Freaking out about my liver pains

Hi, I am a 18 year old university student. I made the following awful mistake that I haven't spent a single day regretting. about 7 weeks ago, I went to a party on a Saturday night. I was a bit sick (the flu or a cold, basically a sinus infection and a bit of a niggle in the throat). I drank a Linctagon C effervescent tablet with an ACC 200 effervescent tablet dissolved together in a glass of water. Then I drank a Mypaid Forte pain tablet. It contains 400 mg of ibuprofen, and 350 mg of paracetamol. I was very busy so I didn't have time to eat supper, so i drank the whole mixture on an empty stomach. An hour to and hour and a half later i was at the party and i started drinking alcohol. I left the party at about 10:45 PM. At the party i had about 4 big slices of pizza, and some KFC chicken. I had about 4 to 4 and a half beers, one cider, and 2 or three shots of vodka and potency. i also drank a lot of water. when i got home i had a cottage pie and drank maybe a litre of water or so to sober up. I felt drunk but otherwise ok.

Then on sunday the pains in my liver started. I went to the ER on Monday morning, they did a ultrasound sonar scan and said everything was fine, my liver function blood test said everything was fine, but two enzymes were slightly above normal, but the Doctor said this was normal after a drinking binge. My eyes weren't yellow. i left and by wednesday all pain was gone and i felt fine, except i was quite sick again. so on friday that same week i thought it would be ok to take medication again for my sinus, so i went to the campus clinic and a doctor wasnt in, so i saw a nurse. She prescribed me ascorbic acid and strong antibiotic 500 something. These i had to take three times a day wihich i did. Up until the next week saturday i felt fine, finished the course of antibiotics, etc. 

Then the liver pain started again and hasnt let up for 4 weeks now. I am going crazy with fear and worry and this pain is not severe but it is extremely uncomfortable. During this month i was sick again so i used Advil CS with vitamin C supplements for a few days. I went to a doctor who took an x ray and said i was very constipated, gave me a laxative. This sort of worked, but not a lot of faecal matter came out. during this time my bowel movements were relatively normal, but i had to push and work to get the stuff out.

Last week friday night i had excruciating pain in my lower right back roughly where my kidney was. I dont know if it was a kidney or a muscle or what. Just like a dull stiff pain, but very sore. Then the left also started hurting. If i lay down it was worse, if i walked around or stood up it was less sore. the same happened the saturday night. I could hardly sleep.

I went to the ER again on sunday morning, three days ago, and they did a urine test - clean. Despite the pain my urine was clean, see-through in colour. They did a number of blood tests - liver function test showed normal with the white blood cells a bit higher because i am still a bit sick. My blood count was normal, blood pressure was normal, the kidney function blood test was normal. they took another x ray and said i was still very constipated. they gave me an enema and some stuff came out, but not lot. On sunday night the lower back pain sort of stopped. i have had an enema every day now for the last 4 days, and it has started to work a bit better, but my stools are dark in colour, like a dark drown, and a bit runny. But the pain in my liver has remained constant.\

Also i havent touched alcohol since, and it was the first time i was drunk.

The pain is situated on my right side just below by ribcage but still a bit behind the last rib i would say, in an area that is like totally on the side of my body, not the front. I dont know if it is my liver - the tests would show otherwise, or if it is my colon, or my gall bladder. I am really very scared. I also became nauseous the weekend and this has persisted when i drink water or eat. i have tried to only eat dried prunes and carrots and apples and cereal with high fibre.

I dont know what to do. I dont know what is wrong with me. please comment.

will the liver heal itself?

Is it possible for the colon to hurt in that area?

Please help.

Hi Greg, You are a young fellow to be having such problems, but things happen...even to students. I think that your doctors have been testing you to find out what's going on, and I am sure hoping your pain will resolve on its own so you can go on to your everyday life.

However, chronic symptoms have to mean "something."

Can you get a referral to a GastroIntologist who will no doubt do some more advanced tests? I am thinking that instead of Xray, you need an MRI or Ultra sound of your abdominal organs...liver, pancreas, gall bladder, bile ducts. Each can have obstructions, stones or tumors. I would think they would do a colonoscopy to see what is up with your bowel. And I would think they would check the various viruses that can cause havoc with the liver and other organs.

Also, there are autoimmune conditions that attack your OWN organs... These are hard to diagnose, cause pain, and can be managed well with the proper medications ( and immunosupressants). However, with Auto Immune Hepatitis, for example, your liver function tests would be way out of normal range...especially at the beginning of a flare up.

BTW, my friend's son was having tummy stuff, lots of vomiting, etc. After a few years unable to diagnose the problem, they found he had polyps in his sinuses, took them out, and his GI symptoms disappeared. Evidently he was dumping all kinds of mucus into his GI system...simple fix...difficult to diagnose.

My partner gets chronic pancreatitis, and he complains of serious pain in his side...they generally put him in hospital where he is on IV fluids only for 3 or 4 days. On morphine. They give him some other electrolytes also. Then, when the flare up calms down, he starts on soft food and we go home. He had some serious problems, you will see below, but the pancreatitis was horrible.

AND, have you considered whether university life has raised your anxiety levels to an intolerable status that you could have tummy changes based on being a student at a new, difficult academic program. I am assuming at age 18 that you are a first year student?

As a mother and grandmother, I would recommend you stay away from self diagnosing and medicating yourself with OTC meds and vagarious herbs and cleanses. Some products (tylenol/paracematol) can cause problems for livers, for example, at higher doses...even liver failure. And they can be IN other products...say sinus tablets....so that you receive too high a dose. A person's liver can fail with too much tylenol!!! I suggest that your doctors put you on a regimen they demp appropriate....

With your labs pretty good, I would not think you have anything DIRE. Do you have family nearby that could be supportive while you go through a diagnostic process?

Hoping your feel better soon,

Mama Lama

Thanks all for the replies.

I was admitted to hospital, and they say that my liver is fine, but I have Gilbert's Syndrome.

So I hope the pain will disappear by itself eventually.