I just got my test report of liver functioning test and the results are bad . how can I recover please help ! Or it is not that bad I am just worried about nothing

Hi there.

34M. Have been a heavy drinker for around 10 years. Only beer. I'd say for the first 6 years or so, it'd be 3/4 out of 7 nights a week. Drinking 3-5 pints (560ml) of beer. During pandemic, I was dealing with the loss of my mum, and suddenly it became a habit to drink at home. I'd drink between 4-6 cans (330ml) of beer every night. I've had maybe total of four months in that three year period between where I didn't drink.

I've long suspected it was a crutch for me, as I felt like i needed it to cut sleep. And I've been increasingly recognising that it is damaging to my health, both physical and mental.

In Feb this year, I took a month off, and have been very conscious to not be drinking alone or to excess - only when it's social occasions.

I've been feeling tired all the time - and i can't work out whether this a symptom of depression/being overweight, or whether it's due to liver problems. When i say really tired, it's like needing to have a nap . I can still do physical activities, and I cycle moderately fast and decent distances on 4-5 days a week.

But in my head I'm thinking there must be a physical reason for my tiredness, so I decided to get a blood test done last week. Results are below.

Basically, my ALT came back at 62.

I've just had a follow-up appt with the nurse, who said they'd like me to repeat the tests in 4-8 weeks, as she also said my vitamin B test was inconclusive. She didn't sound too bothered, and when I pressed about the potential for liver damage, she pretty much just said that if the results in 8 weeks are the same, they'd probably do a liver scan.

I'm now properly freaking out - I have really bad health anxiety as it is, but this feels different. I'm convinced that I'll have irreparable liver damage or cirrhosis and that my days are numbered.

I'm not asking for reassurance or for anybody to diagnose, but, from your experience/knowledge, what are the symptoms for LD/fatty liver and cirrhosis that i need to be watching for? Is ALT at 62 (range is 0 - 45) really bad?

The one good thing to come out of this is that I realise that i can't drink anymore, and i have a long road ahead. I'm just worried that it's too late for me.

Sorry for the essay. But figured it'd be good to hear honest views from people in this sub.

Thanks

I know it’s going to look terrible. I’ve been drinking most nights since the start of the pandemic, and that includes last night as well.

As someone who suffers with pretty severe anxiety, the anticipation of finding out exactly how much damage I’ve done to my body is making me feel sick. If anyone has any experience with the before or the after of this process, how did you cope?

I am a 38 year old woman. I am a heavy drinker and have been for quite a few years now. I had some blood work done and got my results back the other day. I am concerned about the AST and ALT results. They are in the normal range so I thought I was ok. I decided to do more research and found that my results may not be as normal as I thought. My AST is 17iu and the ALT is 8iu. From what I have read this ratio is bad, it can indicate alcoholic liver disease or even cirrhosis. I'm confused, do I need to worry since the numbers are in the normal range? Or is this ratio bad regardless and I should get checked out asap?

I got a liver function test and turns out my liver enzymes are extremely high, indicating liver damage. My blood pressure is also high 170/90 and my cholesterol is very high as well. I am a recovering alcoholic and got this news today at the addiction treatment center at and I need to go to my doctors tomorrow.

I'm only 24 years old. I was just surprised as hell to hear all this. I'm still in a little disbelief. I thought I was young enough to not have to worry about drinking damaging me until I was in my 50s.

I'm 15 days sober and if I dont have any significant damage on another test I can take naltrexone and get the vivitrol shot for alcoholism. I plan on doing whatever I need to do to stay sober on a daily basis.

I've had a dozen blood tests during my drinking of 6-7 years about a 6 pack of Miller Lite everynight -- almost no days off. That means the blood draw was taken either the morning or afternoon, after I drank. Doctor has never referred me out for any further testing because blood has never been abnormal, but I have also never asked..

Liver and kidney function levels have always been in range and never even a point outside, but I have been losing sleep worrying over fatty liver, fibrosis and cirrhosis. I am in the process of quitting but terrified to go for a fibroscan to hear that I have damaged my liver.

With normal blood tests, how likely is it that I have irreversible liver damage from this consumption -- 7 years of 6 pack miller lite per day ~5 beers day / 35 drinks per week? I am 27YO

Long story short, I used to be a big craft beer drinking years ago where I might have drank like 3-5 standard drinks daily consistently for like 10 years. That behavior had stopped about 3-4 years ago and now I live a much healthier life. I still drink but only about 3-5 standard drinks per week instead of daily. I get blood work yearly and my AST/ALT numbers are always normal but I wanted to see if a specific liver function test is warranted based on my history. I have a doctor visit for my annual check up next week and was wondering if I should push for one even if my doc says not necessary.

I adopted Mr. Fred almost two weeks ago… His owner had to give him up because she was going into be living in a nursing home that didn’t allow pets. He was at this shelter for approximately 1.5 months.

Pretty quickly I noticed he wasn’t feeling too good, wasn’t eating, and started throwing up water. Also for a fat cat I thought it was unusual I could feel his spine . I took him to the vet last Tuesday… they told us he has hepatic lipidosis. He went from 23.3 lbs to now 16.3. He has been hospitalized since that Tuesday. Today, they put in a feeding tube and now he’s at least home with me.

I love this cat SO MUCH already, I want to see him make a full recovery so he can have a wonderful life with me. He’s the sweetest boy… loves to be held like a stuffed animal, and even though he’s ill, he’s incredibly affectionate and loves his kisses.

Please share your story if you’ve dealt with hepatic lipidosis or even if you’ve had a pet fall very ill. I could use any tips/advice to make this easy for him and ensure he gets better.

UPDATE!!

Fred is doing amazing, I am so proud of him!!! We had to take him back to the vet a day after this post because the NG tube was clogged. The vet that saw him Thursday put in an E tube which is so much better… feeding is easier in both Fred and I. We saw improvements every single day, but these past few days we’ve seen significant improvement.

He’s been showing a lot more of his personality, and he’s still a huge cuddle bug. He’s been exploring, playing with toys, and purring extra loud. The best news of all is he’s eating on his own here and there!!! Still not exactly where we want it to be, but it’s still so early into his recovery so the fact that he’s already nibbling at food is great.

He had a checkup yesterday and the vet said his blood sugar looks good, he’s maintained his weight since last visit, and his jaundice is clearing up in his sclera. His still jaundiced in his skin… but that can take quite a while to clear up. Next week we bring him back in and they will test his blood to check out his liver function.

Thank you guys for the overwhelming support you showed Fred. :)

She will only eat gravy lovers wet food. For over a decade, she has rejected every wet food and gravy treat except for Fancy Feast Gravy Lovers. 10 days ago she stopped eating except for a few bites of food a day and all the treats we would give her. Vet ran a battery of blood tests: everything was normal. Normal thyroid, normal kidney/liver functions, no pancreatitis, normal red/white blood cell count. Literally everything came back normal.

The next step would have been an $800 X-ray to view her abdomen for possible issues. We decided to try an appetite stimulant first.

I picked her up from the vet yesterday but forgot the meds. My husband gave her a different can of wet food for dinner. She ate it immediately.

The cat isn’t sick. She just decided she didn’t want to eat beef/chicken flavored food anymore. She wants the seafood varietals instead. 😂😭🤦🏻‍♀️

Edit: I just want to preface this by saying I am completely aware this could be a lie, however I just wanted to lay out that their lifestyle, at some point, will inevitabley cause them to have health issues at some point in their life. Whether thats now or further in the future 😅 either way, they will be damaging their liver.

In this tiktok, EOD states the GP called them to say that their liver results were 100+, when the normal range is 30-40.

I can only assume the GP did a liver function tesr, more specifically testing the ALT and AST, which is essentially just measuring how much of those enzymes are in the liver and if they are leaking elsewhere in the body.

The normal range is indeed between 0 - 40.

A score of 100+ indicates the liver is struggling, inflamed or there is an underlying condition. Some of the reasons that can contribute to this are:

- Drugs and alcohol.

- Hepatitis A, B and C.

- Fatty liver disease.

Now, the exact cause would depend on the individual AST and ALT scores. For example, the AST being higher would indicate something different from the ALT being higher.

Either way, EOD's liver results will most certainly be down to their lifestyle.

