6 days sober!!

Hi Everyone,

I came across this forum when I was researching cirrhosis, once my mother had been diagnosed with end stage liver disease due to alcoholism..

I, too, am an alcoholic, I've been drinking very heavily on and off over the last 8 years.. I've basically stopped while being pregnant and then resumed soon after birth.

So basically for the last 10 months I have been drinking heavily almost everyday, but in the last few months I have certain symptoms that are worrying me.. like my ankles are quite swollen; I've gained almost 10 kilos in the past 6 months, but i don't eat that much so i assume it's the alcohol. I've noticed my hands and feet are quite sensitive and tingly which i assume again is nerve damage as my mum suffers from this also..
I also feel like i can't consume as much alcohol as I used to and feel I'm getting drunk quicker then normal!

i feel like i should go to rehab as I have 3 children under the age of 8, this is more difficult then it sounds and my children's father is not supportive and actually makes excuses for my drinking: "I'm young," "People our age drink, doesn't make you an alcoholic," although I've been telling him for years I am!

I'm scared to go to the doctor's because I'm scared of what they might say and I am quite ashamed :( I did try in June after my sudden weight gain and my doctor basically laughed at me and told me not to stop drinking, just cut down.. and when i explained I don't eat half as much as I should, he looked at me in disbelief, like I'm a closet eater when I'm not!

It's been 6 days since I had my last drink since then. I have had a constant ache under my right rib which is actually starting to dull a bit but I'm curious as to what i can expect in the next few days/weeks??

I'm determined to stay sober this time not just for me and my health but for my children, so they do not have to experience the things I've had to with my mother!

Thanks for taking the time to read :) :)

Post Edited By Moderator (hep93) : 11/14/2013 11:32:01 PM (GMT-7)

 Hey Mum2, Glad you are doing something about the drinking issue. You need to see a GI doctor and explain your concerns and have them do some blood work. It could be a result from heavy drinking but you really need a doctor to see what's going on. No need in getting yourself worked up into a frenzy. It may just be that the issues you have going on is not liver related at all. If it is in fact liver disease there's lots of things you can do to stop any further progression. You've done the most important thing by admitting you have a problem and your willing to correct it. Start leaning towards a healthier sodium free diet and go easy on the beef products as they are harder to digest properly. Walk or light exercise help to keep the weight issues down. Occupy your mind with doing things you like to do.

I stopped drinking 5 years ago when I was hospitalized for kidney failure and liver disease. I dried out in a hospital intensive care ward for almost a month. Alcohol almost took my life and to this day I pay the consequences for my dance with the devil. My kidneys came back but my liver was so severely damaged that it will not ever be 100% again. It took a couple years of constant grinding along with hospital appointments, medications and surgeries to gain back a normal healthy life. Remember nothing good in life comes easy.

Ziff  

Thankyou for your kind words it means so much.. ive been having a bad day today but instead of turning to the bottle i thought id post how i felt and read through other peoples posts which really has helped keep my mind focused on what i need to do to ensure i dont do any further damage! im only 27 :( what is a GI Doctor?

Hi, Mummy, and welcome to the forum. In answer to your question, GI is a gastroenterologist. They specialize in diseases of the digestive system, of which the liver is one. A hepatologist is the next step up and specializes only in liver disease...but that may never be necessary for you.

I have been sober through the grace of God and AA for 27 years. Before I really started getting sober, I would relapse every couple of weeks, and then every weekend. I finally waved the white flag of surrender. I did develop liver disease, but alcohol didn't cause my liver disease...hepatitis C did. But had I continued to drink on top of hep C, I would've been dead years ago. I was 7 yrs. sober when diagnosed with HCV.

The good news is that those who have been drinking for a relatively short length of time can get their livers back to normal health, with continuous abstention from alcohol. Even Ziff, who drank for years, pulled himself back from death's door by getting and staying sober.

While I applaud your efforts thus far, please don't get cocky or complacent about your 6 days. At 6 days you are not truly sober--you have put the "plug in the jug." It is going to take a lot of work and you cannot do it by yourself. You CAN go to AA. It's free and there are meetings all over, at various times of day and most days. If you live in a small town, you may find only one meeting a week. Then go to that one. Or check out Narcotics Anonymous (same 12 Steps, just replace drugs with alcohol as the wording. What has to change? Everything. Find a group you feel comfortable in. The 12 Steps will set you free and give you the tools to live life on life's terms, without alcohol.

And by no means feel embarrassed by your alcoholism. There are millions around the world with the same disease, and few are lying in gutters. Most are average people, holding down jobs, raising children, etc. You need to get a primary care doc who takes you seriously.

Let me guess...your husband is also a drinker? Does he drink heavily? With his insistence that you can drink, it tells me that he is in denial and perhaps for himself, as well. If this is the case, you can go to Al-Anon to deal with how this affects you.

It could take a year for your liver to normalize. It is best to get a true picture of the damage you have done to your liver. This could be through lab tests or scans.

I think you will be just fine, but you absolutely need to continue to abstain from alcohol.

