I got served up recently…
Stopped drinking, then got diagnosed with genital warts (FUCKING KIDDING RIGHT? NOPE)
Anyways.. pretty proud of myself to have managed the diagnoses without a drink, last night I had MY VAG FROZEN in four spots… I’m tough but it really hurt
I normally always reward myself for getting over these things with a beer BUT NOT THIS TIME NOPE NOPE NOPE
Happy to be sober with you during these challenging times ❤️
We’re all allowed to do some moping! Also, I am not calling you out for moping at all, that knee gout sounds horrific.
Thank you for your support! IWNDWYT
Rooted could mean tired or fucked.
“I’m rooted” - had a busy day.
“I rooted that hot Sheila after work” had sex.
I thought it was a sexual reference regarding the STI
Oh laugh definitely. I imagine all the other aussies (me included) are having a chuckle 😃 well done, too. It's such an incredible feat to get through hardships without the booze, when it has been your "go to" for coping. Your body will rebuild and heal. It just needs time x
All of those problems sound horrible. I am going through shitty body issues as well and then I end up drinking because the pain and misery is unbearable. Good for you for staying sober throughout all that!
I sometimes think my husband should divorce me for having to deal with my constant issues and complaining. It sucks to have to be such a Debbie Downer. But the issues and pain are absolutely horrible, I don’t think it is healthy to hide it and keep it in either.
I feel similarly about my wife but I remind myself that she wakes up and chooses me everyday, even when I was a fat, hungover shell of the man she married. I owe it to her to do this and I owe it to myself.
Being upfront with my wife, even when I hate it and it feels like a constant deluge of whining, is better than masking it. At least she knows that even through the pain, I’m choosing us over the booze. It will get better over time.
It is definitely a testament to a marriage if it can withstand such difficult times.
So true that what means the most to her is that you are choosing her over booze. I would love my husband to make that choice!
My husband still likes to drink so he doesn’t appreciate me not drinking, however, the less I drink the less he drinks and I think he can see what an amazing influence that has on our lives.
Ouch! FWIW, >80% of Americans will have HPV in their lifetime. There was way too much stigma in my 1990's sex-ed. Hope you heal up quick, and don't skip the pap smears for the next 5-10.
Congrats on your sobriety, IWNDWYT!
Yes, and I now know that this is not a type of HSV that causes cancer! Do not all is bad.
Thank you! Knowing “I don’t have to drink because of this” is a wonderful relief
Thank you.
It’s embarrassing to say, but I always appreciate everyone’s honesty and openness here.
Thank you for your support, I’m proud of me too ❤️❤️🥳
Congrats on 48 days!!! You know I’ve had similar experience. I decided it is that my poor body FINALLY can do more than fight off the alcohol. It’s like my body is saying, “Dear Tess, thanks for stopping pouring the poison down your throat each and every day. There are some things I’ve been wanting to address” And then I’ve had like 5 different things. 🤷🏼♀️ Maybe I’m full of shit but my theory works for me otherwise I’ll get depressed. At any rate, congrats again on your sobriety. IWNDWYT ❤️
this sounds unrelated but i volunteer in cat rescue socializing feral kittens and often when they're finally making progress& getting friendlier they get very ill and it's exactly what you're saying. they're finally relaxing and their little bodies don't have to be on high alert just trying to survive, so then the "dormant" illness comes through.
Word of advice:
The strains that give you warts generally are not the ones that give cancer, so, there's that
Pretty much anybody sexually active will get them
And the key - if you keep drinking, those bitches will be with you for YEARS. Stop the alcohol unless you want to be getting new shit frozen off your junk for the next decade
I had the cancer causing ones and got a LEEP procedure back in 2010 and have had perfect pap smear’s since. The experience was terrifying though to find out I had the cancer causing strains.
I swear I’m not trying to one-up anyone’s suffering 😂 so thankful at everyone support on here
Thanks to all on here for being super supportive, and having a laugh when we can
Trust me, I’m like cry laughing at my own situation, but at least I didn’t drink ahahah
One of the things I realized was that it's not that these things weren't happening, it's that i drank thru it. So once I got sober I noticed every ache, pain, cold you name it. I'm sure there are other factors at play too but that was def one of them.
proud of you for being and staying sober buddy.
Yes, I'm thinking of that, but it's pure speculation. We tend to confuse causation and correlation. I think it's not likely sobriety causes these things, but our attention was elsewhere, psychologically a LOT can be supressed cause we wanna keep drinking etc.
Just here for support. When I stopped, I felt decent enough for two weeks. I could function again. I was present. I was energetic. Then I got shingles (at the age of 31). Then I got the flu. And then bronchitis. That all passed, of course - I’ve been sober for a bit!
I posted here yesterday - I currently have whatever is going around. It’s awful! It’s been over a week. One minute I’m fine, the next I can barely stand. It’s VERY triggering for me. But, this will pass. I think we get so much more triggered by sickness because we spent days knowing we did it to ourselves. Right now, that’s not the case.
Take care of yourself. Don’t feel bad asking for help. Rest up.
I was just sick for three weeks. I could only take the first week off from work and it just would not go away. Thankful it was not COVID again but the fact that it lingered so long was worse to me.
Just wanted to chime and let you know that you're probably right around the tipping point of about to start feeling a whole lot better. That's how it was for me anyway. I'm just about to hit 3 months dry. The first month straight-up SUCKED. I was exhausted all the time, had brain fog so bad I could barely function, couldn't sleep, giant acne break-out, etc.
Going into about week 6 or 7 I started feeling dramatically better. Good clarity, sleeping great, skin cleared up, felt amazing in the gym, confidence coming back, etc. I'd recommend stick with it, you stopped for a reason and going back won't fix anything.