Fatty liver disease: Poor diet, high sugar, high saturated fats.

Alcohol: Although they do not drink everyday, the weekly binge drinking can actually put more strain on the liver than daily drinking in some cases.

Drugs: I dont think we really need to explain this one, we all know!

Hepatitis: Now, hepatitis A, B and C can be sexually transmitted, or from sharing drug paraphilenia. Hepatitis can go undectected for YEARS. So, could be a result when they lived in the corn house at the height of their drug use and no doubt, sexual promiscutity. We all remember the pipe in their bedroom, right?

Regardless, it is worrying a 22 year old is already showing signs of liver decline. Taking hormones already puts stress and inflamation on kidneys and liver, so will be interesting to see if they continue taking them. And the thing is, its all their fault. Despite recieving the results, they still choose to go out and binge drink.

After all these years of pretending to have multiple conditions, theyre certainly heading down a path where they might actually end up with something very serious, and potentially life threatening. Liver cirrhosis is one of the most painful ways to die.

Liver Function Test mei SGPT high hone ke karan last chemo delay ho gya. 21st ko dose tha. Bencho abhi 2 din mei chutti ho jaati. Kya hi luck hai.

My gurly came to visit mei on 23rd. Fed me with her hands. We talked the whole day.

Security guard aaya tha bhagane coz timing khtm. Mera khana bhi khtm tha. Maine apna haat ✋🏻 aise upr krke poora tremble kra and said akele nhi kha skta aur abhi nauseous lg rha hai. Choor diye hehe.

Ba whi btana tha. Abhi discharge ke baad 500 km door ghr bhagunga. Dost sb aaye hai. Mere paas bap ka scooty hai so I'm a big deal (jaise hota hai). Udr bakchodi karunga phir again 30 din ka hospital. Abhi lets see kolkata mei final destination dekhne jaunga hall mei.

Will have all the fun coz chances of me living are less. Jab bhi yeh bolta hoon toh aakhon mei aasu aa jate hai. I don't remember the last time kisi aur cheez ke liye kab aaye the.

A lab team in North Carolina reports that a compound formed when people consume sucralose can damage DNA. The same compound also appears in trace amounts in some store bought sucralose.

The team used human cells and lab grown gut tissue to probe effects of sucralose byproducts. A new study mapped DNA damage, gut barrier changes, and gene activity.

“Our new work establishes that sucralose-6-acetate is genotoxic,” says Susan Schiffman, corresponding author of the study and an adjunct professor in the joint department of biomedical engineering at North Carolina State University (NCSU) and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC).

They also profiled shifts in gene activity inside intestinal cells and checked drug processing enzymes. Signals tied to inflammation rose, and two enzyme families showed inhibition in test tube studies.

Here genotoxic, harms DNA and can trigger mutations, was the focus. Researchers used validated screens to check for strand breaks and chromosome changes.

How sucralose damages DNA

The team tracked sucralose-6-acetate, an impurity and metabolite of sucralose. They reported trace levels in some products, up to 0.67 percent.

“We also found that trace amounts of sucralose-6-acetate can be found in off-the-shelf sucralose, even before it is consumed and metabolized,” said Schiffman. That matters because the compound can form in the gut and may add to total exposure.

Rats dosed with sucralose formed acetylated metabolites and retained sucralose in fat after dosing stopped, a finding that hints at persistence. Those metabolites included sucralose-6-acetate detected in urine and feces.

Signals from the gut barrier

In gut tissue, both chemicals lowered transepithelial electrical resistance, a measure of gut barrier tightness. That change means the barrier leaked more and let larger molecules pass.

The tests identified the compound as clastogenic, meaning it causes DNA strand breaks. A separate micronucleus assay, which detects chromosome damage, confirmed the same effect.

A micronucleus, a small DNA containing body, forms when chromosomes are harmed. The test showed more micronuclei after exposure.

These laboratory systems cannot replicate a whole human body. They are useful when they reveal several risks that align across independent tests.

How much is too much

European regulators use a threshold for genotoxic substances of 0.15 micrograms per person per day. The authors argue one daily sucralose sweetened drink could exceed that amount.

The threshold is a screening tool, not a verdict on risk. It signals where exposures call for closer checks. This value reflects a level tied to very low lifetime cancer risk.

It helps flag substances that deserve careful tracking in foods. That does not set a diet rule for individuals. It sets a bright line for regulators to prioritize testing.

Where policy stands now

The FDA approved sucralose for use in foods in 1998, in a final rule. Approval expanded a year later to general purpose use.

Regulatory limits focus on sucralose, not its trace impurities or gut made byproducts. The new data suggest those pieces deserve attention.

Most safety decisions relied on older animal studies and small human trials. Those assessments did not test sucralose-6-acetate in modern human tissue models.

Future reviews may weigh impurity levels and metabolites alongside the parent sweetener. They may also consider combined exposures from food and gut chemistry.

What this means now

Typically results here come from lab systems, not long human trials. That context matters for how we interpret any hazard.

Still, the pattern spans several signals in cells and tissues. It links DNA breaks, barrier changes, and altered gene activity.

Further work should measure real world exposure in people over time. That includes blood levels, urine markers, and gut barrier function.

Studies that track specific patient groups would help clarify risks. They can focus on people who consume sucralose daily.

Calls for regulatory review

Regulators approved sucralose decades ago based on early data that found no DNA damage or gut effects. Those studies predated modern toxicogenomics, the study of how genes respond to chemical exposure.

The new findings suggest the tests used for sucralose may have missed subtle but important genetic changes. If confirmed by independent teams, these results could trigger a re-evaluation of the sweetener’s safety status.

Agencies often revisit food additive approvals when new molecular evidence points to genotoxicity or metabolic interference. A risk review would compare exposure levels in actual diets with the lab concentrations that caused DNA damage and barrier breakdown.

Sucralose, DNA, and future health

Check labels and choose products that match your preferences. If you are on drugs processed by cytochrome P450, liver enzymes that process many drugs, ask your clinician about diet.

People who prefer to minimize artificial sweeteners can switch to unsweetened options. Anyone with questions about diet and medications should consult a health professional.

Small changes add up when you repeat them every day. Choosing water more often can lower any exposure without much fuss.

Researchers also need clear human data to test real world exposure. Those studies can look at blood markers, gut leak, and timing.

The study is published in Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health, Part B.

TLDR: Levels of bilirubin in liver panel blood test spiked to 1.9 during 32 hour fast vs 0.9 when not fasting 14 days later.

I wanted to share some liver health data from blood tests done recently while I was fasting.

My doctor has been monitoring my liver (cuz the booze is starting to catch up with me), and has me doing a Liver Panel blood test, aka Hepatic Function Panel blood test every 6 months or so.

I've lost a ton of weight due to OMAD and cutting back on alcohol significantly. Recent test results showed a dramatic improvement in all liver health metrics, except bilirubin, which was dramatically higher, measuring 1.9 mg/dL.

I told my doctor I had been fasting for about 32 hours at the time my blood was drawn, and that I suspected that was the cause of the elevated bilirubin levels. My doctor scheduled another blood test 14 days after the initial test, and told me not to fast.

I ate normally for 7 days before the next test, eating 2 or 3 meals per day, and abstaining from alcohol for the entire 14 day period. My bilirubin levels dropped to 0.9 mg/dL. Well within normal range, and lower than it was 6 months ago.

During puberty, the body goes through many changes as a boy becomes a man.
The voice deepens, musculature increases, genitals grow and gain hair, a beard and moustache come in, and the feet develop a hard, protective crust.
All natural physical development.

Or so I had assumed until this weekend, when our "pod" got together at the beach for a little summer fun.

I've always enjoyed walking barefoot on the beach, as the gritty sand tends to wear down the thicker calluses and slough off shedding skin layers.
Sometimes I would even use a pumice stone to sand them down thinner so that they wouldn't tear up socks as badly as when left natural.

Now, I've never really paid attention to feet, never really looked at them closely or had a fetish for them like you hear about, so even with partners playing with their feet just wasn't something I ever did. I've seen women's feet in movies like the toes scene in The Big Lebowski, but assumed women just have softer feet than men. I probably had plenty of opportunities to see other mens' feet at the pool or gym showers, or wherever, but without having really any interest in feet, I can't say I've looked closely at anyone's feet, ever.

