Dull pain under right ribs and general... - British Liver Trust

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Dull pain under right ribs and generalized itching but no abnormal tests. What is it?

Fallout4 profile image
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Anyone have info on dull pain under right ribs and generalized itching? I also have normal blood tests, LFTs, and had a normal ct scan.

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Fallout4
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Liver pain is an enigma, as the liver has no pain transmitting nerves anywhere within the organ itself. There is however a capsule (Glisson's Capsule) surrounding the liver, which is supposed to radiate pain theoretically only when stretched, as with fatty liver or hepatomegaly.

I experienced a sharp increase in "liver pain" when I quit drinking. I had experienced a rather dull ache for many years, but nothing substantial enough to make me stop drinking. When I quit however, this pain grew so much, I thought for sure my liver must have turned to stone. This resolved between 30 & 90 days into recovery, but I never forgot how intense this was.

I eventually got a clean bill of health from ASH Fibrosure which showed fibrosis at F-0, so it turns out I never had advanced disease. I obviously had a fatty alcoholic liver for many years, without much pain, & this alcoholic fatty liver should logically have resolved over the first few months of my recovery, resulting in some shrinkage in the volume of my liver.

I have a theory that Glisson's Capsule can cause pain, not only when stretched, but also when the liver shrinks during fatty liver recovery; but this is not supported by any legitimate documentation. With my F-0 ASH Fibrosure, I also believe liver pain may not be a particularly good marker for fibrosis or advanced disease. In my opinion, "liver pain" is simply an artifact of a state of transition in size, from normal to fatty, or fatty to normal.

I'm not a doctor, so this is based solely on my own personal experience and research.

briccolone profile image
briccolone in reply to

As usual met very well explained and I endorse this from my own experience

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