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Alcohol, stomach discomfort and long term health problems
I hope someone can help me with my strange permanent symptoms that i have had for the past 3 years.
I am a 33 year old male. From 18 to 30 years of age i would describe myself as a reasonably heavy social drinker, probably around 50 units a week. Despite this i always found that i rarely suffered from hangovers and it was not uncommon for me to go jogging the morning following a night on the booze to run off any slight hangover i may have had. I was actually quite fit, and when i was 30 ran two half marathons.
3 years ago i joined the police service. The training for this meant spending 15 weeks at a residential camp. There was little to do there, and everyone's routine was to spend the evening in the onsite bar. It was also extremely stressful. The food during the 15 weeks was terrible, poor quality canteen grub and not much of it. Every evening to relieve the boredom i would get fairly drunk, probably drinking around 6-7 pints of lager. Every morning was an early start, and i was frequently tired from spending so much time in the bar the night before that most days meant i drank around 5-6 cans of diet coke to keep me alert. Weekends we came home, but this meant seeing friends and socialising so i would go out drinking at weekends also. This meant over the 15 weeks, i probably did not miss an evening where i wasn't fairly drunk, ate rubbish food , drunk countless diet coke. Despite this i kept my fitness levels up and jogged every day.
This is where my problems started. Towards the end of this 15 weeks i woke up one morning and felt terrible. I was strangely out of breath doing simple things, just getting out of bed. I felt really rough, like i was really over exerted. It was the same sort of feeling i would get after a really long 2 hour jog or something, the same sense of exertion - but i hadn't done anything. I had a strange uncomfortable full fulling in my upper stomach. I was also having ectopic heart beats.
I went to a doctor that day i felt so bad, and he sent me for an immediate heart echo cardiogram at the hospital. This came back normal.
As i was leaving the camp a few days later to go home, my doctor recommended seeing my home gp.
Before i went home for good the last day of the training course meant a fitness test. I went to bed that evening and for the first time didn't go to the bar as i still felt rough. I thought in the morning i would feel ok. However, when i woke up i didn't. I felt exactly the same, easily out of breath, totally exerted and generally feeling under the weather.
I tried jogging this day, and it was bizarre. I just couldn't do it. I was out of breath bending down to put my trainers on.
Basically i returned home and over the course of the next year i must have been back to my GP around 20 times about the above problems. My ectopic beats settled down after a few weeks. My tests have involved an ultrasound on my stomach, ECG's, blood tests for everything as far as i know, i have been referred to the infectious diseases clinic, been put on Prozac (they thought it was all in my head).
I eventually gave up going to my GP, as he basically said there was nothing else they could test me for.
Three years on my symptoms are as follows:
1) I am not breathless anymore. I do jog now regularly but find it far more tiring than i ever did. Half an hour is my limit.
2) I have a permanent upper abdomen 'raw' feeling and always feel below par. I know this is vague but i find it difficult to be more specific.
3) if i drink alcohol now, i feel absolutely TERRIBLE for days after. Even if i drink small amounts i will feel rough for a couple of days, nauseous and totally drained of energy.
4) Some days my upper stomach pain feels much worse than offers. However it never seems to be related to hunger/no hunger, or what i have eaten.
My question is really, did my alcohol consumption cause permanent damage to some area of my body? Could it also have been related to my lifestyle at the time? Is it impossible to detect?
The reason i am posting this is because even 3 years on i remember that i used to feel a lot better than i do know in general day to day life. It's incredibly frustrating. I drink rarely now as i feel too ill when i do.
I have a very healthy diet with plenty of fruit and veg. I have tried vitamins, milk thistle, various supplements, all to seemingly no affect.
Can anyone shed any light or what i might have done to myself and how on earth i could go forward?
I am a 33 year old male. From 18 to 30 years of age i would describe myself as a reasonably heavy social drinker, probably around 50 units a week. Despite this i always found that i rarely suffered from hangovers and it was not uncommon for me to go jogging the morning following a night on the booze to run off any slight hangover i may have had. I was actually quite fit, and when i was 30 ran two half marathons.
3 years ago i joined the police service. The training for this meant spending 15 weeks at a residential camp. There was little to do there, and everyone's routine was to spend the evening in the onsite bar. It was also extremely stressful. The food during the 15 weeks was terrible, poor quality canteen grub and not much of it. Every evening to relieve the boredom i would get fairly drunk, probably drinking around 6-7 pints of lager. Every morning was an early start, and i was frequently tired from spending so much time in the bar the night before that most days meant i drank around 5-6 cans of diet coke to keep me alert. Weekends we came home, but this meant seeing friends and socialising so i would go out drinking at weekends also. This meant over the 15 weeks, i probably did not miss an evening where i wasn't fairly drunk, ate rubbish food , drunk countless diet coke. Despite this i kept my fitness levels up and jogged every day.
