No more

[diseased]

I've finally succumbed to the realization, that the past few years of my life, I have been living under a black cloud. Here's the reason why. I've abused alcohol heavily for the past years only because of stress and loneliness, knowing I'm killing myself but sort of forcing myself not to think about it because I just wanted to live in my own world. Recently, I went on a few heavy whiskey binges. The last binge I had was heavier than normal because of a certain way I was feeling that night. That morning I woke up in such pain I can not described through words. This pain was internal and external. I knew there was something wrong with my liver. I spent the whole day trembling, vomiting and re-evaluating my life. I quickly found out I had symptoms of something called alcoholic fatty liver(not too sure, I hope not, still have to visit the doctors)


That day was a wake up call. I don't want to take life for granted anymore. I'm young, I still have dreams to fulfill. And I wanted to share this, not only requesting for advice but to inform other people who may be going through what I am/was, to stop before it's too late. Last thing I want is to find out I have cirrhosis of the liver. So, I've decided I need to change for my own self. I've been taking supplements like multi vitamins, omega 369, milk thistle, turmeric, dandelion root, alpha lipoic acid etc, to help regenerate my liver.


any advice, support or similar experiences would be greatly appreciated.

[Persephone1]

No more

Hello and Welcome D ~ You've found a great support system in this forum. Sorry to hear that you are struggling and feeling scared, but it's really great that you realize that you want and deserve a better life. I think many folks don't address this issue when they are young, so you are definitely at an advantage in this aspect!

~ I would urge you to get to your doc asap if you're experiencing pain. PLEASE DO NOT PUT IT OFF, many things can be managed if attended to early. ~

I'm sure you've seen that there are plenty of people on here who can relate. I hope that you can take some time and read around. There is a ton of information and so many different ways to go about finding YOUR WAY OUT. That is the beauty and wonder of this journey, it's yours to tailor make for yourself, no one to tell you how you HAVE to do it.

Welcome to your new LIFE D! Please stick around and make yourself comfortable.

YOU CAN DO THIS! All the best :l P.

[TheSunFlower]

No more

D-I doubt any of us would be here if we never felt ALL of those things.

I always watch those criminal shows....where they have to evalute the dead person....and the medical examiner says....."heavy drinker....fatty liver". Uggh!

Welcome to a new life!

[Tipplerette]

No more

Welcome to MWO, D.

I know exactly what you mean about just coasting along without hitting rock bottom until health concerns become to evident to ignore.

You can get healthy again with the help of this support group, your supplements and your plan.

Keep coming here and let us know how you are faring.

Tips

[Elliesmom]

No more

diseased;1481774 wrote: I've finally succumbed to the realization, that the past few years of my life, I have been living under a black cloud. Here's the reason why. I've abused alcohol heavily for the past years only because of stress and loneliness, knowing I'm killing myself but sort of forcing myself not to think about it because I just wanted to live in my own world. Recently, I went on a few heavy whiskey binges. The last binge I had was heavier than normal because of a certain way I was feeling that night. That morning I woke up in such pain I can not described through words. This pain was internal and external. I knew there was something wrong with my liver. I spent the whole day trembling, vomiting and re-evaluating my life. I quickly found out I had symptoms of something called alcoholic fatty liver(not too sure, I hope not, still have to visit the doctors)


That day was a wake up call. I don't want to take life for granted anymore. I'm young, I still have dreams to fulfill. And I wanted to share this, not only requesting for advice but to inform other people who may be going through what I am/was, to stop before it's too late. Last thing I want is to find out I have cirrhosis of the liver. So, I've decided I need to change for my own self. I've been taking supplements like multi vitamins, omega 369, milk thistle, turmeric, dandelion root, alpha lipoic acid etc, to help regenerate my liver.


any advice, support or similar experiences would be greatly appreciated.

Hey there...I'm glad you're here, and echo what others have said about stopping NOW, while you are young. I totally relate to you and feel for you, and am sending you a giant virtual hug. I've been in your shoes. With that said, with your symptoms, you should really see a doctor as soon as you can get in. I can share my experience with liver disease, but it's not going to be very prety or reassuring.