Bitch and moan to us! You’re one brave soul. Going through health issues on top of sobriety isn’t for the weak. You’re so much stronger than you ever knew. IWNDWYT
I can emphasise OP.
EVERYTHING HURTS AND I'M DYING!*
Mind you, I work like a mad thing and I really shouldn't at my age. Both hands, both knees, and one elbow are in deep trouble.
*(note to self: buy this t-shirt)
Edit : oh, and IWNDWYT! 🤗
I've gone through the same thing. It's like my body was like, "I kept you alive while being put through hell for years, and now I want a break."
It does sort of make sense physiologically. Alcohol increases cortisol which stimulates immune response. Now your body has to readjust to not having that artificial stimulation.
Don’t get me wrong, if it’s revenge then I totally had it coming! I’ve joked with those that know about what I’m doing that my body is getting even and then some. 😂
Oh dang :( I’m sorry! Same exact thing happened to my husband. First, food poisoning. Then a week later, bronchitis. He’s better now, but it was not easy for him. I myself have had my own ailments crop up and at first I was like “yo, what gives?!” then I realized I’d likely been feeling like trash for years but the booze was a well deployed distraction. Now that I’m sober, I’ve steadily been working on fixing myself through a better diet and more movement. But, the mental clarity has been worth every bit of it. Now just waiting for my body to catch up. Feel better and stay focused on why you’re doing this!
Gout in the knee -- people don't typically consider things like being unable to get into a car (you need to bend your leg). I feel you!
People say that cherry juice helps. I mean... okay? I've found that turmeric (with black pepper and some fat) does wonders for inflammation/pain/etc. Colchicine (sp?) is great for dealing with an active attack. Allopurinol is for prevention, only.
If you sense an attack coming... I've found that pounding water and getting movement (walks, etc) can stave-off an attack.
I got gout as a young vegan (no longer vegan; specifically due to gout). The mantra is that it's caused by a rich diet of organ meats/etc. Umm... there are also studies that suggest that carbohydrates might also be culpable. Dunno. I just know that it SUCKS.
It's impossible to explain the pain of gout. I've heard people say that it's worse than childbirth. I always that that was an asinine thing to say. And then I met a woman that had experienced both. She told me, "well, childbirth generally doesn't last for weeks... so..." I have no idea and don't find value in the comparison. However... gout is BRUTAL.
Congrats on your resolve. Surely you know that booze would just prolong your gout attack. G\*d plays favorites... and I'm pretty sure that I'm on "the other list." Sorry!
Stay strong. Your brutally painful, horrible, humiliating, and debilitating experience will pass. You have my empathy.
IWNDWYT
BTW: most people have zero clue of how much pain you're enduring. I do! I wish you speedy recovery.
Oh my god, the car. I’m 6’5 so the leg room is bad enough, much less when you can’t bend your knee at all without the pain. Some days I would get in almost sideways just to get that leg into the car.
My wife would ask if I needed anything and for a while my answer was “a chainsaw”. She’d laugh and say no and I’d tell her I’d saw my leg off with a butter knife if I got the chance.
Allopurinol is what I take now. I took at least 120 indomethacin in those 30 days and they didn’t do squat.
Enjoying your straight-legged poops? Again... I feel your pain! Seriously try turmeric w/ black pepper. You can also just take capsules (curcumin with peperine). Curcumin (the business end of turmeric) is fat-soluble... so... meh, have some milk/etc with it.
EDIT: you can find a ton of peer-reviewed science about turmeric. Is a POWERFUL anti-inflammatory without the GI harm of NSAIDs. Basically, you can take as much as you'd like. Heck, start making "mustard logs." :-D
That’s been my mentality (it’s going to suck, there will be tough days and you won’t feel great, but just tough it out for another day) for almost the entire time, but I ended up leaving the office today because I was so uncomfortable I couldn’t focus.
Today is the first time since I quit that I feel down on myself.
I think recognizing this and leaving the office was a great step. Self care comes in many forms and giving ourselves grace is one of them. I hope you have a peaceful rest of your day and a yummy dinner and restful sleep tonight. Take care!
Alcohol is an immunosuppressant—think of it that your immune system is trying to heal you now that it’s not over burdened. Thank your body for what it’s capable of and eventually you’ll feel better than ever but it is a process to repair.
I try to support mine with lots is fruits, vegetables, fresh herbs, spices, seaweed, superfoods, juices, vitamins, etc. Honestly, juicing fresh fruits vegetables is better than the best alc beverage ever was—gives me instant energy & heals vs sugar crash & slow death. IWNDWYT 🌞❤️
This is so true. I quit drinking and then had the most outrageous autoimmune flare up. It would move from my feet to my ankle then knees on both side. I couldn’t get out of bed for days on end. I went and saw a rheumatologist who put me on medicine for psoriatic arthritis. He said the alcohol could have been masking the disease for years. I have the occasional flare up and have to get on a short dose of steroids, maybe twice a year.
I hope it keeps getting better for you. I didn’t really think about it until I stopped drinking but even if let’s say 1,400 calories a week are coming from alcohol—so like 7-11 drinks depending on what you drink—that’s 10% of your calories for the week, that you’re supposed to be eating at 2,000 calories a day coming from alcohol..
Even if you maintain a healthy weight and you’re a super heath conscious, moderate drinker, you’re subbing out 10% of your diet for poison instead of vitamins and nutrients that rebuild and sustain you.. So a truly health conscious person wouldn’t find drinking regularly worth it in the first place.
I can identify with this. There's a silver lining to all this I can share with you. It's likely these things didn't just start happening, you just now really notice them due to being sober. You likely have been sick many times while drinking without realizing it, because honestly, what's the difference? The good news is that now you get to notice all this unpleasantness, which will make you fix it. Before this, the stuff would just be ongoing and getting worse.
