I know that this sounds ridiculous , but I’ve never felt more in control AND more out of control of my life than I do right now. I completely quit drinking 14 weeks ago, and I have not missed it much at all. I do feel more in control of my life because I can think straight, but I’m terrified that I have damaged my liver beyond repair, which is causing me incredible anxiety. I have a blood requisition form from my Doctor, but I’m too scared to go. He wasn’t sending me specifically for liver tests, just normal blood work that I’ve been avoiding for years, and he included the liver tests.
I am a 55 year old woman, who drank, on average, a 750 ml bottle of wine almost every day for 12 years. When I would get bored drinking wine, I’d switch to drinking 4 to 5 vodka sodas a night. I keep reading that cirrhosis often doesn’t show symptoms until it’s too late. , I do get an achy, pulling feeling in my right side often, which I prayed would have subsided when I quit drinking, and it hasn’t really. Can anyone please put my mind at ease until I get up the nerve to go for the tests 🙏
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Tyli
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Well done for cutting out alcohol. It’s a big thing to do….so congratulations. The liver is very resilient and whilst 70 units is a lot to be consuming and well over the recommended levels and won’t have done your liver any favours, it’s unlikely to have taken it to cirrhosis. Not everyone gets cirrhosis from heavy consumption and 70 units is on the low side compared to many on here (me included!)The only way of finding out is to get your bloods done….I bet they will be fine. Particularly because you’ve been abstinent for over 3 months. Keep up the good work and give yourself piece of mind by seeing your doctor.
Yes, it's a bit heavy for a 55-year-old, but it's good for stopping. You should get the tests as soon as possible. If you leave them, any inflammation markers could be gone, and you won't know where you are in reality. Facing the issue is the best way forward.
But, try not to worry too much. The Liver can process 1 unit an hour, in theory you should be able to handle 10 units a day pretty easily. It's how people like my Uncle can drink 2 bottles of wine a day (20 units) for decades, and his last Liver test was at 55yo, his numbers were normal. The Queen Mum used to drink 70-100 units a week, spread out through out the day , but that doesnt matter, the units do. The Liver is a very tough organ and most people who end up with serious Liver issues end up in A & E and repeated warnings from Drs over years before their organs pack up.
Well done on giving up the alcohol. I am glad you are not missing it much. I stopped about a year ago - mostly because I was having some health problems and one aspect of that was that I went off alcohol altogether. Turned out I had chronic Hep C, so my body was clearly trying to warn me. I am a similar age to you, had chronic Hep C probably for decades and drank at least as much as you, if not double that, on a pretty much daily basis since I was 20. Of course it is not a competition, and we are all different, but my liver was checked when the Hep C was discovered. There is some very mild and reversible fibrosis. That's all.
My liver blood readings were always a bit high but never alarmingly so, which is one of the reasons why it took so long to find the Hep C. I have had that achy, pulling feeling for years. It has subsided since quitting alcohol and curing the Hep C but has not yet completely gone away. I did have gallstones and the doc thought they might be causing the discomfort but removing the gallbladder made no difference to the ache, though it did stop the acute symptoms that came with gallstones.
I would recommend you go ahead and have the blood tests. They may be reassuring. If they are not great then at least you know and can possibly do more to help your liver. Quitting alcohol is the biggest thing you can do but dietary changes, exercise and losing any excess weight can also be very helpful. Plus you then have a baseline against which to measure your progress. I find it helpful if you can find an objective way of measuring the results of your good work. Especially on the days when you might fancy some alcohol and are finding it harder to resist.
Thank you for taking the time to reply and sharing your personal journey! I’m going first thing next week and getting the tests, your response has given me the courage to do it, and I’m grateful for that.
I am delighted you have stopped drinking, and please continue a life of abstinence, I was a heavy drinker years ago and i stopped quite easily and even when under considerable stress and anxiety i am never tempted to consume alcohol. The liver has a remarkable ability to mend itself so please knock alcohol out of your life.🥰 I drank vodka, usually at least half a bottle a day ,and often more, and if i can stop drinking, so can you. Interestingly i still have a large amount of alcohol in the house for friends when they call in, and i can watch them drinking but it never enters my head to join them.
My husband drinks very limited amounts of alcohol, and it doesn’t bother me. I also keep a few bottles of wine around for guests, and I’m not at all feeling tempted to drink.
well done for abstaining from alcohol I found that doing this plus with a healthy diet and exercise definitely helps and I feel a whole lots better now and bloods and fibroscan are normal. When u say u have an achey pulling feeling to the lower right, how often do u feel this…all the time? Just after u eat or intermittent throughout the day?
I feel it intermittently throughout the day … I don’t think it happens only after I eat, etc. I’m not at all overweight, and I eat healthy, home cooked meals most of the time. I’m starting back at the gym, maybe that will help …
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Anxiety over liver. To have ultrasound or not.
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