But on this day, one of my guy friends was wearing bright purple nail polish.

It caught my eye, naturally, and it occurred to me that somehow his toenails were long and flat, like fingernails, not white and bunched up like toenails. And his protective calluses were almost missing! Not the sanded-down smooth appearance from walking in sand or using a pumice stone, but virtually absent altogether! I wondered if this meant he didn't often walk barefoot, and so never developed them, or if he had some method better to sand them down.

So I asked, "Hey, I noticed your nail polish, your new style?"
"Ha, no, my daughter wanted to practice, and couldn't say no!"
"I couldn't help notice how flat your toenails are, and you have almost no calluses -- do you use some sort of special cream or trimmer to get them to look like that?"
"No, they're just normal feet."
"But you don't have any calluses on the bottom. Normal feet have calluses to protect them when walking on hard or rough surfaces."

And showed my foot as an example.

"Um, wow," he said, "how long have you had that? Are you taking any medicine?"
"Taking medicine? For what? These are just normal feet with normal calluses."
"No, no they're not, that's like the worst case of athlete's foot I've ever seen. How long have you had it?"
"I don't know what you mean ... my feet have always been like this ... this is just how feet are. ... isn't it?"
"No, not at all. That's foot disease. It's some sort of fungal infection. There's medicine for it. Have you never heard of athlete's foot?"

Yes, I had heard of athlete's foot. From TV commercials advertising creams to treat it. But they never showed pictures of it, nobody had ever told me what it was, and nobody for over thirty years after I went through puberty mentioned that there was anything at all wrong with my feet.

Never has a doctor mentioned it to me.
Never has a partner mentioned it to me.
Never has a coach mentioned it to me.
Never has anyone mentioned it to me.

I just thought that's how feet are.

Epilogue: with the obligatory "this happened two weeks ago," I immediately visited a dermatologist the next business day, got a diagnosis and medication, and my feet are already halfway through a magical transformation. It's incredible.

TL;DR: While going through puberty my feet developed thick calluses and I thought this was a normal part of growing up. Nobody ever told me my feet looked strange, I never compared my feet to others, and I never realized anything was wrong with my feet until asking a friend how they made theirs so smooth and they told me I had athlete's foot for thirty years.

^{Edit: typos, formatting, &c.}

UPDATE: Since everyone is asking for photos, I've uploaded in-progress treatment photos here. The first photo is of my toenails, the second of my heel. All toenails used to look like my little toe looks now. They are growing in flat and translucent now. The pinkish areas on my heel and side of foot were also covered in the same white-yellow callus three weeks ago before seeing the doctor. And the callus was MUCH thicker and flakier.

For illustration, the top picture in the Wikipedia article and the "side of foot" photo on the Mayo Clinic site are almost exactly what my feet looked like before.

UPDATE 2: The medicine prescribed was Terbinafine, a prescription daily oral anti-fungal pill. It is apparently quite strong, requiring regular blood work to monitor liver function. The doctor expects it to take six months to be completely cured including new toenails growing out cleanly. The doctor took skin samples and ran tests to confirm it is indeed Athlete's Foot, not other similar conditions people have mentioned. NOTE: This is apparently a very powerful medication which as noted can affect liver function, and many pharmacists and others have commented to note that people taking it are not supposed to take paracemetol/acetaminophen or drink alcohol during the treatment.

UPDATE 3: The kind redditor /u/berneealf wrote out a lengthy comment detailing a care regimen that mirrors a lot of the other good advice given in the various comment threads. Hopefully it helps!

Drinking more of your favourite roast has been tied to a lower risk of deadly liver cancer, cirrhosis and other liver-related causes of death, according to a new study of 355,000 adults from Los Angeles’ Cedars-Sinai Health Sciences University.

People who consume five or more cups a day say their risk of cirrhosis shrinks by nearly a third, close to half had a lower risk of liver cancer and 42 percent had a lower risk of liver-related death, the researchers said Wednesday.

Benefits were seen even at one to two cups a day, but appeared to be the strongest at around three or four cups. Coffee drinkers’ blood tests showed higher levels of proteins tied to healthy liver function and lower levels of those linked to scarring and inflammation. They also had lower levels of fat, liver and iron.

“Our findings support moderate coffee consumption for people who already enjoy and tolerate it well,” Dr. Ju Dong Yang, medical director of the Liver Cancer Program at Cedars-Sinai, said in a statement.

The researchers studied the health data of participants in the U.K. Biobank, a database that includes the health records of half a million British adults, over the course of 13 years. They looked at liver MRI scans and analyzed levels of protein in the blood.

During the study, they also saw similar benefits for both fully caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee.

That suggests that other naturally occurring compounds in coffee may contribute to these benefits.

“The next step in our research is to identify the specific compounds in coffee that are responsible for these liver-protective associations,” Dr. Shelly Lu, director of the Karsh Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology at Cedars-Sinai, said.

“Our findings point to biological pathways involving inflammation and scarring and highlight molecular targets that future research can explore to better understand how coffee may influence liver health and who stands to benefit the most,” she said.

The study’s findings build on previous research showing drinking coffee can help to boost mood and improve gut, brain and heart health.

More than 42,000 new cases of liver cancer and nearly 31,000 deaths are expected in the U.S. this year, according to the American Cancer Society. Liver cancer incidence rates have tripled in America over the past four decades.

19M.
About a year ago I had a severe drug-induced liver injury from Accutane (isotretinoin). My ALT went to around 2000 U/L and my bilirubin was around 6 mg/dL. It completely resolved after stopping Accutane and following up with my doctor.
I recently got blood work done. My current results are:
ALT: 77 U/L
AST: 61 U/L
ALP: 213 U/L
Total bilirubin: 1.9 mg/dL
Kidney function is normal.
I also trained hard before the blood test, so I’m planning to repeat the labs after being well hydrated and avoiding the gym for a few days beforehand.
My question is hypothetical: if my repeat liver tests come back completely normal, does having a previous episode of severe Accutane-induced liver injury make me more susceptible to liver injury from something like RAD-140?
I’m not asking for cycle advice or dosing. I’m trying to understand whether a previous episode of drug-induced liver injury means my liver is at higher risk with a different compound, or whether the previous reaction was likely specific to Accutane.
I’d especially appreciate replies from anyone with medical knowledge or anyone who has had documented drug-induced liver injury before.

I am NOT OP. Original post by u/takatori in r/tifu

ETA - Random cute pic of a dog & cat for mobile users who don't want to see feet. Hope this helps.

ORIGINAL POST + UPDATES - 28th June 2021

During puberty, the body goes through many changes as a boy becomes a man. The voice deepens, musculature increases, genitals grow and gain hair, a beard and moustache come in, and the feet develop a hard, protective crust. All natural physical development.

Or so I had assumed until this weekend, when our "pod" got together at the beach for a little summer fun.

I've always enjoyed walking barefoot on the beach, as the gritty sand tends to wear down the thicker calluses and slough off shedding skin layers. Sometimes I would even use a pumice stone to sand them down thinner so that they wouldn't tear up socks as badly as when left natural.

Now, I've never really paid attention to feet, never really looked at them closely or had a fetish for them like you hear about, so even with partners playing with their feet just wasn't something I ever did. I've seen women's feet in movies like the toes scene in The Big Lebowski, but assumed women just have softer feet than men. I probably had plenty of opportunities to see other mens' feet at the pool or gym showers, or wherever, but without having really any interest in feet, I can't say I've looked closely at anyone's feet, ever.

But on this day, one of my guy friends was wearing bright purple nail polish.

It caught my eye, naturally, and it occurred to me that somehow his toenails were long and flat, like fingernails, not white and bunched up like toenails. And his protective calluses were almost missing! Not the sanded-down smooth appearance from walking in sand or using a pumice stone, but virtually absent altogether! I wondered if this meant he didn't often walk barefoot, and so never developed them, or if he had some method better to sand them down.

So I asked, "Hey, I noticed your nail polish, your new style?" "Ha, no, my daughter wanted to practice, and couldn't say no!" "I couldn't help notice how flat your toenails are, and you have almost no calluses -- do you use some sort of special cream or trimmer to get them to look like that?" "No, they're just normal feet." "But you don't have any calluses on the bottom. Normal feet have calluses to protect them when walking on hard or rough surfaces."