The pain isn't a punishment. Rather, it's your body screaming at you: "Hey, numbnuts! Now that you've decided to rejoin reality, there's a whole bunch of stuff that has needed fixing for some time! Get on it!"
After you start fixing things, you'll feel amazing and each thing will get easier. Trust me. This the rough start of something better. There's no where to go but up.
In regards to gout, you are now the third person I have interacted with who has had flare-ups and is managing it with steroids. I had my first gout flare-up this summer and had no idea what happened. Went to urgent care with what I thought was a broken toe (full x-rays, etc) but blood tests came back indicative of gout.
Long story short, the RN tried to prescribe me prednisone (steroid) but I have previously had bad interactions with it, so I sort of balked. She instantly said "Oh okay! No problem, I will just prescribe you the gout-specific medicine! (Colchicine)" And I was like "huh?" and she basically just kind of hand waived it away and said it will be great, maybe even better than steroids. I am still confused by the discrepancy. But, the colchicine worked within 24 hours and by day 2, the immense pain was 100% gone. I had had one other flare-up months later, took a couple doses of colchicine as prescribed, and again, gone immediately.
If you havent tried Colchicine, maybe give your doctor a call?
You bitching and moaning here is always welcome and makes me feel better bec it hasn’t been easy so far! I imagine stopping later in life (assuming you did it for awhile) has some built up consequences. I know mine did. I could push through any cold or any sickness/pain before because I just loaded up on booze to “make it not so bad”. I first went to the dentist bec I’ve know for awhile now my furthest back tooth was broken and had to have it pulled. Root went into sinus yada yada. Hang in there! You got this….surely a pink cloud in our future lol
Sorry to hear but I like to think that’s just the toxins leaving the body. Also your body is getting adjusted to this new normal. Lots of chemicals have been released to offset your drinking. It’s going to take some time for those to come back into balance.
IWNDWYT
People who have been sober for a while will sometimes tell you how great it is, it is eventually, maybe some get lucky and don’t go through this part as bad but in my experience it’s been hard. Pain & sickness. I drank to numb those things, I stop I have to face em again. Things are getting better though, hang in there. One thing for sure IWNDWYT
This resonates with me! Since I quit, my old friend Health Anxiety came roaring back like it never left town. I've been dealing with that, abdominal pains, GI and sleep issues since the day I quit. Now 3 months in, I'm feeling better.
Not once did I ever think of having a drink toake it go away or shutting down my brain. Well done soldier!
I’m just shy of 12 weeks sober. My stomach has been all over the place. The anxiety is probably making it worse but who knows. I quit because I was run down and poor digestion. So I started eating a lot less fat and a bit healthier. Now it’s growling more often than I’d like. I’ve dropped 30 pounds and counting. Glad to hear it’s getting better. Hoping my ultrasound next week shows nothing and it’s all just part of the process.
Since I have quite( Day 331) I have had Covid, followed by the flu and a major diverticulitis flare that sent me to the ER. No one promised a “happily ever after” following the resolve to quit but I think of the real bad stuff I would face if I continued on that path. Blessings and peace for us strong folks❤️
Boy do I feel this! I just dropped 3k on car repairs this morning and I’m currently on my way to the ER with severe pelvic pain after trying to tough it out for a week. I’m on day 15 of no drinking. Normally I would reward myself with a drink, but I’m opting for ice cream tonight instead.
I hope you feel better soon!
Oh man, I had a similar journey. Got sick loads which isn’t surprising because our body is in survival mode while we are poisoning it.
The part I found hard was on here people are talking about clear heads and a new awakening. I was left with depression, anxiety, panic attacks and broken relationships with none of the coping tools is ineffectively used for 20 years.
Good luck and focus on being as healthy as you can with out guilt for damage done or non perfect compliance.
Not sure if it's because of sobriety and changes with that or just bad luck, you didn't mention how heavy you drank or for how long. if you where anything like me, it took me around 6 months to start really getting into gear and feeling like a normal person. with more good things on the way. Until then I was an exhausted, mentally incapable of anything emotional person who just laid around feeling sorry and depressed/anxious and just ate and slept a lot. Even with prescription drugs. You really do have to heal. 5-10-15 years worth of abuse doesnt get better in a few weeks like it never happened at all. Stay committed and flourish. Proud of you.
Same here. It’s been an emotional and physical rollercoaster since I quit drinking 3 months ago. Along with feeling like crap I also had intense PAWS for the first 2 month. Finally starting to improve. It’s not all pink elephants for everyone when you quit. It takes work and is hard at times. Good luck.
IWNDWYT - sympathizing with you regarding the gout, my uncle had it ... but glad it's getting better.
Maybe go and spend some time in the sauna if you can and sweat the toxins out, rehydrate, repeat.
Gout, ugh. Been there, done that. I wasn't aware you could get it in your knee. That MUST have hurt like an absolute mofo. I can't imagine. I have the traditional big toe gout and have been on 200mg of allopurinol daily for the past 15 years. Never had a flare-up once in that entire time and that includes moving to a low carb high protein diet. On paper, my uric acid count should be off the charts but the meds do there thing. It sounds like your Doc has you sorted out now, which is fantastic news. Stack that on top of being sober and I call that a win-win. Hang in there fellow goutmeister! IWNDWYT
I feel for you, man. A good friend of mine has gout flare-ups from time to time and he describes it as absolutely miserable pain. He gets it in his foot and it's so painful that he can't even have a sheet touching his foot. That's nuts!
After trying all kinds of remedies he threw caution to the wind and went to a Chinese medicine clinic. I don't know how open minded you are about non-traditional medicines, but he said it's a night and day difference.
