Scared to death, getting ready to make dr appt

[loclhero]

I'm sorry this is so lengthy but I want give as much detail as possible with my history as I am scared I have serious liver problems.

My history: White male, 52 yrs old. 6' 200 lb and for the most part, I am very fit.
I smoked off and on from 15 to 33 and quit smoking cigarettes completely in 1990.  I smoke cigars occasionally.

With very few lapses, from age 25 to 49 I was seriousl involved in weightlifting/bodybuilding and going to the gym and keeping fit.  I never used steroids but did on occasion use some supplements, mostly protein, creatine and occasional testosterone boosters (legal OTC) when I was in my mid  to late 40's.  

I was never a big drinker but would drink on occasion (Super Bowls, Las Vegas trips etc), always beer, never liquor and  cannot remember ever drinking during the week or drinking for more than 2 consecutive days.

In early 2003 I started working from home for myself.  At that point I would have 1-3 drinks maybe 3-5 nights a week, usually vodka, sometimes wine.  At that time "a drink" was typically a shot or two on ice.  Also during this time I still would over indulge on the Vegas trips, super bowls etc.

In June 2005 I became completely burned out on training and had some personal things going on.  Rather than going to the gym I would  finish working and would drink anywhere from  2-3 drinks but now the drinks were a highball glass, filled with ice and then vodka so I would guestimate that there were probably 2 or 3 shots per drink at least.  By 2007 it got to the point that I would drink a 750 ml bottle of vodka in 4-5 days.

This continued until late last year 2008.  I should state that during this  3+ year time frame, I would feel guilty, stop drinking for a week or two and would get back to the gym but always fell back on bad habits.

From 2005 - 2007 I had regular blood work done and my  liver enzymes, bilurubin etc were always well within normal range.

I have had problems with heartburn (now we call it GERD I guess) for most of my adult life and in early 2007 I had an endoscopy to make sure my esophagus was okay and the test came back totally normal.  My Dr prescribed Nexium once a day which at this point I rarely take and currently have very few instances of heartburn.

In late 2007, I would sometimes feel as if my abdomen was bloated.  Sitting up straight would be uncomfortable.  This could last a half hour or 2 days and was infrequent but annoying.  Being concerned with liver issues, I had another blood work up and a CT Scan.  Both were normal.

Since late last year (2008), I have realized I cannot, nor should I drink like this and have for the most part, not been drinking.  I tend to run very obsessive/compulsive so there were a few instances of the old habits (what I now consider binge drinking) coming back but for the most part, I'm back at the gym and feeling great.  I have however had some "non-alcoholic" beer lately which actually has 0.5% alcohol.

Lately however, even though I'm not drinking, I have had this feeling of "something" in the area below my right rib cage. Sometimes it just feels like I want to push on it.  It is not pain, it's just as if I can feel my liver (or whatever).  
More common though is the off and on bloating I get in my lower belly.  There are times, if I relax my abdominal muscles that I look pregnant.  If I try to "hold it in" which is my normal way of using my abdominals, I feel as if everything is getting pressed on in me.  Sometimes, just bending over causes pressure right in the middle of my upper abdomen.  The one thing I can add is that all that time of not working out and drinking like I did, obviously put a nice, thick roll of fat that covers my stomach.  I have never had anything but a 6 pack so I don't know if that is contributing to this feeling.

This is not every day but is enough to where I am now looking online and now I'm finding out about cirrhosis, ascites etc and I am scared out of my mind that this bloating is ascites.  I am calling my dr today for blood work and to see what is going on.  I guess after all this blathering, I'm just wondering if anyone can say whether or not it is possible to have developed cirrhosis after 3-4 years of compulsive, heavy drinking?  Can ascites come and go with weeks of nothing and then the bloating?  Is ascites only in the abdomen?  I have no swelling anywhere else.
I'm hoping I have not gotten to this point too late. Any info is truly appreciated.
God bless    

[allyg2000]

If you had this puffy feeling in 2007 and even after that, you did your LFT's and the results came back normal, then its highly unlikely that you're anyway near cirrhosis. I'm not a doctor, but to my knowledge cirrhosis develops over a period of time and your LFT's in 2007 would have given you an indication of that, had it been the case.
My feeling is that you are thinking too much about it and the body feels what the brain thinks.
Suggestion : Take your LFT again and if all comes back normal again, then you're fine.
And even after that take it easy on the alcohol intake, so it won't even play on your mind anymore.

[nanasluv]

I know how you feel I thought I had liver problems for 2 years straight and got blood work done by 2 different doctors at 2 differnt time frames and both my labs came back normal. Therefore, I was worrying for 2 years over nothing apparently. I still do worry every now and then becuase I was like that for so long that it is still hard to get out of my mind sometimes. You even got a ct scan which I never did. Anyways I assume with 2 normal labs I should be in fairly good health. I also get that bloated feeling and feel sometimes like I look pregnant. Bloating can be cause I think by diferent types of issues I don't think it neccesarily means there is something seriously wrong with you. I also have chronic edema which my doctors say is due to weight gain. To be honest with you I think you are fine. If you had more then one symptom and had not seen a doctor then that would be a different situation; but you have took the proper steps required to check your liver and everything has came back normal. Do you drink alot of soda cause that can also cause a bloated look and feeling? Like allgy2000 said get your liver checked again just for peace of mind and then if everything comes back normal try to move on with your life. Then look up info on how to keep your liver healthy on the internet and then you will know that you are taking good care of your liver and won't have to worry about it anymore. I take herbal products and lemon to help my liver stay in good health. Anyways I will pray for you and I hope you get some peace of mind soon. Take care and God bless.