I've just been diagnosed with cirrhosis.

[zanana1]

For four years in my early twenties, I drank alcoholically. I'm 72 now and I've been sober for 46 years. I'm scheduled for two ultrasounds in the near future. I feel so much shame over this. I don't know why I posted about this; I just had to say it because it doesn't seem real to me.

[multigraincracker]

1. Good luck.

Hope you feel better.
❤️‍🩹

[Lonestarblue]

2. No need to feel shame--we all do stupid things when we're young, and sometimes when we're old!

Hope your treatment goes well.

[LoisB]

3. That is shocking. You should not feel any shame and I hope all turns out well.

[zanana1]

4. Thank you.

[Irish_Dem]

5. You are being too hard on yourself, and shaming yourself unnecessarily.

Science tells us this.

Cirrhosis can be caused by non-alcoholic causes.

People who have consumed alcohol for much longer periods of time don't necessarily get cirrhosis.

Only 10-20% of heavy drinkers get cirrhosis and it is associated with heavy drinking for ten years or more.
So it is rare.

And you don't fit that profile.

There can be other causes or perhaps a genetic predisposition.

So please do not do this to yourself.
Now is a time for you to be kind and supportive to yourself.

[MiHale]

6. Cirrhosis is not always caused from alcohol usage...

My daughter has been diagnosed with cirrhosis the doctors are still working on exactly what the cause is but it’s not from alcohol. Livers can and do repair themselves if the cause is removed. I, myself had a love affair with alcohol drank heavily for decades never was diagnosed with cirrhosis and now at 72 have a liver that is healthy for one of my age and history.

It’s a scary diagnosis, my daughter was beside herself with worry until the doctors reassured her it was not at all life threatening.

Hang in there.

[CurtEastPoint]

15. Bingo... I'm 74, never have been a drinker at all but had hepatitis 40 years ago... damage from that caused mine

[littlemissmartypants]

39. I'm so glad you mentioned this. So sorry to hear about your daughter and wish her all the best.

I had a patient that was diagnosed with drug related cirrhosis with her suspected cause being from long term overuse of acetaminophen.

She suffered with terrible arthritis pain from a young age. She was the sweetest lady. I don't know what eventually happened to her. She was in her seventies and really doing well the last time I saw her.
❤️

[MiHale]

44. Thank you for your good wishes...

She’s young and has really good doctors she’ll recover.

My younger sister who’s 70 had kidney problems caused by acetaminophen, took too regularly because of a not so good knee replacement. I’ve banned that drug in my house. Never worked for me plus with being on a blood thinner I prefer to stay away from pain pills.

[littlemissmartypants]

46. ❤️

[True Blue American]

53. I was just told that Aleeve

Is hard on your body by one of the Doctors who have been treating my broken ankle. I switched to the Tylenol they recommended..

Ankle healing fine, no surgery. I have been taking medications fo osteoporosis and water aerobics. i was told that helped me heal.

[soldierant]

52. I did know acetominaphen is hard on the liver.

It makes me nervous when medical sources tout it as safer than aspirin (or naproxen sodium.) I'd rather take my chances with either of thse then acetominaphen.

[elleng]

54. Thanks for useful and kind info.

[FeelingBlue]

7. Dear Zanana1, despite the fact that you gave

…Yourself and your favorite people the ENORMOUS gift of your sobriety for 46 years, you got nabbed. It may not have been from your four year binge- since the liver can heal. It may be a virus that caused this.

In any case, I’m sorry about this initial diagnosis and am HUGELY PROUD OF YOU (yes, I’m shouting from the rooftops!!!) for your sobriety. You did what my mother and brother didn’t do. You walked away from booze and have already outlived them by 12 years. Do not despair.
Please, please stay in touch with us.

(Not sure this is appropriate to include at all, but, my friend’s friend was a hard-living alcoholic for years and is said to have healed her liver with milk thistle. Have you done any reading about that plant??)