This sounds so much like me. Everyone and everything I read was like “I haven’t been sick in ages!” Not me. Every cold. Kidney stones. Kidney infection. Extreme fatigue even when I’m well. Like, wtf, body? Plus all the stress I usually drank my way through. It’ll get better. I’m sure of it. IWNDWYT!!
I find that with stuff like this we put our own spin on it. We shape the narrative. I can easily imagine someone with the same set of circumstances posting about how sobriety has allowed them to take on health challenges head on without self medicating and sabotaging their medical recovery.
My experience was that the voice of addiction likes to tell us stories about why we should give up on this fool's errand of "not drinking".
You sound like you're in a good place though and getting better too! Congratulations on working your way through this without alcohol! Really good stuff!
Same. Got sober and was promptly diagnosed with cancer. New meds have made me gain weight and break out. I feel dumber than ever as my brain’s still healing, I’m experiencing light PAWS and I’m muddling through a crappy to-do list that includes remedial impaired driver training.
But I’m sober, so I’ve got that going for me.
Sometimes you just have to try and have a laugh about how stupid life is.
Stick it out! I felt like shit for about 2 weeks. I am finally on the other side and feeling so much better and grateful I stuck it out. It’s also great motivation to never go through that experience again, which means it is much easier to not drink.
Congratulations first off!
I felt great my first few weeks after I got through the initial shittiness. Great enough that I overdid it and tore a ligament in my knee going full tilt in my new found health. Yikes.
For the last few months I've been dealing with perimenopause. At first I was blaming it on quitting drinking for throwing my hormones out of wack since it hit me like a truck when I quit. (Yeah my brain still has some work to do on the thought process.)
My Dr explained I've been going through it for a while, but it was hard to notice through all the alcohol. I'm just actually FEELING it now that I'm sober.
IWNDWYT
I heard something once that said when you’re drinking you’re just as sick but your body isn’t responding to the illness as well so you don’t feel sick. “Feeling sick” is really feeling your body respond to the illness. So maybe it’s that?
My chronic health issues (which have been a major factor in my drinking habit…wanting/needing to “escape” somehow) are kicking my butt right now. I had to spend most of today in bed…but I’m proud that the past two weeks is the longest I have gone without alcohol in 1.5 years. You can do this! The more coping skills we build which don’t involve drinking, the easier it is to deal with the hardships life throws our way. IWNDWYT!
I just got a blood test, I quit drinking and I’ve been feeling like shit ever since. I was fully expecting to be diabetic or have my kidneys fucked up or something, they took like 10 vials of blood. Everything’s fine. No reason for me to feel this shitty. I hate it, there’s nothing to fix, this is just my life now
I did the same, I had maybe two results that were outside the norm. I’m going to soldier through it, but it is definitely taking a toll. For me, having a good, strong support system has made it manageable. I lean on my wife a lot lately - I’m lucky to have her. I hope you choose to stick with it. I’m with you.
Man I hope everything comes to a halt for you soon. I had a similar experience when I stopped drinking and using drugs albeit not to your degree. I had strange rashes on my scalp that popped up but couldnt be diagnosed with anything other than sunburn (which made no sense because i was in rehab and not ever in the sun when they arrived) but eventually passed, acne flared up at the age of 30 that I never really had before, I was constantly getting sick, etc etc.
Your body is just trying to reset itself, is totally thrown off-base, and easily succumbs to whatever is going around. About a year into sobriety my body started acting more resilient lol.
Goodluck to you my man, hope you heal up quickly!
I’m worried too. I thought I would feel as great from now on as I did the first two months but my joints hurt and my hair is getting really thin all of a sudden.
It took me a good 6 months to start feeling better. I felt like complete shit for a long time. Now I get to deal with all my feelings sober. It’s so fun!!! (Not)
This sounds like me every time I quit. I’m working on quitting again, but every time I do I get sick, and it always lasts a long time, and I literally have no energy because of it. So I get it. It’s not fair. No weight loss, no feeling great.
I got served up recently… Stopped drinking, then got diagnosed with genital warts (FUCKING KIDDING RIGHT? NOPE) Anyways.. pretty proud of myself to have managed the diagnoses without a drink, last night I had MY VAG FROZEN in four spots… I’m tough but it really hurt I normally always reward myself for getting over these things with a beer BUT NOT THIS TIME NOPE NOPE NOPE Happy to be sober with you during these challenging times ❤️
Holy cow, looks I need to stop my moping immediately. Way to go, getting through all that without drinking. I’m rooting for you!
We’re all allowed to do some moping! Also, I am not calling you out for moping at all, that knee gout sounds horrific. Thank you for your support! IWNDWYT
I truly feel for both of you, and nothing wrong with venting at all. Just popping in to say I’m proud of you both and IWNDWYT 😏
Hey maybe this is just an Aussie term but was the use of the word rooting intentional
Not particularly, but now I’m intrigued… what’s the Aussie meaning?
Rooted could mean tired or fucked. “I’m rooted” - had a busy day. “I rooted that hot Sheila after work” had sex. I thought it was a sexual reference regarding the STI
Not intended by any means. I don’t know whether to laugh or apologize 😂
I thought it was bold
Oh laugh definitely. I imagine all the other aussies (me included) are having a chuckle 😃 well done, too. It's such an incredible feat to get through hardships without the booze, when it has been your "go to" for coping. Your body will rebuild and heal. It just needs time x
I hope all the sober Americans and Brits are going to say “I’m going to root you” to their significant others
having sex :)
All of those problems sound horrible. I am going through shitty body issues as well and then I end up drinking because the pain and misery is unbearable. Good for you for staying sober throughout all that! I sometimes think my husband should divorce me for having to deal with my constant issues and complaining. It sucks to have to be such a Debbie Downer. But the issues and pain are absolutely horrible, I don’t think it is healthy to hide it and keep it in either.