This is where my problems started. Towards the end of this 15 weeks i woke up one morning and felt terrible. I was strangely out of breath doing simple things, just getting out of bed. I felt really rough, like i was really over exerted. It was the same sort of feeling i would get after a really long 2 hour jog or something, the same sense of exertion - but i hadn't done anything. I had a strange uncomfortable full fulling in my upper stomach. I was also having ectopic heart beats.
I went to a doctor that day i felt so bad, and he sent me for an immediate heart echo cardiogram at the hospital. This came back normal.
As i was leaving the camp a few days later to go home, my doctor recommended seeing my home gp.
Before i went home for good the last day of the training course meant a fitness test. I went to bed that evening and for the first time didn't go to the bar as i still felt rough. I thought in the morning i would feel ok. However, when i woke up i didn't. I felt exactly the same, easily out of breath, totally exerted and generally feeling under the weather.
I tried jogging this day, and it was bizarre. I just couldn't do it. I was out of breath bending down to put my trainers on.
Basically i returned home and over the course of the next year i must have been back to my GP around 20 times about the above problems. My ectopic beats settled down after a few weeks. My tests have involved an ultrasound on my stomach, ECG's, blood tests for everything as far as i know, i have been referred to the infectious diseases clinic, been put on Prozac (they thought it was all in my head).
I eventually gave up going to my GP, as he basically said there was nothing else they could test me for.
Three years on my symptoms are as follows:
1) I am not breathless anymore. I do jog now regularly but find it far more tiring than i ever did. Half an hour is my limit.
2) I have a permanent upper abdomen 'raw' feeling and always feel below par. I know this is vague but i find it difficult to be more specific.
3) if i drink alcohol now, i feel absolutely TERRIBLE for days after. Even if i drink small amounts i will feel rough for a couple of days, nauseous and totally drained of energy.
4) Some days my upper stomach pain feels much worse than offers. However it never seems to be related to hunger/no hunger, or what i have eaten.
My question is really, did my alcohol consumption cause permanent damage to some area of my body? Could it also have been related to my lifestyle at the time? Is it impossible to detect?
The reason i am posting this is because even 3 years on i remember that i used to feel a lot better than i do know in general day to day life. It's incredibly frustrating. I drink rarely now as i feel too ill when i do.
I have a very healthy diet with plenty of fruit and veg. I have tried vitamins, milk thistle, various supplements, all to seemingly no affect.
Can anyone shed any light or what i might have done to myself and how on earth i could go forward?
Hi maN, i FEEL THE SAME WAY YOU DO...I was a heavy drinker did all the tests..and if I drink little bit of alcohol I get to feel in pain..Can't even eat cholesterol or anything....I think we have done damaged to our insides and there is no coming back...all I have to say is ...don't drink no more...you have to reverse everything with time and also healthy food...
31-year-old male. Was a binge weekend drinker from the age of 18, but since the age of 26, I've been drinking 3-5 days a week, usually averaging about 10 units per night, but sometimes as low as 1, or as high as 25. That's five years of moderate alcohol use.
For a couple months before the stomach symptoms, I noticed my hangovers were lasting longer. It was taking me a few days to recover. I chalked this up to the Atkins diet I was on, which meant the only carbs I was taking in were from alcohol. I also chalked this up to getting older.
Overdid it big time one night at a friend's birthday party. I woke up feeling like death, but two days later I had a pitcher of beer and that's when the stomach problems started. Also at that point, I was having random bouts of extremely cold feet. Over the next few weeks, the fullness in my left abdomen, just below my rib cage was at its worst. It got worse if I drank any alcohol, and it got worse when eating large meals. It also seemed to get worse on an empty stomach. There was no winning! Initially there was no pain, just a fullness or pressure-like feeling. But it seems now if I drink, there is a period where it graduates to a dull ache.
Fast-forward almost two months and the feet are almost back to normal, and the abdomen issues seem to flare up if I drink, stay for a couple of days then subside. I've been meaning to go to a doctor, but because my symptoms haven't really interfered with my life, I don't want to waste anyone's time. My appetite hasn't been affected. Other than being constipated, my stools look normal. My energy levels are a little off, but I'm a nocturnal person by nature, so it's really tough to distinguish that from the norm. No nausea or vomiting either. I do find that if I exert myself, I feel weak and shaky and have to sit down. This has been happening now since the summer, and worries me a little.
At this point, I don't know whether it's my stomach or something else is inflamed.
