8 days since I had my last drink. I have abused alcohol on and off for years. 1 or 2 bottles or wine most days. Can anyone tell me any liver damage symptoms they had and their diagnosis? Has anyone had symptoms and they have healed?
I get discomfort/dull pain intermittently in my upper right quadrant both sides actually. I feel some burning patches that come and go in a couple of different places in my abdomen.
I have resigned myself to the fact there is permanent damage, I suppose I'm just trying to figure out how bad it is as I have children. I have been trying to get a GP appointment to get bloods taken but the phone is constantly engaged and when I eventually get through there aren't any left. Will obviously keep trying every morning but are you able to get them done privately?
How long do results take to come back? (I've had them done before but I can't remember!)
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DandelionInTheWind
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"I have resigned myself to the fact there is permanent damage" - don't do that You may have stopped in time and nn good goes from going straight to bad when you simply don't know. You can have them done privately, but make sure they are done under the supervision of a doctor, not only these online only tests that come back with no context ad will simply say see your doctor anyway. Go see your doctor be truthful and go from there, And stop the drinking 👍
Thank you. I suppose with the symptoms I don't see how it could be anything else and wondered if anyone had had similar and it wasn't as bad as first thought. Clutching at straws!
I can't believe I have done this to my children, I'm so upset.
I can totally understand you. I am also new and in total shock that a routine scan showed fatty liver and my blood level was high. I feel guilty I have done this to my family and not told them . However, I have been reading this site and taking advice of forums etc that have helped . It has taken me a week to get my head around it. Don’t write yourself off yet , good luck x
This is going to sound awful but I'm praying it is 'just' fatty liver so I can reverse it...but I fear it is too late because of my symptoms. Have you stopped drinking now? Can I ask how much you were drinking/for how long? x
yes off course! I realised I was drinking up to a bottle of wine a day over past year , More at weekend , I did realise it was way over advised limits . I had same symptoms as you . Can you go into your surgery to make appointment? Or go on line ? X
They tell you not to go to the surgery without an appointment and I;m unable to do it online but I will just keep ringing tomorrow, if I don't get through then I will just go into the surgery on Thursday and tell them I had to because it's important. And it is because I just don't know what condition I'm in, if I have cirrhosis my liver could start failing at any time even without alcohol. Aarrrgghhh why am I so stupid! I just see alcohol as the poison it is now, I've never felt that way before. I've always just wanted to cut down to drink more responsibly but I know now that I cannot do that. I must abstain completely as I have no control over it. This site has really opened my eyes x
I was drinking 1-2 bottles of wine most days for the past year but my drinking had been steadily increasing towards it for the full year before (after I had stopped drinking for a few months as I was drinking similar. At that time my bloods were fine so I thought I could reintroduce some social drinking...nope! I was even working with alcohol services but the woman was so awful it didn't help. I will never use the service again. I wish I had found this forum back then as while I know it's my responsibility, the alcohol worker never told me any of this stuff so stupidly it didn't feel that serious because my bloods were ok. She didn't tell me that cirrhosis can develop so quickly once you're at a certain stage, (I didn't know anything about it until recently) or that the liver wouldn't heal (I always thought it could). She just talked about 'what if the house was on fire and I couldn't hear the smoke alarm' and spoke to me like dirt. I was treated like a criminal for asking for help - it was awful).
Hi. There are many stories on here of going from decompensated liver disease( liver has stopped repairing and technically in failure) to compensated. There is always hope. Stopping alcohol is a must. If you have liver failure, even one drink can be harmful. I was in stage 4 and yet I am 9 months post transplant and have been back at work for 5 months. My life has been transformed. It can be done. Go to the doctors, say you have been trying, tell them your fears and ask for an urgent appointment or at least the form for a blood test. Please do PM me if I can help. There is absolutely still a chance to put your life back on track.
I had a similar experience at a GP appointment. I told my doctor I wanted to stop drinking because I drink 4 cans of lager a night after work at home nearly every evening. She asked me if I needed a drink through the day or first thing in the morning and I told her not at all it’s just when I get home and Iv got into a habit. She examined my abdomen and said she was not concerned.! So I said would it be possible to give me something to at least break the habit.?