All the very best to you and please continue to let us know how you are doing!!!!!!!❤️

[Duncanpup]

8. Hugs to you.

[mopinko]

9. do u have lower back issues?

i have been having both sciatica and gut issues. turns out it’s the same nerve bundle.
controls intestinal muscles and bladder. when the gut’s not working rt, nothing down there works rt. i just got a dx of early fatty liver disease. my lipids r insane. i’m hoping resolving the gut issues, which r affected but not caused by the nerve thing, things clear up.

[Magoo48]

10. May you know peace and courage as you make your way through this.

I drank hard until I was 35; I am now 75 and coming up on forty years sobriety.

If I’d have kept it up, I wouldn’t have seen my children grow up or experienced any of my grandchildren. Periodically while trudging the road of happy destiny in my sobriety, physical and mental bills have come due as a result of my drinking carrier, but I endeavor to shun regrets.

All the best to you and yours.

[KTinaY2008]

11. My brother died of COViD

this past November. When he was in the hospital they told us he had been diagnosed with cirrhosis of the liver a few years ago. He never told us. My brother never had a drink of alcohol in his life. He hated the stuff. (Or grandfather was an alcoholic.) In 2016, my brother caught a flesh eating bacterial infection and was on many strong antibiotics. They say it was those antibiotics that caused the cirrhosis.

I'm guessing your case of cirrhosis is not alcohol related. What I know about the liver is it's really good at repairing itself. It seems like any damage that might have been done decades ago when you were drinking, would have healed itself.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

12. You have no reason to be ashamed. Your cirrhosis is not caused by alcohol abuse.

It is not shameful to become an alcoholic. People who have genetic predisposition or face big pressures can fall into it. What is shameful is when an alcoholic doesn't recognize it, or recognizes it and does not do what it takes to stop.

You can be proud that in your younger years you recognized it quickly and stopped it.

If you had not stopped it as early as you did, you would not have reached 72 and you would have cirrhosis a decade or two earlier, if you didn't have alcohol-assisted cancer or died in an alcoholic car crash, etc. But regardless, people can get cirrhosis without ever having touched a drop of alcohol. This is effectively your case. A couple of dry decades is plenty long enough for the liver to recover, especially after only 4 years of abuse and stopping at a young age.

You can be proud to have lived to 72, which is a couple of years beyond the approximate life expectancy of a child born in the early 1950s. You did it by making a personal life-affirming decision and sticking to it. In a real sense you won the game already.

Alcohol did not cause your cirrhosis, and may not have had any role in it, because you made the right decision in your mid-twenties.

Lose the shame. You don't own it, you don't need it, you haven't earned it, it doesn't help you, you don't deserve it.

You have earned these kudos and you deserve to hold your head up.

[zanana1]

13. You are all being so kind.

Thank you so much. I really need kindness right now.

[Trueblue Texan]

16. pharmaceutical drugs are often the cause of cirrhosis

https://www.goodrx.com/health-topic/liver/the-ten-worst-medications-for-your-liver

[SheilaAnn]

14. Much love and a huge hug for you, you will get through this. n/t

[70sEraVet]

17. I'm glad you posted this. As many here have told you, there is NO need....

to feel shame. I'm guessing that most of us here (ESPECIALLY the veterans!) WISH that we had only had four stupid years!
I sincerely hope that you have a good recovery, and that you treat yourself with as much kindness and forgiveness as you would treat any OTHER person.

[rainin]

18. Seed oils

I just listened to a discussion on Dr. Berg's channel about the damaging effects of seed oils to the liver. It's scary because seed oils are everywhere. They're cheap so you can't escape them unless you prepare everything yourself. Our food supply is toxic. You can't blame yourself. I'm 59 and have had elevated liver enzymes for years. I'm worried. I'm sorry you're going through this.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

22. Debunked (Harvard) -- just avoid cheap restaurant fried food

https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/hsph-in-the-news/scientists-debunk-seed-oil-health-risks/

Scientists debunk claims of seed oil health risks

June 22, 2022—While the internet may be full of posts stating that seed oils such as canola and soy are “toxic,” scientific evidence does not support these claims, according to experts. Guy Crosby, adjunct associate of nutrition at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, was among those quoted in a May 31, 2022 Consumer Reports article who pushed back on the idea that these oils cause health ills ranging from headaches to heart disease.

