After three years of sobriety I thought all my physical problems would be over.
After the hell I have been going through for this past week, I found out that alcohol is still doing damage to me.
The hell I have endured this past week
This past week I have been through so much due to my alcoholism that ended a little over three years ago.
I never even thought that something I had stopped so long ago would catch up to me. Well, it did!
Let me tell you about it…
This past Wednesday, I took myself to the emergency room because I had some severe abdominal pains. I also had some bleeding going on for five days prior to that. It is not a place you want blood to come from either.
I was not going to tell this story but I figured that it needed to be told.
I had what is referred to as an upper GI bleed. The definition of an upper GI bleed is this:
Upper gastrointestinal bleeding (sometimes upper GI or UGI bleed or hemorrhage) refers to bleeding in the upper gastrointestinal tract, commonly defined as bleeding arising from the esophagus, stomach, or duodenum. Blood may be observed in vomit (hematemesis) or in altered form in the stool (melena).
Yeah, does not sound too fun does it now…
Yes, so I had this upper GI bleed and the only way I found this out was with an Endoscopic Examination. It is when they stick a camera down your throat (while slightly knocked out) so they can view the contents of your stomach and other areas around it.
Well, I had small lesions in my stomach lining and was told that it was possibly caused by my past alcoholism and not only that but excessive amounts of Ibuprofen. I sometimes take Ibuprofen for my severe sciatic pain.
I spent the night in the hospital being pumped with all types of medication some of which were:
- Pantoprazole – This medicine is a proton pump inhibitor (PPI) used to treat ulcers, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), erosive esophagitis, Zollinger-Ellison syndrome. This medicine works by blocking acid production in the stomach.
- Percocet – This medicine is a narcotic and analgesic combination used to relieve moderate to moderately severe pain.
- IV fluids
The next day I was released yet I still had that same severe pain that was hitting me on Wednesday not knowing I had other issues… I would not know until Friday night what was causing it.
In-between Wednesday and Friday night I actually went back to work Friday morning, thinking all would be fine and the pain I was feeling was caused by what I was diagnosed with, I was wrong.
Friday night in the emergency room
Yes,I went back to the doctor in the morning after leaving early from work with the same abdominal pains I had on Wednesday not really knowing I had another issue.
I went into a walk in clinic for a follow up of my stay with the hospital to find out the results and everything came back just as I said above… It was an upper GI bleed but that was not explaining my lower abdominal pains.
Alcohol is still doing damage to me-Even after three years!
Not only did I have this upper GI bleed another issue was happening, I have a Kidney Stone!
The doctor I had seen earlier in the day on Friday told me that my lower abdominal pain may be something named Ulcerative Colitis.
Ulcerative Colitis is this:
Ulcerative Colitis (UC) is a chronic, or ongoing, disease that affects the colon and rectum, together known as the large intestine. The innermost lining of the large intestine becomes inflamed, and ulcers, which are tiny open sores, could form on the surface.
It’s the inflammation in the lining of the large intestine that causes the painful symptoms commonly associated with UC. Inflammation causes the large intestine to empty frequently, leading to diarrhea that — because of the ulcers — can sometimes be bloody.
More fun eh?? Yeah…Not at all!
I left the doctor with not much help from him as far as any type of medication for the pain which at the time was excruciating!
I spent the next few hours doubled over in pain to the point where I decided to take myself back to the ER again.
This time with all the information I had about what was told to me in the hospital and what the other doctor had told me in the walk in clinic, I was able to explain to the ER doctor what was going on better with me this time.
He checked me for other causes. I am so glad he did! I went in for a CT Scan and found out that I have a Kidney Stone and not only that but a hernia in my right testicle!! How’s that for insult to injury?!
Now, I had been researching Ulcerative Colitis since I been home and if that is what I might have along with everything else, this would explain the presence of a Kidney Stone. When researching it, I found out that it is one thing that can happen when feces backs up in your colon.
Now, I am not 100% sure I even have UC but I will be finding out this Friday when I go see a GI doctor.
So, you see, all of this was due to my alcoholism over three years ago and my body is not all too healed from my alcoholism after all these years! So, now you can see why I titled this post as: Alcohol is still doing damage to me.
I tell you these stories so you can see what alcohol does and will do to you. I am not out of the woods as they say. The addiction may be a thing of my past but the effects are still being felt!
Get sober now! Don’t wait until it is too late!!
You CAN do this!
Take care 🙂
For more information on long term affects of alcohol please read here