She then leant forward and said yes there is but I will have to inform the driving licence agency and your employer.
hi it’s good that your reaching out I have been in and out of hospital for years I could not quit the drink, mainly as well as effecting mental health. I’m at end of liver liver disease now so I’ve been through every stage the main symptoms I began with was feeling daring and weight going up and down GP said I had fatty liver and just give up, I continued to drink.
I noticed I was bleeding more than usual say if I scrapped myself or cut a finger. This is due to your platelets dropping (platelets help your blood to clot it makes the blood sticky)
My platelets continued to drip and my stomach was extended, I looked pregnant, I started to feel pain I explained it like red hot knitting needle in my sides. As my stomach was getting bigger and pain was getting worse plus I had signs of Jaundice I phone 999 as the pain became unbareable. My liver at that point was servers scarred. I had to have my stomach drained as the liver disease cause me to have an enlarged spleen and pancreatitis. Over the years, in and out of hospital my symptoms got worse, swallows belly, itchy skin, jaundice all the time, fatigued the I came up in spontaneous heamatomas (blood under skin) went in hospital again my liver could regenerate somewhat, but then I got infection as liver is not getting rid of toxins (hence the swelled belly, it was infected fluid)
Last time I went in, I had to have blood transfusion and platelet transfusion,IV antibiotics, and a feeding tube up my nose (which I still have today). I now have a Decompensated liver (end of life liver disease) I’m waiting to see my consultant in May to see if she can see my bloods improving (which they are) to then register me to put on list.
It’s so good you have recognised there is something wrong here, you may have early signs of Liver Chirrosis and if you sort it now instead of going through what I did you liver could regenerate, you definitely need to see you GP and get your bloods done, well done with the drink, you have done so well, it’s so difficult.
I’ve just explained how I went rough each stage I hope you don’t have to, nip this in the bud now and be completely honest with your GP, also my local alcohol group STARS has been amazing supporting me every step of the way, make use of them. You stay focused and strong, you can do this, best way to get rid of anxiety for this is get the facts from your GP.
If ou show signs of bleeding, or the pain is increasing bypass the doctor and and straight to hospital.
You have the chance to turn it around, if you don’t take that chance you’ll end up like me probably. Nip it in the bud, don’t be scared your not alone ♥️
Thank you so much for taking the time to post all that information.
Sorry, I know this is a typo but what does the daring mean in this sentence? *I began with was feeling daring*
I never want to drink again. I've always known I had an issue (although was in denial how bad) but before I've just stopped for a bit so I could go back to moderate drinking...as everyone knows that is not how it works when you have an addiction. It just creeps back up again. I think I look pregnant but then the calories from all the wine have made me put on 2 stone so I don't know if it's just fat or if it's fluid.
This time there is no question about it. It just hit me what I was doing to my children. They probably have very few memories of me without a glass of wine in my hand. I'll leave them without a Mum and for what? Because I am selfish and would rather escape than face my problems.
I have been to a friends house who was drinking wine and also 2 restaurants this past week (my go to excuse to start drinking wine in the afternoon) and didn't touch anything.
I should be pleased I've finally shown some resolve (before when I've stopped I would avoid those situations because I couldn't be trusted) but I'm not because I can't see how it isn't too late.
You don't get symptoms when you have fatty liver or even sometimes early cirrhosis and I have all these aches and pains. I don;t feel any different from having stopped other than no hangover.
I'm so so sorry I am moaning to you when you are already diagnosed, please forgive me I'm just frightened and upset.
to that fright into fight, I never felt a difference right away I did give up for a year once and I kidded myself thinking I’ll be alright with just 1 glass ( I had 2 that day) then I thought I can go back to drinking moderately cause I was managing a drink 2 a week, then it got me before I new it I was back in hospital. You have to stay strong, you can do this
Oh I meant dreary ie sleepy was my spell check sorry. Fighting it was my hardest fight, I know you want to do it for your kids, do it for yourself too. It will bring your self esteem up. Distract your self STARS went through this with me, gave me ideas of changing the way I thought. I felt so disappointed letting my family down, a lot of them don’t even speak to me now. But, if they cannot face the understanding of addiction that is not my problem, if they don’t want to be in my life that is their problem. One day if I get a transplant and be better they will see how strong I’ve been.
