A confession to make
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Join Date: Feb 2015
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Originally Posted by Aellyce2 
Glad to hear that you are doing so much better on many fronts, Jeff. I had a milder version of a water retention / heart rate / BP episode you described in the OP during my own relapse in 2016 - scary indeed. I never saw a doctor about it so never found out what was causing it. Also have a tendency for eye redness, back into my childhood. Of course drinking made that much worse (in different ways) but mine was also traced to what the eye doc diagnosed as "tear film insufficiency". He also said perhaps I made the predisposition worse for myself when I was using Visine daily, for years, to combat the constant bloodshot eyes caused by drinking. I never made the connection to Visine, but it makes sense with the compound that constricts blood vessels - apparently we can get used to it and it makes the problem worse long-term. I stopped using that completely, now I only apply simple saline-based artificial tears occasionally when I feel my eyes are dry or they are visibly red. I get that even more from staring at computer screens typically >6 hours a day at least (that's what I do for work). My eye dryness is kinda mild so no need for prescription meds, but not a good mix with alcohol for sure.
Keep up the good work
Keep up the good work
I was clueless about the eye thing. Even if I don't have perfect white in my eyes, if they feel less irritated it will be worth it. I was told that this regimen will be long term which kind of sucks, but I'll do it.
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Originally Posted by thomas11
Yeah, the water retention thing in hindsight was super scary. Could have had a stroke or heart attack at anytime and this went on for awhile. Glad I'm not alone in having that happen, although sorry you went through it. Did you feel like a bomb while you were going through that? I did.
My BP and HR are normal when I don't drink, never needed treatment for them sober so far, but they were frequently elevated while I was drinking and especially during withdrawal (first week), like many people's. I also had other symptoms of obvious organ insufficiency, but they wouldn't stop me longer than 2-3 days or motivate me to seek help. I definitely didn't get yearly physicals for at least a decade. The only time I saw a doctor close to a bad period of drinking was after my relapse in rehab, but I was already ~2 weeks sober when I got there, so the exams didn't reflect the acute scare. I had some abnormal blood test results though indicating issues with my liver and kidneys even then, which thankfully normalized pretty quickly afterward. My relapse in 2016 was probably a bit similar to yours this year (except that mine was not associated with stress, more the opposite, it started during a time when I felt on the top of the world) - it lasted about 3 months. I'm so glad both of us could get out sooner rather than later!
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Another brief update: If you think you suffer from severe dry eye, see doc. The stuff they gave me has changed my life. My eyes are not perfectly clear, but 10 times better. And they do not hurt and I can see clearly. Its amazing.
Not sure if I mentioned this before but I got a slight promotion at work. I'm full time forklift operator. Passed my tests etc....and have been certified. So, not having to break my back everyday is such a relief. I'm physically doing so much better, not in pain all the time. Things in life keep improving, its great.
Went through a rough stretch there for awhile.
Not sure if I mentioned this before but I got a slight promotion at work. I'm full time forklift operator. Passed my tests etc....and have been certified. So, not having to break my back everyday is such a relief. I'm physically doing so much better, not in pain all the time. Things in life keep improving, its great.
Went through a rough stretch there for awhile.
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