question for emmy2..........? - Liver & Pancreas Disorders Message Board

bert1 · 04-11-2002, 03:29 PM

hi emmy

thanks for your reply on cirrosis, im also very sorry to hear about your mother.

i would just like to ask you how long your mother had been drinking? iv been drinking heavy for the last 3 years.

i havent got my results back yet but i will let you know as soon as i get them, im just keeping my fingers crossed and hoping god is on my side.

thank you

carol B1

Emmy2 · 04-12-2002, 09:41 AM

Hi
To answer your question - I don't know for sure how long my Mom was drinking and when it became heavy but I think over 10 years, likely more. Three years is a fairly long time but could certainly be much worse. It takes a long time to do that kind of damage (cirrhosis). I tend to think you may have caught the problem before you got into something serious.

I found a great book on liver health and all kinds of liver disorders you might want to get. It is called "Dr. Sanjiv Chopra's Liver Book." I just found it at Chapters one day and bought it to help understand what my mother went through. It would have been great for my Mom but it was published the month she died!!! It has preventative stuff in it, recognizing liver disease signs and facts on all kinds of liver problems. The book calls heavy drinkers people who have 5 or 6 drinks every day and says 10-20% of these people develop cirrhosis.

I don't know if this helps at all. Good luck waiting for your results - hope you don't have to wait too much longer.

p.s. Have you stopped drinking - and I mean stop all together? Just that alone will make a world of difference!!!!

bert1 · 04-12-2002, 10:49 AM

yes i have stopped drinking but its only been the last week that i havent had a drink.
i do feel alot better for it, iv starting eating alot more healther and drinking alot of water.
i think i started drinking becouse of what was going on at the time, my whole world was falling apart and the only way i could cope with it was by drinking.

the book sounds interesting and I`ll go and have a look for it in the book shop.
its a shame that your mother couldnt stop drinking, the thing is for some people its hard to give up a habbit but some people they could stop just like that.

i hope i can keep it up and not drink, i wanted a drink last night but i thought of my children and i put it to the back of my mind and kept telling my self i have to do this for them, if not my self.

any way i`ll get back to you and let you know the results thanks alot emmy, if you need a chat about your loss or any thing else just let me know im here for you.

with love
carol!

Emmy2 · 04-12-2002, 03:22 PM

I don't usually check this board very much but I was interested to hear how you are doing. I am so happy you have stopped drinking. That is a huge accomplishment!!! You must keep up the good work. It may not be easy at times. I don't know how old your children are but it is the best thing you can do for them (and yourself of course). You can spare them a lot of the pain I went through - trust me, you don't want that for them. You only get one shot at life so you really have to take care of yourself.

When you get your blood test results and know what you are dealing with, I would be happy to help you out more (if you like!!! - It would be nice to be able to put my bad experiences to good use!!!)
Good Luck!!!!!!

dcmurphy · 04-17-2002, 02:38 AM

bert1 - very glad to hear you've stopped drinking - keep up the good work, which is hard. I hate to be a pessimist, however, in that stopping drinking now doesn't necessarily mean smooth sailing. After several years of moderate to heavy drinking, I stopped altogether about seven months ago. Unfortunately I had already damaged my liver enough that I now have cirrhosis and am facing a full transplant. Pay attention to your body's signals (pain, bloating, etc.) and be sure to see the right doctor.

Good luck to you!