Rib, Liver Pain?

[Dj7383]

Hi all,

3 years ago i went on a 3 month drinking binge due to stress. I developed a dull ache under my Rib on the right side. Saw a hepatologist. He did panels and mri and ultrasound. Said i was fine. To keep drinking my coffee and that if i was going to drink, to not go over the 2 beer mark. It's worth mentioning that after my 3 month binge, i did not drink often at all. Fast forward 3 years and i still have the issue. Last year i got confirmation again that ultrasound was clean and bloodwork was great......ive since cut down drinking a ton. Have had a few beers maybe 3 times in the last 6 months. I know the answer is to stop completely if it is my Liver but experts are telling me it isnt my Liver. The question killing my psyche is this:

How accurate are blood panels and ultrasounds/mris for discovering things like cirrhosis. Ive made myself sick w worry on it and two time in the last 2.5 years ive gone through full exams. I would truly love some advice on this. Thanks so much.

[Hidden]

Hi.

It seems to me there's no way (yet) of detecting minor liver irritations. It appears that scarring can and cirrhosis definately can be detected through blood tests and scans.

In cases such as yours ... those irritating little niggles may well clear up with complete abstainance from alcohol, healthy foods and exercise.

Be worth trying and experimenting maybe?

We probably should all be looking after ourselves a bit better than we do.

Hope it improves for you soon

Take care

Laura x

[Dj7383 in reply to Hidden]

Thank you for the reply. Yeah i think compete abstinence for an extended period of time is my next step. I generally eat well though i have a baby on the way in October and have gained maybe 5 pounds of sympathy weight with my wife (bouncing from eating well to eating awful throughout the week). I'm 5'10" and hover around 180-185 pounds right now, so I'm a little overweight but not grossly.

[Kristian]

Hi DJ, they are accurate enough. If they are clear then usually things are generally ok and it's probably not your liver causing the problem. May well be just your body telling you something you are doing just isn't agreeing with your insides.

[Dj7383 in reply to Kristian]

Thx for the reply. Now i just have to figure out what is not agreeing with me.

[Kristian in reply to Dj7383]

Yeah, that is always the hard bit. You'll probably find it's something simple.

[Hidden in reply to Dj7383]

It may be gluten or dairy products? Try eliminating 1 at time for 6-8 weeks to see if theres any improvement in your symptoms. Good luck and all the best with your baby x

[Grank in reply to Hidden]

In my wife’s case, she has upper right quadrant pain if she has either dairy or gluten. My sons can’t drink beer because of the gluten. Any toxins we take in are dumped in the poor liver and that’s where my wife feels it. It’s a sneaky problem because you can find dairy in many products these days and restaurants smother things in butter and cream.

[Hidden in reply to Grank]

You are absolutely right. It is very difficult isnt it ?

Im not vegan or vegetarian but they would say go vegan 😟🤮

[Grank in reply to Hidden]

Hi, Susan here! It’s really difficult being dairy and gluten intolerant, especially the cooking bit. I’m not sure where the intolerance came from, because I used to drink milk straight from the cow, and try to eat my body weight in cheese and chocolate. I’m lucky my GP is celiac and takes me seriously. Elimination is a long journey.

[Dj7383 in reply to Grank]

Thanks for the input. Yeah Im definitely going to try and isolate if this is a dietary thing or not thanks to all of your guys' feedback.