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Well, here goes the first true account “out loud”(sorry, its long)…
Drinking (among other things) on and off since 14, college and after heavy and steady, now 37 yo. At 150 lbs I could drink nips to keep me primed during the day, a glass of wine or two at dinner, and between a pint to an entire litre of vodka once home. Stopped drinking after jaundice set in and breathing became difficult, my abdomen blew up to the size of a beach ball. I was hoping it would just go away… that’s laughable. Left work to visit the ER, the last thing I thought I’d ever do but i couldnt even tie my shoes. Hoping for a quick miracle and a return to work they took one look at me and admitted me saying I wasn’t going anywhere, uh oh. After 1 week, 4 ultrasounds, 2 CT’s, 2 paracentesis’ (they took about 3 litres 1st try and 6 the 2nd), countless labs, and all of the IV prednalisone etc. in the county my ALT’s/AST’s “stabilized” from 400 to 500 down to 150/200, bilirubin levels crazy; they weren’t letting me go. After the endless rotation of teams of docs came and went, finally met a GI who let me go. I know what he was thinking, he can die here or die at home, at that point I preferred at home. I promised regular, frequent (often daily) outpatient monitoring which I did and he gave me a 50% chance to live through the month. I was down to about 118 lbs and heading for the transplant list… if I didn’t drink. I found that counting hours without drinking was too much so I tried minutes and then only found victory in counting seconds and visiting these boards, thank you everyone! I’m almost 5 months sober now and doing great, almost completely off diuretics and all other meds. Had a follow up and labs, and now levels all within the normal range, the liver is a miracle organ. I try to stay near alcohol not hide from it (obviously not consume it!), it makes me feel a bit stronger and feel control (disclaimer- this is my way, its not for everyone and clearly can be an easy trigger). It’s still an every day battle but it’s better than every second/min/hour now, and if I can do it anyone can. Everything hurts more now lol but it does feel good to be alive, thanks for listening to me ramble and being my source of strength you are all amazing!
Pancreatitis gallstones
Liver disease
Acute alcoholic hepatitis
Jaundice/ascites
Edema
Neuropathy

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@Corey12 welcome! Im so happy to hear you are doing much better. Alcohol is a venomous witch. Keep doing it one day at a time, you’ve got this

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Welcome Corey! Glad your here!

Wowwww well done on 5 months, that’s incredible!! :clap: Welcome, it’s so great you’re here, and alive :heart:

Welcome to the forum. Thanks for sharing. I hope you find this place to be helpful for you.

Thanl you for sharing, glad you made it :heavy_heart_exclamation: I didn’t have it as severe but as a 24yo back in the day they got really worries about my liver values and i was headed down towards all the nasty complications. My right side stomach was bloated all the time. Now my liver is doing great and my physical and mental health are soaring. Soon two years sober (I didnt quit right after the liver results - took my still over a year to finally start the journey properly). I wish you luck and hope you stay around :smiling_face_with_three_hearts:

Welcome to the team amigo. Glad you’re hear!!!

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I’m glad you are here! How are you doing right now? I can relate to the counting the seconds/minutes!

I’m doing great, I’m trying to stay a little more connected. When things get relatively easier day to day my brain starts to tell me I’m all better, or my liver is now healthy even though cirrhosis still underlying. So its important to me not to get too far away mentally from when it felt impossible to not drink. Thanks for asking!

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It’s all severe for all of us! 2 years is amazing congrats… the eternity of not drinking often weighs heavily on me but then I just try to think about now and not forever. So far it seems to work, thanks for your story!

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Wow Corey. Congratulations on 5 months and saving your life. As they say you’re a long time dead. Might as well live while you can.

I’ve been off the beers for 3 months. Still wonder some times if I can spend my life sober. Thankful to have found a AA steps group that explained to me the disease doesn’t stop when you stop drinking. It continues and if I drink again the effects will return. The loss of control, the blackouts, the poor decisions. And it is likely that the progression towards death will be greatly accelerated. I believe them. And I tell myself each day that it is not worth it, and having my life and my life and my family is.

Whatever your reason or motivation, stay strong. Stay sober. Keep getting better and proving those that thought you couldn’t wrong.

Sounds like u quit just in time! Congrats on ur big lifestyle change :purple_heart:

I have seen people come back from many health issues and get better and better. Time takes time.

Corey remember that we are stronger then you think. Take it one day at a time. Most of all love yourself