A very serious, somewhat desperate request for advice/help

[Reverend Joe]

Recently -- as in, within the past few weeks -- I have developed a reaction to alcohol that sounds similar to the syndrome found in many Asians who lack the liver enzyme that digests alcohol. It seems like, the more I get drunk, the more I get a racing, pounding heart; the level of severity is also directly correlated to the intensity of the alcohol in the drink. Unless I drink too much, it seems like I can get rid of the pounding heart by drinking plenty of water, but sometimes the only thing that seems to work is to induce vomiting (it does not make me nauseous at all.) I also have occasional abdominal pain, just above and to the left of my stomach.

Does anyone out there think I have permanent liver damage? Will I never be able to drink again? Or does it sound like something that I can actually recover from?

I would really appreciate some answers from someone in the know. And for the record, I have no Asian blood; I am half Eastern European Jew, 1/4 Irish and 1/4 French Canadian.

[Sasaki Kojiro]

I would ask a doctor...

[Reverend Joe]

Well, I'm gonna do that when I get a chance. I want to know some confidential opinions first.

[Vladimir]

Yes. See a doctor. I'm sure there also certain foods with specific nutrients which aid the liver.

[Goofball]

Either:

1) See a doctor

or

2) See a doctor

[Crazed Rabbit]

/\/\ What he said. Also, I'd definitely stop drinking until then.

CR

[CrossLOPER]

Do something that involves seeing a doctor.

[Vladimir]

Do something that involves seeing a doctor.

Or seek medical advice, from a doctor.

[CountArach]

I think that seeing a Doctor is a good idea.

[Papewaio]

Just make sure it is a medical doctor...

[macsen rufus]

Quite - stop drinking until you see a doctor. If you do have liver damage both of these are essential. Having had hepatitis I can tell you for sure, you do not want an underperforming liver.

[LittleGrizzly]

Wel stopping drinking and seeing a doctor is sound advice but everyones taken that one so heres my advice, swap bad hobbies for something that effects a different organ.

[FactionHeir]

Well, besides seeing a doctor, I would suggest following:

Examine your diet habits of the last six months or one year to those before that time. Has something changed significantly?

Examine your environmental exposures. Have you being doing different things somewhere different?

Anyone in your family had similar problems at some point?

That's something you want to be looking at really.

[Ja'chyra]

A man goes into the doctors and says

"It hurts when I do this"

The doctor says

.................................

The answer to your problem seems obvious to me.

[Fragony]

The obvious answer would be stop drinking

[Sigurd]

What Fragony said...

[Odin]

since no one really answered your questions I'll give it a shot.

Does anyone out there think I have permanent liver damage?

No, because the only factor your listing is booze, no environment data, no nutritional data. Chances are your reactions are a cumulation of several factors and not directly linked to specific liver damage.

Will I never be able to drink again?

Booze? I dont know, but there are juices and water. I would get off the sauce for a month and flush out your system with water and a decent diet.

Or does it sound like something that I can actually recover from?

Yes I think you will recover. I know people who have done massive amounts of steriods, booze all sorts of destructive behavior and they are still around. I dont advocate hard living but Im going to be honest with here chances are your body is reacting negatively because your overdoing it.

Oh yeah see a doctor too, and stay away from steriods they really cause problems for your liver.

[drone]

Stop drinking, switch back to pot. After a month or so, try drinking again. Give your liver a chance to recover.

And go see a doctor.

[ICantSpellDawg]

Pot messes with your liver too. Nearly everything does. I would stop drinking/smoking poisons until you see a doctor.

Possible liver disease, (which is probably not what you have) is very serious. If you are noticing any affects of a damaged liver, you probably need help FAST. Most people don't notice those signs until it is close to the end.

Look for jaundice - particularly in the areas where skin bunches up (the joints, wrinkles, etc.) or the eyes.
Look for serious fatigue.
Look for marginal to severe weight loss.

I have had the same liver disease that killed Walter Payton for 10 years now and I don't have any of those symptoms yet.

There are worse things that it could be. Long story short - doctor.


Since you are noticing abdominal discomfort - you could have celiacs disease or a gluten intolerance. Beer or any alcohol fermented in grain can set this off. As far as the racing heart thing goes - I have no idea. Again, doctor.

You don't pay all that money in insurance for nothing, right?

[mrdun]

the general advice I am getting from here is to consult a doctor

[Kralizec]

Go see a florist.

[Reverend Joe]

Well, I am pretty sure now that it's not liver disease. I don't think I will drink for some time, though. I may just be allergic.

On the other hand, I do not have any of the other symptoms of liver damage: I did not experience a flushed face, I do not have any lower tolerance to alcohol at all, and the pain I am experiencing is too far north to be in the liver or small intestine. Actually, I think it is an ulcer, or some other massive sore spot. It may be allowing the liver to hit my liver much harder, which could be taxing it. Still, I smoked some grass, and I did not have any significant increase in heart rate, but I did get the burning sensations -- and I know that smoking grass gives me heartburn, which would indicate a problem with the stomach. Maybe some chemical which should not be able to get through is, because of a weak stomach lining, and it is irritating my heart. That would explain why vomiting is guaranteed to get rid of the racing heart.

So, no worries. I will see what happens.

[Mikeus Caesar]

You'll know when you're suffering from liver failure because the whites of your eyes will go yellow.

For now, carry on drinking yourself to oblivion. But at the first sign of yellowness, quit it and see a doctor.

Or a florist.

[Reverend Joe]

I ended up going to the hospital. I thought something was really serious, because I got the same sort of racing heart reaction from V-8 juice, ad I was sick enough last night that I decided to make myself throw up. Turns out, everything is fine; the racing heart came from being dehydrated. I must have just developed a reaction to alcohol.

[Husar]

I wrote numerous times here that alcohol dehydrates...

[Odin]

I ended up going to the hospital. I thought something was really serious, because I got the same sort of racing heart reaction from V-8 juice, ad I was sick enough last night that I decided to make myself throw up. Turns out, everything is fine; the racing heart came from being dehydrated. I must have just developed a reaction to alcohol.

Good, then there is no reason to stop with the booze. You were checked out and got the okay, so have at it, booze it up.

[Vladimir]

So the orange urine wasn't your first clue?

[doc_bean]

I nearly always get a faster heartbeat when drinking. I've survived this long ...

[Makanyane]

I nearly always get a faster heartbeat when drinking. I've survived this long ...

your profile says you're 25

that's not a very long 'this long'!

[doc_bean]

your profile says you're 25

that's not a very long 'this long'!

About a decade, but I've pretty much given up heavy drinking now, except on special occasions