While it’s true that many foods that use seed oils—such as packaged snacks and french fries—are unhealthy, they also tend to be high in refined carbohydrates, sodium, and sugar. “Sure, if you cut back on these foods, chances are you’re going to feel better,” Crosby said. But these other components, not the seed oils themselves, are the culprit behind weight gain and other negative health outcomes.

Repeatedly heating unsaturated fats to high temperatures, such as in restaurant deep-fryers where oil is infrequently changed, is a health concern, Crosby said. However, he added, “Cooking with seed oils at home isn’t an issue.”

In addition, experts said that there is no reason to cut back on whole foods that contain omega-6—the type of polyunsaturated fat dominant in seed oils—such as nuts and seeds. Evidence suggests that a diet high in these foods can help lower cholesterol and blood sugar and reduce heart disease risk.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

27. Scientologist Anti-vaxxer Berg is not controversial enough (yet) to be notable enough for a wikipedia article

But he has earned a Rational Wiki article https://rationalwiki.org/wiki/Eric_Berg

Eric Berg (c. 1972–)[1] is an American quack, antivaxxer, chiropractor, cholesterol denialist, conspiracy theorist, scientologist and ketogenic diet advocate. Berg promotes pseudoscientific health advice and quackery.[2][3] Berg is not a medical doctor.[4] Berg practiced chiropractic for 29 years and is now a full-time YouTube blogger who has made thousands of videos offering health advice. Berg has over 10 million subscribers and claims to have made over 5000 videos.[5]

Berg operates the Health and Wellness Center in Alexandria, Virginia. He describes himself as "one of the top ketogenic diet experts in the world".[6] Berg makes many errors in his nutrition videos but does not correct his mistakes. In 2021, he confused dietary cholesterol with serum cholesterol.[7]

In 2024, Berg came out in support of the pseudoscientific carnivore diet.[8]

https://www.youtube.com › watch?v=WTJ1hYqdqzo
Dr. Eric Berg Is A Scam, A Quack And An Awful Human Being | The ...
Dr. Eric Berg is Quack Videos: https://youtu.be/ JvKNzLRmzLg
https://www.youtube.com/Pnix75yLXqE Dr. Eric Be...

https://quackwatch.org › cases › board › chiro › berg
Home Page | Quackwatch
Eric Berg, D.C. operates The Health and Wellness Center in Alexandria, Virginia, has been reprimanded, fined $1,500, and ordered to stop using and promoting Body ResponseTechnique (BRT), Nambudripad’s Allergy Elimination Technique (NAET), Contact Reflex Analysis (CRA), and testing with

https://www.reddit.com › r › nutrition › comments › sloaxf › thoughts_on_dr_eric_berg_very_popular_on_youtube
Thoughts on Dr Eric Berg, very popular on YouTube with over 6 ... - Reddit
Complete and utter quack. As with Thomas delaur and flavcity. It's sad that misinformation like his gets 6 million subs. He seems to have six million subscribers who lack any degree of critical thinking skills. He's a Scientologist and isn't even a legit medical doctor, he's a chiropractor.

https://www.reddit.com › r › nutrition › comments › 104zc38 › is_there_any_comprehensive_lists_of_quacks_who
Is there any comprehensive lists of quacks who are active in ... - Reddit
Quack all stars: Chiro Eric Berg (and the rest of the YouTube chiros and naturopaths) Thomas delaur Dr Fung Lustig Ken berry Neal Bernard Paul Saladino (carnivore Md) ... Dr. Berg tells us to avoid nightshades such as potatoes/tomatos because they drive up inflammation. Inflammation in who, though? Different people react differently to ...

https://www.reddit.com › r › keto › comments › 6stigb › a_word_of_caution_about_eric_berg_on_youtube
A word of caution about Eric Berg on YouTube... : r/keto - Reddit
The first line from his bio: "Eric Berg, DC, 52 years of age is a chiropractor who specializes in weight loss through nutritional and natural methods." He also posts his educational background, the exact licenses he holds and any past or present affiliations with any professional group. Reply. jmglee87three.

