I almost died from Alcohol
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Thread Starter
Join Date: Jan 2018
Posts: 2
I almost died from Alcohol
Hello All,
My name is Aaron. I almost died... almost lost my job. Almost lost everything. I'm a father of 3 that doesn't like the taste of alcohol but became dependent on the feeling of being drunk. I started with shots of whiskey... 2-3 only on weekends. 3 years later it became VODKA, the liquor with no smell. 3 1/2 years later it became 5-12 shots a day of vodka everyday with a huge glass of water before I went to bed. I was also dumb enough to take sleeping pills alongside it. Finally... at 33 my body had enough. I took 6 Tylenol pm's and had probably 10 shots of extra concentrated vodka (50%). This is the first night I almost died. I woak up in a panic and could feel my heart palpitating. I never felt this before and didn't know exactly what to do. I pulled out my phone and did my heart beat app on Samsung. It was all over the place. I asked my wife to sit with me and just be there because I didn't know what was going to happen. Needless to say I slept 2 hours that night and woak up ready to change.
I stayed off alcohol for about 1 week, then went back to it. Felt somewhat normal but had unusual stomach problems this time. I had another night with scary symptoms. Weird sensations and tremendous stomach pain. The stomach pain was unbearable. I decided cold turkey not going to quit... no matter what. Even if it kills me. Everything was fine for about 1 to 2 weeks. At two weeks I started to havea hard time digesting food... stomach aches lasted throughout the entire day. I figured I could sweat it off and go to the gym. At the gym I collapsed embarrassingly in the locker room... for the first time in my life. The stomach pain that I experienced at night was during the day now. I had no idea what was wrong..... saw more doctors than anyone should ever have to see in their entire life. Eventually they just look at you like you're making it up. I had a catscan in the ER they found a kidney stone lodged in my stomach. Growing into the wall..... YES... the problem isn't alcohol. It's just the KIDNEY STONE. That's what I thought. Stone was removed and I felt worse... stomach hurt even more. They gave me opoids for the pain which made the stomach pain so bad I went to the ER again. They blew me off and sent me home. I went to see my General doctor and she said you're dehydrated and not metabolizing food properly. You have very limited digestive enzymes in your stomach.
By the time they finally figured out what the problem was I was in such bad shape I had not been able to walk without help for about a week. I could only digest juiced vegetables like cabbage and bananas. Online it said that helps to heal damaged nerves. Once I started doing that the final stage of sobriety pain kicked in...... granite I quit cold turkey instead of gradual ... I was too far in to drink again at this point.
The final deep seeded pain of my sobriety was extreme dizziness/vertigo... muscle spasms... weakness, confusion, and weird pressure in my head that was not a headache. Painful pins and needles in my face, feet, legs, arms... everything.
I prayed a lot.... two times there was a moment I thought I was going to die. The first time with the heart palpatations at night...after 6 pms. The 2nd time at the gym when I hypervenelated and had pins and needles crawling through entire body except for my heart. I got tired when it covered my whole body and I could hear the doctors saying stay with me Aaron...I locked up everywhere you can lock up but my mind and my heart. Having felt pins and needles all the way up my legs, stomach, and arms... most of torso. I just tried to Will myself to not let it hit my heart because I had too much to live for. I hope no one sees this as stupid, because it's something I'll never forget. I asked Jesus for help..... promised I would never drink again if he would get me through this. It's been since July 6th that I had my last drink. I never drank again after the incident in the gym. I never did AA groups... just read online forums and posted once. This is my 2nd time posting.
I'm posting this because the unbearable pain of quitting is more than just PAWS. You can feel like you are truly dying. Not being able to take a shower because you're too dizzy and your stomach just HURTS.... pins and needles in your hands and feet. Having that pain last for 2-3 months and then only lessen at 4..... you question quality of life. I found a release in walking on trails... when I could I started running. Only now.... last month or so can I even drink caffeinated drinks like green tea. My stomach flared up many times trying to get back to regular foods. Things you take for granted just because you're a human being .... like eating McDonalds etc. I could not do any of that for at least 4-5 months. I was on a VEGGIE blended diet with pills and extreme stomach pain for 1 month. I couldn't sleep well at all for 2 months. I was dehydrated because I couldn't keep down water for weeks. My endocrinologist basically thought I was making it up after the endoscope.... They Kidney stone was nothing, it was the alcohol neuropathy.......
My neurologist was best. He told me he couldn't believe I didn't have a seizure or die from what I was doing in my sleep. Gluttany is a sin and I am more than guilty. I couldn't say I was going to quit drinking until I quit drinking. I didn't want to quit drinking because it made me feel good. You think you're fine until one day you almost die.... all you want is that feeling right?