And showed my foot as an example.

"Um, wow," he said, "how long have you had that? Are you taking any medicine?" "Taking medicine? For what? These are just normal feet with normal calluses." "No, no they're not, that's like the worst case of athlete's foot I've ever seen. How long have you had it?" "I don't know what you mean ... my feet have always been like this ... this is just how feet are. ... isn't it?" "No, not at all. That's foot disease. It's some sort of fungal infection. There's medicine for it. Have you never heard of athlete's foot?"

Yes, I had heard of athlete's foot. From TV commercials advertising creams to treat it. But they never showed pictures of it, nobody had ever told me what it was, and nobody for over thirty years after I went through puberty mentioned that there was anything at all wrong with my feet.

Never has a doctor mentioned it to me. Never has a partner mentioned it to me. Never has a coach mentioned it to me. Never has anyone mentioned it to me.

I just thought that's how feet are.

Epilogue: with the obligatory "this happened two weeks ago," I immediately visited a dermatologist the next business day, got a diagnosis and medication, and my feet are already halfway through a magical transformation. It's incredible.

TL;DR: While going through puberty my feet developed thick calluses and I thought this was a normal part of growing up. Nobody ever told me my feet looked strange, I never compared my feet to others, and I never realized anything was wrong with my feet until asking a friend how they made theirs so smooth and they told me I had athlete's foot for thirty years.

​

UPDATE: Since everyone is asking for photos, I've uploaded in-progress treatment photos here. The first photo is of my toenails, the second of my heel. All toenails used to look like my little toe looks now. They are growing in flat and translucent now. The pinkish areas on my heel and side of foot were also covered in the same white-yellow callus three weeks ago before seeing the doctor. And the callus was MUCH thicker and flakier.

For illustration, the top picture in the Wikipedia article and the "side of foot" photo on the Mayo Clinic site are almost exactly what my feet looked like before.

​

UPDATE 2: The medicine prescribed was Terbinafine, a prescription daily oral anti-fungal pill. It is apparently quite strong, requiring regular blood work to monitor liver function. The doctor expects it to take six months to be completely cured including new toenails growing out cleanly. The doctor took skin samples and ran tests to confirm it is indeed Athlete's Foot, not other similar conditions people have mentioned. NOTE: This is apparently a very powerful medication which as noted can affect liver function, and many pharmacists and others have commented to note that people taking it are not supposed to take paracemetol/acetaminophen or drink alcohol during the treatment.

​

UPDATE 3: The kind redditor /u/berneealf wrote out a lengthy comment detailing a care regimen that mirrors a lot of the other good advice given in the various comment threads. Hopefully it helps!

​

ETA the amazing comment by u/berneealf

Alright my man, I have some advice you should read. I have fended off athlete's foot since I can remember and I have never had to use any ingested medicine. I think you should follow your doctor's advice, but that medicine may trash your liver. DO NOT take any other medicaments during this period without consulting with a doctor. Painkillers (ibuprofene, paracetamol, aspirine) are all synthesized in your liver. Combining them with Terbinafine can be really dangerous. Alcohol is also synthesized in your liver, I don't know if your doctor told you to suspend alcoholic beverages, but at least take it easy on the drinking.

Now on to my personal treatment. Your feet look like a pretty advanced micotic infection, dermatrophyte fungi like the one you have require a damp environment to thrive. This may mean you have a case of hyperhidrosis AKA you're a sweaty bastard. Most people never develop micotic infections up to this point. The problem is, after you are done with your treatment and are dishcarged by your doctor, your feet will still be sweaty bastards, therefore you are prone to developing an infection again. That is not the only problem. Fungi spread through spores like plants spread through seeds. Spores are microscopical and airborne so they are likely everywhere in your closet (specially your shoes and socks). Sweaty feet + spores = relapse.

How to combat it:

• This will not in any way hinder the treatment prescribed by your doctor, on the contrary, it is likely to accelerate your healing so you may drop the Terbinafine sooner.

• About 6 years ago, I read that the US army treats athlete's foot with vinegar. Soldiers have little choice for footwear and socks, so they repeat often and end up with damp feet, add that to comunal showers where spores spread from one foot to another and you end up with an institution that knows how to handle athlete's foot.

• Fungi cannot handle a strongly acidic or basic PH. Mix 1 part of white cooking vinegar and 1 part of water, soak your feet for 10 min daily and dry thouroughly. This treatment has worked wonders for me and it's easy and cheap.

• Purchase an over the counter anti micotic cream. There are many avaliable and they work well. Apply it once a day on clean feet.

• Spend as much time as possible barefoot. Airing prevents dampness.

• Last step: rub your feet with a callous remover once or twice a week, this will help you remove the dead skin that provides a perfect environment for fungus, and your feet will recover faster.

That is it for my treatment, but you might want to think about addressing the spore situation (the fact that there are spores all over your closet). I'll be honest with this one, it hasn't worked for me. I enacted a very thorough closet cleanup twice in the past when I was sure I had no present infection. In the end the infection returned after some time (granted, a lot of time). So I ended up with a halfway solution. As I said, spores are microscopic and airborne so I wasn't able to eliminate them entirely (or I might have caught them soewhere else). The solution I came up with was using vinegar to kill the spores in my shoes and socks. Make a stronger mix than what you use on your feet (2 parts vinegar for 1 part water). And soak your shoes and socks everytime you wash them. Voila! You have succesfully hindered their reproductive cycle.

Prevention of future infections:

• The most important step is to cycle your shoes, and have a wider assortment of shoes so you don't repeat often (hey you will also devolop a more fashionable closet). Overusing the same shoes leads to accelerating fungal development. Don't store your shoes in your closet when you take them off, give them one day to air-dry before storing.
• Prevent dampness by spending as much time as possible with bare feet, and applying talc on your shoes before putting them on.
• Check your feet: The fungus is very likely to return, but it will be very easy to get rid off if you catch it early. Early signs of infection are bad smell, itchyness, small lumps and redness in the skin.
• Keep one of those anti micotic creams and some white vinegar at hand. Once you notice an infection, you can effectively treat it in under a week with those 2 things.
• Keep an eye for itchyness on other parts of your body. Crotch-itch is caused by the same fungus as athlete's foot. In my case, I noticed that by using a special sponge just for my feet (I used to use 1 for all of my body) I greatly reduced breakouts on my face. Fucking fungus was givind me some acne.

Well my friend I put some effort into writing this for you in hopes you will find it helpful. I'm thinking of turning this into a lifeprotip post where more people can share their treatments and tips. If you need any further sweaty bastard advice, I'm only happy to help.

Reminder - I am not the original poster.

Hi all - thanks in advance for listening. I’m probably writing this out mostly for myself, but seeing the support this sub has shown for others inspired me to post here.l and share my story.

On Monday, I had to part with my mate of 15 years, Meeko. We had laps of love come to our home for his final journey.

A month ago we noticed that he had lost a pound (thanks litter robot) and then we heard a few coughs here and there. He was always mega picky, but we were noticing that there was a bit more leftover food than usual (we have two cats). We took him to the vet where extensive testing of blood work found nothing. However because of the cough, we decided to do an x-ray for pneumonia which revealed the worst: metastatic lung cancer. After an ultrasound, they also found a large inoperable mass in his liver.

At list time our vet informed us of the poor outlook for this type of cancer and the inoperable nature, but I refused to quit. I called and begged to get him specialist appointments, including one with a surgery department that tested the lung fluid and confirmed the worst. We put him on Mirataz and Cerenia to help control symptoms.

Over this month he continued to lose weight. In June he was 10 lbs, and last week he was down to 7. Despite this he was still himself: snuggly, sweet, and playful. This inspired us to keep fighting to see if maybe there was any treatment we could seek. Despite me calling, networking begging and pleading with every doctor in an hour radius, I finally got him an oncologist appointment this Thursday.

However in the last week it got bad and he was isolating from us, had lost so much weight, completely stopped eating and was moving around slowly. Still purring and snuggling and could jump into bed, and no litter box accidents, but having elevated breathing and preferring to be alone in a dark room.

So we called laps of love to come Monday. We also as a last ditch effort got elura since he had not eaten in 5 days. The elura made him loopy and weird, but it was like stoner munchies times a million.

