I dont know what else to do but reach other people. So i got told i had mild Fatty Liver disease 5 years ago after an ultra sound and ever since i have flare ups of pain in my lower abdomen on the right side. Initially i used to wonder if it was lactose intolerance or something like that as the pain was more mild irritation. I have a tendency to binge eat so assumed the two were connected after that ultra sound result. Anyway last year i again got a bout of pain there but this was a lot worse and went on for about a week. A few weeks after fasting and dieting i got another Ultra sound test and this time they found nothing and i kind of jumped on that and put it to the back of my mind.
This year i have had to flare ups of that pain again after bouts of unhealthy eating. When i contacted the doctors they have tried to suggest its just anxiety. I know the difference between this and anxiety. I might be anxious because of the pain and the concern that it might be liver related or kidney related.
I dont know what to do? the doctors probably have notes where i was offered anti depressants 15 years ago after a bad break up and have decided im a hypochondriac
So the symptoms im having are ofcourse the pain which after the last 3 days of being frugal has become a dull ache but the area around my abdomen feels tight and achy. When i walk im out of breath but this could be exacerbated by anxiety. My blood pressure is high but again hard to tell. Oximeter readings seem ok to me.
I just wondered if anyone had any advice?
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alex41m
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Hi Alex, there appears to be a pattern of when this pain appears for you and it seems to follow one of these bouts of over eating - you do admit to having some degree of anxiety in that you say you get breathless whilst walking. You also have high blood pressure so that could lead to your breathlessness and anxiety too. Binge eating in itself is not a healthy way to go about life and no doubt you have your reasons for that.
Have you had any blood tests? - technically you can't get liver pain as the liver itself has no pain receptors, what can happen though in an inflamed or enlarged liver it stretches the Glisson's Capsule which is the membrane surrounding the liver and this can give you twinges. Also, have gall bladder issues been ruled out? Blood tests would identify if you had potential gall bladder issues and or liver inflammation.
It is entirely possible to get physical pain when you are anxious about something as you tend to focus all your attention on that particular area and it leads you to dwell and panic internally.
Fatty liver being picked up on one scan has obviously led a focus onto that area so now whenever you have a twinge your brain is going into over drive and causing this circle of worry.
I wonder if you were able to focus on tackling the cause of your issue (binge eating) and tackle the fatty liver (which probably is still there but not seen on your more recent scan) and live a little healthier the pain may go away. The BLT has a page all about NAFLD (Non Alcohol Related Fatty Liver) including a brilliant new downloadable brochure about tackling NAFLD with healthy eating and exercise.
im not particular anxious if at all when the pain starts, you are going down the same road as the last doctor i spoke to, i know anxiety and this is a specific pain / soreness, its not in the pit of my stomach or anything, its not butterflies, i know what a panic attack is, its not that, its a dull ache that hurts a bit more if i lean on my right side in bed for example
About 5 or 6 years ago i went through a long period where i was getting this really dull soreness in exactly the same position, just below my rib cage on the right, upper right of my belly. I got checked for gall stones, nothing, to me then it was a daily irritation but nothing major and i decided it must be something like lactose intolerance and played with my diet and it seemed to go away but i had that for a few years on a daily basis. Eventually i was ultra sound scanned and the nurse said "oh you have a fatty liver"
The doctor then said you need to improve your diet etc and i did for a while and the dull ache disappeared and over a period of time my diet went to hell again, 3 or 4 days of ok food followed by the odd weekend of pigging out on fast food and sugary foods
Then early last year i got the pain back except it felt very different , more painful and i felt achy across the whole of the middle of my chest and sometimes my back and shoulders.
I had another ultrasound, this time = nothing (but the caveat was that i had been fasting on and off and dieting for well over a week by the time i had the ultrasound) . Since then i have had multiple bouts of this pain including for the last 3 days, its worn off a little. I wasnt anxious about anything over the weekend. I dont comfort eat , i just like junk food and sugary foods and tend to reward myself at weekends too much. My bloods were checked last year and were OK.
Like I say all my experience of stress and anxiety does not explain this pain symptom.
By the way I also was told by someone who has had liver problems that Ultrasound isnt always accurate.
I have something similar going on. I went to a hepatologist, and she also confirmed that liver doesn’t have pain receptors (I was told in 2018 that I had fatty liver when I was having gallbladder removal surgery). So gallbladder is ruled out. She seemed to think that it is an intestines issue and referred me to a gastroenterologist who wants to do a colonoscopy. As Murphy’s Law would have it, despite having this dull ache daily and constantly for several months, it went away. Rd done this before, so I expect it to return, but I haven’t established and patterns. I will do the colonoscopy in the upcoming weeks. Might be worth checking your colon as a possible source of the pain as well idk. Either way, I do hope you get to the root of your issue soon!!
If the pain subsides when you diet or fast, that is definitely an indication that your pain is food-related. Many foods can produce digestive problems if you are sensitive or intolerant to them, and the more frequently you eat them, or the more of them you combine in one meal, the worse the effects will be. Common sources of food sensitivity are artificial sugars, gluten, lactose, fructose and nitrites, but there are many others, and some are completely individual. Carbs and sugars can overload your system and cause such things as fatty liver, so eliminating these from your diet could well be the reason for a clear liver ultrasound, which, by the way, is the definitive diagnostic test for fatty liver. If you concentrate on improving your diet, and eliminate those binges, your pains should subside as you will no longer be eating foods that irritate your digestive system. Also, even if a tedious thing to do, keeping a food diary can help you pinpoint exactly which foods are most problematic for you. Get started on those food lists!
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