For a couple months before the stomach symptoms, I noticed my hangovers were lasting longer. It was taking me a few days to recover. I chalked this up to the Atkins diet I was on, which meant the only carbs I was taking in were from alcohol. I also chalked this up to getting older.
Overdid it big time one night at a friend's birthday party. I woke up feeling like death, but two days later I had a pitcher of beer and that's when the stomach problems started. Also at that point, I was having random bouts of extremely cold feet. Over the next few weeks, the fullness in my left abdomen, just below my rib cage was at its worst. It got worse if I drank any alcohol, and it got worse when eating large meals. It also seemed to get worse on an empty stomach. There was no winning! Initially there was no pain, just a fullness or pressure-like feeling. But it seems now if I drink, there is a period where it graduates to a dull ache.
Fast-forward almost two months and the feet are almost back to normal, and the abdomen issues seem to flare up if I drink, stay for a couple of days then subside. I've been meaning to go to a doctor, but because my symptoms haven't really interfered with my life, I don't want to waste anyone's time. My appetite hasn't been affected. Other than being constipated, my stools look normal. My energy levels are a little off, but I'm a nocturnal person by nature, so it's really tough to distinguish that from the norm. No nausea or vomiting either. I do find that if I exert myself, I feel weak and shaky and have to sit down. This has been happening now since the summer, and worries me a little.
At this point, I don't know whether it's my stomach or something else is inflamed.
Hi 37 year old male, binge drinking since I was 22. The last couple of years i noticed a pain and uncomfortable feeling in the upper left area of my stomache, just below the rib cage after a night of heavy drinking. It usually lasts a couple of days, sometimes three. This started getting alot worse around last christmas. As long as I don't drink i don't have this problem. I eat healthy and exercise. Based on online research, it sounds like it is Gastritis. After a five day binge last spring i went to get a dr's note ( i called in sick) and explained the situation to him. He gave me some sort of anta cid and said if it goes away, don't worry about it. Although he did say, if u ever notice blood or black in your stool make sure u come back.
Don't you just love the 'it's all in your mind people'!
Unless they can get a machine to display it on a screen 'it's in your mind'!
Anyways, would I be right if I said you're describing a semi or even permanent state of 'fatigue'?
If this is the case it could be one of a million things - that in some cases need to be looked for very specifically...
In short, as in so many cases nowadays, your GP simply hasn't done enough... I'm actually pretty horrified with their diagnosis of 'I give up/can't be arsed!'....
Here's a bit of something to read re: fatigue and possible causes/associations.. May be worth a read - maybe forward to GP also...
'Generally Pointless!'
Fatigue is a symptom characterized by a diminished ability to exert oneself, usually associated with a feeling of being tired, bored, weak, and/or irritable. It is universal to all types of liver diseases, and does not necessarily correlate with the severity of liver disease. In fact, fatigue may be just as debilitating to an individual in the early stages of liver disease, as in an individual with advanced cirrhosis.
In some people, fatigue begins several years after the diagnosis of liver disease has been made. In others, it is the primary reason for seeking medical attention in the first place. Oftentimes, multiple visits are made to a variety of different types of doctors in search of a cause of fatigue before it is connected with liver disease. Some people even seek psychiatric evaluation since depression often accompanies fatigue.
Fatigue may occur at any time of day, but it is most common in the morning. Often, little more than an hour after awakening, a person may already feel the exhaustion of having worked an entire day. Others describe weakness and lack of energy throughout the whole day. Their usual “pep” is now gone. Even little tasks become more trying, and around 3:00 P.M. they simply must lie down to take a nap.
Fatigue can be caused by the liver disease itself, from other disorders- such as a thyroid disease or vitamin deficiencies- often associated with liver disease, or from medication used to treat the liver disease - such as interferon. Thus, the successful treatment of fatigue can be multifactorial, and a challenge. The patient’s doctor must carefully look at all of the factors possibly contributing to his or her feeling of fatigue, as some factors can be corrected easily.
Anemia is a common cause of fatigue. The primary source of anemia should be carefully sought, as there are many different potential causes. Iron deficiency anemia may be due to blood loss from internal bleeding. Thus, an extensive gastrointestinal evaluation may need to be done.
Hope it helps mate!
Unless they can get a machine to display it on a screen 'it's in your mind'!
Anyways, would I be right if I said you're describing a semi or even permanent state of 'fatigue'?
If this is the case it could be one of a million things - that in some cases need to be looked for very specifically...
In short, as in so many cases nowadays, your GP simply hasn't done enough... I'm actually pretty horrified with their diagnosis of 'I give up/can't be arsed!'....
Here's a bit of something to read re: fatigue and possible causes/associations.. May be worth a read - maybe forward to GP also...