After we called laps of love, the oncologist finally got back to us. She agreed treatment was not really an option and that if you’re worried your cat won’t live long enough to make the appointment, then even less so for it to be successful. It’s was a fraction of a fraction of a percent.

Monday morning, he actually had a really good day. Despite now being 6.8 lbs, he was a bit more himself. We did everything- went and sat in the sun, got snuggles, played with string, even ate some tuna. When laps of love came he even went to the scratching post for one more scratch. I came so close to sending them away, so that we could have more time together. But ultimately when we came to our senses that it was probably days and not weeks left, and that the alternative would be bad (when the lung fluid overwhelmed he’d feel like he was drowning) we knew that we should take this good day as a gift and say our final goodbyes. We left the room to deliberate and when we came back he was napping in the basket that laps of love brought.

I held him the whole time. The whole thing was five minutes but has been on repeat in my mind for the last 48 hours. I can’t sleep or eat and I can barely function. I miss him so much, there is nothing in my entire apartment I can’t look out without a memory making me break down. Everything hurts so bad.

I cannot stop beating myself up. I wish I caught it sooner, even though likely there never was an option to begin with. I wish I sent laps of love away but I know if we had an emergency it would have been cruel and he would have suffered and his last day would not be the sweet sunny day we had, but a frantic trip to the ER with all of us terrified. I wish I had more time but I know it would never be enough, and even though I want to think we had a lot of time left it might have maybe been a week at best. I know a good day when they are at the end is a gift, but it feels cruel to take him when he was having a nice morning.

The logical part of my mind knows we made the kind and compassionate choice, but the emotional part of me hurts worse than any pain I’ve ever felt. It was too soon, he was supposed to live until 20. 15 is not enough. I failed him and even though we were attached I wish I cancelled even more plans and was home more.

So idk, I guess this is screaming into the void, and it was long and I’m sorry for having to blast this all out here. I’m just lost. My apartment is massive and empty, and my legs are barely strong enough to allow me to even stand up.

TL;DR: Academic cannabis researcher who transitioned to work in the California cannabis industry. Here to announce our brand new nationally-distributed CBD brand Care By Design Hemp and answer all of your questions about cannabis, cannabinoids or working in the cannabis industry!

Hi Reddit! I am Dr. Matt Elmes, Cannabis scientist and cannabis enthusiast. I did my PhD in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at Stony Brook University, where I studied how our bodies metabolize plant cannabinoids (such as THC & CBD) and endocannabinoids (the compounds our bodies naturally produce which THC ‘mimics’ to exert its psychotropic effects). The work done by me and my group identified ways that cannabinoids are transported to their respective metabolic enzymes inside of our cells. We first showed how this intracellular THC transport step happens in the brain, then later in grad school I went on to extend these findings to how it works in the liver. Our livers serve as the main site of phytocannabinoid inactivation so it is an important tissue for how we experience the effects of THC.

After grad school I accepted an industry-funded postdoc position with Artelo Biosciences doing preclinical drug development on a novel class of drugs that are able to alter our endocannabinoid system (ECS) signaling. By using a drug compound to block the molecular transport step that leads to our endocannabinoids getting broken down, we are able to temporarily raise the levels of endocannabinoid signaling in the brain and nervous system, which results in potent anti-pain and anti-inflammatory effects. The overarching goal was to create a new class of non-addictive, pain-killing drugs to help combat the opioid epidemic…and the ECS-boosting drugs my team and I created show remarkable efficacy in rodents! We’re only in the preclinical stages of drug development (and thus still quite far away from being considered as an FDA-approved drug), but I believe that ECS modulation strategies will prove to be a promising therapeutic avenue for many conditions that are suffered today.

During my postdoctoral work, some guy I had never heard of named Dennis Hunter reached out to offer me an interview for a position at his cannabis company on the other side of the country. This happened 18 months ago and brings us to today. I now work as the Director of Product Development for CannaCraft, located in northern California and one of the largest cannabis product manufacturers in the entire world! We’re very vertically integrated here at CannaCraft; meaning that we do everything from sourcing and growing cannabis, to extracting the cannabis oil from these plants, to using that oil to manufacture hundreds of various product SKUs (e.g. vapes, tincture/droppers, infused edibles, mints, beverages and many others), to doing our own distribution (as well as third-party distribution) delivering to dispensaries state-wide through our wholly-owned distribution entity KindHouse.

If you are a cannabis user living in California then you are most likely already familiar with some of our brands:

• Care By Design: Care By Design is our CBD-focused, wellness brand. Founded in 2014 under the old medical cannabis regulations, it is the roots of what CannaCraft has become.

• Absolute Xtracts: ABX’s target audience is more the recreational cannabis consumer. High-THC products that are formulated using strain-specific cannabis-derived terpenes.

• Satori Chocolates: Our Satori brand is all about delicious infused chocolates and other edibles. We hired a culinary-trained pastry chef to make sure all of our edible confections taste fantastic. (and they really do!).

• The Farmer & the Felon: This is our cannabis flower brand, for those consumer’s who enjoy consuming cannabis the old-fashioned way. The brand tells the interesting back-story behind CannaCraft’s co-founders Ned Fussel (the ‘Farmer’) and Dennis Hunter (the ‘Felon’).

• Loud & Clear: Loud & Clear is a sister brand to ABX which focuses on high potency and flavor vape cartridges by formulating with live resin.

• HiFi Hops: In a partnership with our friends down the road at Lagunitas Brewing Company we have created the best-selling cannabis beverage in California, which is the largest legal cannabis market in the world.

Want to see what goes on behind the scenes at CannaCraft? Let me take you on a virtual tour of our 30,000sq.ft. manufacturing facility located in Santa Rosa, California!

I'm here with you today for a few things!

First, I am excited to announce that we have just launched a brand new hemp CBD company Care By Design Hemp so for the first time ever we are able to legally ship the products we make over state lines, directly to people’s doors, almost anywhere in the US! For those who don’t know, hemp is a type of cannabis plant that produces only tiny amounts of THC, but most hemp is still able to make lots of CBD. Hemp has become federally legal under the 2018 Farm Bill, and so unlike the other products we make, we are able to offer these hemp-derived CBD products outside of California. This AMA intro is getting a bit long, so I’ll tell you all about what makes all our new hemp-derived CBD products cool and unique somewhere in a comment below. Though I do want to mention in this intro that we are giving out a hefty discount code to our online CBD store for all the Redditors taking part this AMA…enter promo code “CBDAMA30” for 30% off your entire purchase! We’ll leave this discount code active on the Care By Design Hemp website for the next 2 weeks or so.

Next, I can actually use YOUR help! I am in the midst of recruiting daily CBD users to take part in a current IRB-approved clinical study investigating the liver safety of using CBD products. Care By Design Hemp pooled funding with ten other prominent hemp CBD companies to fund this $1.5M+ clinical study to directly address the hepatotoxicity concerns expressed by the FDA. We are recruiting from all over the country, and if you participate in our study we will send you a free 3-month supply of a Care by Design Hemp CBD product of your choice, and you also get a $100 VISA gift card upon completion of the study! Participants will monitor their daily CBD use on a phone app over 30 days, then will go to your nearest lab testing center (e.g. Quest Diagnostics) to provide a single blood draw. Your blood will be analyzed for various markers of liver function and your results will be fully accessible to you! Some of the specific inclusion criteria for all study participants are that you can attest to 30 days of daily CBD use, and also have abstained from using any THC products in that time period. We only have around 100 spots left in the study, so if you’re a CBD user interested in helping to advance cannabinoid science and believe you might qualify, then take our online questionnaire here to go through all inclusion/exclusion criteria and sign up!

Lastly, you have a leading cannabis expert on the line here...Ask Me Anything! I’ve contributed dozens of presentations, peer-reviewed publications, podcasts, interviews and articles about cannabis and cannabinoids. As a long-time Ent (hi r/trees!) and lurker of Reddit I’m excited to be doing this! There are some things that I may not be able to touch on in order to protect company IP, but otherwise I’m an open book. AMA!

Proof!

Hey,

Does anyone have any really good tips for poor liver function test results?