I know a lot about liver disease because I have a genetic liver disease for which I see a gastroenterologist a few times a year to monitor, and was diagnosed with is 20 years ago. The genetic disease is called alpha1 antitrypsin deficiency, which also causes cirrhosis, which I have. I know I made the cirrhosis even worse with alcohol abuse. I had symptoms like yours when I would binge-drink, so stopped binge drinking and just constantly sipped. Stupid, huh?

So here is what might be hard to hear. First, most heavy drinkers (I'd say all of us here, whether we have symptoms or not) have fatty liver disease. The good news is that fatty liver disease can be reversed, so that's the good news. The bad news is that fatty liver disease doesn't often produce symptoms until you're far down the road into the disease, which you might be. Because we need only a very small portion of our liver functioning in order to live a normal life (which is why healthy people can donate parts of their livers to others) once we develop symptoms we're usually in trouble. Liver failure is silent without symptoms until significant damage has been done, and if that damage is due to cirrhosis, the damage is permanent. No amount of milk thistle or any other supplement will regenerate anything. People with AL cirrhosis can still be okay if they stop drinking and take care of whatever small portion of the liver is still unscarred, but there's no going back, which is why it's so important you stop now.

A liver panel blood test will not reveal liver damage until it's very serious and a great deal of our liver has been damaged. So my strong suggestion is to be honest with your doctor about your AL use. He/she will then order other tests that are better able to detect liver damage through imaging/scans, and be able to see visually whether any scarring is present. But for people who are not at risk, a doctor will just order the liver panel, so make sure you get scans ordered.

Other than a dr. appointment, stay AL-free, drink lots and lots of water with lemon, and keep taking the supplements to ensure that your healthy liver tissue remains healthy and functions to the best of its ability. Best wishes,

Elliesmom:h

[Hippyman]

No more

:welcome: A good way to start is to read the MWO book and to order some anti craving meds from this site. There are links at the bottom of this post that have great ideas on getting and stay sober. I'm glad you found us! :l

[Chief Bromden]

No more

Elliesmom;1482472 wrote: Liver failure is silent without symptoms until significant damage has been done

Correct and very important information. Also, apparently, we don't have any nerve endings in the liver, so when you feel pain there it is coming from something else. (but can be caused by an enlarged liver for example)

Livers are known to be pretty good at rebounding though, provided you start early enough.

[Tahra]

No more

Hello, I am new here, thank you.

[Struggles 106]

No more

Welcome to Tahra and Diseased! You have found a great place here! Your journey to sobriety can be a bit easier, I think, with all the support and encouragement you can get from all the great people here.

[NoSugar]

No more

Tahra;1482713 wrote: Hello, I am new here, thank you.

Hi, Tahra

You have found a great place to get help beating this addiction. You might want to start in the Newbies Nest (link in my signature). There are people there at all stages of this journey to help you-- AND THEY WANT TO HELP YOU!! Read back a couple weeks and get to know us. Then, tell us your story and let us get to know you, ok? Don't be shy -- it probably is impossible to shock this crowd. Seems most of us have been around the block several times!!

Reading and posting (and more reading and posting) is the trick to prepare yourself to make these massive changes, in my opinion. And I will tell you, my 2 months of freedom have been GREAT. I will not go back.

There also is Toolbox (see link below) full of tips for helping you now and in the future.

I hope to see you in the nest! :welcome:

NoSugar

[diseased]

No more

Persephone1;1481796 wrote: Hello and Welcome D ~ You've found a great support system in this forum. Sorry to hear that you are struggling and feeling scared, but it's really great that you realize that you want and deserve a better life. I think many folks don't address this issue when they are young, so you are definitely at an advantage in this aspect!

