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Has anyone else's (past?) drinking caused health problems/concerns?

Old 06-25-2009, 07:05 PM
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Has anyone else's (past?) drinking caused health problems/concerns?

One of the major reasons I quit drinking 16 (already started day 17 - sweet! )days ago was because I went to the ER after vomiting blood. They did an endoscopy and discovered I had a tear in my esophagus, and both my liver and pancreas were inflamed. One doctor even mentioned that I showed signs of what could be (but he didn't say for certain) acute pancreatitis.
Since being released from the hospital, I have not consumed any alcohol or caffeine, I've been eating a fairly nutritious and balanced diet, and have been taking milk thistle daily. I'm still concerned about my 25 year-old pancreas though. I'm scared of what my past alcohol abuse has done to that organ and I fear not recovering from it. I don't show any signs of chronic pancreatitis, which is good, but I don't think that organ can regenerate itself as wholly as the liver can. I'm going to stay far away from alcohol for a long time, continue taking the supplements and eating well, and hope for the best. Heh, at least my resting pulse rate has gone down a bit - that's always good.

I'm sorry for the disorganized post, but I'm genuinely curious is anyone else has suffered physically from their drinking - and recovered... and if so, how much, and what kind of a battle was it? I don't really have anyone to talk about this with in person, and I'm sure I'm not really articulating myself as best I could with text here... So, if anyone cares to answer this post, feel free to be equally disorganized; I still appreciate whatever you write
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Old 06-25-2009, 07:16 PM
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Originally Posted by waterfountain View Post
One of the major reasons I quit drinking 16 (already started day 17 - sweet! )days ago was because I went to the ER after vomiting blood. They did an endoscopy and discovered I had a tear in my esophagus, and both my liver and pancreas were inflamed. One doctor even mentioned that I showed signs of what could be (but he didn't say for certain) acute pancreatitis.
Since being released from the hospital, I have not consumed any alcohol or caffeine, I've been eating a fairly nutritious and balanced diet, and have been taking milk thistle daily. I'm still concerned about my 25 year-old pancreas though. I'm scared of what my past alcohol abuse has done to that organ and I fear not recovering from it. I don't show any signs of chronic pancreatitis, which is good, but I don't think that organ can regenerate itself as wholly as the liver can. I'm going to stay far away from alcohol for a long time, continue taking the supplements and eating well, and hope for the best. Heh, at least my resting pulse rate has gone down a bit - that's always good.

I'm sorry for the disorganized post, but I'm genuinely curious is anyone else has suffered physically from their drinking - and recovered... and if so, how much, and what kind of a battle was it? I don't really have anyone to talk about this with in person, and I'm sure I'm not really articulating myself as best I could with text here... So, if anyone cares to answer this post, feel free to be equally disorganized; I still appreciate whatever you write
Hi,

Congrats on your sober time.

I noticed a few years before I started drinking, I was having some upper G.I. discomfort, but I never went to the D.R. for it. I'm sure drinking heavily made whatever digestive problem I have worse. Alcohol is such a huge irritant.

I'm going for an Upper G.I. series soon to try and see what's going on. Last year after going on a binge for about 5 days, I had a really weird feeling in my upper stomach, and felt chest pains. It felt like tightness and extreme fullness. I went to the ER. They did blood work, Chest X-rays, a Cardiogram, and a CT Scan. I was relieved when they told me they didn't see anything, but at the same time was hoping they would know what was wrong and give me something for relief. They did mention they thought it was alcohol induced gastritis. I still get that feeling, but I know it was really bad after that one week binge.