Believe me really believe this that you don’t know what you’ve got until you’ve lost it, so don’t give in. But please start your journey by getting better and diagnosed, at least then you know what steps you need to do to regenerate and recover, make it a new chapter in your life. Your doing great already recognising things now go to doctor and smash that drink up the wall (I did literally!) my thoughts are with you
So sorry I'm asking so many questions, how long have you been diagnosed for? Did you manage to stop drinking as soon as you were?
I'm sorry about your family. I'm mostly estranged from mine for other reasons. I have a (functioning and in denial) alcoholic mother who I do not speak to. Not because of her drinking on it's own but how she behaves when she is. Says very nasty things, emotional blackmail. We all have mental health issues and had to cut contact with her for our own well being. I have teenagers who I get on very well with but I know they hate me drinking, they're just too polite to tell me what an embarrassment I am. I have not emotionally abused them as was done to us as I'm not a 'bad' drunk (oh, the irony!) but I know I will have lost their respect and I know it will damage our long term relationship. I'm likely in denial about how much it's affected them. They seem fine but I know no one can escape an alcoholic parent unscathed, I just hope I can bring it back when they see I can do this. They are the only people I truly care about and yet I put alcohol first, how must that feel to them?
I always thought alcoholic = falling about drunk, unwashed, sitting on park benches drinking super strength cider...not me, oh no, I just like a glass of wine. I'm such a fool. But, there's no going back now so I WILL make the best of whatever happens. And do everything I can to make it up to my children x
What else I've realised is how much it controlled my life. I know how stupid that sounds with the amount I was drinking but even when I wasn't drinking, I'd be thinking when I could reasonably open a bottle of wine. Cue any excuse to eat out so I could start at lunch time. Going to kids events (not driving) and making sure I didn't stand close to other parents incase they could smell alcohol. Any day out I'd be planning where we could stop to eat that served alcohol. Nothing wrong with a glass of wine with a meal, right? It sounds idiotic after 8 days but I feel free. I can enjoy myself without drink as long as I'm alive. I wish everyone knew how damaging it was, it's so normalised in our culture its frightening.
We are tortured souls and without outside help and guidance we will always go back. Please keep your abstinence, I would love nothing more to be sober right now.
Try not to stress, your symptoms could well be any number of things, you're newly sober and when we first quit booze it's common to start noticing aches and niggles that we didn't feel before as the alcohol was numbing them! Your body is still very much in the early recovery stage too, and some gastro discomfort is quite normal. Carry on with your sobriety, eat well, exercise, take good care of yourself (no stressing too!) and sort a check up with the gp to see where you're at xx
I have cirrhosis. I drank heavily all the way through my mid twenties and thirties. Probably 1-2 bottles of wine most days. Now, I did end up in hospital before I got any kind of medical attention, so do keep trying your GP.
Definitely stay off the booze, forever. They will tell you that if you are even remotely at risk. It's more likely you'll have fatty liver but with the right diet and no alcohol you can manage that. I am 18 months sober and it was a huge change for me but I did it and I intend to stay that way. Please don't put yourself in a worst case scenario, it doesn't help.
Firstly, get the GP appointment and secondly stop beating yourself up. We have all been in your position, but if your bloods are ok, I suspect you may go back to drinking, as you will assume you are ok. This is not meant to upset you sweetheart. Alcohol is poison, how come something so dangerous and a killer be legalised? But sadly it is and I have learned the hard way. I have cirrhosis, although I have been abstinent for nearly 11 years.
There is help out there, be honest with your GP and be honest with yourself, take the advice and help offered if you require it and believe you me, you can live a happy and alcohol free life, even with a cirrhotic liver.
Your suspicions would have been correct last time round. Then I only wanted to have a break then drink moderately.
