Hi I’m new to the sight. I was diagnosed with cirrhosis in Dec 22, avin been rushed to A&E being bright yellow and was vomiting red/ brown stuff. I was totally out of it for a week before coming round.
It follows heavy drinking for years. I was in hospital for six weeks and have been monitored ever since. I gave up drink for 7 months then stupidly started again although not as much. I have now given up but I googled everything on the internet and am now terrified I’m going to die.
I can’t sleep just thinking about what I have done to myself.
I’m not experiencing any symptoms as such apart from my eyes feel really sore.
Please someone tell me your own stories to see I can put a perspective on it.
Written by
Sassy25
To view profiles and participate in discussions please or .
Well firstly don't beat yourself up, drinking has many different ways of affecting how your mind works, and stay away from " Dr Google " this will definitely cause you to think of worst possible case scenario, years of drinking affects people in different ways, and so does the recovery period, we all heal in different ways, and even certain medication will work for some people, or not with others. I presume you're still under the hospital or doctors and these are the people who will give you all the help you need, obviously we all struggle with the legacy from drinking and yes the guilt plays a big part on how we move forward, it's at the beginning we are most vulnerable to retuning to alcohol as we get consumed with the guilt, there's numerous reasons why we turned to drinking in the first place and maybe this is an underlying problem, hospital and doctors can help cure the health conditions , but if there's other problems lurking around these need addressing.
It's a complex process getting everything into place, and it all depends on how you can adapt to getting any problems into perspective,trauma related,marriage problems, financial woes, family problems, there's numerous reasons why people drink in the first place and making sure you've got a good support network is essential, I'm coming up to 13 years sober, and I used to have the same concerns, yes occasionally I get pangs of guilt, my ptsd is always with me, but my body was telling me I couldn't carry on drinking anymore, hopefully you'll find some of the others on this page with give you support, and try not to worry yourself, stay away from alcohol and your already helping your body to repair itself, best of luck.
Hi, thanks for your reply. Yes the worries and anxiety drove me to drink heavily. Then the guit kicks in and it’s a vicious circle. Google has caused my anxiety to peak but I am getting on top of this now. Just wish I’d never started drinking as I imagine we all do. I just need to know I can improve my liver.
Can I ask did you have cirrhosis? And how are you doing now?
Well my health issues were quite far reaching, I had a few hospital stays, duodenal ulcers, poor diet, lack of food during my heavy binges, blood results extremely poor, but I was on my own and never really listened to the medical problems, I had a " drying " out session in the hospital on one occasion and because I didn't have anyone to support me, I actually went to the nearest pub whilst waiting on my discharge medication from the hospital which I'm ashamed to say, I've ended up with neuropathy, and I honestly thought I'd got away with the years of drinking, because I was OK for the first 3 months after stopping drinking, it's extremely painful and it hasn't gone away, I take medication for this , but nerve damage is notoriously difficult to " cure"
I had a couple of stomach bleeds, but ironically these happened after I stopped drinking, and that really worried me, I'm not under the hospital or doctors anymore for liver problems or stomach issues,just keep away from alcohol and the body can start to heal,I've done my time at the bar, and when I quit drinking I had a wall in my living room where I'd throw my empty bottles, cans etc behind the couch in my room, and when I saw the pile of empties coming above the couch I knew that the problem was serious, and even
" living " in a drinkers hostel didn't hit home how bad this had gotten out of control , you've taken the right steps to helping yourself towards a healthier future, please keep off Google, this will set your mind running riot, and that makes you more vulnerable, you will find things should improve, the blood tests will give you a clearer idea on how your liver function is coping and eat healthy, and gentle exercise if your medical team advise you, try not to worry I was exactly the same in a round about way, we beat ourselves up from the damage caused through drinking , but you'll find quite a few of us have successfully conquered the demon drink on here, people will give you more in depth info regarding the numbers regarding your blood etc, but I keep saying we all heal in different ways, and above else give yourself time, once again best of luck.
In advance of others within our community having the chance to say "hello" etc., in case you have yet to find them, you might like to explore the different topic filters of interest on The British Liver Trust website library of liver patient lived experience stories e.g.:
There are different stages of cirrhosis - compensated is where the liver is still coping and doing a great many of its 500 jobs and at this stage your bloods make be pretty good and can even be normal. This is because the assault on the liver is halted so it is no longer screaming about being attacked - if it is still being attacked you might see the liver inflammation markers (ALT, AST, ALP, GGT) being elevated. When the liver is decompensated it is struggling to carry out even it's more 'important to life functions' and this is when you see other bloods becoming deranged - when you were originally jaundiced your bilirubin was probably very high, when people have symptoms such as Ascites/Oedema you see issues with low albumin and potentially kidney function tests also going squiffy. Hepatic Encephalopathy is linked to increased toxins in the blood stream so ammonia levels can be high etc.
You've said you are fairly symptom free so hopefully your bloods indicate that your liver is now in a compensated state and you can keep it that way by living clean, eating well, exercising etc.
Content on HealthUnlocked does not replace the relationship between you and doctors or other healthcare professionals nor the advice you receive from them.
Never delay seeking advice or dialling emergency services because of something that you have read on HealthUnlocked.
Terrified. Partner in ICU with liver failure/ARLD *UPDATED DAILY*
Terrified!
Abdominal pain and digestive problems. Awaiting ultrasound - terrified
Introducing myself
Gallbladder Surgery 
