MichaelG1969

Ok my history....I'm 42, been drinking since I was 19 but I would say heavily the last 12 years. Vodka soda is my choice of drink but I don't turn down the invitation to grab beers or bottles of wine.
My last physical was approx 2 years ago and other than my cholesterol being a little high everything was fine.
But lately, I'd say last year and a half I have more body aches, pains, stomach issues etc and whenever they arise I automatically think must be the drinking(I guess I'm trying to eliminate the getting old factor)

Lately, Ive been thinking of planning my next dr appt but I'm honestly afraid of what I might hear? Is this normal or am I just being paranoid?

Forgive me for my ignorance on this forum because I just started reading alot of the stories recently but the majority of posts I've read on the newcomers forum has more to do with bad decisions we've all made drinking but I haven't read anything on the long term effects that all the drinking has caused. I've read where so many members were daily drinkers for 20 or more years and it's hard to believe that now they are sober and there aren't negative health issues

Stevie1

Your fear is absolutely and totally normal.

Hey count yourself lucky that you have health insurance! Many of us don't.
My last physical (including liver function) was several years ago and to my astonishment everything was A-OK, at about 50 years old (54 now.)

suki44883

Hi, welcome to SR. I think it's very normal to be concerned about what you might find is going on inside you. However, not knowing about it doesn't mean it isn't still going on. Finding out early is the best way to get going in the right direction. Alcohol can certainly do a number on our bodies, but it starts out slowly and gets progressively worse over time, so catching anything wrong early is best, don't you agree?

Impurrfect

((Michael)) - Welcome to SR!! I think your concerns are "normal". Alcohol wasn't my thing, opiates then crack was but I worried about how my body handled the abuse. Honestly, I never went in for a check up, but had to have surgery at one point, admitted my abuse and was checked out.

I wish I had just gone to a dr. I was fine..despite a tremendous amount of abuse, but I worried for quite a while about it. Had there been a problem, I would have been ignorant of it.

You won't know an answer until you get checked out. I highly recommend being honest with your dr. A good doctor will not judge you, but can only help you if they know the truth. Worrying about what may be going on can drive you crazy, whereas knowing the facts can give you facts.

Hugs and prayers,

Amy

MichaelG1969

Thanks you and yes you are correct about early detection. I haven't had anything to drink in over a week but it's more for vanity. I'm going on vacation in November and I need to lose as much as the gut as possible so I don't scare the family as well as other guests while I lay out by the pool.
I feel much better, this not drinking thing might be something I consider

Anna

Michael, I was terrified to go to the dr when I stopped drinking because I knew I was causing problems for my body. My nutrition was a mess and I had lost weight in the last months of my drinking, because I had little appetite. My liver enzymes were above normal at that time and it scared me so much. But, thankfully I am healthy now, and so glad that I went to the dr when I did. The thing is we do damage our bodies when we drink. The sooner we stop, the better chance we have of repairing the damage or limiting the damage.

Zebra1275

I think it's pretty normal to be a little afraid of a physical as you get older, even if you are not a drinker. I would suggest you just make the appointment and go for it. Personally, I would tell my Dr. about my drinking history.

Despite drinking for many years, I know am in very good health and feel like I'm 10 - 15 years younger than my chronological age (+50). I think the sooner you quit drinking and start a healthier lifestyle, the better the outcome.

soberbrooke

I have 7 months of sobriety and I was so scared to go to the doc. I just went because my blood pressure was thru the roof. I should have gone years ago, but I was so use to not taking care of myself.

MichaelG1969

Hi Anna and thank you for your quick response, I hope it's ok to ask this but how long did you drink for? Reason I ask is it seems some people can just drink and drink and drink some more for decades and never have alcohol related health issues. Besides blood tests are there are physical signs that you might have liver issues associated with drinking?

Thanks

Uninvited

Oddly it was a visit to my doctor that resulted in me stopping drinking after several decades. We had just determined that my blood pressure was through the roof and I told him about my nightly drinking and he simply asked me in a very honest, non-threatening way, "Why do you do it?". I mumbled out some reasons that even I didn't believe, and I kept thinking about it after I left that office. I couldn't think of a good reason. So I stopped that day.

I'm on blood pressure meds now but going to see him again in a week to see if I can stop taking them. My blood test/liver tested out ok. I'm sure there was damage from years of drinking, but that's water under the bridge now. I just need to do what I can from here on out. Good luck to you. I completely understand your fear of the doctor, but mine was a godsend.

