Drinking, Liver, and No Surgery

[chubbychunkythickplump 19]

I have a question for Post Ops.

Were any of you beer drinkers before you were Sleeved? I am a beer drinker now and I am scared that my liver might be to damaged to have surgery. I am not an alcoholic by any means but, when I was in my 20's I partied a lot with and loved Vodka (ouch!) but now I am in my mid thirties and a couple nights a week I do like to come home from work and have a few Ice Cold ones. I am a big girl and can put them away, I can drink anywhere from 12-15 beers and still be good to go to work in the morning.

So with all that said is there anyone out there that can relate to this? And although I love my beer I am fully aware I will not be drinking it anymore very soon. I would rather have surgery have be healthy and live than drink beer and have a heart attack before I am 40. Is there a test or something I can ask to have to check my liver? I would hate to go into the OR and be woken up with the news that it didn't get done because I have cirrhosis. Maybe I am just panicking, I don't know.

[Wynnie 186]

Prior to your procedure a full blood work up, along with many other in depth health testing, will be conducted and your lver function is part of that so you will know long before you are on the table. Also if you are truly drinking 12-15 beers a day you should consider counseling as going cold tukey will be very tough. Be well and get your blood work.

[VSGAnn2014 12,992]

I read a post here last week by a patient who said his/her surgeon started the surgery, discovered the patient's liver was cirrhotic, and didn't proceed with the surgery.

So yes, if you have cirrhosis of the liver you probably can't have WLS.

But I don't know how the surgeon can find out prior to surgery if your liver is cirrhotic.

If you're concerned, maybe you should stop drinking now.

Edited August 8, 2014 by VSGAnn2014

[BitterSweet* 835]

Easily tolerating 12-15 beers means your physical body may have a dependency issue, even if you feel as though your mind does not; the amount is excessive and you'll know if it's really a problem or not by doing one simple thing........Stop drinking.

If you can easily do this and move on with your days and nights without a problem, then you're good and have nothing to worry about.

If you cannot simply give up alcohol (all kinds) today and not be consumed with urges to drink so much so that you give in, you may have a dependency issue and need help.

Only offering my opinion of course, as someone who has seen others battle with addictions to drugs and alcohol for years. Damage to your liver is possible after years of binge drinking, and 12 to 15 beers in one night (a couple of times a week) falls into this category. Liver function tests (LFT) is a blood test that can be done to somewhat assess the health of your liver, but you may need an ultrasound done.

The good news is that no matter the circumstance, the liver is only one of two organs the human body has that's capable of regenerating itself. It is a very resilient organ and heals nicely once the offending thing (in this case, alcohol) is stopped.

I'd suggest doing a liver cleanse of some sort, and giving up alcohol completely. Add lemon juice to your Water and it'll also help your liver to function better and begin healing.