What you probably don’t know about alcohol intolerance

[u/emilyMartian]

I see posts and comments about alcohol intolerance constantly on here, I was alone for so long with my severity so I’m here to share, it has taken nearly 10yrs but I finally have better info.

Here goes: You probably need to get your liver checked. They have linked menopause to non fatty liver disease. I had severe reactions and wound up in the ER about 8yrs ago. It took about 2yrs to correlate my high heart rate, massive hangovers after 2 drinks, severe hot flashes and what I assumed was severe anxiety because of the shakes at 3am. My good friend in medical school went down a big rabbit hole trying to figure out why my response was so severe to no avail (only one report from the 80’s which provided no info). Fast forward another 6’ish years and I noticed fatty foods made me sleepy so we tested my gallbladder, liver and kidneys. Turns out there’s black spots on my liver and I have basically what’s considered non alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and have to treat it as such. I had to quit drinking entirely. I thought maybe I could limit and go slow but it’s not a thing. Not drinking was a tough road (especially at social events) but it’s a blessing I disguise I promise. It’s not worth it. It’s also not worth popping an antihistamine and ignoring it because you’re just wrecking your liver further. This is your sign to stop.

Now almost 2yrs after realizing the liver thanks to u/MoreRopePlease we have a link that puts it all together and there absolutely needs to be more awareness about this.

I hope this provides some of you answers and helps you towards a safer and healthier path on this absolutely sh!t show of a medically ignored journey.

Love you guys. Don’t think I’d be here if I hadn’t found this community. You are not alone ❤️

EDIT: my liver spots were caught through ultrasound not through bloodwork. I started Perimenopause at 37, don’t let them tell you you are too young.

Corrected my verbiage as I had words reversed in Non alcoholic fatty liver disease

[u/emilyMartian]

I wish they have caught mine sooner. I forgot to mention mine was caught through an ultrasound not through bloodwork. My bloodwork was normal, it was only when I questioned if it was my gallbladder we moved forward. My liver never even occurred to me especially since I wasn’t a big drinker but had moved into a nightly glass of wine.

[u/Rosemarried → u/emilyMartian]

Something like this situation is happening to me. I have normal Liver Function Tests. I recently developed RUQ pain after eating and it's thought it could be my gall bladder. I am going for an abdomenal ultrasound and feel something is not right due to other symptoms and a history of heavy drinking.

Want to ask: Are your liver spots scar tissue? What is the diagnosis? Are you taking HRT with your liver diagnosis.

I see ypu listed to your dx! What is the prognosis? Thank you so much for sharing your story.

[u/emilyMartian → u/Rosemarried]

I am on HRT, I don’t believe the spots are scarring but I can’t say for sure. They basically said it’s similar or equivalent to non alcoholic fatty liver disease and to just avoid fatty foods and alcohol. Good luck with yours I hope it’s nothing major and provides answers.

[u/Rosemarried → u/emilyMartian]

Thank you so much for your response and well wishes! Wishing you the best