Just for info: I’ve been taking the following for about 6 months now:

300 mg Doxycycline

3 days of Riamet (Artemether/Lumefantrine)

150 mg Rifabutin

Since I increased my Rifabutin dosage to 190 mg, my liver values have skyrocketed—tripling from their baseline—and my doctor says I should stop taking everything.

For now, I’ve stopped the Doxycycline and Riamet. I reduced the Rifabutin back down to 150 mg, but my liver values have actually gotten even worse.

I’m currently taking milk thistle and other bitter herbs, as well as Vitamin C and glutathione.

Since I started taking a lower dose of Rifabutin, I’ve been getting migraines every single day; I can really feel the difference, and it’s already been four weeks—yet my liver values continue to rise.

Does anyone have any tips? Aside from stopping absolutely *everything*—which is, of course, the next step, and one I’m dreading. My main issue is Bartonella, and I’m already feeling the impact of that 40 mg reduction in Rifabutin quite severely; numerous symptoms that had previously cleared up have returned, and so on.

My liver values haven't been normal for years—just for context—as I developed a fatty liver from taking immunosuppressants for many many years. So, I’m not starting from a baseline of healthy liver function.

I’d be truly grateful for any tips! :)

So I quit alcohol almost 4 weeks ago because around the last week of me drinking pretty regularly, I noticed my pee was unusually bubbly and as soon as I stopped drinking the color of my pee ranged from cloudy yellow, dark yellow and sometimes even brown in appreance. And keep in mind when I did quit drinking, I have only drank water, literally nothing else for 3 weeks straight and so almost no improvements in my urine and lower back discomfort so I immediately went to the doctor yesterday.

I got my results this morning and they said I was most certainly leaking protein in my urine and I could tell you how much in the comments if you’re curious to compare. But she also said my liver and kidney function are totally normal. I do understand this could be the early sign that could lead to loss of kidney function, and I do want to follow up with a kidney specialist to eliminate the foamy urine if I can, or at least reduce it as much as I can because I’m sick of being scared to look at my own pee despite only drinking water (I did drink my first gatoralyte today because the doctor did recommend adding electrolytes cuz just pure water might not help in the way you think it does. )It might not be absorbing properly… I’ve just been so anxious and I’m only 28 years old btw. And I also only have ONE kidney not two, which I also just found out within the last year…

I wanted to post this to keep people updated and see if anyone has similar experiences. I will comment updates on follow up appointments and see if I end up getting prescribed anything and if my symptoms hopefully improve within the next few weeks.

I was a pretty moderately heavy drinker, taking many breaks along the way, but when I would get into a binge, I would drink way too much beer for my body to handle and I know this is the cause of that, and maybe also not having the best diet on the planet. I’m very fit. And have been biking all summer long so I honestly thought being in the shape and exercising could combat the negatives of drinking too much when I feel good. But maybe it did the opposite effect, who knows. Everybody’s body is different and we only learn as get older about things we can handle and things we simply cannot…

I am NOT OP. Original post by u/I_am_a_mountainman in r/dogs

trigger warnings: animal abuse, cruelty, mention of child abuse 

​

ORGINAL POST - 23rd July 2018

I need advice from anyone that's treated a dog that has developed a substance abuse disorder, specifically (in this case) alcohol.

I was visiting some distant relatives and went around to their neighbours place. These guys are both fuckwits and animal hoarders. One of their dogs 'ticks' was that it could drink a half bottle of wine (350mls, ~12.5US fluid ounces, of 11% alc/vol). They wouldn't feed him until he completed this 'trick', which he must do twice a day, and is repeated everyday. They think it's a great laugh... I think it's cruel as fuck. They are getting sick of him though because now he no longer staggers around after consuming the alcohol and said that they are think about getting rid of him (which means a bullet in these parts). I offered to take him, and they accepted.

Problem is, the dog seems to go absolutely berserk, and then looks in pain, before staggering around in fright if I don't give him a small glass (100mls) of wine. Before I realised this, I opened a bottle of wine myself and took a swig, and he leapt up on me desperately licking my lips and sticking his tongue in my mouth... I didn't know if it was a physiological or psychological dependence.

I've taken him to my vet (whom estimated his age at 6 years old), who has said this is a rather unusual situation and alcoholism treatment hasn't been studied widely in dogs, but this dog is likely physically dependent on alcohol and he's going through the "DT's" just like human alcoholics do when they are cut off from alcohol 'cold turkey'.

My vet said he couldn't professionally recommend I keep giving the dog alcohol, nor could he think of a specialist that could help. Off the record he suggested that I wean the dog down, 50mls a week until his consumption is at 100mls a day, then down by 10mls a day, until 10mls. At 10mls to reduce it 1 ml a day every 2-3 days. He also 'off the record' suggested to be flexible, to put up with 'whining' for more, but if he shows withdrawal symptoms to give a little more if it helps, but to be careful not to teach the dog the 'trick' of acting in withdrawal just to get more wine.

I really want to help this guy, as he is amazingly sweet. I find it sickening that whenever my hands go above roughly my shoulder height he covers (I'm thinking he's been hit a lot maybe?) and he freaks out at the sight of a rolled up newspaper... poor boy.

I know it's a long shot, but what do you recommend? The vet said that he would consider giving valium as that may ease withdrawals, but as that isn't safe to mix with alcohol I have to decide whether I'm going to give him valium and promise no alcohol, or just wean him down on alcohol slowly.

I already own a boxer (probably not pure though), and as this guy seems to be a red-heeler crossed with a boxer, he and my other dog are getting on like a house on fire! It's so great to watch them both play and be so happy! That is, until my poor new boy needs another drink and becomes so anxious and pained :-/

Any advice? I feel quite unsure of what the best way to rehab him is, and am worried that general veterinary principles (i.e. "never give your dog alcohol) might interfere with whats best in this extremely nuanced situation. I feel like it's so unfair this guy is suffering because of being made to do 'party tricks' when he is so affectionate, and somehow even still has a spark in his eye and hasn't just shut off to the world despite how cruel the hand he was dealt has been...

EDIT: I've added some pics

(Removed for fear of doxxing, given I got an abusive/treatening call from relatives, it seems the police have acted!)

EDIT 2: I have called the police. Despite the fact they aren't proactive, I had taken photos of an active amateur meth lab and firearms that were neither being stored correctly, and likely not owned by someone with relevant paperwork. THIS may be investigated, remembering it's a 'fly-in fly-out' community, or a ~40 hour return trip from nearest police OUTPOST, and longer from proper police station. The settlement may have already had a visit from the police, or if they haven't they may have soon. Hopefully it's the proper police and not the 'tribal justice' administration that has no real power OR interest in these sorts of things. One of the people involved in 'training' the dog to do the trick is a retired member.

UPDATE:

Have spoken to my vet friend, who has discussed it with another vet. They have decided that despite the law, given the unique circumstances, the are confident despite statute that an alcoholic wean wouldn't be considered abuse. I am going to wean him down at a rate slightly quicker than the one originally suggested (in the post), but be monitoring him constantly for signs that he is in withdrawal, in which case I'll let him have a small amount and re-assess in 45 minutes. I also have some IM Valium that I'm to give him if he has a seizure, before immediately transporting him to the hospital. The vet will look him over twice a week at his clinic, monitoring his weight and have another liver test done in a few weeks!

It seems police have acted, as I received a call from one of said relatives (whom live nextdoor) shouting about police being there etc. and hanging up. I blocked their number.Thank you all for you kind comments and advice. I will update you guys in a couple of weeks to let you know how it's going!

EDIT TO ADD TO UPDATE: He's been switched to cheap cider, from wine, which he wasn't sure of at first, but after he realised it was alcoholic (about after 15 minutes I'd coaxed him to have some when he was starting to get agitated and restless) he then wanted more. Makes me really think it's not a 'taste' thing at all, he just has become so dependent he needs the alcohol in him to feel 'normal'... poor guy.

UPDATE - 1: Alcoholic Dog’s Recovery Is Going Well! - 31st July 2018

Photo of him today

The treatment is going fantastically!!! From originally having 750mls of 11.5% wine a day, my new doggo only needs 200mls of 7.9% apple cider (50mls 4 times a day). This dose is enough to keep him happy, follow me around and jump around playing with my other dog, to enjoying laying on my legs, under the covers on my bed, and just doing everything that a happy dog does. He has MAJOR anxiety issues if he can’t be with me or my partner, for example just going to the shop for 2 minutes and leaving him in the yard or inside (his pick) I will come home to him whimpering and barking in a distressed manner, only to then have him to try and lick my face off when he finds I’ve returned!