~ I would urge you to get to your doc asap if you're experiencing pain. PLEASE DO NOT PUT IT OFF, many things can be managed if attended to early. ~

I'm sure you've seen that there are plenty of people on here who can relate. I hope that you can take some time and read around. There is a ton of information and so many different ways to go about finding YOUR WAY OUT. That is the beauty and wonder of this journey, it's yours to tailor make for yourself, no one to tell you how you HAVE to do it.

Welcome to your new LIFE D! Please stick around and make yourself comfortable.

YOU CAN DO THIS! All the best :l P.
I keep putting the doctors visit off. A little ashamed to tell him but I'll gather the gall to do so. Thanks

TheSunFlower;1481808 wrote: D-I doubt any of us would be here if we never felt ALL of those things.

I always watch those criminal shows....where they have to evalute the dead person....and the medical examiner says....."heavy drinker....fatty liver". Uggh!

Welcome to a new life!

I think I've watched that show but I can't remember. Thanks for the welcome

Tipplerette;1481907 wrote: Welcome to MWO, D.

I know exactly what you mean about just coasting along without hitting rock bottom until health concerns become to evident to ignore.

You can get healthy again with the help of this support group, your supplements and your plan.

Keep coming here and let us know how you are faring.

Tips

Thanks

Elliesmom;1482472 wrote: Hey there...I'm glad you're here, and echo what others have said about stopping NOW, while you are young. I totally relate to you and feel for you, and am sending you a giant virtual hug. I've been in your shoes. With that said, with your symptoms, you should really see a doctor as soon as you can get in. I can share my experience with liver disease, but it's not going to be very prety or reassuring.

I know a lot about liver disease because I have a genetic liver disease for which I see a gastroenterologist a few times a year to monitor, and was diagnosed with is 20 years ago. The genetic disease is called alpha1 antitrypsin deficiency, which also causes cirrhosis, which I have. I know I made the cirrhosis even worse with alcohol abuse. I had symptoms like yours when I would binge-drink, so stopped binge drinking and just constantly sipped. Stupid, huh?

So here is what might be hard to hear. First, most heavy drinkers (I'd say all of us here, whether we have symptoms or not) have fatty liver disease. The good news is that fatty liver disease can be reversed, so that's the good news. The bad news is that fatty liver disease doesn't often produce symptoms until you're far down the road into the disease, which you might be. Because we need only a very small portion of our liver functioning in order to live a normal life (which is why healthy people can donate parts of their livers to others) once we develop symptoms we're usually in trouble. Liver failure is silent without symptoms until significant damage has been done, and if that damage is due to cirrhosis, the damage is permanent. No amount of milk thistle or any other supplement will regenerate anything. People with AL cirrhosis can still be okay if they stop drinking and take care of whatever small portion of the liver is still unscarred, but there's no going back, which is why it's so important you stop now.

A liver panel blood test will not reveal liver damage until it's very serious and a great deal of our liver has been damaged. So my strong suggestion is to be honest with your doctor about your AL use. He/she will then order other tests that are better able to detect liver damage through imaging/scans, and be able to see visually whether any scarring is present. But for people who are not at risk, a doctor will just order the liver panel, so make sure you get scans ordered.

Other than a dr. appointment, stay AL-free, drink lots and lots of water with lemon, and keep taking the supplements to ensure that your healthy liver tissue remains healthy and functions to the best of its ability. Best wishes,

Elliesmom:h

Thank you for the kind and informative post, really helped!

Hippyman;1482481 wrote: :welcome: A good way to start is to read the MWO book and to order some anti craving meds from this site. There are links at the bottom of this post that have great ideas on getting and stay sober. I'm glad you found us! :l
Thanks

Chief Bromden;1482708 wrote: Correct and very important information. Also, apparently, we don't have any nerve endings in the liver, so when you feel pain there it is coming from something else. (but can be caused by an enlarged liver for example)

Livers are known to be pretty good at rebounding though, provided you start early enough.

I'm glad I know this now. =

Ann Carolina;1482792 wrote: Welcome to Tahra and Diseased! You have found a great place here! Your journey to sobriety can be a bit easier, I think, with all the support and encouragement you can get from all the great people here.

Thank you