Don't know where to turn, probably F'd... - British Liver Trust

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Don't know where to turn, probably F'd myself.

Lightindarkness profile image
6 Replies

Hi, 34 year old male here, I've been browsing this site for a few days now and from all the different experiences I've read I'm pretty sure I have decompensated liver, except there is a lot more to it than that. Let me start at the beginning.

In late 2014 I spiraled into a deep depression after breaking up with a woman I thought was my soul mate. I've had a pretty rough life in general and this event sent me over the edge. I became suicidal and pretty much didn't care about anything anymore. Then in 2015 I contracted what I now believe was a UTI. I say believe because I never went to get checked due to the depression. A few years later I gradually started to come out of my depression on my own but it never fully went away. I've always kept a lot of things to myself so to other people I seemed fine. But now that my depression was going away I started to worry about the damage the UTI might have done. except I didn't have health insurance and I was now scared that it might have not just been a UTI, so now my emotions were flip floping back and forth from wanting to better my health to not caring cause I'm gonna die anyway.

At this point I guess I should give some background info to my general health at the time. While I wouldn't classify myself as an alcoholic, I've gone through various bouts of binge drinking before contracting the UTI, and still drank occasionally afterwards. The general burning sensation associated with the UTI went away after a few weeks, but then I noticed an increase in my need to urinate, which would fluctuate over time. My legs did seem to gain weight, but it wasn't disproportional to the rest of my body so I didn't think too much about it. This is also very embarrassing to admit, but I did go to the hospital in 2018 for an ear infection. I know, why go for that but not for everything else? Because at that point I was afraid that the diagnosis would be that it wasn't just a UTI, and I didn't know how to deal with it being something worse.

Now is when things get critical. I had actually been working up the courage since 2018 to get checked out, and I told myself in January that I definitely would this year, no questions asked. Then this whole Coronavirus situation happened. I work (or worked at this point) as a pot washer at a University dining hall. A few days before we went into lockdown in march, I got a mysterious burn while washing dishes. I cleaned it out at work to the best of my ability with the available first aid, but it took quite a while to heal, and even now I can faintly see it. I know I should have gone to the hospital, but a mix of depression and fear due to how bleak the media painted this whole covid situation kept me from going. Worst of all is that I didn't tell anyone. Then one morning I woke up with Jaundice and I could barely open my eyes. I was incredibly scared, I didn't want to go to the hospital so I just kept quiet about it. Then I started getting symptoms like itchy all over, weight loss (which I didn't notice at first, a roommate actually told me) Fatigue, I'd start sweating profusely at random, and I started to feel like I was always cold. I also lost my appetite somewhat and my sense of taste diminished a bit. All of this was(and is) extremely worrying but instead of getting advice about it I was just so afraid of catching covid that I just kept it to myself.

Then in August things started to get a little worse, I started experiencing intense abdominal and back pain for a few days which eventually went away but my stomach still slightly hurts from time to time. also, I've noticed that my B.O. has become somewhat stronger. But there are a few things that confuse me about all this. From all the experiences and information I've read about decompensated liver, most people with it find it pretty debilitating. I still do plenty of things with only very slight discomfort. I'm not winded when climbing stairs, I can do work around the house relatively fine and I can walk 100 blocks without having to stop. I can also lift about 30 pounds comfortably for about 10 minutes. I've been on a paleo diet and have been supplementing with Vit C & D so I think maybe that contributed, but I don't know how much nutrition is actually being absorbed because I often make very large bowels movements the next day, which varies in color from pale/brown/green. I've also gone some days without eating at all. I don't have a scale so I haven't weighed myself, but if I had to guess I'd say I'm about 140-150 Lbs right now, down from about 225.

I really want to get checked but I don't have insurance and I'm so scared of what my family and friends reaction is going to be when they find out. my mother is 65 and is starting to go through quite a few health problems so this stress would be murder on her. for these past few months I've been pretty much just preparing myself for the worst but I still want to live. I feel like utter crap because so many people around me are going to be extremely hurt and disappointed. The embarrassment of all this is just utter hell and it's taking all my willpower just to post this. But what I've come to realize is that the first step in getting help is being honest about your situation. Everything seems very dire right now, but a part of me wants to believe so badly that it's not too late.

