Hi all, new to the forum though I've been reading loads of stories since being told I have a fatty liver last week.
I've had some health-related issues for a couple of years now (fatigue, confusion, anxiety, dizziness, weakness, photosensitivity) and had blood work drawn. Found my ALT to be 99 and AST to be 124, triple normal levels soooo.. cause for concern. I have to wonder if my keto (ultra low-carb diet) had something to do with the numbers, but I have no illusions that my alcohol intake was the true culprit. My doc scheduled an ultrasound, and though I haven't had the complete run-down, I was told by an assistant that I've got fatty liver of which I can only assume was caused by 15-20 years of alcohol abuse.
Dad wasn't a six-pack-a-day kinda guy - he was a 12-pack-a-day kinda guy. He was always just jovial and good-natured ... until he had that 13th beer, which turned him into a whole other creature.
My mom's mom was a serious alcoholic as well, but she swore off and never touched the stuff.
*I* swore I didn't need it; I had a very small but intimate friend group growing up. We didn't drink, party... our idea of a grand time was going to midnight bowling and maybe out for a donut after.
Married at 19, divorced at 21 and working in restaurants. Drinks after work became standard, but nothing wildly out of the ordinary.. or so I thought. It was invariably a binge every time I would drink; moderation was not in my vernacular. Fast-forward some years...
.. in my late 20s and early 30s I started drinking daily. There was no 'social' drinking; if I was drinking, it was to get drunk, period. I started working for a company that sent me around the country to different trade shows which were invariably enormous drinking events. Wake up, have a powdered aspirin & caffeine powder, rinse and repeat. Started drinking daily in my mid-30s, first with hard ciders to great excess and finally settling on what had been my daily drinks - four hard seltzers and two vodka & Mio.
Also in the past couple of years I'd discovered the Keto diet, which severely restricts carbohydrate intake. I went from 210 lbs to 155 over the course of about seven months and felt terrific. I married a wonderful man who loved drinking as much as me - no more hiding bottles under sinks, stuffing cans into hidden rubbish bags in the closet.
Back to the doctor visit. When the levels came back at what they were, combined with some peculiar skin issues I was having (small, painless, clear fluid-filled bumps on my forearms and hands after being in the sun) she thought perhaps I have PCT, or Porphyria Cutanea Tarda and ordered a 24 hour urine collection test. For my anxiety (I've gotten to the point where I am unable to drive on the interstate or even a two-lane divided highway) she prescribed buspirone. Naturally excessive alcohol consumption exacerbates anxiety issues.
I don't have any official results yet; I return on the 11th of this month to discuss full blood work panel, ultrasound and the urine test. I have naturally scanned the interwebs thoroughly, read story after story and am extraordinarily grateful that this has been caught at a point where the arc of my story can be brought back to a happy ending. My husband has also committed totally to giving up drink.
Last night was my first night going to bed without the help of drink in perhaps as many as seven years (I did take 15mg of melatonin as I knew I would have a terrible time sleeping - every medicine I put in my body at this point I worry after as a liver stressor (NEVER again with the powdered aspirin and caffeine)).
Thanks for reading. I'm worried, but optimistic that I'll be back to enjoying midnight bowling ... and maybe a donut again soon.
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TennCreekBridges
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Similar boat to me although my ultrasound is tomorrow. I drank heavy for 15 Years but partied hard way before that.
I stopped over a year ago but my alt on last test 3 months ago was 63. Doctors were not at all concerned but they don’t know my past and didn’t ask. I’m hoping the alt was raised because I was doing a lot of exercise... 40 mins pilates and 40 mins recumbent bike every single day. If not then my liver at the time was under stress.. or worse damaged.
5 years ago I got balance issues whilst driving, I had A company car and had to hand it back in. I couldn’t control the car and it felt like it was toppling over on wide roads and bends in the road. Doctors just used to look at me like I was mad! Then I went to a balance clinic and they blamed it all on anxiety. I couldn’t even walk down the street straight! Eventually I found an article about motorist disorientation syndrome and it was like reading my exact symptoms! I spoke to a professor that has studied the syndrome and he confirmed I have it. Haven’t been able to drive since... massive impact on my life,
Fast forward to a year and a few weeks ago and I got vertigo. Felt like I was on a boat and it wouldn’t stop. It was horrific. That cured my drinking habit immediately. Since I have had balance issues, issues with my eyes not focusing and it sound stupid but I wouldn’t go into my kitchen for nearly two months in the evening because of the strip lighting...made me feel really strange. I got so anxious I struggled to eat and I lost 5.5 stone.
