Michael’s Story
For me, like many in Scotland, drinking was just something that I did. It was a social norm that I was happy to join in with. After a particular time in my life, my drinking changed and I began drinking daily. I drank in the evenings and managed to work during the day. I was probably what many call ‘functioning’, but was always thinking of the time when I could get home from work and have a drink.
It would have been fine if I was having ‘A’ drink, however in the end I was drinking 140 units a week. I decided one day just to stop but was naive to the effects this would have on my body. It led to a lengthy stay in hospital, worry that I might not survive due to the impact on my liver and the withdrawal I went through.
I have now been sober since September 2019, have educated myself in alcohol harms and have spent the last few years working with others to help reduce their alcohol intake and make others aware of just how harmful alcohol can be.
When I first went into hospital in late 2019, the consultant at the time was unsure what they were treating me for. I had been previously treated for an infection and was given high dose antibiotics and the follow up blood tests meant I needed to be admitted to hospital which was initially for a few days.
In all I ended up spending nearly five months in hospital which culminated in a liver transplant in April 2020. In the early stages in hospital, I was being treated to avoid the onset of any alcohol related brain issues, at this point however I wasn’t given any kind of scan of my liver to find out the extent of any damage. Any diagnosis up to this point was done through blood tests. Looking back, I’m not sure if this was because it was in a rural area and because of lack of availability of fibro scanning equipment in these places.
Although when I went into hospital I was being treated for potential alcohol related brain damage (ARBD), I don’t think the doctors were initially aware of the impact alcohol had on my body or liver.
It was only about two months into treatment and when I got a new consultant that we started moving down the transplant route. This can take a long time due to the assessment process and then obviously finding a suitable donor. I think had there been fibro scanning available in the local rural area, then we might have had a clearer picture of how bad my liver was much earlier on.
I feel I was lucky when I had a new consultant come on board and he was keen to get me to the liver unit in Edinburgh to be assessed for suitability for a transplant.
I think when the government are thinking about introducing the alcohol levy we should see reinvestment of this money for the early detection of alcohol related liver disease. I think investment for more fibro scanning equipment would be key, particularly in rural areas who currently don’t have this equipment at hand. It is important that we offer people regular liver scans so that we can help detect liver damage before it becomes so serious that patients need transplants.
We also need to educate young people around the damage of alcohol, including having honest conversations about what actually happens to you and what happens to your body. I’d be strongly in favour of further investment in our wider health service to provide the care needed for someone suffering from alcohol related liver disease.
