonia and on pulmonary embolism. But for some reason this year I never got a cold (knock on wood). I think it was because I was pickling myself.

So I'll let you know if I start getting sick...

Lipitor

Thanks for your kind comment..... I hid alcohol behind a facade of being a long distance cyclist and five day per week lap swimmer. Loading on massive doses of thiamine and mulit B particularly B12 and B6 as well as amino acids phenylalinine and taurine. It is a sad thing to have a small bit of training in metabolic physiology and to use text books and many medial articles to see what the body is depleted of during large amounts of alcohol consumption.

That is exactly what I did and thought I could cheat .

When I diagnosed with the first cancer , I weighed 80kg , had a resting heart rate of 62 and was cycling about 180 to 200 km per week... plus drinking two bottles of wine every night of the year...

I guess you can say ,,, IT CAUGHT UP WITH ME.

4 Weeks out of hospital , I started drinking again, not a good thing to do with a colostomy bag.

I continuted for another 9 years this way until getting diagnoses in january 2010 with prostate cancer . My doctor asked me " do you drink much?"

denial kicked in "no , no . no"

I said.


I have learned that denial and barganing are the strongest emotions , that manifiest , even in the light of a life threatening disease x 2 , that made me keep drinking

What a tosser I was.


So ,, nearly 2 months now off it..

No more cancer for me thank you very much ..Well, not one that I helped to get going anyway.

Kind regards

L

Lipitor

Take care of yourself my friend..

L

LaFemme

When I drank 2 liters of wine a night and a pack of smokes I almost never even got a cold...within three weeks of getting sober I had a nasty ear infection in both ears....high fever burst drums ugh....then spents the next r months getting every bug under the sun. It started getting better at 6 months but I did get hit with a nasty stomach bug about 6 weeks ago.

I once knew an irish man whose cure for what ails you was to drink and smoke as much as possible. I followed that advice for years.

Today id rather be sick every day than pick up another drink.

Feel better soon my friend!

EmeraldRose

I had contributed alot of my health to the fact that when I wasn't drinking I was drinking Yogi echinacea tea. I've been drinking it for years. But since separating from husband and watching my finances I switched to a 'cheaper' tea. Yogi brand is $5 for 16 bags. I could polish off a box in 4 days. So...hindsite is 20/20 wish I knew more about that when I quit.
Hope everyone is feeling better this morning and not gurgling, bubbling, oozing or spewing.

Reset

Sorry bud. Hope you get well soon.

Muunray

I don't know why I don't get sick much. I rarely got sick when I was drinking and I always joked the alcohol killed anything that tried to get near me. Haven't drank in almost 5 months, but again, while everyone in my family catches colds, gets sick, etc. I've been able to avoid it all. People always comment to me that I am never sick. Sounds corny but I think between having an almost perfect childhood of nutrition and exercise (grew up on a family farm where 90% of what we ate was what we raised/grew) and my nursing history being exposed to god knows what organisms on a daily basis at work my immune system got a solid foothold.