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Lightindarkness
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6 Replies
AyrshireK profile image
AyrshireK

Hi Lightindarkness, somehow you need to buck up the courage (and finances) to go and get yourself checked out. Unless you were to have bleeding from your oesophagus and ascites (fluid build up) you wouldn't be deemed to have decompensated cirrhosis.

Some of the symptoms you describe could be linked with the liver but also any number of other issues. Even jaundice wouldn't necessarily indicate full on liver disease, abdominal pain, pale coloured stools, can all indicate a gall bladder or bile duct issue so you could be convincing yourself you have a liver issue & beating yourself up over it potentially being self inflicted when it isn't necessarily so.

You do need a full medical work up, unexplained weight loss and all these symptoms need checking out.

If you feel you got a STI from a partner you could also have potentially picked up other issues - viral hepatitis for one a set of blood tests would investigate that for you.

The only way you are going to find out what is going on and get yourself onto some sort of road to recovery is to go and get checked out. In all likeliehood you are going to need blood tests and potentially some scans.

Best wishes,

Katie

Sorry to hear what you have been going through you have a lot on you plate at the moment you have done the correct thing and opened up and asked for advice on a great site with some really kind and caring members who I'm sure will reply to your post. I agree with AyrshireK you could do with getting things checked out but also like you have done here be open and honest with the people you love family ect you seem worried about what they may say or think and you might just be over thinking that. It's always best to be open and honest and it does take courage and they will see that fact but in doing so that will take a lot of pressure of you and may help with the mental side of things.

I wish you all my best Colin

Kristian profile image
Kristian

Hi Lightindarkness,

Unfortunately, as you've already found, putting things off doesn't really help. Going to the doctor and getting a propper diagnosis is what you need now. There are lots of things that can cause the symptoms you have and many are not as catastrophic as you may fear. Indeed, lots could be relatively easy to treat. Also, you'll able to stop worrying about what it may be and be able to concentrate on dealing with what it is.

Good luck and best wishes.

Hi and welcome.

Thank you for sharing your story.

We will only echo what the other members have posted here and suggest you see a doctor for a thorough assessment. You will then know what you are facing.

Keep us posted

Trust1

cammeag profile image
cammeag

Hi Light

an unfortunate human flaw my friend is to always imagine the worst. So lets do that. Your checked and indeed you have decomposed liver...(unlikely, i have it and even if your on the way your not there yet.) having decompensated liver is big trouble. Life expectancy 1-10 years without transplant. Ascites, oedema, encephalitis, bleeding and quite a few more. You cannot sleep. Eating is a problem due to worry and nausea.

you still think you have it? i have, it is on the whole sudden, without warning and very little symptoms.

please....write a list....see the doc....make him see the urgency of a blood test asap....within ten days can worry for a good reason or just know you have lifestyle changes to make.

one thing is definite. As sure as eggs are eggs, if you keep putting off tests you will finally get something that no health professional may be able to help with.

Love yourself enough to go see a doc please

David

JohnTaylorAsia profile image
JohnTaylorAsia

Hi Sir .. gotta say and i am possibly out of line ... I live in Asia and have seen my share of guys who have Fd up their livers ... yeah ... at age 70 drinking a bottle of vodka in the morning and another lite at night .. on top of (i guess) 40 years of on the grog.

For a 34 year old to destroy the liver from a couple of years on the piss?

Plenty of people manage to suffer all sorts of "illnesses" related to stress / diet / food etc and dare i suggest it, but that could be happening to you.

I am a bit feral ... maybe cant do it in your country ... but in Asia i would go to the local chemist and tell the guy yu reckon you got "something" and double the dose of antibiotic/anti protozoa etc and stay off the grog while you do it. Hit it for two weeks and go and do all the normal STI and urine tests. I suppose yu can throw in an AIDS test as well.

The outcome will solve the anxiety about the UTI etc (you got something or you havent) Forget about Covid - yu got bigger fish to fry.

Since you can walk apparently ... get out in the hills and burn all this crap out of your system. What have you got to lose?

John

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