Syntoms of Cirrhosis

Hi,
I'm a 35 yrs old female with a history of vvery heavy drinking for 5 years(1-2 bottles of wine almost daily-sometimes more due to stress,depression,....). I completely gave up Jan-08 as I was sick with diarrhea after taking erythromicyn and paracetamol(3 grs)due to throught and drinking alcohol,since then I haven't had a normal BM, my stool is dark green in colour,loose and alternating constipation, lots of mucus, now it seems to have black spots on it, I went to the Doc, who did a full blood test for liver and eerything came back normal, I'm waiting for an US on March, I keep finding signs of liver desease on my b ody, like petechiae, but he says that's only from the alcohol intake,my eyes are a bit yellowish under the eyelid, but he says bilirubin is normal, he gave me ratinidine for the stomach, but after 2 days of taking it, I have bleeding gums, although he says I've got a bit of gingivitis. I think it's all liver problems, but he says my liver is fine as there is no hepatomegaly and all the blood work, platelet count and everything PT came back normal.
Can someone help me, I've stopped completely drinking alcohol, but syntoms don't get better.
thanks

[shobhit]

alcohol effect on a women liver is more risky than a man cirrhosis may not be developed
yet but ur nearly the symptoms of fibrosis u must go for liver biopsy or fibroscan

[KjFlicka]

I am a 35 yr old female who also drank too much wine for a few years. Your symptoms totally sound like the liver but I can't figure out why are your levels would be normal. I was actually diagnosed with cirrhosis in Jan. 2008 after going to the ER for the distended belly (and accompanying aches and pains) and noticing 'yellow' in my eyes. Five days later I had a diagnosis, but they sure did a lot of tests. Because of my 'drinking', though, they pretty much knew the direction they were headed even though they were kinda floored it could happen to someone so young. (I was 34 at the time.)  And FYI, all this sh*t hit this fan right *after* I stopped drinking on my own.

So, yeah, I agree with that your body is trying to tell you something. The black spots in your stool are another big 'warning' sign of liver health. As is the bleeding gums.

Before you get too scared, though, just know that I am fine now!  Never felt better!  It was about 4 months of being really scared and too much 'unknown', but I've steadily improved to the point where my liver is functioning almost like a normal person's! Obviously, I can't drink one drop of alcohol, but it's soooo not a big deal when faced with serious illness.

Take care and let me know if you have any more questions!
Nicole

[CCRN34]

Just out of curiosity...what kind of "aches and pains" were you having when you went to the E.R.? Being 34 myself, it is a scary prospect that someone so young (as yourself) can develop cirrhosis. I know that it can certainly happen, I have a friend (who never drank and did not have hepatitis A, B, or C) who had to have a liver transplant at the age of 27 from liver cirrhosis.

Anyway, I have been reading this forum for a while now...and I have enjoyed reading your responses. I am particularly interested to know what triggered your visit to the E.R. Like I said earlier, I am 34 and I drank pretty heavy from 29-33...stopping when my daughter was born.

Looking forward to your reply...

[KjFlicka]

I went to the ER finally because my hugely pregnant looking belly was causing a lot of discomfort and pressure and my family could see the dreaded yellow in my eyes. The pressure was the worst - like bad menstrual cramps, but dull and constant. It felt like I needed to have a bowel movement, but there was nothing to pass. I was at Disneyland for the week before I went and I curled up in the hotel room 95% of the time. It was finally getting in the way of day to day living and sleeping.  

They really don't know why some people develop cirrhosis while others who might drink a lot more never do. I drank almost daily from age 30-34 and I guess that was enough!  Yeah, I think I unwittingly scare a lot of people with that story. A lot of my friends have started to 'rethink' their relationship with alcohol. It's so cute. ;-)

Luckily, I don't need a transplant anymore.... at this time.... you never know when things might change. But my doctor assures me it won't just change out of the blue.

Well, thanks for listening to all my bologne.... It makes me so happy that someone would actually read my medically-uninformed posts. ;-)

Talk to you soon!
Nicole

[CCRN34]

Thank you for your response. I am glad to hear that you are doing better...it sounds like you have been through a lot. God bless you and your child. I don't know you, but you will be in my prayers...being a relatively new parent myself, I can empathize with the burden you must bear.

In my opinion, you have a lot to offer these forums. Like I said earlier, I have enjoyed reading what you have to say...and I am sure that you have offered a great deal of support for those that have been seeking some reassuring words and understanding.

I came to this forum seeking knowledge, being that I tend to be a hypochondriac (that happens to feel some guilt regarding partying too hard in the past). I appreciate the stories and responses that I have read...and I plan on visiting my doctor for a physical/blood tests soon (to either put my mind at ease, or finding information that is necessary to know). RN's tend to be the worst at taking medical advice...

Anyway, nice talking to you. Best of luck. You and your family will be in my prayers.

Steve