[viva la]

35. Sometimes coincidence is uncanny--

I was looking for arm exercises on Youtube just this morning, and this Dr. Berg popped up. He's got a lot of very avid fans.

[Fla Dem]

19. No shame is necessary. Many of us I'm sure regret somethings we did in our youth.

Even some things we did as adults when we knew better. You turned yourself around and now have a good and fulfilling life. I hope you have friends and family you can lean on for support.

Just know we are here for you whenever you need to reach out for support and just to express your anxieties and frustrations.

[niyad]

20. huggggggggs to you. There is absolutely no reason to feel ashamed. As

others have correctly pointed out, there are many non-alcohol-related causes for cirrhosis, including binge dieting (a doctor friend told us this over 50 years ago in a discussion a group of us were having about health issues).

Please do not beat yourself up, and do take very good care of yourself. Your DU family is here for you. Lean as hard as you need.

[AllyCat]

21. I'm sorry for your diagnosis. There is no shame.

Please be gracious with yourself.

[rurallib]

23. It is probably not your direct fault. Focus on healing and zap those

negative feelings and self-incrimination. Even if you are at fault focus on the healing.

[Joinfortmill]

24. Very sorry to hear this.

We all did things in our 20s. Keep us posted. I prayed for you - can't hurt.

[surfered]

25. We have a friend in his 80s diagnosed a few years ago with stage 4 cirrhosis..

And he is still doing well. Follow your doctors advice. Good luck.

[samnsara]

26. (((hugs)))

[enid602]

28. Fatty liver disease

Over 50% of American adults have non-alcohol related fatty liver. That’s over 50% of the people responding to your OP today. I’m surprised your doctor would diagnose cirrhosis without FIRST giving you the ultrasound.

[Hope22]

29. Be easy with yourself.

Treat your body with kind and gentle care. Love to you. 💗💗🙏🏼

[marble falls]

30. There's no shame. We do what we do and we make adjustments later. The liver is amazing in it's ability to fix itself ...

... you've gone to get treatment and there is hope. There's not anyone of us who can't cringe or regret at least one thing we've done to ourselves in the past, but we cannot allow these things to define us even if it's only to ourselves.

It ain't where ya been, it's how you've traveled since.

[cate94]

31. It isn't your fault.

As many have pointed out there are other causes.

[et tu]

32. take care and hopefully heal

[BigmanPigman]

33. I wonder if a person's DNA is also a factor.

I've read biographies and it seems that some people can drink their entire lives and they don't die from anything related to it. I think it is a medical crap shoot half the time. It's like smoking. My friend stopped but 40 years later got lung cancer at 79 years old. Others can smoke up a storm yet they remain fairly healthy.

[soldierant]

55. I strongly suspect that it is, and a big one.

I don't like to be loud about it because it's not really possible, and that goes tenfold for a lay person like me, to distinguish between just congenital and DNA-related congenital

[viva la]

34. Don't feel shamed! This is an illness.

I'm sorry you got such a diagnosis, but you can't blame yourself. I hope the ultrasounds provide some useful information to determine the best treatment. Hugs!

[IbogaProject]

36. Try this

The supement Alpha Liopic Acid has been shown to be able to reverse your type cirrhosis. It is used in combination with a standardized extract of Milk Thistle called Silymarin that can greatly slow any progression from getting worse.

https://www.medigraphic.com/cgi-bin/new/resumenI.cgi?IDARTICULO=40140#:~:text=According%20to%20open%20studies%2C%20the,treatment%20of%20fatty%20liver%20disease.

This study of studies focuses on all liver disease but the combo has been shown to work on reversing post alcohol cirrhosis.

[sdfernando]

37. I'm rooting for you zanana1 !!!

There is no shame in recognizing a problem and fixing it! The shame is recognizing it and NOT fixing it.

I applaud you and congratulate you on your sobriety. I wish my uncle did what you were able to. He died in his mid-50s leaving behind 4 motherless children (she died many years earlier).

I hope your treatment goes well and is successful. I’m rooting for you!

[hay rick]

38. We are all subject to random violence from the universe.

A close friend died recently from lung cancer. He contracted it 30+ years after he gave up smoking.

