I nearly died last year
I’m 26 and Native American. Last year, I nearly died from liver failure after years of drinking. It started as a way to cope with depression, and even when life got better, the addiction didn’t go away.
I was in the hospital for about 2 and a half months. When I came in, my blood alcohol level was high enough to be fatal for most people. At one point, I nearly died from blood loss—my hemoglobin dropped to 3.3. I ended up needing around 12 blood transfusions due to severe bleeding (in my case, hemorrhoids). I also lost about 50 pounds during that time.
My labs were severe—my bilirubin was 36 and my MELD score was 38. One of my doctors called me a “walking miracle,” and at the time they were pushing for a liver transplant.
I wouldn’t let my family come see me, and I refused to take any pictures. I didn’t want to ever see myself like that again. Looking back, I kind of wish I had something to remind me how bad it really got.
My hepatologist didn’t think I would quit drinking, and early on my doctor didn’t think the damage would improve much. I proved that wrong. I’ve now been sober for 1 year and 2 months, and I did it without AA. That’s not a knock on it—I know it helps a lot of people—but I wanted to show myself it was possible another way too.
My fiancée also chose to quit drinking to support me, even though she didn’t have to, and that made a huge difference. Now I stay consistent with doctor visits and regular checkups.
My liver has compensated better than expected. The only noticeable issue now is an enlarged spleen—otherwise, you wouldn’t really know I have cirrhosis. My most recent FibroScan showed F1, which is a big improvement from where I started. Now my doctor even thinks some of the cirrhosis could reverse, which I didn’t expect to hear.
Looking back, I’m honestly glad I didn’t end up getting a transplant.
Just wanted to share my story and see if anyone else here has had a similar experience or insight on long-term recovery.