Very best of luck to you. Your children deserve a healthy mommy. My mother was alcoholic and I basically raised myself.

Please keep us updated on your progress.

P.S. Please do me a favor and capitalize your I's and I've. I spent a lot of time correcting those in your post, as well as other punctuations and misspellings. There is a spelling list in Hepatitis Resources at the top of the forum...mostly medical words such as "cirrhosis," but also some regular words.

Hugs,
Connie

Mummy,

You SHOULD be proud of yourself, the longest journey begins with a single step. Every new day of sobriety is something to be proud of and in your case, it's a must because of those precious little children that depend on you daily for their growth and sustenance. Don't look back and regret the neglect that will surely result from a mom who is drunk all the time, you don't want that for your children. Make some great memories instead, they will cherish THOSE for many, many years.

Please come by often and check in, we will be here for you anytime. Hopefully some day down the road, you will be here welcoming and supporting someone else who walked in your shoes.

Just get rid of that "I'm bound to relapse" kind of talk. Replace it with "I can do this because I care about myself and my beautiful children!" You are way too young for this type of illness.

I wish you all the strength to get and stay healthy.

Hugs,

So great to hear back from you mummy!! One day at a time!! You'll meet some great people at AA who can help you through this time. Once you get a sponsor you'll have someone that you can call during tough times. Your post was a blessing to me today!! Keep coming back!! We care.

Sandia

Also avoid ibuprofen. It's terrible for a diseased liver and even a normal one. Also hard on the kidneys.

Canned foods are loaded with sodium. You have to become a label reader. Many products (beans, canned tomatoes, etc.) now have reduced sodium products. I use canned beans, but rinse them thoroughly.

No salt at the table, either. Salt is an acquired taste, so you will get used to it. Or use a little Mrs. Dash.

Let us know how you are doing.

Hugs,
Connie

Please do.. so good to hear from you mummy.. remember.. one day at a time..


Sandia


we care!!

Mummy, how long sober now? I hope you will get a referral to a GI doc.

Pop, I don't see any medical terms in these posts except edema. What treatment are you speaking of for yourself? And what does this mean?: "That's right for them recalling!!!"

Hugs,
Connie

Principals before Personalities! My quoted words were out of line + please accept my Apology .... I'm sorry! Tomorrow I meet with a Rep. from the Pharmacy to give me instructions on injection + other medicine for my Hep C treatment plan! I'll give more details soon, cause I do not want to go beyond simple! .................. Now the msg. for mummyof2 you will get useful info. here + I do hope you keep coming back! In my case I believed that other people would Love be until I knew how to Love myself! Children are innocent + often forever affected by our lifestyles! I'm blessed with a 13yr, ( Honor Roll ) 4yrs. ) now 8th Grade daughter that's never seen daddy impaired, or had hands put on her in a moment of drama! I bet you have some fond memories to cherish too! I get so side tracked .... Take Care

What does "principles before personalities" really mean? It means we practice honesty, humility, compassion, tolerance, and patience with everyone, whether we like them or not. Putting principles before personalities teaches us to treat everyone equally.

Not sure I follow where this needs to be applied in the text of this thread. Am I missing something? I'm not a AA person but reading that statement above seems to make good sense if it isn't used as retort. If it's used as a retort then you've effectively negated the ability to use it, Actually violating the true meaning of it. A bit of a conundrum. Just some thought mixed in from my personality.

I myself prefer another more simpler age old adage "Don't try and remove the splinter from my eye until you remove the branch from yours". Not complicated and gets right to the point (pun intended). All seriousness now. Technical terms do need to be used, Maybe not here so much but your not doing yourself any favors by not educating yourself to even the basics. That's what this site is founded on educating/helping each other through a challenging time. All done by many people who've lived the hell of this disease and we all have different personalities that goes with the territory. And those personalities shine through no matter how hard we try to cover them.

Some of us are anal about spelling, Some are brunt, Some, uhmmm well, some are just down right obnoxious. Yes we are all here to help but to expect everyone to be a drone is a bit ridiculous. If we wanted to read what a doctor said about living with ESLD (He never had it) we could find tons of interesting lengthy reports by just googling. Kinda boring if you ask me, Not to mention down right depressing. Now moving on (I have nothing better to do). As the immortal Forest Gump said " Life is like a box of chocolates, You just never know what your gonna get. It's a big world enjoy human flavors.


Ziff

So nice to see you mummy!! Self-forgiveness is not easy. I'm glad you are back. Sounds like you have a good plan in place. Take it one day at at time and one problem at a time. Congratulations!!



Sandia

Mum, Accidents or slip ups do happen. Don't be hard on yourself and just keep moving forward. Once you've obtained some sobriety time under your belt it gets easier to remain sober. Note I said easier, I seriously doubt the urge to stick our heads in the bottle at the first sign of trouble will ever completely go away. Just start over and learn where you went wrong. You have alot riding on your sobriety and the pressure can be huge, Learn to cope. find something less destructive to do when you have that feeling of running away from a problem. Go to AA, Church, Call a friend, Come here. You have other options if it's nothing but taking a walk to get past the moment.


Ziff