I may be clutching at straws here, but I’m waiting for result of an abdominal ultrasound scan, X-ray and blood tests, and I’m trying to think of something positive instead. I’m just wondering whether anyone else found they suddenly couldn’t tolerate alcohol, and hopefully that it was due to chemo damage rather than anything more sinister?
I had a 2nd mastectomy Nov 04, 6 x FEC chemo, then radiotherapy, then a year of Herceptin ending Aug 06. Around Jan 07 I found I was waking up at night with a really heavy, slightly nauseous feeling somewhere below my stomach, with some pain inside the ribs on the right hand side. Saw GP who ordered an ultrasound, which was quick and painless and clear as a bell. At a routine oncology appt not long after the ultrasound they did a lot prodding and asked a lot of specific questions and thought it was nothing serious. Over the next year or so there was no change really, but it definitely wasn’t any either. Then in February this year I noticed that it was a little better if I hadn’t had any alcohol for a day or so - at the time we were very stressed and splitting a bottle of wine probably 3 or 4 nights a week - so I stopped drinking for a week and felt heaps better. So I just gave up completely (oh there’s a world of effort in that ‘just’!). The heaviness is still there a bit, but not bad at all.
However, when my dentist was going through the routine health questions and asked if I was still drinking the same amount/more/less, I said I’d given up and he got a bit alarmed - because if it’s a problem with the liver not processing alcohol properly any more, it might also not process antibiotics, which I’ve needed a couple of times. So he suggested I should find out what was wrong - liver function tests etc. This time the ultrasound took ages and the radiologist really dug around with the probe - I guess there’s a picture of every surface of every organ this time round. I had a letter with an oncologist’s appt the same day as the letter with the ultrasound appt, so not prompted by bad results, but I’m getting more and more worried; the ultrasound was pretty uncomfortable and hasn’t got much better over the week since I had it. I’ve not told many people as I can’t take the “Oh, you’ll be fine!” comments - I understand why people say that, but I’m understandinged-out right now; I’ve just said it’s probably chemo damage; after all, my GP did mention that I had mild renal failure 'but you’d expect that after chemo, we’ll just keep an eye on it but it should stay the same for years". So - has anyone had the same experience with mild liver damage, suddenly finding they can’t tolerate alcohol? Can you contribute to my pool of straws to clutch at to make the weekend a bit better than the last one?!
sorry this is so long - I thought it would better to explain the symptoms in the hope someone recognises them (and has had a reassuring reason for them).
I found that when I started my first lot of chemo I immediately went off alcohol. This was about two years ago. Even long after that I couldn’t touch my 2 glasses a night target ( I never felt I had a drink problem but I guess I did). I felt really good for not drinking, far less sluggish. Funny but I began to notice how much folks around me drink, its not good really!.
Well I did begin to drink the odd glass of white wine (still off red wine) last Christmas but nothing much. Then I had to go through Chemo again in February. Again I am totally off alcohol, in fact I heave near folks drinking red wine. Although I feel fitter I do feel a little conscious that I only drink soft drinks in company ‘Miss Goody Goody’ is what the less sensitive folks say ( I can’t be bothered to explain). I would like to be able to drink the odd glass of wine as how many J2O’s can anyone drink before getting a sugar overdose headache?!
Just thought I’d let you know that I can’t tolerate alcohol at the moment either (I never used to have a problem!). I’m halfway through chemo and if I have a couple of glasses then I’m glued to the toilet for hours. I given up bothering and just hope that it will pass when chemo is finished.
While on chemo I couldn’t tolerate alcohol. Nor could I tolerate coffee and many other things. Made up for it since though :(. Replaced coffee (more or less, only one or two cups a day now instead of previously seven or eight!!!) with green tea.
Sometimes I tell myself, what the heck - three years ago they gave me two years and here I am, better than I’ve been in a long, long time.
Cheers, everyone, and good luck to us all.
Maureen xx
I had my last chemo end of March 2008 and went off alcohol as soon as had first chemo and any form of caffeine. It has only been in the last month that I can actually have a coffee with out feeling sick! I still can not drink. I really miss a good glass of red wine and used to easily drink a couple of glasses with my evening meals. Although I miss the escapism of alcohol it is good to know that chemo has its benefits!!! However that this mean that I might have liver damage?
Thanks for all those - it’s reassuring to know other people have this too!
In fact I had to go back for another blood test this morning - apparently “the last lot haemolysed before they could test it”. While I was there the nurse showed me the ultrasound report - “No focal lesions” = no cancer spread. Huge relief! The rest of it not quite so good, possible fatty liver, queries all over it about possible liver disease, so not wonderful, but livable-with I reckon. She also reckoned that it’s not that uncommon to get this kind of liver damage some time after chemo (about 18 months, in my case). She didn’t know what you can do about it, but that’s for the doctor next week.
Thanks again for the support - most of the time I feel pretty positive, but don’t tests/scans etc. get to you!
I have had high LFT’s (Liver Function Tests) for the past twelve months. The doctor told me not to drink any more alcohol for the time being and see what happens. I have had two ultrasound scans of the liver and it shows nothing sinister. The specialists have said the high LFT’s could be caused by my tablets, Arimidex, or that I have just aquired a very sensitive liver.
I have been off alcohol for twelve months now, and I only ever only drank one glass of wine a night before I abstained from alcohol completely, and the LFT’s
have come right down. I am glad to say the LFT tests are now nearly normal. I think, and my doctor thinks, that the high LFT’s are a reaction of alcohol and Arimidex which has given me a sensitive liver - not a damaged liver. I had radiotherapy but not chemotherapy, so the high LFT’s are not because of chemotherapy.
Even though the liver test results are now nearly normal the doctor has told me I must not drink any alcohol. I promised him I would not.
Come the end I did not enjoy the alcohol and it was like drinking medicine so my own body was telling me not to drink.
There is one good thing about it all. My husband is happy. I am always the chauffeur when he wants to go out!
I am a little bit worried though by something I have read on this thread about antibiotics not working with liver problems. I have a bad infection at the moment and I am taking very high doses of two antibiotics. I have cellulitis in my leg. I hope the tablets work!
" The rest of it not quite so good, possible fatty liver, queries all over it about possible liver disease, so not wonderful, but livable-with I reckon. She also reckoned that it’s not that uncommon to get this kind of liver damage some time after chemo (about 18 months, in my case). She didn’t know what you can do about it, but that’s for the doctor next week."
There are methods for assisting the liver to recover. Milk thistle is a herbal one, but try to persuade the doctor to discuss all possible methods.
Christiane, It was my dentist who raised the concern about antibiotics - he didn’t say they wouldn’t work, or that he couldn’t prescribe them (though we wouldn’t do so until he had more information about what exactly was wrong), but that they might work in a different way if my liver was metabolizing them in a different way from normal (i.e. different from what they were designed to work with). I might need more, or less, or a different drug. It’s good that your LFT results are back to normal, this shouldn’t apply to you now. I’ll be getting my LFT results next week, they had to do the blood test again as the blood haemolysed too quickly last time, and they couldn’t get enough out for all the tests (only 9 ml needed - but nowadays it takes ages to find a vein that doesn’t collapse). I hope your cellulitis clears up soon - that sounds really nasty.
Thanks for all the support and advice on this thread, it’s really helped.