'Generally Pointless!'
Fatigue is a symptom characterized by a diminished ability to exert oneself, usually associated with a feeling of being tired, bored, weak, and/or irritable. It is universal to all types of liver diseases, and does not necessarily correlate with the severity of liver disease. In fact, fatigue may be just as debilitating to an individual in the early stages of liver disease, as in an individual with advanced cirrhosis.
In some people, fatigue begins several years after the diagnosis of liver disease has been made. In others, it is the primary reason for seeking medical attention in the first place. Oftentimes, multiple visits are made to a variety of different types of doctors in search of a cause of fatigue before it is connected with liver disease. Some people even seek psychiatric evaluation since depression often accompanies fatigue.
Fatigue may occur at any time of day, but it is most common in the morning. Often, little more than an hour after awakening, a person may already feel the exhaustion of having worked an entire day. Others describe weakness and lack of energy throughout the whole day. Their usual “pep” is now gone. Even little tasks become more trying, and around 3:00 P.M. they simply must lie down to take a nap.
Fatigue can be caused by the liver disease itself, from other disorders- such as a thyroid disease or vitamin deficiencies- often associated with liver disease, or from medication used to treat the liver disease - such as interferon. Thus, the successful treatment of fatigue can be multifactorial, and a challenge. The patient’s doctor must carefully look at all of the factors possibly contributing to his or her feeling of fatigue, as some factors can be corrected easily.
Anemia is a common cause of fatigue. The primary source of anemia should be carefully sought, as there are many different potential causes. Iron deficiency anemia may be due to blood loss from internal bleeding. Thus, an extensive gastrointestinal evaluation may need to be done.
Hope it helps mate!
I'm a 31 year old white male.
I had a hard weekend of partying (New Year's) and have noticed that the hangover lasted a bit longer than usual. Back in my early 20's (when I drank a lot more) I recovered fairly quickly from having a drink.
I should note that I very rarely drink even a drop, but this past weekend was a bit of a throwback to my younger days. I drank quite a bit on New Year's Eve, and then again on January 2. It is now January 5 and I am back to my normal not-drinking ways.
However, at times I still feel slightly nauseous and have noticed a dull ache that comes and goes on my left side. This has me a bit nervous because I never have really had any digestive issues before.
Researching on the internet has my mind racing and has me a bit panicky as I'm reading about horrible things like bowel cancer and pancreatitis.
Anyway, the pain is a dull achy feeling that is just under the edge of my left ribcage. Is this just an upset stomach from drinking too much when I normally don't? Even 3 days later?
My stool has been normal, and my appetite is still intact, so those are good signs. Maybe I'm just aging and my body is taking longer to recover from drinking.
Anyway, I hope the symptoms subside after a few more days of taking it easy. I also don't intend to ever drink like that again. Yuck.
Any comments or thoughts would be much appreciated. :)
I had a hard weekend of partying (New Year's) and have noticed that the hangover lasted a bit longer than usual. Back in my early 20's (when I drank a lot more) I recovered fairly quickly from having a drink.
I should note that I very rarely drink even a drop, but this past weekend was a bit of a throwback to my younger days. I drank quite a bit on New Year's Eve, and then again on January 2. It is now January 5 and I am back to my normal not-drinking ways.
However, at times I still feel slightly nauseous and have noticed a dull ache that comes and goes on my left side. This has me a bit nervous because I never have really had any digestive issues before.
Researching on the internet has my mind racing and has me a bit panicky as I'm reading about horrible things like bowel cancer and pancreatitis.
Anyway, the pain is a dull achy feeling that is just under the edge of my left ribcage. Is this just an upset stomach from drinking too much when I normally don't? Even 3 days later?
My stool has been normal, and my appetite is still intact, so those are good signs. Maybe I'm just aging and my body is taking longer to recover from drinking.
Anyway, I hope the symptoms subside after a few more days of taking it easy. I also don't intend to ever drink like that again. Yuck.
Any comments or thoughts would be much appreciated. :)
I am a 42 year old, healthy, work out 3 plus times a week ( aside from the alcohol) and recently experienced the same thing. During my workout felt so weak. Came home and took a sauna. Was standing talking to my husband and i had to sit, i was so weak. The next morning i couldnt walk across the room. I went to the doctor and they told me i was dehydrated. we came home with saltines and gatorade and i started vomiting blood. We called 911 and i was admitted to the hospital. They diagnosed me with esophagitis and said stay away from the alcohol. I love alcohol and have cut back but still experience the bloating/abdominal feeling you mentioned and difficulty swallowing like something is lodged in my throat. Have you had any progress/updates with your symptoms? Its been some time since you originally posted... def not the panic/or need for prozac
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