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scared about my liver pain

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Posted 8/19/2011 11:29 PM (GMT 0)
hello, i am a pretty active 31 year old male with a past of heavy drinking. i have drank everyday since about 19 years old. i had a brief time of sobriety a year ago that lasted about 7 months. i fell off the wagon for a few months but now have recently jumped back on about 3 weeks ago. i am extremely scared that i have done some permanent damage to my liver over the years. i started having pain in my liver occompanied by mild itching. i have had a ct scan done, 4 different liver function tests as well as a ultrasound recently. all have come back normal. the doctor tells me he can not feel my liver, but when i myself press just beneath my ribs, i can feel a harder liver that sends pain radiating across my chest. i am 100% convinced it is my liver through my research, and am scared to death i have developed cirrhosis. i guess my question is, has anyone else experienced these symptoms? will they go away with abstinence? would it be safe to say the alcohol has caused hepatitis or inflamation that will resolve with time? i have changed, and am confident in dedicating my newly found sober life to my wonderful daughters and wife. just hope its not to late. any response would be great!...p.s., no other symptoms besides the liver pain, slight itchiness and constant loose stools.
Posted 8/19/2011 11:37 PM (GMT 0)
sorry, one more thing i thought i would add...it has been over three weeks, and the pain has not subsided any. i heard it can take up to 6 months to years to return to normal. once again, just wonering if anyone has experienced this, and if there is any hope of it resolving itself!!...thanks!
Posted 8/20/2011 12:39 AM (GMT 0)
Hadalltests, welcome to the forum. We have a few other members here, such as yourself, who drank heavily but tests are normal. I am very pleased that you are again sober. You need to remain so, to assure that you will have no future damage to your liver. You most likely are one of those who have stopped in time and whose inflammation can be reversed or at least stopped in its tracks by not drinking. Relax and trust your doctor and your results.

Because of your symptoms, I am thinking perhaps something else is going on, such as gall bladder or colon problems. Have you had a colonoscopy or scan of your gall bladder?

Hugs,
Connie
Posted 8/20/2011 2:08 AM (GMT 0)
I had the same symptoms as you a couple of years ago and it turned out to be an ulcer caused by the H-Pylori bacteria. You can get a simple breath test to see if you have H-pylori and it is easily treated with antibiotics.
Posted 8/20/2011 4:27 AM (GMT 0)
With the CT, ultrasound and LFTs being normal, I'd quit worrying about it being your liver.  It does sound more like an upper GI issue or maybe an IBS or Crohn's type problem.  If you continue to have discomfort, speak to your doctor about having an endoscopy and colonoscopy.  The drinking wouldn't help any of those issues either so better that you stopped and are focusing on a healthier lifestyle.  While the itchies would also be associated with gallbladder problems, the ultrasound would have picked up an issue with the gallbladder (provided it was blocked or inflamed), smaller flow problems would need a HIDA scan to truly test it but bilirubin would have been elevated in either case.  The thing with being itchy, you can just think of something that makes you itchy and you'll scratch for days.  so if you've been doing enough internet self diagnosing, you'll be plenty itchy knowing that itchiness comes with an inflamed liver...the itchies associated with liver or gallbladder issues are generally from an increase in bilirubin...I'm guessing that was one of the 4 liver function tests you had that was normal?
Posted 8/20/2011 5:44 PM (GMT 0)
first off, id like to thank you guys and gals for your response. you dont even know me but are willing to offer helpful advise. it is great to know there are good people out there who care and are willing to help. i really hope it is not my liver talking to me, but it is so hard to rule it out with the amount of vodka i would drink every evening. i have come to terms with my alcoholism and have realized this is the hand i have been dealt in life. it will not be easy, i fight it every day, but hey, it could be worse i guess. i know self diagnosing on the internet is not the proper thing to be doing, but with my job, i am on the computer all day and its hard not to start "searching." i really really want to believe in the results and trust my docs, but it is just so hard giving the all day every day aching i have in the liver area. when i would drink it would go away, then return when i woke up all untill i did it over and over again. this has been going on for about three years now, but when i went thru the 7 months of sobriety, i remember it getting better with time. this round however has been a bit more symptomatic, and a bit more intense. i guess my final question would be if i had "significant" damage to my liver it would have shown on the tests right?!?! there would have been some sort of red flag?!?!...i know tests arent 100% but i would hope they are somewhat accurate. i am not asking for medical advise, i think i have eliminated the problem.."alcohol" i just would like it if someone had some experience with this, and hopefully some words of hope and encouragment!...thanks again guys...hope u all are well
Posted 8/20/2011 6:12 PM (GMT 0)

Hi, Hadalltests!  Yes, at least one test would be abnormal if there were liver disease.  However, cirrhosis doesn't show up in blood work.  But it is many abnormal liver tests that make a doctor suspect cirrhosis...and you don't have those, so cirrhosis is unlikely.  You could possibly have an ulcer.  I'd had a pain under my left ribs for years, yet nothing ever showed up on MRI or CT scan.  When I had an upper endoscopy (which includes part of the stomach) during my transplant evaluation, I was found to have 2 small ulcers that were "chemically induced" (from medication taken for years.)  I was placed on a proton pump inhibitor (AciPhex) and it's helping a lot...also keeping reflux at bay.

So when you're concerned about your liver, you have tunnel vision--in that symptoms are self-diagnosed and self-interpreted to mean a liver problem...when it's likely something else entirely.

Hugs,

Connie

P.S.  Dany, thanks for your input.  You always have such good information to pass on.

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