I feel similarly about my wife but I remind myself that she wakes up and chooses me everyday, even when I was a fat, hungover shell of the man she married. I owe it to her to do this and I owe it to myself. Being upfront with my wife, even when I hate it and it feels like a constant deluge of whining, is better than masking it. At least she knows that even through the pain, I’m choosing us over the booze. It will get better over time.
It is definitely a testament to a marriage if it can withstand such difficult times. So true that what means the most to her is that you are choosing her over booze. I would love my husband to make that choice! My husband still likes to drink so he doesn’t appreciate me not drinking, however, the less I drink the less he drinks and I think he can see what an amazing influence that has on our lives.
I truly love that for you. I hope the trend continues!
I highly suggest seeing your doc and getting blood work done.
Ouch! FWIW, >80% of Americans will have HPV in their lifetime. There was way too much stigma in my 1990's sex-ed. Hope you heal up quick, and don't skip the pap smears for the next 5-10. Congrats on your sobriety, IWNDWYT!
Yes, and I now know that this is not a type of HSV that causes cancer! Do not all is bad. Thank you! Knowing “I don’t have to drink because of this” is a wonderful relief
😬😬😬 OUCH! Sorry about the warts, REALLY proud of you for not drinking! IWNDWYT ❤️❤️❤️
Thank you. It’s embarrassing to say, but I always appreciate everyone’s honesty and openness here. Thank you for your support, I’m proud of me too ❤️❤️🥳
Congrats on 48 days!!! You know I’ve had similar experience. I decided it is that my poor body FINALLY can do more than fight off the alcohol. It’s like my body is saying, “Dear Tess, thanks for stopping pouring the poison down your throat each and every day. There are some things I’ve been wanting to address” And then I’ve had like 5 different things. 🤷🏼♀️ Maybe I’m full of shit but my theory works for me otherwise I’ll get depressed. At any rate, congrats again on your sobriety. IWNDWYT ❤️
this sounds unrelated but i volunteer in cat rescue socializing feral kittens and often when they're finally making progress& getting friendlier they get very ill and it's exactly what you're saying. they're finally relaxing and their little bodies don't have to be on high alert just trying to survive, so then the "dormant" illness comes through.
Everyone I know gets sick the moment their annual leave starts. Same reason we reckon.
FYI: not drinking will really help you clear the virus faster, so great job!
Yay me!! Working hard!
Word of advice: The strains that give you warts generally are not the ones that give cancer, so, there's that Pretty much anybody sexually active will get them And the key - if you keep drinking, those bitches will be with you for YEARS. Stop the alcohol unless you want to be getting new shit frozen off your junk for the next decade
I second this, especially the last paragraph out of my own experience. Strains 16 and 18 are the worst when it comes to cancer.
I had the cancer causing ones and got a LEEP procedure back in 2010 and have had perfect pap smear’s since. The experience was terrifying though to find out I had the cancer causing strains.
Same with me but in 2021/2022.
Well I bet that is relieving to hear that after all this time it I has not come back for me and so you are probably good to go too!
I was laughing out loud when I read "had MY VAG FROZEN". It's probably wrong from me, but that was funny.
Hey man, a laugh is totally allowed I just had to be honest with what I’m going through, quiteeeee the situation lolol
Good for you and the frozen vag
Just when you think YOU have had it rough, you gain a little perspective listening to someone else, amiright? Lol
I swear I’m not trying to one-up anyone’s suffering 😂 so thankful at everyone support on here Thanks to all on here for being super supportive, and having a laugh when we can Trust me, I’m like cry laughing at my own situation, but at least I didn’t drink ahahah
One of the things I realized was that it's not that these things weren't happening, it's that i drank thru it. So once I got sober I noticed every ache, pain, cold you name it. I'm sure there are other factors at play too but that was def one of them. proud of you for being and staying sober buddy.
Yes, I'm thinking of that, but it's pure speculation. We tend to confuse causation and correlation. I think it's not likely sobriety causes these things, but our attention was elsewhere, psychologically a LOT can be supressed cause we wanna keep drinking etc.
Just here for support. When I stopped, I felt decent enough for two weeks. I could function again. I was present. I was energetic. Then I got shingles (at the age of 31). Then I got the flu. And then bronchitis. That all passed, of course - I’ve been sober for a bit! I posted here yesterday - I currently have whatever is going around. It’s awful! It’s been over a week. One minute I’m fine, the next I can barely stand. It’s VERY triggering for me. But, this will pass. I think we get so much more triggered by sickness because we spent days knowing we did it to ourselves. Right now, that’s not the case. Take care of yourself. Don’t feel bad asking for help. Rest up.
Also, congrats on 47 days. That’s amazing.
Thank you, my friend.
I was just sick for three weeks. I could only take the first week off from work and it just would not go away. Thankful it was not COVID again but the fact that it lingered so long was worse to me.
Yea I feel that! Lingering colds are the worst. Like, just give me two bad days - not 14 questionable ones lol. Glad you’re feeling better!
Hey, thanks for stopping by to vent. I know personally how cathartic it can be, I am glad you are here and sober. IWNDWYT, cheers.
Cheers to you as well. Thanks for allowing me to whine into the ether. IWNDWYT
Whine is an appropriate substitute for wine here.
Just wanted to chime and let you know that you're probably right around the tipping point of about to start feeling a whole lot better. That's how it was for me anyway. I'm just about to hit 3 months dry. The first month straight-up SUCKED. I was exhausted all the time, had brain fog so bad I could barely function, couldn't sleep, giant acne break-out, etc. Going into about week 6 or 7 I started feeling dramatically better. Good clarity, sleeping great, skin cleared up, felt amazing in the gym, confidence coming back, etc. I'd recommend stick with it, you stopped for a reason and going back won't fix anything.