Current Status - I have only minor symptoms now. I can eat pretty much anything I want. I had to gradually build up to that after motnhs and months of painful gastritis... next level gastritis if that's what it was. I still have all the old symptoms they just come and go once a month for a day or two lol. They rotate also... isn't that weird? Pinch in my arm that feels like a cramp... 2 days a month and I can barely tell it's there. Pins and Needles in my hands are completely gone...... I ate a lot of nuts to help with that. Pins and needles in my feet are there but it's not painful... just noticeable. My health is good.... I can run and I am only 5-15 lbs overweight for my 6 foot frame. 225 atm. Went down to 202 because I couldn't eat for the longest time. Doctors were getting nervous because they said I was losing weight too fast. REALLY DOCTOR.... BUT IM MAKING IT UP RIGHT?!?!
I'm ok now. Oh.. and I was told it was anxiety. Everything I was feeling was anxiety. It wasn't alcohol... just anxiety. We know our bodies..... doctors know science that they were taught. Not many true experts on alcoholic neuropathy other than a neurologist so be careful what you do. Don't take opoids if you can't digest food! Pray, Jesus helped me. I didn't desserve it, but he helped me. Alcholic neuropathy isn't suppose to be curable, and I' not cured per say, but I am fully functioning.
Dizzyness Gone - ty God
Intense stomach pain everysecond Gone - ty God
Pins and Needles unbearable pain - Almost Gone - ty God
Vertigo - Gone
HORRIBLE pain in the chest felt like heartburn x2 Gone - ty God
I'm 33, I overcame this. I almost died 2 times... I was there I lived it, I know I almost died.
I had 1 day where I just broke down and cried... grown man crying for 2 hours until I passed out because I was in so much pain. I think it was about 3 - 4 months after not drinking too. It was just so many little nagging pains I couldn't take it anymore and prayed... cried.
WHY AM I POSTING THIS.
I felt compelled to post it... I been wanting to. I know there are more people out there who think it's over for them. Obviously I know there are different circumstances for everyone, but I overcame a demon I helped create. Science only goes so far there are no limits with God. We just don't know what is ebst for us and he does.
God Bless You All
My name is Aaron. I almost died... almost lost my job. Almost lost everything. I'm a father of 3 that doesn't like the taste of alcohol but became dependent on the feeling of being drunk. I started with shots of whiskey... 2-3 only on weekends. 3 years later it became VODKA, the liquor with no smell. 3 1/2 years later it became 5-12 shots a day of vodka everyday with a huge glass of water before I went to bed. I was also dumb enough to take sleeping pills alongside it. Finally... at 33 my body had enough. I took 6 Tylenol pm's and had probably 10 shots of extra concentrated vodka (50%). This is the first night I almost died. I woak up in a panic and could feel my heart palpitating. I never felt this before and didn't know exactly what to do. I pulled out my phone and did my heart beat app on Samsung. It was all over the place. I asked my wife to sit with me and just be there because I didn't know what was going to happen. Needless to say I slept 2 hours that night and woak up ready to change.
I stayed off alcohol for about 1 week, then went back to it. Felt somewhat normal but had unusual stomach problems this time. I had another night with scary symptoms. Weird sensations and tremendous stomach pain. The stomach pain was unbearable. I decided cold turkey not going to quit... no matter what. Even if it kills me. Everything was fine for about 1 to 2 weeks. At two weeks I started to havea hard time digesting food... stomach aches lasted throughout the entire day. I figured I could sweat it off and go to the gym. At the gym I collapsed embarrassingly in the locker room... for the first time in my life. The stomach pain that I experienced at night was during the day now. I had no idea what was wrong..... saw more doctors than anyone should ever have to see in their entire life. Eventually they just look at you like you're making it up. I had a catscan in the ER they found a kidney stone lodged in my stomach. Growing into the wall..... YES... the problem isn't alcohol. It's just the KIDNEY STONE. That's what I thought. Stone was removed and I felt worse... stomach hurt even more. They gave me opoids for the pain which made the stomach pain so bad I went to the ER again. They blew me off and sent me home. I went to see my General doctor and she said you're dehydrated and not metabolizing food properly. You have very limited digestive enzymes in your stomach.
By the time they finally figured out what the problem was I was in such bad shape I had not been able to walk without help for about a week. I could only digest juiced vegetables like cabbage and bananas. Online it said that helps to heal damaged nerves. Once I started doing that the final stage of sobriety pain kicked in...... granite I quit cold turkey instead of gradual ... I was too far in to drink again at this point.
The final deep seeded pain of my sobriety was extreme dizziness/vertigo... muscle spasms... weakness, confusion, and weird pressure in my head that was not a headache. Painful pins and needles in my face, feet, legs, arms... everything.
I prayed a lot.... two times there was a moment I thought I was going to die. The first time with the heart palpatations at night...after 6 pms. The 2nd time at the gym when I hypervenelated and had pins and needles crawling through entire body except for my heart. I got tired when it covered my whole body and I could hear the doctors saying stay with me Aaron...I locked up everywhere you can lock up but my mind and my heart. Having felt pins and needles all the way up my legs, stomach, and arms... most of torso. I just tried to Will myself to not let it hit my heart because I had too much to live for. I hope no one sees this as stupid, because it's something I'll never forget. I asked Jesus for help..... promised I would never drink again if he would get me through this. It's been since July 6th that I had my last drink. I never drank again after the incident in the gym. I never did AA groups... just read online forums and posted once. This is my 2nd time posting.