This time however I know that I just cannot drink because I am an alcoholic and it will never just be one drink. I'm not concerned about relapsing because it wasn't my health that actually made me stop, it was how the relationship with my children would be affected and trying to save them from having to put up with anymore of my drinking. It wasn't until after I decided I must stop that I read about liver damage while I was googling about withdrawals etc...that's when I realised how bad my symptoms are. I didn't notice them feeling this bad when I was drinking so while I'm terrified it's too little too late, I'm not worried at all about drinking again. I know I'll need support but I genuinely do not even have cravings. I know that may change but my reasons for doing this won't have x
If you cant get a doctor appointment go to a and e at hospital tell them your having abdominal pain they will do blood test and an ultrasound its terrible to get through to a doctor now at least will put your mind at rest
Hello, and welcome to the most helpful supportive bunch of people you will find. I learnt so much on here that I supported my husband through his diagnosis and our teenage daughter in dealing with it. I hope your drs appointment goes well and you start your journey to recovery soon. It takes time and will be bumpy but determination and abstinence are a good place to start. It's not too late to change and improve your life. Look after yourself, eat healthy and exercise. Good luck x
Thank you so much. This is a personal question so please don't feel the need to answer...has your daughters relationship with her Dad suffered badly due to his drinking? x
Their relationship suffered whilst he was still drinking and I'd explained the illness too her and he hadnt stopped. She couldn't understand why he'd continue when it was killing him. It took a while after he stopped for her to trust him not to drink anymore.(he was a covert alcoholic and hid it from us)They got on so well before he was ill but 6 months after he stopped they were back out doing things together. He had the energy and wanted to be with her, a year on and they are back to how they were. I think our kids are more resilient than we know and when she saw him trying hard to get well she stepped up and helped him.
Tive esses mesmos sintomas recentemente. Fiz exatamente como você: parei imediatamente de beber. Isso foi há dois meses. Agora já tenho o diagnóstico: Esteatohepatite grau 1. Vou ter que parar de beber para sempre e assim conseguir reveter a gordura e a inflamação atual do meu fígado. Caso eu não faça isso devo evoluir para grau 2, grau 3 e, finalmente, o temido grau 4 (Cirrose). Não pretendo correr mais riscos. Recomendo o mesmo para você. Boa sorte! (This is brasiliam portuguese, use Google translate).
Hi, welcome to this forum it’s very helpful. I was a heavy driver in my college days, then just weekend binge drinking for many years…. I started having issues the summer of 2012 with my enzymes going up after a virus, then they went normal… I have scans every other year As my liver enzymes will still spike here and there by a few points. It’s concerning but I learned to drop the alcohol. I do have a dr I see and trust. He’s told me a few drinks here and there will not hurt but other than a drink or two on the holidays or vacation I do not drink, I choose my liver over it almost ALL of the time. The root of my liver issues have not been found and I treat myself as though I have fatty liver. Obviously my liver is telling me it doesn’t like something I’m doing or have done so I try and listen. That’s all you can do. I know our culture glamourizes relaxing with alcohol, socializing with it, having a good time with it, but there’s a dark side and that’s what I’ve learned here.
Hi there. You can get a private blood test for liver function through Thriva, an online seller of blood tests. I have them done every 3 months . They are about £50. It shows the results and a doctor's assesment of / Interpretation of those results. Of course it is better to see your actual doctor so you can be admitted if there is an issue, but I am just saying to try to be helpful. I have mine done inbetween my NHS ones so I'm seeing results 4 times a year. Paul
The biggest part of liver disease is the mental aspect and how you let your mind torment you. Don't let your mind scare and torment you. You can get hit by a car and killed today but you don't worry about that. Stop drinking period. Increase water intake to keep your body flushed out. Eat plenty of eggs (for the albumin). The liver makes albumin but if the liver is damaged it will not make the amount your body needs. Keep trying to see doctor and get blood drawn. The liver can heal itself if you live a clean healthy life. Ask God for strength to live and deal with any health issues. I was diagnosed at 20 and I was 50 before serious liver issues came into my life. I was given medication that kept the liver problems under control. Relax, take a deep breath and one day at a time.
Just stay on phone trying to reach your doctor and let us know what they say and test results. Those symptoms are probably warning signs. Stop the alcohol, remind yourself the reward for stopping is life. The liver can heal itself if you follow your doctors advice. There can be ugly symptoms/problems with severe liver issues and your don't mention any of them so I believe you have plenty of time to correct this.
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