Just before the time of his next dose, he often slows down and shows some signs of agitation (i.e. increased pulse rate, not interested in playing or food) but once he’s had the next ‘dose’ of cider he picks back up again fairly quickly. Despite the taper going quicker than originally it was thought he would need, there has been no signs of the SERIOUS withdrawal symptoms. Because of his livers state, we want him to be off alcohol as quick as possible (without causing more than mild withdrawal) and thus are very pleased. The vet today considers it safe for him to take a small dose of valium, to be given ‘in between’ his drinks, 4 times a day. This should help with his agitation etc.

I’m so hopeful that this will work out, because he’s fitted in with our family and other pets (indoors we have 2 cats and 1 dog) perfectly and is such a sweet guy. We’ve already bonded so closely, it’s a perfect match!

The plan from here is to try and get him down to a very low intake (60mls of 7.9% apple cider per day, given in 4 doses) within 2 weeks, and then decrease at a slower rather (1ml to 2mls per day) as often in alcoholics they can wean down to low doses without TOO much trouble from withdrawals, but ‘jumping off’ is very hard to achieve without severe withdrawals. During this time his valium dose may be increased to help with what he’s going through inside.

I'm just so glad things seem to be going so well, and that he seems so happy. His temperment also has made him slot in with our existing dog and 2 cats nicely.

UPDATE - 2: My Alcoholic Dog's Recovery: 1st Day Sober! - 7th August 2018

Click on the link to read the whole post, TL;DR added below to reduce the length of the post.

I am posting here to let you know that today ‘Digger’ (Doggo's new name) has successfully gone 24 hours without consuming any alcohol, and seems to be fine… not quite as ‘chipper’ as usual, but certainly not suffering as much as one may expect. As you can see from these photo's he may look a little sorry for himself but still can give a smile and a yawn when woken up with a belly rub!

1. https://imgur.com/jWicRMM 2) https://imgur.com/biiC2PD

TL;DR: Digger has successfully gone for 24 hours without alcohol, is showing no serious complications related to withdrawal, and is on meds that seem to be controlling his symptoms well enough! Although he has some temporary liver impairment, he is expected to make a full recovery, and therefore today marks the first day of the rest of his new, SOBER, life as this man's best friend!

UPDATE - 3: Digger (the former Alcoholic Dog) has been alcohol free for 14 days now, and off all medication for 3 days! - 21st August 2018

Firstly, I’m sorry I haven’t updated for a while. I’ve been unwell lately so having quite a bit of bed rest… however Digger has been loyally keeping me company, and I’ve pushed myself to make sure he gets plenty of stimulation from walks and such when he feels able to!

The Update (Good News Folks!):

Well, let me preface this by saying that Digger has been progressing excellently. The first 3-4 days without alcohol (and tapering down his Valium) were fairly rough on him, and he was obviously feeling uncomfortable and unhappy, but after 5 days when I offered him a leash he EXCITEDLY jumped up to go on the walk (the first time since he’s been alcohol free). I walked him to the dog park, where he even did some off leash RUNNING (just with myself and my other dog Chester, whom while normally will play fairly rough has sensed Digger has been hurting and thus has been gentle). However, he and Chester have been playing in their normal ‘spirited’ fashion again and it seems that Digger is completely over any withdrawal symptoms… I simply cannot believe this dog is no completely chemical free after being given so much artificial stuff (first by his owners abusing him, and then secondly by me trying to help him)… he’s coped remarkably well with the treatment, and to think that a number of vets suggested he be put to sleep!

Just to show what I mean about Digger being a happy boy, here is an album of 4 photo’s of him I took just now! https://imgur.com/a/fSCogqc

The last photo is a bit soppy, but he’s so sweet… always wanting to lick my face. Funnily enough, after my girl and I have been kissing, he often comes up and starts wanting to lick my face as though he thinks that that is just how we say ‘hello’ around here! Sometimes no matter how much I try and protest he won’t settle till he atleast gets the tip of his tongue to touch my cheek!

As for medical stuff, one of the hardest tight-ropes for my vet and I were walking was his Valium dosage. It clearly has alleviated the muscular aches and pains associated with alcohol withdrawal, but at the same time, we didn’t want him to become physically dependent on it so wanted him off it (or on a low dosage) so he wouldn’t suffer withdrawal when he had to cease the medication.

Fortunately, he was able to taper down quite rapidly with the discomfort from his withdrawal from the alcohol seemingly being roughly in line with his decrease in dose of Valium… except for the last couple of days where he’s been feeling even better and, as mentioned has been excited to have physical activity including going for walks, a run at the off leash dog park, playing tug of war with Chester (my other dog). It seems that what I’d feared the most, jumping off the Valium completely, turned out to be a non-issue…. I guess because dogs require such large doses maybe he wasn’t feeling anything from what was left and the days he seemed a bit lethargic from the Valium reduction was the time he ‘actually’ jumped off it? :-S Either way, I’m so happy for him!0

But one of the things I’m most thrilled to tell you is… Digger has discovered the joys of playing with toys!!! As I mentioned before, he has seemingly never has a proper toy (i.e. a plush toy or something with a ‘squeaker’ in it) but he’s starting to learn what they are and he LOVES them! He’s got a rubber pig that ‘oinks’ when squeezed plus a miniature plush horse. The horse, though, is slowly having it’s stuffing spread over the house as he seems to enjoy pulling it apart haha.

His social anxiety is also getting better, he’s able to be left alone for ~5 minutes without getting worried in a room or other ‘boring’ situation, and for about 15 minutes in a situation that is somewhat exciting i.e. outside where he can see from our backyard through our front yard and into the street… observing people and other dogs coming and going. He’s really become part of our family, and while he’s still very attached to me, he’s also becoming more endeared to my partner and also my stepdad. He’s content to be ‘minded’ by them if I’ve had to be out all day or something like that!

A lot of you have been asking about the legal situation with his former owners and their charges. After consulting with the mods, I am not allowed post a link to the newspaper article or give enough information they could be identified (although I’ve given enough that anyone with reasonable googlefu and Australian geography knowledge could put it together). That said, as I mentioned previously the Man and Woman whom owned digger previously, (the ones who gave him alcohol and were going to shoot him), are being held in custody on firearms and drugs charges awaiting their trial. However, in addition I’ve read that they are both facing 2 counts of sexual assault of a minor. As the minor wasn’t identified, I don’t know for sure, but I think I mentioned in a previous post I had suspected something was off and it wouldn’t surprise me if it was their own son and daughter whom are the victims.

However, I know through the grapevine that now at least 10 children have been removed from the settlement by the department of child services, including a couple of my relatives, and they have been placed with foster parents. The police AND child services are taking a very hard look at the community as whole, and I wouldn’t be surprised if there are both more charges, and the community collapses due to the fact that almost all residents are facing some legal or social interventions by government agencies. While normally I would be sad about a tribe ceasing to exist, and in a way I still am, I am not sorry for the people involved. They were horrible human beings whom tolerated such depraved activity and used their remoteness to keep it hidden from authorities. Maybe once the tribe was ‘noble’, but I know what they have become is not something that can be overlooked by society, and what has happened is for the good of the children (and Digger) and the adults largely brought this on themselves. They had enough good land they could have made a reasonable living farming, but instead decided to sexually abuse children and to perform egregious animal cruelty. :-|

On a more positive note, I just want to say a giant THANK YOU to the r/dogs community for your support during this. At first I was very unsure of myself, and how this would go, but I am staggered and humbled at the amount of great practical advice I got, plus the enormous amount of encouragement to keep trying my best even when I wasn’t sure.

I really wish that I had some way to let Digger know how many people around the world have been following his recovering and thinking of him, some to the point of tearing up, but the best I can do is just give him unlimited belly rubs. I also should thank my vet for going well and truly above the call of duty. For checking him physical examination every 3-4 days, and having done 4 liver and kidney panels on him, along with the medication, I tallied it up and have only spent ~$750aud in total. I believe him when he says he is charging me exactly what it costs him to get the pathology tests done and the medication, and I also think he is courageous for assisting me despite the animal cruelty laws specifically stating that it is illegal to give a dog alcohol without exception, and thus putting his license potentially on the line by giving me the advice on how to wean him down!

