Do I have cirrhosis or hepatitis?

Hello. I've asked this in many forums without any response. Here is my condition:

I am 20 years old male, 1.70 cm tall weighting 72 kg. I am a heavy drinker for about three years and the last eight months an alcoholic, drinking at least a bottle of whisky everyday. Last summer I found my liver enzymes high and I was diagnosed with fatty liver disease. I stopped drinking for twelve days and my liver enzymes went back to normal but I had some dull aches and a little swelling in my right upper rib, next to diaphragm. I slowly started drinking again too much everyday and recently found out the swelling has spread all over the right abdominal side and had / have nausea and want to vomit everytime I'm not drunk. Although I vomited only once a very small amount of whisky, I also started having severe lower (right and left) back pains and right rib pains. The last three days the swelling has reached the area under the right rib and yesterday I found out I have thirteen red spots on my chest. They are in the size of a pin or smaller and they are circular and not edgy. Sometimes I also have a little itching in that spots. The pain just comes and goes and never appears in two spots at the same time and it is relieved when I'm laying flat or not bending down. I don't seem to have any special tiredness, unexpected weight lost (only gained a little weight, actually) or jaundice.

Is it really cirrhosis?

Go see a good hepatologist. They can examine you and prescribe a course of treatment, if needed. No one here is a doctor. I don't know about these pills NYC is recommending. I do know that over the counter meds can be detrimental in some cases. Talk to a hepatologist asap.

Normann, welcome to the forum. I totally agree with both David and Ziffle. Both of them are long-time members with personal experience of liver disease.

Nevertheless, they (nor anyone here) can diagnose you. See a hepatologist as recommended. From your use of metric weights and measures, I assume you are "over the pond." If you can't see a hep doc, see a GI doc. It would be best if you got a liver biopsy to determine exactly how sick your liver is and if you have cirrhosis.

Meanwhile, NO DRINKING!!! If you have trouble with this, find an AA meeting and start attending as many times a week as you can. It is possible for you to turn things around, but you MUST stop drinking. And NYCMike, we don't condone OTC supplements for the liver except for milk thistle, which doctors say may help or may not.

Hugs,
Connie

If you aren't willing to stop drinking there isn't much help anyone can give you. Withdrawal symptoms are better than ESLD. At least go to AA and get a sponsor to work with you over the holidays. If you have fatty liver disease it may not be reversible but it can be greatly improved if you take the steps to take care of yourself. You're young and stand a really good chance of turning things around. Listen to the folks who have been on here for a long time - they know what they're talking about.

Well I just wanted to know what kind of disease causes these symptoms. Even if I don't care if I die I care of what I have to face. I would consider it a good death if I kept feeling these symptoms and, suddenly, just bleed to death while I'm drunk. But I really would have a problem if I can't eat I can't drink and I feel pains all the day like I've broken three fingers or something and always see my body change.

Post Edited (Normann) : 12/9/2012 1:12:39 PM (GMT-7)

Or, you could blow your brains out with a gun. It's quicker and won't hurt as much.

David that seems harsh but I feel frustrated and quite upset for Norman, I believe this could be a cry for support, reading ou experiences. I too don't believe in OTC meds. He is playing Russian roulette. Please believe when you are given the advise of people who can share their experience, I wish I new this site then. If you want the blunt of it take the advise or drink youself to DEATH. Consider the people around you whose lives you are also destroying. I was stubborn thought I knew better than anyone had all your symptoms you probably are yellow & genuinely carn't see it, i couldn't. A also said I had to drink less each day to stop. What a load of rubbish I was telling myself. I booked to see my doctor, & was sent to hospital, me what for nothing wrong with me I was fine!! I was in hospital for 3 weeks the first week I was told I may not pull through, still me don't be silly, I was on lots of prescribed vits water tabs & anti-depressant what a joke I told my self, sent home 3 weeks later to let be what ever would be, my family were going through hell. Did I care think you no the answer, I got weaker no sleep at all and by this time I was virtually orange couldn't see it still, I realized I was going to die or was knocking on the door, it was out of my control that's when it hit me, I have never once craved alcohol or want to, I am not out the woods yet 7 months down the line, my memory is quite poor I forget certain words miss words out I feel like I am begining to get to no myself, & my family are in a much better place now to. You have so much to live for you are young a life is precious, I took pictures of myself when I came home & still do every 2 weeks or so, I actually like what I am seeing for the first time in 30 years. This has took me ages because of my spelling & mistakes.please see your G.P. & sing this I do (what have you done today to make you feel proud) smile give yourself a pat on the back eat lost of sweets fruit,veg chicken and fruit juices.please do it. If you don't you will die slowly & horribly. Excessive alcohol CAN KILL!!

