foureyedfool

I've been a rather heavy drinker for about 3 years now, really ever since I turned 21. I've had weeks/months/days of sobriety here and there, but when I do drink I drink a /lot/. Vodka by the shot with a chaser until I finally 'fall asleep'. I'm never out for very long, but it's long enough to know that I did it.

I always binge eat when I drink too. The two go hand-in-hand. The past week or so, I've had a slight pain in my right side. It's not severe, more of a nuisance, really, and I think it might be swollen (but I might also just be imagining things) but I'm so convinced that I've already damaged my liver irreparably. I've spoken with my friends, my parents, and they say 'Simon you'd have to drink longer than 3 years, even heavily, to do severe damage'. And part of me thinks, yeah, that's probably true, but then the hypochondriac part of me is freaking out. I'm calling my doctor to make an appointment and just need to try and...calm down, ha.

least

Seeing your doctor is a wise move. Tests can be done to determine if you've done any damage to your liver. The liver can often repair itself if it's not too far gone. I hope you will see your doctor for a check up.


Welcome to SR!

Pipping

It's great that you are seeing a Dr and posting on this forum. Please try and be honest about your drinking when you see your doctor, there is nothing to be ashamed of. Lots of reasons for right sided abdo pain and even if it turns out to be nothing binge eating and drinking will lead to more problems than you can imagine. I binged on pizza and other junk food while drinking and it really took its toll on my health and appearance. All the best.xx

foureyedfool

Thanks for the speedy responses. I hope you're okay, Pipping, as far as health and everything goes. I know that I drink too much. I used to tell myself that I wanted to still be able to drink but just stay in control, like go from drinking alone at home to drinking when I go out with friends...I just don't have that type of control. Maybe some people do? But I certainly don't. I've been telling myself for months that I want to quit, but then I get two or three days sober and the time comes when I just /really/ want a drink and I think...yeah, okay. I can finish off bottles of vodka over several hours (10-14), it's really a wonder that I'm not dead yet, frankly. Good luck to you both!

autan

Firstly welcome to SR, you will find tonnes of support and reading the posts of others on the same journey as you will help put things into perspective.

The pain your referring to sound similar to the one I had. Going to the Doctors is a wise idea, you will get medical assessment of what if anything is wrong with you.

In my case the pain was a fatty liver. As fat cells are quite large and make small tears in the liver which later scar. Too much scarring is called sclerosis of the liver.

I am not saying that was you have, only what I had, when I had a pain in right side.

You say alcoholism and hypochondria don't mix. I would say being an alcoholic is an illness and having an illness doesn't make you an hypochondriac, it makes you an informed patient.

Please take a look at my thread, you will seeing reading through, many of the thoughts and doubts it seems you had, I also had. It caused me to relapse several time until I accepted I could never drink again and why I couldn't.

Glad youve joined us.

http://www.soberrecovery.com/forums/...e-relaspe.html

Dee74

Welcome to SR FEF

Going to your Dr is always a good idea - just don't take a good result as license that you can control immune from future problems - the longer someone drinks heavily, the better change of permanent health issues.

The earlier you stop the better

D

SnoozyQ

Hiya FEF ;-)

Glad you are seeing your doc , they are the best thing for you right now , so you know where you're at .

I don't know where they plucked the 3 year or more figure from .

Everyone metabolises alcohol differently . Some people can drink for a year and sustain liver damage , some can drink for 30

I watched a program on a 19 year old girl who was on the transplant list after a biopsy diagnosed alcoholic Cirrhosis .

I'm not trying to scare you at all , the liver is a very forgiving organ and regenerates itself well , but to a point ... eventually if we drink long enough it will be our undoing.

So happy that you are here ;-) keep posting as this place is the BEST .

We are all here for the same thing xx

foureyedfool

Thanks all I went to my doctor and had blood work done, and she said that one liver test was slightly elevated--VERY slightly, the standard range was like 3.4-7.8 and mine was at 7.9, and she said to watch the alcohol intake. I take it as a good sign that she didn't say 'YOU NEED TO STOP DRINKING, NOW!' That being said, I have stopped drinking thus far, ever since that day. It hasn't been many, but it's a start and I hope to keep it up

Dee74

Glad the results were good

D