I am 34, female, and suffer with Alcohol Misuse Disorder.
My last LFT was in January and came back normal. But then I have read you can still get a normal test even with Cirrhosis
But I am terrified I have the first stages of hepatic encephalopathy... I am feeling very anxious and depressed after a 3 days of lots of beers from Sunday-Tuesday (a relative came to stay and we hit the pub on an empty stomach.) I feel quite dazed and foggy headed too, as well as shaky.
Would I be able to tell if I had it, or would it only be noticeable by others? Also, could I be experiencing PAWS just from heavy drinking over three evenings?
I don't have any other symptoms to do with liver damage, but I've been a heavy drinker for ten years, mainly due to health anxiety (ironic, I know!)
Any advice on this would be greatly appreciated. Many thanks in advance. I feel so afraid.
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Alcopop123
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I dont have experience with alcohol issues but I am sure someone with more experience will comment. Unfortunately I have come to realise you don't always have to have abnormal bloods to have an underlying issue. The best thing would be to have an ultrasound which would show more than bloods. Bloods are obviously used for a marker but are in way confirmation that something is wrong or not.
I would highly advise a life style change. There is only so much time you can dodge the bullet so to speak, without it catching up with you! My liver disease is related to being overweight and I avoided doing anything for a couple of years and now unfortunately I have issues which I may or may not be able to reverse.
Alcohol is causing your anxiety and depression. I just turned one year sober, my life is immeasurable better. Try YouTube: Annie Grace : The Naked Mind and William Porter: Alcohol explained. Game changers!! And I have normal bloods and no symptoms and have cirrhosis. Don’t leave it too late. Good luck.👍
I'm sorry, but I'm not sure I really understand what Alcohol Misuse Disorder actually is. Is this a new phrase for someone who has an alcohol problem? I'm not familiar with PAWs. I can only assume that the is an Americanism for some form of treatment.
I have noticed however that you posted up some five months ago, your first thread entitled, "Scared and ashamed" of which you received some really good advice and support, and now you seem to have chosen to ignore all that, and go out on a alcohol fuelled bender, for three days, and now once again you are asking for advice.
I do totally understand the alcohol mindset, but to just be so casual about liver disease and not take it seriously is insulting to all those who tried to reach out and offer support. Maybe your relative could be more supportive.
As society develops and becomes more aware and sympathetic of all aspects of humanity, we stop using offensive bigoted terms for people who aren't necessarily like us, so that is where Alcohol Misuse Disorder comes from. The same for Gender Dysphoria etc instead of "tranny". We don't need to use offensive terms like Alky just because we don't understand it. Oh and you could've just googled to find out what PAWS is. If you know what Google is, that is.Please don't use the words "I'm sorry" if you really aren't sorry. And I'm really not casual about liver disease, hence why I called on this forum for advice, not a condescending nasty uninformed response like I've had from you. I don't think ill come to this forum again if people like you lurk here. 😕
The fact you have managed to write all this proves you don't have hepatic encephalopathy probably just another hangover. As you have already been told both now and in past posts, there is no point drinking when you suffer from the latest trendy symptom " anxiety" when alcohol actually causes it along with paranoia and depression.So the advice again is.. quit drinking, eat healthily and go outside for fresh air and exercise which will do your body and mind far more good than knocking back the booze whenever theres a hic -cup along the path of life.
I think the phrase “alcohol misuse disorder” (which is used now by CDC) is actually being used so there aren’t just 2 categories of drinking. It gives people a chance to question their relationship with alcohol at any time.
Some people would never even think to quit if the only box they were checking was “alcoholic “ or not alcoholic “ .
The question can become “how is my relationship with alcohol “
Exactly that. The word Alcoholic is to loaded and is black and white. It’s the relationship with alcohol that needs to looked at.
Hi Alcopop123, I'm sorry that you are struggling - are you getting any support with your drinking right now? The only way to establish if you have damaged your liver due to alcohol is to discuss your concerns with your GP (if in the UK) and if appropriate, they could take bloods and refer you for a scan. If you decide to stop drinking, please discuss it first with your GP as it could be unsafe for you to quit suddenly.Warmest wishes
Hi I have always suffered from really bad hypochondria / health anxiety which was one of the reasons I started drinking/self medicating using alcohol in the first place. I have had some help from GPS in the past but never really came to much. I've had several blood tests done, most recently January, and they have all been fine but can these not tell you the full picture without the scan? I mean, I've been reassured my liver was ok from the normal bloods, but paranoid cirrhosis has been missed as I didn't have scan. Thanks for your comment. I really want to stop for good as I'm overweight and hating myself.
You are just going round and round in circles. You have been given all the advice you need to make those changes but it is all down to you now to put it into action. NO ONE can do that for you. So take the bull by the horns and start as you mean to go on right now.Next post we want to read is that you are losing weight due to eating healthily, taking daily regular exercise, not drinking anymore and as a result you're not dreaming up imaginary illnesses and living on your nerves anymore. I am looking forward to congratulating you on your achievements. Think positively... you CAN do this🍉🍏🥑🍒🍌☕🍵🥦🌽🥕🚴♀️🏋️♀️⛹️♀️💪🤸♀️
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Hepatic encephalopathy
Is it hepatic encephalopathy?
Hepatic encephalopathy 
Hepatic encephalopathy 
Hepatic Encephalopathy 