I'm posting this because the unbearable pain of quitting is more than just PAWS. You can feel like you are truly dying. Not being able to take a shower because you're too dizzy and your stomach just HURTS.... pins and needles in your hands and feet. Having that pain last for 2-3 months and then only lessen at 4..... you question quality of life. I found a release in walking on trails... when I could I started running. Only now.... last month or so can I even drink caffeinated drinks like green tea. My stomach flared up many times trying to get back to regular foods. Things you take for granted just because you're a human being .... like eating McDonalds etc. I could not do any of that for at least 4-5 months. I was on a VEGGIE blended diet with pills and extreme stomach pain for 1 month. I couldn't sleep well at all for 2 months. I was dehydrated because I couldn't keep down water for weeks. My endocrinologist basically thought I was making it up after the endoscope.... They Kidney stone was nothing, it was the alcohol neuropathy.......
My neurologist was best. He told me he couldn't believe I didn't have a seizure or die from what I was doing in my sleep. Gluttany is a sin and I am more than guilty. I couldn't say I was going to quit drinking until I quit drinking. I didn't want to quit drinking because it made me feel good. You think you're fine until one day you almost die.... all you want is that feeling right?
Current Status - I have only minor symptoms now. I can eat pretty much anything I want. I had to gradually build up to that after motnhs and months of painful gastritis... next level gastritis if that's what it was. I still have all the old symptoms they just come and go once a month for a day or two lol. They rotate also... isn't that weird? Pinch in my arm that feels like a cramp... 2 days a month and I can barely tell it's there. Pins and Needles in my hands are completely gone...... I ate a lot of nuts to help with that. Pins and needles in my feet are there but it's not painful... just noticeable. My health is good.... I can run and I am only 5-15 lbs overweight for my 6 foot frame. 225 atm. Went down to 202 because I couldn't eat for the longest time. Doctors were getting nervous because they said I was losing weight too fast. REALLY DOCTOR.... BUT IM MAKING IT UP RIGHT?!?!
I'm ok now. Oh.. and I was told it was anxiety. Everything I was feeling was anxiety. It wasn't alcohol... just anxiety. We know our bodies..... doctors know science that they were taught. Not many true experts on alcoholic neuropathy other than a neurologist so be careful what you do. Don't take opoids if you can't digest food! Pray, Jesus helped me. I didn't desserve it, but he helped me. Alcholic neuropathy isn't suppose to be curable, and I' not cured per say, but I am fully functioning.
Dizzyness Gone - ty God
Intense stomach pain everysecond Gone - ty God
Pins and Needles unbearable pain - Almost Gone - ty God
Vertigo - Gone
HORRIBLE pain in the chest felt like heartburn x2 Gone - ty God
I'm 33, I overcame this. I almost died 2 times... I was there I lived it, I know I almost died.
I had 1 day where I just broke down and cried... grown man crying for 2 hours until I passed out because I was in so much pain. I think it was about 3 - 4 months after not drinking too. It was just so many little nagging pains I couldn't take it anymore and prayed... cried.
WHY AM I POSTING THIS.
I felt compelled to post it... I been wanting to. I know there are more people out there who think it's over for them. Obviously I know there are different circumstances for everyone, but I overcame a demon I helped create. Science only goes so far there are no limits with God. We just don't know what is ebst for us and he does.
God Bless You All
Member
Join Date: Nov 2014
Posts: 1,222
OMG. That was one hell of a sobering read. I am so glad you pulled through. Please, never, ever drink again. Thanks for posting, I am sure it was difficult to write but will be an inspiration to many, as it was to me. Fair play to you man and congratulations on overcoming the demons to get to this point.
Member
Join Date: Jan 2018
Posts: 4
Hi, Aaron
I’m new today and sorry to read your story but glad your better. I know the pain from drinking and asking God to get me thru and I’d never drink. Too much to live for. Just have to remember the terrible pain and what we would leave behind for a drink. Not ever worth it
I’m new today and sorry to read your story but glad your better. I know the pain from drinking and asking God to get me thru and I’d never drink. Too much to live for. Just have to remember the terrible pain and what we would leave behind for a drink. Not ever worth it
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Thread Starter
Join Date: Jan 2018
Posts: 2
Originally Posted by SoberLeigh 
Welcome to SR, Aaron!
What an ordeal you experienced.
Congratulations on your sober time!
Living in sobriety is an exponentially better way to live, isn't it
What an ordeal you experienced.
Congratulations on your sober time!
Living in sobriety is an exponentially better way to live, isn't it
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Join Date: Jan 2018
Location: East Coast
Posts: 853
Thank you so much for posting your story. I cannot believe you went though all of this. As I was reading, I kept thinking wow, you are only 33 that's not even very old! I'm so glad you are here to tell this story, and you have no idea how powerful this experience is to those of us who are just beginning our sobriety. I sincerely thank you for revising this hard period in your life. Congratulations on your achievement!
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