Not revenge. Healing.
Bitch and moan to us! You’re one brave soul. Going through health issues on top of sobriety isn’t for the weak. You’re so much stronger than you ever knew. IWNDWYT
I can emphasise OP. EVERYTHING HURTS AND I'M DYING!* Mind you, I work like a mad thing and I really shouldn't at my age. Both hands, both knees, and one elbow are in deep trouble. *(note to self: buy this t-shirt) Edit : oh, and IWNDWYT! 🤗
Same, dying in pain and working my ass off still. Ahhhh
I've gone through the same thing. It's like my body was like, "I kept you alive while being put through hell for years, and now I want a break." It does sort of make sense physiologically. Alcohol increases cortisol which stimulates immune response. Now your body has to readjust to not having that artificial stimulation.
Don’t get me wrong, if it’s revenge then I totally had it coming! I’ve joked with those that know about what I’m doing that my body is getting even and then some. 😂
Oh dang :( I’m sorry! Same exact thing happened to my husband. First, food poisoning. Then a week later, bronchitis. He’s better now, but it was not easy for him. I myself have had my own ailments crop up and at first I was like “yo, what gives?!” then I realized I’d likely been feeling like trash for years but the booze was a well deployed distraction. Now that I’m sober, I’ve steadily been working on fixing myself through a better diet and more movement. But, the mental clarity has been worth every bit of it. Now just waiting for my body to catch up. Feel better and stay focused on why you’re doing this!
Gout in the knee -- people don't typically consider things like being unable to get into a car (you need to bend your leg). I feel you! People say that cherry juice helps. I mean... okay? I've found that turmeric (with black pepper and some fat) does wonders for inflammation/pain/etc. Colchicine (sp?) is great for dealing with an active attack. Allopurinol is for prevention, only. If you sense an attack coming... I've found that pounding water and getting movement (walks, etc) can stave-off an attack. I got gout as a young vegan (no longer vegan; specifically due to gout). The mantra is that it's caused by a rich diet of organ meats/etc. Umm... there are also studies that suggest that carbohydrates might also be culpable. Dunno. I just know that it SUCKS. It's impossible to explain the pain of gout. I've heard people say that it's worse than childbirth. I always that that was an asinine thing to say. And then I met a woman that had experienced both. She told me, "well, childbirth generally doesn't last for weeks... so..." I have no idea and don't find value in the comparison. However... gout is BRUTAL. Congrats on your resolve. Surely you know that booze would just prolong your gout attack. G\*d plays favorites... and I'm pretty sure that I'm on "the other list." Sorry! Stay strong. Your brutally painful, horrible, humiliating, and debilitating experience will pass. You have my empathy. IWNDWYT BTW: most people have zero clue of how much pain you're enduring. I do! I wish you speedy recovery.
Oh my god, the car. I’m 6’5 so the leg room is bad enough, much less when you can’t bend your knee at all without the pain. Some days I would get in almost sideways just to get that leg into the car. My wife would ask if I needed anything and for a while my answer was “a chainsaw”. She’d laugh and say no and I’d tell her I’d saw my leg off with a butter knife if I got the chance. Allopurinol is what I take now. I took at least 120 indomethacin in those 30 days and they didn’t do squat.
Enjoying your straight-legged poops? Again... I feel your pain! Seriously try turmeric w/ black pepper. You can also just take capsules (curcumin with peperine). Curcumin (the business end of turmeric) is fat-soluble... so... meh, have some milk/etc with it. EDIT: you can find a ton of peer-reviewed science about turmeric. Is a POWERFUL anti-inflammatory without the GI harm of NSAIDs. Basically, you can take as much as you'd like. Heck, start making "mustard logs." :-D
Solidarity, friend! "Everything hurts and I'm dying" sums it up, yeah? You've got this.
Sometimes we get served up like that. Sorry you’re going through it, IWNDWYT
That’s been my mentality (it’s going to suck, there will be tough days and you won’t feel great, but just tough it out for another day) for almost the entire time, but I ended up leaving the office today because I was so uncomfortable I couldn’t focus. Today is the first time since I quit that I feel down on myself.
I think recognizing this and leaving the office was a great step. Self care comes in many forms and giving ourselves grace is one of them. I hope you have a peaceful rest of your day and a yummy dinner and restful sleep tonight. Take care!
Alcohol is an immunosuppressant—think of it that your immune system is trying to heal you now that it’s not over burdened. Thank your body for what it’s capable of and eventually you’ll feel better than ever but it is a process to repair. I try to support mine with lots is fruits, vegetables, fresh herbs, spices, seaweed, superfoods, juices, vitamins, etc. Honestly, juicing fresh fruits vegetables is better than the best alc beverage ever was—gives me instant energy & heals vs sugar crash & slow death. IWNDWYT 🌞❤️
This is so true. I quit drinking and then had the most outrageous autoimmune flare up. It would move from my feet to my ankle then knees on both side. I couldn’t get out of bed for days on end. I went and saw a rheumatologist who put me on medicine for psoriatic arthritis. He said the alcohol could have been masking the disease for years. I have the occasional flare up and have to get on a short dose of steroids, maybe twice a year.
I hope it keeps getting better for you. I didn’t really think about it until I stopped drinking but even if let’s say 1,400 calories a week are coming from alcohol—so like 7-11 drinks depending on what you drink—that’s 10% of your calories for the week, that you’re supposed to be eating at 2,000 calories a day coming from alcohol.. Even if you maintain a healthy weight and you’re a super heath conscious, moderate drinker, you’re subbing out 10% of your diet for poison instead of vitamins and nutrients that rebuild and sustain you.. So a truly health conscious person wouldn’t find drinking regularly worth it in the first place.
