I started to feel discomfort on the right side below my ribs about a year and a half ago. It wasn't pain as such but more of a discomfort that one should not feel daily. I was drinking heavily at the time; beer, whiskey, tequila. This discomfort has now become chronic that would last for a few hours daily. I was also smoking a packet of cigarettes a day and at least two or three joints as well. I have been doing this on and off since I was 14 and am now 56 years old.
In my early forties, I went to rehab as I was really bad and the doctor told me then that I had liver damage. Of course, I stopped and this lasted for 7 years with a few relapses in between before I fell off the wagon completely and began my bad habits again. I realized that I am an alcoholic and addict.
My age now counted against me and, of course, the years and years of abuse. I am not overweight and have a mesomorph body type, not under or overweight. I do not gain or lose weight no matter how much or little I eat and over the last 30 or so years have gained/lost a maximum of 5kg/11pounds. This has also made me complacent regarding my diet and I have never watched what I ate. Junk food, MacDonalds etc almost every week, no vegetables and hardly any fruit. I drank at least 1 litre/0,26 gallons of Coca Cola a day. Homemade meals consisted of greasy fries, pork chops fried in vegetable oil etc. I seldom ate breakfast and often skipped lunch due to a lack of appetite because of my drinking. I ate a lot of chocolates and candy and drank around 5 to 10 cups of coffee a day with 2 to 3 spoons of sugar mainly to overcome my hangovers. I also went on some serious binges regularly, drinking a whole bottle of whiskey in a sitting. I alternated it with a bottle of Vodka or Gin for variety. I was invincible or so I thought.
But then in January it finally caught up with me. I tried to control it but being an addict it was near impossible. The mind is a fickle thing. At least I cut down on the hard stuff but still drank huge amounts of red wine; in a sitting on average 2 litres/4,2 pints a day three to four days in a row and sometimes even more. It now also started getting blackouts on a more regular basis and hangovers that lasted for a couple of days, feeling shaky and nauseous which got progressively worse. At the same time, my discomfort on the right increased in intensity and my lungs started to hurt from all the smoking, especially the dope, which also affected my right side. I subsequently found out that smoking does affect your liver adversely.
I googled these symptoms as I was scared to face reality. A visit to the doctor wasn't on the cards as I thought I could do this cold turkey. Who was I kidding.
On the 30th of June 2020, I finally had my last cigarette. I realized that if I didn’t change my ways I would die. I still had a joint or two now and then being under the illusion that the pain had subsided and one joint couldn't be that bad. Boy, was I wrong. I stopped drinking completely in February 2021 but did have a relapse in March and in May this year with nasty side effects. It was the last time I drank alcohol. In February I had my last greasy meal as my body had had enough and overnight my symptoms started.
I now have a permanent discomfort on my right side below my ribs a few hours a day, especially after a hot meal. I also now wake up every morning between 4 and 5 am with gut pain, not cramps, which prevents me from falling asleep again. Sometimes it feels like a hollow sensation. At the same time, I have very dry and sore eyes and a dry mouth - sicca syndrome? I sometimes also experience some itching on the bottom of my feet. All of these are in the late evening or early morning. The discomfort on the right side also happens soon after I eat and my meals are very strict – steamed vegetables, grilled chicken breast and sweet potatoes and a salad with lemon juice. I am experiencing a new symptom which is when I eat I get a constricting feeling in my throat in the area of my Adams apple, and it feels as if I can’t swallow my food. Is that from my gut?
Ok, this is probably too much information but it is relevant as I have never had this before. My urine is often very foamy and yellow. The colour could be from the Vitamin B but I cut that out for a few days and it is still the same. I also have excessive flatulence. I also wake up every night and have to go to the toilet which was never the case before all this started; now only once during the night. I sleep ok from 11 pm to 4 or 5 am and I do not need more sleep. I do however get tired in the late afternoon and often take a 20-minute power nap.
I changed my diet drastically; steamed vegetables, salads and fresh fruit almost every day. The only meat I eat is chicken breast. I stopped sugar, salt, white bread, baked goods, sweets and biscuits completely. No fried foods anymore, only grilled or baked, boiled or steamed. My snacks are celery and humus, My coffee consumption has been reduced to a max of 2 cups a day with honey. I still have milk, mainly with my breakfast oats with added raspberries and blackberries and a banana all sprinkled with cinnamon but the symptoms persist.
I finally went to a wellness practitioner who gave me a Magnetic Resonance Analysis, a relatively unknown technique. My diagnosis: I possibly have primary biliary Cholangitis, maybe some scarring, definitely liver problems (there are so many variations of liver diseases that it is difficult to pinpoint). She prescribed some Chinese herbs called Panaxea Cool Blue and Livoclear. I also started taking Milk Thistle, Vitamine B-complex and Magnesium. I'm also taking Pepsi-X for my gut as well as L-Glutamine powder and liquid probiotics as she pointed out that the scan showed I had an H-Pylori bacterial gut infection. I also started on Omega 3 tablets, Slippery Elm, Vitamin D and Ocuvite for my eyes and recently Chlorella tablets.
I now also exercise every day. I start my day doing the ‘Fountain of Youth’ yoga routine and then a cardiovascular regime - pushups, squats and back stretches, neck rotations as I do often get a stiff neck or pain between my shoulder blades. This pain I have been experiencing for years though.
Yes, my symptoms have improved ever so slightly but I needed to get a more conclusive diagnosis. Three months ago I went for blood tests and a liver function test which all came back well within the normal range. I read that this is possible with liver problems. I then went and had a liver scan/sonogram. The results did not show anything wrong with my liver, not Cirrhosis, Fibrosis or Hepatitis. Slightly swollen but no scarring whatsoever. My gallbladder and kidneys were also fine. I subsequently found out that this is also not a guarantee that there is a problem. An MRI scan was out of the question as it is too expensive.
But the symptoms continued even with a strict diet, abstaining completely from alcohol and smoking. It has been 4 months now. A really boring and strict diet. I only drink water with lemon, green tea with ginger and chamomile tea with honey. Oh, and a maximum of two cups of coffee per day. My morning routine: after a huge glass of lemon water I then drink hot water with fresh turmeric and mostly followed with a hot cup of ginger water. It clears my gut pain but it reoccurs every morning like clockwork.
I tried a process of elimination and recently tried fasting for 24 hours and four weeks later for 48 hours (ended 2 days ago) but even on an empty stomach I still experience stomach discomfort, sore burning eyes and dry mouth and discomfort on my right side. So it’s not my diet?
I have also recently started applying warm teabags of chamomile onto my eyes, drink diluted apple cider vinegar, besides extra virgin olive oil I now also use flaxseed oil when I cook and even have a tablespoon straight - all for my eyes. I'm now also using Siberian pine nut for my stomach as well as Iodine drops and drink Juniper berry tea. No improvement whatsoever. One day a 5% improvement, the next day a 10% drop.
I have run out of options and don't know what next to do. Yes, my symptoms aren't as bad as many others and I am grateful. Apologies for the long post but I needed to get all the facts down and maybe someone is experiencing similar minimal symptoms but yet this is very frustrating as it seems there is no light at the end of the tunnel. Any bit of advice would be greatly appreciated.
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