I have myoclonic reticular reflex jerks, vestibular issues and it all made me feel suicidal. I also had very low vitamin d deficiency but I had been vegan and rarely went out. My anxiety is my worst symptom.
I’m sure I’ve damaged my system though drinking and I’m hoping I haven’t damaged my liver too badly. I also have POTS and that can come from alcoholism.
Seems like you’ve had a wake up call and it’s nice to hear that you are listening to it. I seriously don’t miss drinking at all, if anything I’m bitter toward alcohol. I think maybe I’d be normal if I wasn’t so stupid with my consumption of it.
Off to bed now... ultrasound in the morning... I feel like I’ll be dragging myself to the gallows or similar haha.
Thanks so much for your reply Pamziepam, and hope all goes well at your ultrasound. I was staring at the images on the screen, trying to freeze images into my mind so I could cross-reference when I was out of there, ha. Only two more weeks to go until comprehensive results.. hopefully you get word more quickly and can get started doing what you need to do.
Its quite nearly impossible for me to explain the perfectly 'illogical' fear of driving, but you seem to have encapsulated it quite well. Definitely feels as though the road is quite nearly about to drop out from under my truck, if I can see to far ahead it messes with my eyes; if I am driving through dappled sunlight it has some sort of weird strobing effect and its completely disorienting. Nothing, from flitting eyes from road sign to lines on the pavement to the speedometer, offers any help in resolving the issue. I have to pull off to the side frequently and will take routes that can sometimes double the duration of a drive simply to avoid high rates of speed.
Multiple moving objects on the road, wide open stretches, cresting the top of a hill? Complete panic. I've had to turn on my hazard lights so others would think something was wrong with my vehicle, rather than me, more often than I care to admit. The feeling of being out of control is overwhelming.
I can't imagine having it compounded to the extent of your challenges - nothing related to what you're going through sounds 'stupid', no matter how many times you've heard 'you just have to push yourself through it'. Thanks so much for sharing, I've not talked to anyone who had experienced similar.
Keep me posted on how everything goes with your ultrasound results - hope to hear of you soon.. I'm here if you need a friend as well! X
You are welcome. You should google motorist disorientation syndrome by Mike Gresty. He explains the symptoms and they are exact to what we experience! Took me 5 years googling to find him! He also emailed me his latest study. I haven’t read anywhere that alcohol has anything to do with the syndrome but it’s not coincidence that you have issues and so Do I and we were both heavy drinkers for long periods. He even says in his studies that patients even sell their car thinking it’s their vehicle. Once you read it all, if it resonates then that’s what is wrong. I’m 100% certain that that’s what I suffer from... When I first read the symptoms that were describing my exact symptoms whilst driving I was elated!!, finally I wasn’t crazy! Some professors call it visual vertigo.
Well had my liver scan and was told I have gallstones and a Hemangioma, which she called a birth mark on the liver, I asked if my liver looked ok and she said yes nothing significant on the scan so I think I can presume all is ok. I have to have a scan every 6 months for the Hemangioma but they are benign.
So looks like I may have dodged a bullet... I want to see the official report though before I count my full chickens!, but looks positive. I have pain every day most Of the day from the Stones so likely will have to have them out. I asked her if my liver looked fatty and she said no, but I’ll see what the report says.
I’m pretty happy. I still won’t ever drink again however, I’ve had my fun and time to look after myself. In fact I’d say I’ve developed a fear of drinking alcohol if anything.
Lie I said I haven’t drank for a year and I’m sure my scan would have been entirely different if I had just stopped drinking. If you keep off the booze and eat healthy the fat will go. Make sure you do this because the alternative isn’t worth it.
Keep me posted on your results!!
Pam x
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