I see you said you went for an endoscopy. I am petrified of that test, lol. Everyone says it's no big deal though. I am trying to eat a better diet now. Drinking definitely can cause stomach problems and make any existing problems worse. So it's much better you stopped. I'm glad I did. Atleast I feel like I'm not doing any more damage to my tummy
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Old 06-25-2009, 07:18 PM
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Hi waterfountain,
Been very luckly to not have had any health problems related to my binge drinking, but as an RN who has worked in the ER for many years, I do know that the esophagus and pancreas will heal, if you abstain from alcohol.
Others in recovery that may have had health problems will be along shortly.
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Old 06-25-2009, 07:32 PM
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I think the younger you are when you stop the better it is for you WF.
I'm disabled, and old enough to be yr dad LOL...and I recovered ok

you should be fine
D
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Old 06-25-2009, 07:51 PM
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Well, I had:

Gout (the most painful thing I ever experienced)
Heart arrhythmia
damaged liver and pancreas
damaged esophagus

In short, alcohol damn near killed me.

After giving up alcohol my health problems have gotten a lot better.
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Old 06-25-2009, 09:01 PM
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Hi WF,
I had/have medical problems due to my alcohol abuse, including esophagus, liver and stomach damage. I 'enjoyed' a hospital stay for pancreatitis (and detox) and though my pancreas has healed (yay! I just found out yesterday that it is almost completely normal again! liver is looking good too) I still have horrible, sometime disabling, abdominal pain 6 months later. I am being treated for the pain but still searching for the cause -something to 'cure'

Keep up the good work with not drinking and a good diet.
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Old 06-25-2009, 09:06 PM
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For years I needed med's for high blood pressure.
I almost bled to death once from esophageal vrcutues
which I probably mis spelled....

Anyway....both health problems were dsolved
after I quit drinking..

My long term depression was diagnosed finally as situational.
That too vanished.

Do keep checking on your health in sobriety.
It's the wisest thing to do.

All my best
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Old 06-25-2009, 11:39 PM
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i have "ataxia" caused from alcohol.i've been 3 mths sober and my balance
and co-ordination are almost..now..perfect.. Oz..
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Old 06-25-2009, 11:43 PM
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cancelled post!!!
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Old 06-26-2009, 04:18 AM
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I don't really have anyone to talk about this with in person, and I'm sure I'm not really articulating myself as best I could with text here
One of the greatest things about AA, talking to other alcoholics in recovery face to face or on the phone.

Now on to your question, I was diagnosed with a fatty liver (precursor to cirrosis of the liver), after 90 days of not drinking my liver enzymes were back to normal, after 6 months of sobriety all the swelling was gone, oh yea in a week all the tenderness was gone as well.

Other things that changed with time since I quit drinking:

Heartburn every night is gone.
Blood in stool is gone.
I do not throw up every morning.
My depression is gone.
My head is clear every morning.
Blood pressure is down.
Stool is firm and I do not crap myself when I sneeze anymore.

There are others, I will post them as I recall them.
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Old 06-26-2009, 04:20 AM
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Hi,

I had some health problems when I stopped drinking and I looked and felt awful. My anxiety was through the roof and it was very hard to stay calm and remain sober. Hopefully you will be just fine, and focusing on your recovery is the best thing you can do for yourself.
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Old 06-26-2009, 05:42 AM
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Hi,
Congrats on the quit!! The recovery powers of the human body are incredible. I was extremely ill when I quit drinking. I could no longer ingest any alcohol to stop the detox process. I had drank for decades and full bore alcoholism the last few years. I did receive good medical attention and I did follow all my doctors advice. Two weeks after stopping drinking my liver enzymes were back in the normal range. I didn't think that was possible.

Since getting sober I have watched lots of people go from the detox hosp with all kinds of physical issues make incredible recoveries when they stayed sober. On the other hand seeing those that could not stay sober and came back into the hospital were not doing so well.

The cool part about staying sober is that life just gets so much easier. I don't miss putting that poison into my body at all.
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Old 06-26-2009, 07:06 AM
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February 1990 upon my return from
a club drunk resulted in a car accident
at 2am hitting a concrete culvert sit-
ting on top the ground.

I ended up in the hospital for 10 days
with them removing a punctured spleen
along with countless broken ribs, contusions.

