Short lived liver pain

[farranccc]

Hi everyone - hope you’re all well.

Following some major worries last year I pretty much gave up drinking. An occasional weak shandy more recently but nothing significant, particularly compared to the 2-3 pints a night i was drinking before.

I was given the all clear by multiple fibroscan, ultrasound and bloods but the whole episode gave me the scare I needed to change my lifestyle.

Whilst the right upper quadrant pain has virtually subsided there are certain triggers such as fatty food, a glass of red wine or sometimes coffee (I think) that can cause relapse.

The pain comes on quickly, within 4 hours, and then disappears over the course of a day or two.

I understand the liver doesn’t have pain receptors but the surrounding capsule does which could cause pain if the liver is swollen.

❗️My question therefore is: can the liver swell enough within a few hours to cause pain and then recede within a day to allow the pain to disappear? If not, what could cause the pain I experience?

Many thanks, C

[Isabelle2]

Hi

I am sorry, I have no idea. There are one or two clever people who might be able to help.

However, congratulations on your recent check up. The wonderful thing about the liver is it can regenerate itself if not too damaged. It sounds like you had a lucky escape!

Well done, and keep it up 😀😀

[Wass71]

Hi farranccc haven't seen you here recently. Great news you've been feeling better.

I don't know the answer to your question for sure, but would hazard a guess. The gallbladder does have nerves, as many of us who've had cholesestistis can attest. So if its fatty foods then as bile is released into the intestine to breakdown fats it could be this. Other acidic foods could affect the stomach. There is a lot going on in that area, liver, gallbladder, pancreas, stomach all overlap a certain points. The visceral nervous system is more like a net of nerves, not like the straight central nervous system of the extremities, which sends messages clearly to the spine and brain. So this net of nerves can be felt with referred pain, explaining why liver pain can be felt in the shoulder, or appendicitis can be felt in the centre under the umbilicus. This is just my understanding from my own research as a RUQ pain sufferer.

So that's a long way of saying, it may have nothing to do with the liver, it could just feel like that's the origin. What's useful is if your body is giving you pain it's telling you it doesn't like it, so best to continue avoiding alcohol, fatty foods etc.

Good luck. Take care,

Wass x

[Hidden in reply to Wass71]

Hell of a good guess. 👍

[farranccc in reply to Wass71]

Amazing Wass! Thanks for taking the time to reply - really appreciate it.

I haven’t posted much for a while but still check in every few days to see how everyone is!

I guess my history of drinking more than I should always makes me worry about the liver and the correlation between alcohol and pain worries me but like you say, there is a lot going on in the area.

I don’t really understand how the liver works and whether coming into contact with even a small amount of wine could make it hurt but I guess the avoidance approach is for the best.

Thanks, C x

[Wass71 in reply to farranccc]

Yep, I think you're right. At least then you'll know for sure you're doing your best to stay healthy. X

[B3nnen2015 in reply to farranccc]

I am in a similar situation. The more i read about it the more i realise there is all sorts of stuff in the ruq that is more likely to cause pain than the liver and worrying about it aint gonna help eitherway 👍🏼