Hello

[tanguistil23]

hello, I'm a newbie ! glad there is a site out there I can vent to !- overcome by the heat at the moment. Why does everyone assume you drink with our diagnosis ?- I never touched a drop ....

[Hidden]

Hi tanguistil23,

Unfortunately people automatically associate liver disease to alcohol. I always feel that I have to get in that it’s autoimmune liver disease.

[AyrshireK]

Unfortunately alcohol is the most known about and most publicized cause of liver disease. When anyone has liver disease on tv, in soaps etc. etc. it's always caused by alcohol. In fact now it isn't the most common cause as fatty liver disease is taking over.

My hubby is life long t-total and whilst hooked up to drips in high dependency after a massive upper GI bleed and new diagnosis of cirrhosis a passing doctor commented to him "Let this be a lesson to you, you will need to amend your lifestyle!". Our own GP following problems after an endoscopy asked hubby "Are your managing to stay off the booze?"

Hubby also has auto immune liver disease, whenever we mention he has liver disease we always slip in "He has never even drank!"

It's discussion i've had several times with BLT and others regarding getting the message out there that alcohol ISN'T the only cause.

Katie

[Laura009 in reply to AyrshireK]

That's appalling Katie !

[Hidden in reply to AyrshireK]

My nana was reduced to tears by a consultant who informed her she had cirrhosis and called her an alcohol. She was in her 60’s and the only alcohol she consumed was only ever a snowball at new year. My aunt went in and put the doctor in his place and they then put it down to medication she had been on. When I was going through diagnosis my consultant asked if any history in family ,told him about my nana and he said it was more than likely she had same as me and it was passed down to. Since then we have realised that on that side of the family ,all but One female grandchild has at least one autoimmune disease. .

[FlyingArrow in reply to AyrshireK]

Katie

I know that feeling well as I've been accused of being a heavy drinker twice and I class myself as T Total! One of my previous GP's didn't believe me and requested further blood tests which of course came back negative a few days later, he did apologise and took no further medical action!

[Ticktoc in reply to AyrshireK]

Totally agree I don't drink and have been diagnosed with NAFLD raised liver enzymes low autoimmune after years on meds for copd and mini heart attack in Dec diagnosed with A FIB only hands ultrasound last week and blood test 6 weeks ago heard nothing back from gp pre lockdown she must of asked me 6/7 times how much alcohol I drank regularly looked at me as if I was crazy when I said I don't drink never been a drinker apart from as a teenager even when I lived in Spain just assume every one drinks just want some abs and want to know A what type of. A fib I have B what meds I can take that don't make me feel worse than before I took them Hope hubby and you get things sorted take care

[tanguistil23 in reply to AyrshireK]

I so agree- if anyone asks what's wrong with me i say PBC- no I am not an alcoholic !, perhaps re-naming cirrhosis as cholangitis helps !

[Hidden]

Its just the nature of the beast, nothing to be ashamed of with either outcome of the cause. My aunty who lived in Detroit, looked like a 40s 50s movie star, lived like a health guru never smoked, never drank alcohol died of lung cancer aged 63, sometimes him upstairs just rolls that dice for us all.

[Steak]

Hi i was the same as soon as I mentioned I had cirrhosis everybody assumed it was caused by drink as that was what people associated it with. Even my gastroenterologist kept asking if I drank started getting annoying after a while. When u start looking into there are many other causes that can damage the liver take care .