Liver damage

[My28days]

I'm only on day 2 but I really do worry about my liver. My skin is terrible. I look like I've been working out or something. People sometimes ask me if I got too much sun the day before. I know my bad skin and hair is from a damaged liver.

I saw a liver cleansing kit in my drug store. Do these things really work? I have invested all of this time damaging my liver. I'd like to know if there is something I can do to improve or repair the health of my liver.

Don't worry, I don't expect to be better tomorrow. I'm asking for the long haul. Any suggestions?

[bigsister987]

Hi My. Obviously stopping drinking is key. A low fat diet is also supposed to help the liver. Some suggest Milk Thistle, but I had trouble finding genuine research that proved it was effective. Most of what I found was suggestion and hearsay by unqualified people. Perhaps you could search the internet.

Consider a visit to the doctor. You might have another condition that you are misdiagnosing.

[AnnieBodie]

Hi My,

Congratulations on 2 days!!

A bloated, red face is most likely due to drinking, so give yourself some sober time and you will quickly notice that you will have a better completion, bright eyes and better skin and hair. That said, it would be a good idea to have a check up, tell your doctor about your drinking so s/he knows which tests to do, including liver tests. Make sure you drink lots of water to flush your system and start taking b-complex and multi vitamins.

Annie

[jujubee]

Most people come here worrying about their liver...so know this is a common (and somewhat grounded) fear many drinkers have. You would be surprised how few of us actually sustain liver damange and how much can be reversed though simply abstaining from alcohol and living healthier. Do you smoke? This could be a contributor as well as poor nutrition most drinkers suffer from. Try not to worry too much and focus on the good things you are doing for yourself now by not drinking. Congrats on 2 days!!! Keep it going the hair and skin are just 2 of the many rewards to be gleened from quitting the poisen.

[BadSanta]

My28,

I hit a stage of complications where my skin and eyes turned yellow from liver failure and two doctors said I would never get better and probably die soon. They didn't even offer one of their crummy drugs. I asked about milk thistle and one doctor just laughed and said that stuff doesn't work. After being discharged from the hospital I went and got some quality standardized milk thistle anyway and it worked *perfectly*. My skin and eyes returned to normal and there were absolutely no side effects at all. I took 720 mg twice a day for two weeks made by Sundown. One of the doctors was shocked when he saw the result and my liver test came out good. I bought the milk thistle for $6.79 for 120 capsules at Meijer on sale. Money well spent.

-Santa

[John]

I'm only on day 2 but I really do worry about my liver. My skin is terrible. I look like I've been working out or something. People sometimes ask me if I got too much sun the day before. I know my bad skin and hair is from a damaged liver.

I saw a liver cleansing kit in my drug store. Do these things really work? I have invested all of this time damaging my liver. I'd like to know if there is something I can do to improve or repair the health of my liver.

Don't worry, I don't expect to be better tomorrow. I'm asking for the long haul. Any suggestions?

I had a very flushed face and even hives on my torso. Neither had anything to do with my liver which did not even have elevated enzymes. For me, the flushing improved 80% in a matter of days and my color returned to normal rather quickly.

Still - my GGT readings, though not abnormal before quitting dropped dramatically and are now those of a non drinker, which is not surprising since I don't drink! GGT (gamma glutamyl transferase) is a liver enzyme that is particularly sensitive to alcohol. Researchers use it to verify whether test subjects are being honest about abstention.

I think you'll be fine in a short while. but get your doctor to run some blood tests to check and put your mind at ease.

[jean]

I had the same problem, but I think that alcohol causes vascular damage. After about 3 weeks without drinking and a lot of rest it got better. I also had a few broken blood vessels, but I had to have those lasered off.

[Thinker762]

Welcome...

If you're worried about your liver you need a check up. Doctor will feel your liver and do a blood test to check for elevated liver enzymes. You're 2 days away from more liver damage right now!!

There are many foods, diets and supplements for improving overall liver health but you really should get a baseline of your current liver health before starting aminos or proteins. Low fat is always a good idea.

It takes about 8 weeks for your liver to stabilize after drinking anyway.
Don't drink and keep the fat low with sherbert!! It's never too late to quit drinking! I got me 28 days... You will too.

[jujubee]

I had the same problem, but I think that alcohol causes vascular damage. After about 3 weeks without drinking and a lot of rest it got better. I also had a few broken blood vessels, but I had to have those lasered off.


It does Jean. Your liver makes and regulates clotting and when you drink reglarly your clotting factors are high (meaning you bleed more easily, clot slower). Over time it makes for kind of friable vasculature, spider veins and petechiae and we bruise easily and badly after minimal injury. We are also more prone to gatrointestial bleeds due to the caustic effect of alcohol on the GI track and poor clotting. It's such a bad combination the drinking and the poor clotting. It's a wonder with the unsteady gait when people are drunk combined with poor clotting people don't sustain more devastating head bleeds. Maybe they do and no one is keeping track. We do so much good for ourselves by quitting.

[My28days]

Hey Everyone,

Thanks for the info. I did go to see my doctor already. He put me on Antabuse and Zoloft. That was so hard to make that appointment but I made it through it (I have a good doctor).

I already take B-Complex because I am a client services supervisor for a retirement plan company. B-Complex seems to keep my mood even so I don't blow up at unreasonable clients. The market goes down, the B-Complex comes out of my desk.

As far as drinking more fluids, I have been drinking cups of hot water instead of more coffee throughout my day.

My redness is fading fast at the end of day 3. I just hope I can sleep tonight because I haven't the last 2. I guess I'm used to being passed out and dreams are something I'm going to have to get used to all over again.

Thanks for the great information!!!!!!

[Thinker762]

It does Jean. Your liver makes and regulates clotting and when you drink reglarly your clotting factors are high (meaning you bleed more easily, clot slower). Over time it makes for kind of friable vasculature, spider veins and petechiae and we bruise easily and badly after minimal injury. We are also more prone to gatrointestial bleeds due to the caustic effect of alcohol on the GI track and poor clotting. It's such a bad combination the drinking and the poor clotting. It's a wonder with the unsteady gait when people are drunk combined with poor clotting people don't sustain more devastating head bleeds. Maybe they do and no one is keeping track. We do so much good for ourselves by quitting.

The clotting factors start to go south in end stage liver diease as in cirrhosis.
By that time the person is jaundice and has ascites (fluid in the belly and extremities), with a little hepatic encephalopathy caused by ammonia build up due to the fact that the liver can no longer metabolize it. Person acts like he's drunk actually.

[Jasdon]

Due to the experience of my own mother I can say that your heart is the # 1 concern, get a stress test. When my mother passed and it was time for organ donation they told me that her liver wasn't a total loss, but they didn't want to risk placing it because of the so-so condition. If she would have lived and continued to drink that was next to go.

April