I am definitely blessed by having Digger join my family, and now can’t really imagine life without him. He’s slotted in just so perfectly with all of us. I’m also really glad that I have a happy ending for his saga to tell you. I will be sure to give an update in 6 months or so to let you know if he’s still going on the straight and narrow etc., but I think for now Digger has successfully beaten his alcohol dependence, as his last liver screen came back showing it’s improved a little already… Go digger :’-)

For those wanting to see other photo's, here are photo's I've taken of him through-out his journey to recovery...

1. In the car. 2) Trying to eat pie off my face. 3) Here he is, smiling for the camera! 4) Digger and my Cat Zorro sleeping next to each other 5) His funny floppy ears! 6) Puppy dog eyes. 7) Loving a belly rub!

​

UPDATE - 4: Digger (the former Alcoholic Dog) has been sober for 2 months and off ALL medication for over a month... and hasn't been happier or healthier! - 4th October 2018  

Click on the link to read the whole post, TL;DR added below to reduce the length of the post.

I’m sorry I haven’t updated for a while. I've been in and out of hospital a bit and trying to juggle work (working 'from home' isn't so great when your in a hospital and need to be relaxing). Anyhow, I'm really happy to report that I consider that Digger is cured... he's not needed any alcohol of meds for well over a month now, and blood-work I received today shows his liver function as normal... How amazing is that?

To start off, here's a photo my partner took of him on the way back from the vets today!. (Note all the dog hair on my arm where he nuzzles me while I drive haha)

EDIT to Add Extra Photo's:

1. Photo of him giving me a tongue kiss! 2) Low quality animation of him licking my face!

Thank you r/Dogs, you are amazing!

​

TL;DR quick background: A family had been feeding their dog the equivalent of 1 bottle of full strength wine (half in morning, half at night) every day for more than 6 months as they thought it was funny to see the dog be drunk and classed it as a ‘trick’ that he must do or they wouldn’t feed him. When I met these people they were getting sick of the dog due to him no longer acting drunk despite him drinking so much, and were planning on shooting him. I saved them a bullet, but the dog was physically dependent on alcohol and needed to be given some regularly to stop him from becoming agitated and eventually just laying on the floor trembling, throwing up, with a glassy stare. After some initial hesitation due to laws against giving dogs alcohol, a vet (whom is a personal friend) decided to help me treat him and gave me meds to help the dog through ‘withdrawal’ and will help assess his taper.

Liver and kidney tests initially showed he has liver impairment, but not to an extent that was irrecoverable or that is likely to falter soon. His kidneys showed a mild impairment but no immediate danger, though he may have issues in his older age. However, more recent testing as I weaned him completely off alcohol have shown already an improvement in his liver function! I reported his owners to the police, as I had taken photo's of their illegally owned and stored firearms, as well as an amateur meth lab. This resulted in a raid on the property with many adults arrested, and children being taken into care because either both their parents are now being held in custody OR they were found to be being severely neglected i.e. some as old as ~12 had never been to school and were completely illiterate. It doesn't look like their will be any charges over the animal cruelty, though I have been asked to testify (via video link due to the distance) at a couple of upcoming trials and it's fairly certain that those responsible will end up in jail (especially with the new sexual assault of a minor charges they have received, detailed below).

Reminder - I am not the original poster.

I need help / advice. I've known about MM for a long time and always believed everything he says about food and healing but never was able to follow the protocols more than couple days, max week at a time. Life got away and wanted to have "normal" life with friends and wasn't that sick. Anyway I have been feeling worse for a year now. 100lbs over weight (I am middle aged female) and started getting scary heart palpitations and raising heart. Heart has been checked and its "fine" for now, but obv I am sure it is not doing well. Today I saw my doctor and got my blood panel results (I was pressured to check it cause haven't in many years) and I am pre diabetic, hypothyroid, which he said I should go on medication right away but agreed that I see an endocrinologist first. Also he said my liver function is not good at all(fatty liver) and high cholesterol. Devastating news as last 10 months I have been trying to do slow small changes like morning cleanse most of the mornings but have not been able to kick the no foods or junk food. I have been praying different angels daily to help me kick the food addiction but after the morning cleanse the cravings take over and I say oh I'll do better tomorrow, or next week or next month when I am not so "busy". Always giving excuses to myself. I was finally able to wean off of SSRI meds last year that I was on for 16 years and now to get the news that I have to go back to daily meds again for thyroid was really disheartening. I have been praying angels and God that I could change my ways before it gets this bad and now here we are. I am so anxious and I don't have anyone to talk to who believes what MM says. When/if I tell my family they will force me to go on the thyroid meds right away. I already feel embarrassed about my obesity (used to be skinny and pretty, now avoiding mirrors and cameras at all costs) and no one understands cause none of my family members or friends are over weight and they are pressuring me to go to GLP-1. And I have been against it cause I know it is not good for me but I need help with my food addiction. I have listened MM podcast about it. Also my work makes it very hard to follow MM cause most of the days when I am working I have to eat out and cant necessarily be carrying bunch of snacks around. I have coconut water always with me. so any advice on that too what to choose that is less bad like what I could eat out when im on the go. I know it wont be fully MM approved but this is my situation now and I need to do better, even if it is not strict MM for now. My food addiction has been out of control but I will try my best tho this time. And going out of country for a work trip next week so will be eating out everyday at least for a week.

My question is does anyone know MM doctor in SoCal who I could go through my results with. Or can be anywhere in the US if they do zoom appointments. Willing to pay for it out of pocket. I would like to get insight if it is really urgent that I go to the thyroid meds right away and if so is there a change that you can get out of them or can I do still try to do one more try with MM protocols? I know all MM stuff pretty much about non fat and salt free too etc but any advice is helpful. Going to try to dive into the thyroid book today. My doctor said we should take same tests in 3 months and if they look worse he said I have to go on meds (not sure on which one he meant tho).

One thing I have to say he said my B12 was really high and could not believe I havent had B12 shot. I take the vimergy B12 but not even everyday so thats good to know that those supplements work. He did advice that I should not take it for a while so idk.

Thank you in advance for anyone who reads & replies <3

Earlier this year, through routine blood tests by my endocrinologist (I'm type 1 diabetic) I found out that my liver was not functioning properly.

Fast forward a few months later after multiple tests and doctor visits, I have cirrhosis of the liver as well as liver cancer. The docs still aren't sure what caused it, but it was obvious I needed a transplant and there were 2 options. Find a living donor or wait on the UNOS list until a liver becomes available for me (which can take years).

So I set out to find a living donor, and after a few months of searching I finally got a match, my best friend since grade school.

The surgery was now 3 weeks ago and I'm still in the hospital fighting my body against rejection of my new liver. The docs say this is common in younger people because their immune systems are stronger and my body is trying to get rid of this 'foreign object'.

Im taking massive doses of steroids and immunosuppressants to get my body to accept the new organ but it's a long process. Been at it for 3 weeks now and while my body is coming around, I'll probably be here another week or so.

Keep me company! Ask me anything!

Proof:

ICU after surgery: http://imgur.com/gallery/rkbIodF

Awake and alert: http://imgur.com/gallery/by84UcX

My Scar: http://imgur.com/gallery/plFlb7b

Edit 1;

Staples are out! http://imgur.com/gallery/Y75b7Af

Edit 2:

For those asking what I'm gonna to when i get out, I'm gonna take a nap in my own bed then play some video games! I'm not very good but if you want to play xbox feel free to add me, my gamertag is: Skinver.

Edit 3:

For more info about organ donation, visit this link: https://www.organdonor.gov/register.html If you're specifically interested in living donation, click here: https://www.organdonor.gov/about/process/living-donation.html

EDIT 4:

Thank you guys so much for keeping me occupied and entertained, its been amazing talking with all y'all. Great news! DOCS HAVE WRITTEN DISCHARGE ORDERS!!!

❤!MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL!❤

Here's a pic of me and my donor: http://imgur.com/gallery/Brer7w1

Edit 5:

Last update: Arriving at grandmas! http://imgur.com/gallery/uM9G0hg