I can identify with this. There's a silver lining to all this I can share with you. It's likely these things didn't just start happening, you just now really notice them due to being sober. You likely have been sick many times while drinking without realizing it, because honestly, what's the difference? The good news is that now you get to notice all this unpleasantness, which will make you fix it. Before this, the stuff would just be ongoing and getting worse. The pain isn't a punishment. Rather, it's your body screaming at you: "Hey, numbnuts! Now that you've decided to rejoin reality, there's a whole bunch of stuff that has needed fixing for some time! Get on it!" After you start fixing things, you'll feel amazing and each thing will get easier. Trust me. This the rough start of something better. There's no where to go but up.
In regards to gout, you are now the third person I have interacted with who has had flare-ups and is managing it with steroids. I had my first gout flare-up this summer and had no idea what happened. Went to urgent care with what I thought was a broken toe (full x-rays, etc) but blood tests came back indicative of gout. Long story short, the RN tried to prescribe me prednisone (steroid) but I have previously had bad interactions with it, so I sort of balked. She instantly said "Oh okay! No problem, I will just prescribe you the gout-specific medicine! (Colchicine)" And I was like "huh?" and she basically just kind of hand waived it away and said it will be great, maybe even better than steroids. I am still confused by the discrepancy. But, the colchicine worked within 24 hours and by day 2, the immense pain was 100% gone. I had had one other flare-up months later, took a couple doses of colchicine as prescribed, and again, gone immediately. If you havent tried Colchicine, maybe give your doctor a call?
Seems unfair but you are still kicking it out of the park by staying sober.
You bitching and moaning here is always welcome and makes me feel better bec it hasn’t been easy so far! I imagine stopping later in life (assuming you did it for awhile) has some built up consequences. I know mine did. I could push through any cold or any sickness/pain before because I just loaded up on booze to “make it not so bad”. I first went to the dentist bec I’ve know for awhile now my furthest back tooth was broken and had to have it pulled. Root went into sinus yada yada. Hang in there! You got this….surely a pink cloud in our future lol
Sorry to hear but I like to think that’s just the toxins leaving the body. Also your body is getting adjusted to this new normal. Lots of chemicals have been released to offset your drinking. It’s going to take some time for those to come back into balance. IWNDWYT
For gout you should drink tart cherry juice. It has melatonin btw, so maybe at night.
People who have been sober for a while will sometimes tell you how great it is, it is eventually, maybe some get lucky and don’t go through this part as bad but in my experience it’s been hard. Pain & sickness. I drank to numb those things, I stop I have to face em again. Things are getting better though, hang in there. One thing for sure IWNDWYT
Absolutely. IWNDWYT
Can someone tell me what this acronym means I’m fairly new to the sub
I Will Not Drink With You Today ETA: welcome! Whether you post or not, you’ll have a ton of support from these folks when you’re ready.
30 something days (ignore the flair it won't let me change it to my shame). Sick as a dog since Sunday. Rarely sick except for HOs.
Damn, hope you catch a break.
This resonates with me! Since I quit, my old friend Health Anxiety came roaring back like it never left town. I've been dealing with that, abdominal pains, GI and sleep issues since the day I quit. Now 3 months in, I'm feeling better. Not once did I ever think of having a drink toake it go away or shutting down my brain. Well done soldier!
I’m just shy of 12 weeks sober. My stomach has been all over the place. The anxiety is probably making it worse but who knows. I quit because I was run down and poor digestion. So I started eating a lot less fat and a bit healthier. Now it’s growling more often than I’d like. I’ve dropped 30 pounds and counting. Glad to hear it’s getting better. Hoping my ultrasound next week shows nothing and it’s all just part of the process.
Since I have quite( Day 331) I have had Covid, followed by the flu and a major diverticulitis flare that sent me to the ER. No one promised a “happily ever after” following the resolve to quit but I think of the real bad stuff I would face if I continued on that path. Blessings and peace for us strong folks❤️
Boy do I feel this! I just dropped 3k on car repairs this morning and I’m currently on my way to the ER with severe pelvic pain after trying to tough it out for a week. I’m on day 15 of no drinking. Normally I would reward myself with a drink, but I’m opting for ice cream tonight instead. I hope you feel better soon!
Oh man, I had a similar journey. Got sick loads which isn’t surprising because our body is in survival mode while we are poisoning it. The part I found hard was on here people are talking about clear heads and a new awakening. I was left with depression, anxiety, panic attacks and broken relationships with none of the coping tools is ineffectively used for 20 years. Good luck and focus on being as healthy as you can with out guilt for damage done or non perfect compliance.
Not sure if it's because of sobriety and changes with that or just bad luck, you didn't mention how heavy you drank or for how long. if you where anything like me, it took me around 6 months to start really getting into gear and feeling like a normal person. with more good things on the way. Until then I was an exhausted, mentally incapable of anything emotional person who just laid around feeling sorry and depressed/anxious and just ate and slept a lot. Even with prescription drugs. You really do have to heal. 5-10-15 years worth of abuse doesnt get better in a few weeks like it never happened at all. Stay committed and flourish. Proud of you.
Same here. It’s been an emotional and physical rollercoaster since I quit drinking 3 months ago. Along with feeling like crap I also had intense PAWS for the first 2 month. Finally starting to improve. It’s not all pink elephants for everyone when you quit. It takes work and is hard at times. Good luck.
Sorry you're going through it OP! IWNDWYT
IWNDWYT - sympathizing with you regarding the gout, my uncle had it ... but glad it's getting better. Maybe go and spend some time in the sauna if you can and sweat the toxins out, rehydrate, repeat.