Your cirrhosis may or may not be related to your youthful indiscretion. Your feeling of guilt is surely normal but serves no useful function. You could also congratulate yourself on having recognized your problematic behavior, correcting it and avoiding the possibility of living with or dying of cirrhosis at the age of 30 or 40. Hopefully you have caught the disease at a treatable stage. You have my deepest sympathy.

[littlemissmartypants]

40. Stay encouraged, zanana1. Sending you healing vibes and a hug.

Don't be too hard on yourself. ❤️

[Dear_Prudence]

41. Reverse Golden Rule

I am so sorry this has happened to you, zanana1. I experienced shame upon my breast cancer diagnosis because I am overweight, a supposed risk factor. However, it never crossed my mind to blame or shame any other woman for such a diagnosis. In a reverse Golden Rule, some of us must learn to do unto ourselves as we would do unto others; to be as kind and supportive to ourselves as we would be to any friend facing health challenges. Please be kind to yourself and find the very best medical treatment.

[mountain grammy]

42. Big hugs

Best of luck with treatment and like so many have said here, don’t beat yourself up. Just concentrate on healing.

[brewens]

43. I drank competitively for about 15 years, then regularly for another ten and have no liver problems.

It never makes sense. I know guys that drank like fish into their 80s and something else got them.

I'd have a hard time believing that four years was what did it or that you'd be in really bad shape just from the alcohol. Good luck.

[XanaDUer2]

45. I'm sorry

[captain queeg]

47. There are some cause-effect things with the human body, but they are not always responsible

The body is very complex and one can drive themselves crazy trying to always connect the dots. All you can do is try to live fairly healthily because so much is unpredictable. I’ve been diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a cancer of the bone marrow. People ask me what caused it. There are really no known risk factors, it just happens. It’s essentially been at a very low stage for years and I don’t receive treatment. I just go in for blood tests a couple times a year. No use trying to figure it out, it just is. In the overall scheme of things I’m fairly healthy.

[TBF]

48. Be kind to yourself -

there are 2 major decisions I made in my life I wish I could change, but these things happen. We just have to do the best we can from day to day going forward. I hope your doctors have some strategies for you going forward. ((hugs))

[Warpy]

49. It's unlikely that remote alcohol abuse like yours is the cause

In fact , I'd say give yourself a pat on the back for pulling your head out and getting some help at 26. That's pretty remarkable.

Mayo Clinic has a good article on non alcoholic liver disease. Read it, and talk things over with your doctor. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/nonalcoholic-fatty-liver-disease/symptoms-causes/syc-20354567

[Skittles]

50. hey

alcohol use is not the exclusive cause of cirrhosis and even if it was the cause in your case, you have NOTHING to be ashamed of - you beat your demon back than and you can fight now - we are here for you

[onecaliberal]

51. Hugs

[OAITW r.2.0]

56. I'm 71.2 and I have drunk and smoked tobacco / pot for 50 years.

I have my own cancers to deal with.....such is life.

Don't mean to sound cruel. Point is we are at the end of days, Or pretty close.

[tazkcmo]

57. You're human.

Congratulations for defeating your alcoholism, many don't.

[peggysue2]

58. Nothing to be ashamed of, zanana

My husband was diagnosed with cirrhosis last year, First question was:

Are you a drinker?

He is/was not beyond a couple of social events. So, he's been labeled a non-alcoholic cirrhosis patient.

Not that it makes any difference; the disease is the same.

Shortly after the cirrhosis diagnosis, he was diagnosed with a liver carcinoma. Had surgery after which the surgeon said any other lesions/tumors would have to be addressed without a surgical approach. His liver is too scarred and fibrous which made even this first round challenging.

Just last week, my husband saw a new liver specialist. He asked her if there were levels or stages of cirrhosis? She answered: Cirrhosis is the last stage of liver impairment. That answer shocked him.

Right now, he's doing fine. He's keeping his weight down, trying to eat healthy and is back to walking.

It sucks but it is what it is. You just have to take each day as it comes. I've told hubby: thank the Universe when you wake up in the morning. Might not be sound medical advice but it can't hurt.