JediTrey

So, I finally decided to quit, get blood work done, check up..all the things I put off while drinking. Dr. called with my blood results. no diabetes...high BP ( could be from withdrawal), kinda high cholesterol, but told me i had LIVER DAMAGE. I asked how bad...he said can't tell from blood work. I asked can I die/am I dyiny...he said not in the short term...but yes if you don't quit...which I've done. I don't see him til Thursday, have this hanging over my head til then, I'm only 34 , scared that I've done enough to kill myself..ANYONE have any experience with this? I'm on a health kick since quiting, thought I was doing fine...then..Liver Damage..any help is appreciated..I'm so scared

Fandy

we are not allowed to give medical advice...and you wouldn't want an internet Dx anyway would you?

Your doctor will order another round of LFTs in the next 90 days or 120 days....he can tell if there is improvement. there are different types of "liver damage" besides cirrhosis, fatty liver, sensitive liver and others i don't want to put into your head right now (you have enough to worry about).

all I can suggest is to stay sober, eat more natural than processed and drink a lot of water, take your vitamins if the doctor says it's OK

IDK your specifics, but you are young and can be very healthy in the future....your body is remarkable at healing, respect it now....

getting all stressed out and working yourself into a froth won't help your relax.

CONGRATS on quitting booze too.

pocketpanda

JediTrey,

Call your doc back when you can and ask for specifics about the results. It might ease your mind until Thursday. Anecdotally, I've been told I have a "fatty liver" that in many cases is reversible with a healthy diet and sobriety. (Drinking isn't the only way you can get liver damage--my ex never drinks, but eats a high fat diet. His fatty liver is worse than mine.)

Good luck, congrats on quitting and as Fandy wisely suggested ... Relax. :-D

Dee74

I think the best thing you can do is stop drinking and do whatever else your Dr directs you to do Trey.

I know it's hard not to, but try not to worry - you're already doing all the right things.
Like Fandy says you're young, and the liver can be amazingly resilient and even regenerative in some cases.

Your best chance for a long happy and healthy life is to stop drinking.

What are your plans to stay stopped?
D

JediTrey

Well, now my plan is based on being dead. I quit because I knew it would end bad...just hope it hasn't ended NOW.....if it were really bad....wouldn't he have told me? I know none of us are Dr's, just dont know if anyone has had this experience

Fandy

If there were anything that BAD...don't you think your doctor would IMMEDIATELY admitted you through the ER???? waiting until Thursday for your appointment means you are most likely NOT at death's door....thankfully!

Believe me, please relax and wait for your scheduled normal appointment....write down your questions for the doctor because you might feel nervous....you can ask if you need to come in fasting (for a pee test)...or you might need to bring in the first morning's sample.

if that's the case, take a trip to your pharmacy and ask for a sterile sample cup...wash your hands both before and after....

Dee is absolutely correct about your liver being able to repair and rejuvinate.

Humbled77

Going through the same thing Trey. I am also 34 and in very good shape. Never had a health issue in my life, except drinking buckets of booze. I "woke up" when my right shoulder started to ache constantly, which can be an indicator of gallbladder or liver problems.

It took a lot of phone calls and begging to get my appointment tomorrow. I am also very scared, but nothing I can do about the past, just be heathy today and plan for the same tomorrow. For me I am trying to burn this experience into my brain, so that if I am fortunate enough to not have killed myself, I can look back at a fear that I never want to have again and not pick up that drink. Good luck friend.

ImReadyToQuit

Everytime a person drinks, they damage their liver.

Anna

I think many of us, me included, have had health issues due to drinking. I know it's very scary, but the main thing is to stay sober and focus on taking care of yourself.

Dee74

I didn't mean to offend you Trey.

I suffered mini strokes with my last detox so I know full well about health scares and feeling helpless and powerless over what I did to myself, and scared I'd destroyed my future.

I hope everything works out ok - staying sober is the best chance you have of that happening, so keep committed to that.

Fear is a great motivator but I found even with mini strokes it didn't last.
If you want help down the track with staying sober and making a life long plan, you know you'll find support here.

D

Lipitor

THIS IS NOT BY ANY MEANS MEDICAL OR HEALTH ADVICE < JUST MY HUMBLE OPINION


Just stay sober, If a dermatologist looked at your face and arms , he would definitely say "you have skin damage" , (unless you have never spent a day in the sun). We all do .

Sometimes medical people tend to blurt a little without considering the consequences of their words.

I know this because I AM ONE>

I treat diabetics , and in my early days of private practice I quite often made comments like, " you may have a little vascular damage to your lower leg artery" , which , to the patient newly diagnosed with diabetes , scared the crap out of them .

The truth is that anyone their age EG 55 would have some level of wear.

I think if it was serious your Dr would have ordered an ultrasound of the liver or at least a contrast CT scan.

He probably meant you have some liver "WEAR and TEAR"

Try to live in the here and now, and above all, dont drink .well done...

If you were 64 years old, there would be alot more justification for worry ,.

My goodness, 34 , you are still a healthy young pup.

Keep smiling ,

Hoped this helped

L

JediTrey

Thanks Lipitor, yes it did help, I love this place. I've drinking about a liter of Bacardi ( with diet coke) every night since I got divorced a year and a half ago....has anyone heard of MORE drinking than that?

Humbled77

That is a lot of drinking. But there are people that have put up much bigger numbers than that. Bodies are all different and any comparisons are generally apple to oranges. It's all in the past though, consumed. Now an absolute is no drinking, can't do any better than that.

Fandy

Lipitor, you named yourself after the Pfizor cholesterol medication????

Lipitor

YES you goober ME

I drank a bottle of vodka and one or two bottles of wine every night for god knows how long, sometimes starting at 2 in the afternoon. Going out to dinner, two bottles of wine before I went, two bottles at dinner and a bottle of port almost, when I got home.

That was, of course , at my worst drinking time.

Then, rock up to the surgery next morning to treat patients......What a load of **** i lived in .

And may I remind you that this only came to an end "this year". Im 49 years old now.

ONCE AGAIN THIS IS NOT MEDICAL ADVICE < JUST MY HUMBLE OPINION < but
The thing they use in bloodwork to measure LFT or liver function is a particular enzyme, lets call it IGG , This test is fairly non definitive , because the enzyme can be elevated for other reasons,, EG, if someone has done alot of exercise and has some muscle pain etc , genetic predisposition etc etc .

You are so young , your body will bounce back like a brand new elastic band.

Keep up the B group and thiamine (B1) That is what my Dr told me to do , vitamins and hang loose.

:ghug3

L

Lipitor

Yes. I did > When I first joined the forum I was looking for cool names for myself like;

BradPittstuntbottom

Moveoverseanconnery

aussiemalemodel

cuterthanmelgibson

godsgifttowomen

and all that stuff. But alas none of them were available


So , looking across my desk , I saw , in a Mimms , the word Lipitor,

It reduces fat. My fat head will slowly reduce in size and become less inflated , more real and honest I thought.

Hence the name.

thanks for being so observant..

L

Anna

Please be careful because some posts are getting too close to medical advice.

Lipitor

Thanks Anna......It is all just my humble opinion.. but appreciate the reminder,

L

Fandy

Lipitor, i'm a surgical admin for senior med students....and my brother has high cholesterol.....i love the analogy....and your head does not look fat at all.

LaFemme

I was wondering about your name too