David, you are an extraordinary individual. And you are certainly one of the ones who went through hell. And still are. But you don't know Norman. I don't know Norman. He could be pulling all our chains. Or he could be asking for help.

Maybe he doesn't know if he means it yet. I hope he does.

Marie

Thanks for that input Benny . I'm sure David didn't mean it literally , It's just one of his enduring qualities ( Speaking his mind ) . Comments can seem inappropriate at times but often enough the harsh reality does come down to exactly what he said .
Before I joined this room I observed alot of what was being written here , I was sober only a few months and in the midst of some of the worst fighting to stay alive I had ever done . I have since sat here years and watched many good people who gave this disease one hell of a fight slowly and painfully die , Loved ones having their hearts and souls torn out while they testified of the horrors of watching someone they love fade away . As you know , You , I and a small handful of others ( David also ) are the few ones who have yet to fall .
We get people here who post for no other apparent reason than to share a death wish , Refusing to see a doctor , Refusing to stop drinking , Refusing to take prescribed medicine , Refusing to even consider listening to someone who reaches out to them . I personally look at these types of post when they start heading this way as if this person is doing nothing more than wasting valuable resources . If you want to die then your time may be better spent finding a cheap funeral home or at a minimum a large field to let the vultures have a go at your carcass .
We collectively dedicate our time to helping people who are prepared to struggle to survive , and as a prerequisite only require you make a half witted attempt to try and live . This person has failed to demonstrate a sliver of that .


A. Ziffle

David that seems harsh but I feel frustrated and quite upset for Norman, I believe this could be a cry for support, reading ou experiences. I too don't believe in OTC meds. He is playing Russian roulette. Please believe when you are given the advise of people who can share their experience, I wish I new this site then. If you want the blunt of it take the advise or drink youself to DEATH. Consider the people around you whose lives you are also destroying. I was stubborn thought I knew better than anyone had all your symptoms you probably are yellow & genuinely carn't see it, i couldn't. A also said I had to drink less each day to stop. What a load of rubbish I was telling myself. I booked to see my doctor, & was sent to hospital, me what for nothing wrong with me I was fine!! I was in hospital for 3 weeks the first week I was told I may not pull through, still me don't be silly, I was on lots of prescribed vits water tabs & anti-depressant what a joke I told my self, sent home 3 weeks later to let be what ever would be, my family were going through hell. Did I care think you no the answer, I got weaker no sleep at all and by this time I was virtually orange couldn't see it still, I realized I was going to die or was knocking on the door, it was out of my control that's when it hit me, I have never once craved alcohol or want to, I am not out the woods yet 7 months down the line, my memory is quite poor I forget certain words miss words out I feel like I am begining to get to no myself, & my family are in a much better place now to. You have so much to live for you are young a life is precious, I took pictures of myself when I came home & still do every 2 weeks or so, I actually like what I am seeing for the first time in 30 years. This has took me ages because of my spelling & mistakes.please see your G.P. & sing this I do (what have you done today to make you feel proud) smile give yourself a pat on the back eat lost of sweets fruit,veg chicken and fruit juices.please do it. If you don't you will die slowly & horribly. Excessive alcohol CAN KILL!!

It's not that I want to commit suicide. I think you missunderstood me. It's just that I don't want to live unconditionally. I think there are always things that, if you lose them, you lose the will to live. Mine is alcohol (and my child).

Anyway, I'm just impressed how alcohol makes all these symptoms go away. I woke up this morning with this pain in the rib cage, nausea and loss of appetite. I drunk two beers and eaten pretty much without any nausea or abdominal pain. By the way, believe me when I say it's impossible for me to get drunk with two beers. I would believe these are withdrawal symptoms instead of liver disease. The red spots are fading away too. The only thing that worries me is the swollen right ribcage.

What you say may be true. The red spots are fading though.

Keep drinking and you won't be around to see your child grow up. If nothing else, do it for them. You're being incredibly selfish.