One other note. I had no idea that abusing alcohol messed up your eyesight. My vision go remarkably better a few weeks after I stopped.

IndaMiricale

Totally normal,

I myself was a daily drinker for over 20 years. And had not seen a doctor for a regular check up since I was a teen. At 40 I am so glad I went my BP was really high 150/110 range and clorestrol was a whooping 511. After 6 months of meds, diet,and workouts my BP is normal at 118/80 and clor. is still dropping.

I am so glad I went the fear not knowing could of killed me.

Dee74

Lots of great advice here Michael - I hope you'll make an appointment
Welcome to SR

D

ZiggyB

My physicals were all okay, but drinking gave me terrible gastritis which seems to have vanished now that I'm on the wagon. I don't miss that part too much.

RevivingOphelia

I'm your age and was pretty nervous to get my bloodwork done but everything turned out fine. It was a relief to hear and helped motivate me to start a healthier future.

Just do it...you'll feel better about it I bet!

(says the one who started an avoidance thread )

Best wishes and good luck!

MichaelG1969

Thanks for all the support, I'll be making that appt soon. I hope to post good news soon

freshstart57

Drinking for 35 years, daily for 20, to pass out for 5. Was I worried about my numbers? You bet, but not enough to find out.

Not until my depression became clinical and I needed medical care did I finally see a doctor. She was very concerned about my mental state, and gave me the paperwork to have some bloodwork done. I drove by that clinic three times over the next month, and it wasn't until my next appointment that I was able to finally put one foot in front of the other, hyperventilating all the way. How is that for avoidance, RevivingOphelia?

It was what you would expect. Liver enzymes high (75), blood pressure high (140/115), cholesterol high at 5. Three months after my last drink, I tested at 40, 120/80 and 3.1, the rosy cheeked picture of health.

These changes, if I were drinking, would not be enough to make me stop, so I don't expect that to make any difference in your drinking either. It might even be counterproductive to your sobriety to know that there was no lasting damage to me from that horrendous history.

The biggest change in my daily experience is that the depression and anxiety are gone gone gone. No more big black dog sitting on me anymore, no more swimming through molassess, no more terror at facing a normal daily routine. It is for those reasons, Michael, that I suggest you make your plan about continuing to use alcohol any more. Since we tolerate more and more alcohol with every day, this can only go in one direction, and it will never be easier to quit than this very moment.

When you decide to quit, and you will, there is a lot of support here for you at SR. Give it some thought, it's important.

doggonecarl

Be honest with your doctor about your intake. Tell the doctor what your drinking was like. No fudging with the quanities.

And if everything comes back fine, don't use that as a reason to continue drinking. Thanks to alcohol, your health can turn south quickly. So healthy today doesn't mean healthy in two years with continued drinking.

Good luck.

MichaelG1969

Thank you freshstart57 and doggonecarl, I didn't even think of the "what if I'm in perfect good health" thoughts and I start thinking I'm invincible...cold be a curse.

From reading so many stories here I consider myself lucky, I've never had issues with the law from drinking, my friends and family relationships are solid. My routine is wake up really early, sometimes gym before work, after work spend time with family. Once they've gone to sleep I pull out the drink and usually go to sleep around midnight and wake up around 4-5 and repeat the same.....sounds pathetic as I write this.

As I mentioned, my sleep has always been an issue. Usually not enough of it but I thought if I stopped drinking it would get better. Well I'm at 10 days without drinking an it's gotten worse. Last night I slept a total of 3 hours and only 4 hours on average since I stopped drinking.

What's my problem?

RevivingOphelia

But I bet the sleep you ARE achieving is much deeper and restful than while drinking. I've had great success with melatonin. Also, my doctor prescribed a non-addictive pill called Trazadone (it originally was an anti-dep. but, in low doses, they found it helps sleep) which, with melatonin, usually does the trick.

It is better to lie there knowing you are sober and healthy and resting as opposed to what you were putting your body through. Even with three or four hours sleep, I feel much better in the mornings after I drank and got seven hours of drunk sleep.

freshstart57

I'd give it a little longer to see if your sleep improves. It took me a solid 2-3 weeks to finally sleep all night and sleep well, so I would give it another 40-50 years without alcohol to see if it changes.