I recovered in a few months very well
to only pick up a drink in Aug 1990 to
indicate how rapid the progression of my
disease was. At that time i tried to end
my life with/out sucess Thank God.

Family stepped in with an intervention
where i spend 28 days in rehab recieve-
ing the tools and knowledge of my disease
of alcoholism.

18 yrs of growing and changing in recovery,
blessed with good health overall. Last week
i under went a total leg hip replacement.
Due to the trauma my body went thru
from the accident especially my left leg,
orthristist set in over the yrs eventually
causing pain in my walk.

The surgery was sucessful as im under
recovery for the next 6 weeks.

I did put my health, family and life in jeopardy
each time i drank.

Today I dont have to live like that any longer
because the price is to costly.
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Old 06-26-2009, 07:24 AM
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Originally Posted by waterfountain View Post
One of the major reasons I quit drinking 16 (already started day 17 - sweet! )days ago was because I went to the ER after vomiting blood. They did an endoscopy and discovered I had a tear in my esophagus, and both my liver and pancreas were inflamed. One doctor even mentioned that I showed signs of what could be (but he didn't say for certain) acute pancreatitis.
Since being released from the hospital, I have not consumed any alcohol or caffeine, I've been eating a fairly nutritious and balanced diet, and have been taking milk thistle daily. I'm still concerned about my 25 year-old pancreas though. I'm scared of what my past alcohol abuse has done to that organ and I fear not recovering from it. I don't show any signs of chronic pancreatitis, which is good, but I don't think that organ can regenerate itself as wholly as the liver can. I'm going to stay far away from alcohol for a long time, continue taking the supplements and eating well, and hope for the best. Heh, at least my resting pulse rate has gone down a bit - that's always good.

I'm sorry for the disorganized post, but I'm genuinely curious is anyone else has suffered physically from their drinking - and recovered... and if so, how much, and what kind of a battle was it? I don't really have anyone to talk about this with in person, and I'm sure I'm not really articulating myself as best I could with text here... So, if anyone cares to answer this post, feel free to be equally disorganized; I still appreciate whatever you write
I was admitted to the hospital for 5 days with Alcohol induced Pancreatitis. It wasHORRIBLE. I came out of the hospital and swore to myself and my wife that I wouldn't drink again. You can guess what eventually happened. The good news is I am 26 days sober now and feel great. I took some supplements that aid in Pancreas support and if you go to a whole foods or a vitimin cottage they will be able to help you find some of them. Just don't drink and you should be fine.

Chris
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Old 06-26-2009, 07:30 AM
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when i finally quit drinking i was 21 years old, drinking while on antabuse with a swollen liver and jaundice. the worst damage though was mental. it was a suicide attempt that ended me up in detox and ultimately rehab.

though my liver was showing signs of damage at that time, i have since been tested and it is healthy again.

it's a scary thing when our bodies begin to fail us.
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Old 06-26-2009, 05:50 PM
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Wow - what you've all shared is amazing!

Sweets79,
Best of luck w/your G.I. tests - I sincerely hope you get some answers there and can avoid the endoscopy *shudder*. I didn't choose to have that done; the doctors ordered it. I feel the same way these days - my insides are much happier.

tallcactus,
Your post gave me a couple of things I sorely needed: relief and hope. With the support of those two emotions, it is much easier to stay away from alcohol.

Dee74,
I hope you're right! I'm glad to hear your recovery has gone well.

dgillz,
Yikes! I remember hearing that gout is skin-based; am I wrong in that? I didn't realize that was a painful condition. It's encouraging to hear that you're doing better! How long have you been done with alcohol?

Dshea,
Wow! Congrats on the 6 months, as well as the recovery! I think after 1 month, I'll go to a GP and see what kind of tests they can do to check on my pancreas and liver - hopefully it'll be just blood tests (man, oh man do I want to avoid the endoscope if possible). Thank you for the encouragement!