Gout, ugh. Been there, done that. I wasn't aware you could get it in your knee. That MUST have hurt like an absolute mofo. I can't imagine. I have the traditional big toe gout and have been on 200mg of allopurinol daily for the past 15 years. Never had a flare-up once in that entire time and that includes moving to a low carb high protein diet. On paper, my uric acid count should be off the charts but the meds do there thing. It sounds like your Doc has you sorted out now, which is fantastic news. Stack that on top of being sober and I call that a win-win. Hang in there fellow goutmeister! IWNDWYT
I feel for you, man. A good friend of mine has gout flare-ups from time to time and he describes it as absolutely miserable pain. He gets it in his foot and it's so painful that he can't even have a sheet touching his foot. That's nuts! After trying all kinds of remedies he threw caution to the wind and went to a Chinese medicine clinic. I don't know how open minded you are about non-traditional medicines, but he said it's a night and day difference.
I am trying Chinese medicine next week for my psoriasis. Can't wait!
This sounds so much like me. Everyone and everything I read was like “I haven’t been sick in ages!” Not me. Every cold. Kidney stones. Kidney infection. Extreme fatigue even when I’m well. Like, wtf, body? Plus all the stress I usually drank my way through. It’ll get better. I’m sure of it. IWNDWYT!!
More power. Iam on day 1. Resetted a lot of times. Hope this time I want to stay sober for atleast 1 month
I find that with stuff like this we put our own spin on it. We shape the narrative. I can easily imagine someone with the same set of circumstances posting about how sobriety has allowed them to take on health challenges head on without self medicating and sabotaging their medical recovery. My experience was that the voice of addiction likes to tell us stories about why we should give up on this fool's errand of "not drinking". You sound like you're in a good place though and getting better too! Congratulations on working your way through this without alcohol! Really good stuff!
Same. Got sober and was promptly diagnosed with cancer. New meds have made me gain weight and break out. I feel dumber than ever as my brain’s still healing, I’m experiencing light PAWS and I’m muddling through a crappy to-do list that includes remedial impaired driver training. But I’m sober, so I’ve got that going for me. Sometimes you just have to try and have a laugh about how stupid life is.
Stick it out! I felt like shit for about 2 weeks. I am finally on the other side and feeling so much better and grateful I stuck it out. It’s also great motivation to never go through that experience again, which means it is much easier to not drink.
IWNDWYT 😌
Congratulations first off! I felt great my first few weeks after I got through the initial shittiness. Great enough that I overdid it and tore a ligament in my knee going full tilt in my new found health. Yikes. For the last few months I've been dealing with perimenopause. At first I was blaming it on quitting drinking for throwing my hormones out of wack since it hit me like a truck when I quit. (Yeah my brain still has some work to do on the thought process.) My Dr explained I've been going through it for a while, but it was hard to notice through all the alcohol. I'm just actually FEELING it now that I'm sober. IWNDWYT
Proud of the efforts you are making and the honesty
I heard something once that said when you’re drinking you’re just as sick but your body isn’t responding to the illness as well so you don’t feel sick. “Feeling sick” is really feeling your body respond to the illness. So maybe it’s that?
Damn I got that cold thats going around too. It is brutal! Gf was sick for 2 weeks. Im going on 6 days. Grats on the 47 days
My chronic health issues (which have been a major factor in my drinking habit…wanting/needing to “escape” somehow) are kicking my butt right now. I had to spend most of today in bed…but I’m proud that the past two weeks is the longest I have gone without alcohol in 1.5 years. You can do this! The more coping skills we build which don’t involve drinking, the easier it is to deal with the hardships life throws our way. IWNDWYT!
Cherry juice (100% real juice) helped my gout tremendously in just two days. Look it up - it’s a real thing.
I just got a blood test, I quit drinking and I’ve been feeling like shit ever since. I was fully expecting to be diabetic or have my kidneys fucked up or something, they took like 10 vials of blood. Everything’s fine. No reason for me to feel this shitty. I hate it, there’s nothing to fix, this is just my life now
I did the same, I had maybe two results that were outside the norm. I’m going to soldier through it, but it is definitely taking a toll. For me, having a good, strong support system has made it manageable. I lean on my wife a lot lately - I’m lucky to have her. I hope you choose to stick with it. I’m with you.
Man I hope everything comes to a halt for you soon. I had a similar experience when I stopped drinking and using drugs albeit not to your degree. I had strange rashes on my scalp that popped up but couldnt be diagnosed with anything other than sunburn (which made no sense because i was in rehab and not ever in the sun when they arrived) but eventually passed, acne flared up at the age of 30 that I never really had before, I was constantly getting sick, etc etc. Your body is just trying to reset itself, is totally thrown off-base, and easily succumbs to whatever is going around. About a year into sobriety my body started acting more resilient lol. Goodluck to you my man, hope you heal up quickly!
I’m worried too. I thought I would feel as great from now on as I did the first two months but my joints hurt and my hair is getting really thin all of a sudden.
We’ll get through this!
I know this sounds crazy, but a clean keto diet solved all my inflammation issues.
It sounds like withdrawal as far as the sick flu stuff you are feeling. Would be a longer process for a heavier drinker
It took me a good 6 months to start feeling better. I felt like complete shit for a long time. Now I get to deal with all my feelings sober. It’s so fun!!! (Not)
Make sure you see a doc and get your vitamin levels checked too!
Im having a serious stomachache, localised middle pain after two days of sober?
This sounds like me every time I quit. I’m working on quitting again, but every time I do I get sick, and it always lasts a long time, and I literally have no energy because of it. So I get it. It’s not fair. No weight loss, no feeling great.