CarolD,
Yikes! I'm glad that you're doing better! Would you have said that, before you figured out that your depression was situational, you drank to ease your depression at all? Looking back, I think I did that early on in my heavy drinking days (almost 3 years ago).

OZboy,
I don't think I've heard of that condition; would you be able to explain it at all, and how alcohol worsened it?

Taz,
I've considered AA a bunch of times; I live next door to an Alano place - now that it's summer, I think I'll stop by there and see if they have a list of AA resources...
Fatty liver?! Whoa, you recovered from that? Amazing! I would say that is an incredible sober-success story (though, I might also be very ignorant about the condition >.< ) and I'm very glad you shared that here. The other conditions you listed sound like they were terrible; I feel both reassured in myself and relieved for you that your condition has improved so much since returning to sobriety.

51anna,
I experienced the anxiety at the very beginning (first 5 days) too, but that seems to have tapered off for now. Thank you for your kind words now, as well as the ones you greeted me with upon my initial posting at this site - you've made me feel very welcome

Dime,
No way; two weeks?! WOW! That just blew my mind... The word choice of "poison" is a word that has been popping into my mind since starting my sober journey - it's probably a good thing that a part of my mind "cringes" at the thought of ingesting alcohol again. Another part of my mind certainly misses the buzz and that warm feeling in the belly after a glass of good merlot, but the part doing the cringing demands more attention - I think for the best.

Chris,
Ack! I feel like smacking myself - I was at a co-op on Tuesday and had the perfect opportunity to ask about stuff for the pancreas. Grrrrrr.... I'll have to try to get out there this weekend. Major congrats on your 26 days! May the next 24 be far less arduous than the past and lead you to a great day 50!

zxcirce,
Holy !@#$, that's terrible! I'm very glad to hear that you are recovering, and you're absolutely right.... it's far too scary, especially this early in life.


Thank you everyone for your insight; I'll carry it with me as I continue on this path of sobriety.

Everyone, take care; I hope everyone has a refreshing weekend!
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Old 06-26-2009, 05:55 PM
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Besides never feeling too well, the worst was what alcohol did to my depression and anxiety - made them both much worse, both during and after drinking. And now that I'm sober my meds work a lot better. Silly to take antidepressants if you're drinking a depressant every day!
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Old 06-26-2009, 06:14 PM
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gout is more of an arthritic thing. My AM has it, and is in severe pain, and wont quit drinking><

As for me, I am just lucky I didn't end up with HIV or Herpes, and my chances of catching them since I quit have decreased enormously
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Old 06-26-2009, 06:27 PM
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Yes gout is a form of arthritis, caused by the buildup of uric acid in the blood. When it reaches a certain level it crystallizes in your body and it is like a million little knives when you move. Gravity causes this to mostly keep it in your feet, making it impossible to walk.

In a normal person uric acid is processed and excreted when you pee, but alcohol gets in the way of this, big time. Certain foods are to be avoided, and some non alcoholics that have kidney related illnesses are susceptible to gout, but since I have quit drinking I have not had any issues at all.
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Old 06-26-2009, 06:35 PM
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Originally Posted by least View Post
Besides never feeling too well, the worst was what alcohol did to my depression and anxiety - made them both much worse, both during and after drinking.

Count me in too for the depression and anxiety thing.

I also began having premature heartbeats about a year and a half ago...it generally got really bad when I was drunk...and then during periods of sobriety it stuck around.

As far as I know (and as far as the doctors are concerned), this condition is benign for me based upon some tests that were done.

I still have the palpitations, but thanks to a nifty beta-blocker that I have to take for high blood pressure anyway, I rarely have these things. That's good because I can feel every single one and I can remember how scared I was when they began. On my bad days I probably had thousands. Anyways...

Hang in there and stay sober! Do what you need to do to get better. I'm nearly three months sober and I'm noticing improvements every week, especially with my bowels.
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