I've posted on here a couple of times to ask if anybody else experiences pain in the liver area. It is a dull ache that gets worse the day after drinking alcohol.
I have had normal blood tests, a normal ultrasound and then a Fibroscan last week with a score of 5.5kpa from an average of 10 readings. I sat with the consultant hepatologist who says he does not think my pain is liver related due to normal tests, particularly the Fibroscan. He did not know why I get the pain and suggested it could be bowel related or otherwise I'm just fed up of it now.
I know the liver has a capacity to heal. I used to drink heavily but stopped in summer last year. I have had a couple of binge drinking episodes since then and the pain always worsens the day after. Has anybody else experienced anything like this or can advise? I am sick of worrying so much about my health and I want to believe that the Fibroscan would have picked up severe scarring or cirrhosis but this pain is driving me up the wall now! I am a 28 year old male.
Thanks in advance
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Connorsw95
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Does this pain ONLY arise after drinking alcohol? You don't say whether it is there without the booze. If it is only after booze then why don't you try knocking it on the head altogether.
There is no such thing as liver pain - the liver itself has no pain receptors, however, it can become painful if the capsule surrounding it (the Glisson's Capsule) becomes stretched through the liver being enlarged or inflamed but since you have normal bloods and normal scans this isn't likely in your situation and like the hepatologist says it's unlikely to be your liver but some other issue ........... one that doesn't like you consuming too much booze
Thanks for replying. I had quit completely for 3 months or so when the pain started. It is vaguely there without drinking but definitely worsened after alcohol - its on the right of my abdomen along my flank and under my ribs like a dull ache. I used to drink A LOT like 2-3L of spirit per week.
Do you know what blood tests you have had? The NHS app will give you a list of all the blood tests you have had in the last 6 years. Do you know what your ferritin levels are?
Might be worth asking your GP for a ferritin test. There's a condition called hemochromatosis which is often symptomless but sometimes results in pain around the liver. High levels of ferritin are a sign post. Do you have any symptoms other than pain?
I think my GP thinks I am crazy since all my tests have been normal. I have the pain which is significantly worse the day after alcohol. I sometimes feel nauseous and my appetite is low sometimes although this could be because I am incredibly anxious about this pain. I told my GP I thought I had cirrhosis because the pain is fairly constant, worse when lying down.
Someone as young as you should not be in pain. I would ask for a repeat bilirubin test and a ferritin test. Try another GP who might be more sympathetic and don't mention your anxiety; just say you're in pain. Your KPA levels suggest you don't have cirrhosis but that doesn't mean you don't have another disease.
Thanks. They didn't mention the fat levels at my Fibroscan so going to see if there is anything included in the written report. I am just sick of being in pain. I have had a look at my blood tests and it looks like there was quite a comprehensive panel done which were all normal minus slightly raised bilirubin.
Hi Connor, with the liver things all looking pretty good your doc is right to suggest other potential causes. It certainly doesn't sound liver related. Even though I'm sure it's annoying as he'll, that at least is a good thing.
It does sort of suggest something more digestive system related, or even anxiety/stress related from possibly a pressured workload or other daily pressures. So those too may be worth exploring.
Hi. Thanks for the reply. I did have a gastroscopy also which was normal. I'm obviously pleased the results are coming back clear but obviously the pain is still there and my mind runs away with it.
You have been investigated for liver issues and the results are negative. So you should be happy. Keep away from alcohol -as your system sounds sensitised to it. Eat a well balanced diet and exercise and then see if you feel any better in a few months. If it’s digestive tract related these actions should really help.
Hi. I had a gastroscopy too which was clear. All I've eaten for the past 4 months is chicken, fish, fruit and veg... I don't even have gravy! I am just fed up of it now!
I think that's fair comment. I ask myself the same question sometimes. I don't drink very often these days but if I do, it's often to escape reality. I appreciate that it is counter intuitive
I had a huge scare end of 2022 and spent 3 months on hospital. My bile duct got blocked by stones and it took my little liver down. Since then I haven't touched booze, not that I ever drank heavily. Honestly, the binge drinking has to stop.
Hi, I read through your past posts because your experience sounds very familiar. It seems that what you're experiencing has been happening for quite a few years and is cyclical. It sounds very difficult and upsetting that you experience triggering events (I'm sorry about the death of your dad) which cause feelings of anxiety. It's not surprising that this then causes you to want to drink. But when you then stop drinking, you start to feel pain after a while and this causes you to experience heightened anxiety. Somewhere down the line you start to drink again and the cycle continues.
Please bare in mind that I am not a doctor and forums are not a substitute for medical professionals, but alcohol is a systemic depressant and causes significant chemical changes in the brain.
Alcohol can artificially cause decreased feelings of stress and increased feelings of happiness. Your brain can get used to a certain amount of these chemicals, especially at a high consumption of alcohol. If you then stop, the brain can start to re-adjust the levels of different chemicals back to normal, but this takes time. So, once stopping alcohol, it can temporarily decrease your feelings of happiness (sometimes causing depression) and increase feelings of stress (sometimes increasing anxiety).
Anxiety is well known to cause physical symptoms, elevated heart rate, muscle pains, chest pains, loss of appetite. It seems that you've experienced all of these symptoms. It's really positive that you're participating in self care, such as eating a good diet and trying to sleep well. However, your feelings of anxiety seem to be very consuming and have severely affected your life with being unable to work at times. I think you could really benefit from seeking some extra support and therapy.
You can visit mind.org.uk/information-sup... to find out about anxiety and how you can support yourself (also how to find further support). Also, you can get a referral for therapy from your GP or refer yourself nhs.uk/service-search/menta....
I don't know about any other substances you use, but you have been abusing alcohol at high amounts, have not been able to stop when you've wanted to and it is affecting your daily life. For these reasons I would greatly encourage you to seek support and therapy for your alcohol use, because you really do need to stop consuming alcohol for your physical and mental health.
You can start right now by visiting nhs.uk/live-well/alcohol-ad.... Please consider your health worries as a serious warning that you are experiencing alcohol abuse and that you need to seek support to stop consuming alcohol. You can call Drinkline 0300 123 1110, which is completely confidential and they can give you advice or they can just listen.
I honestly think if you stopped drinking completely (live a life of abstinence), as well as not use caffeine or cigarettes; with the right mental/social support you could vastly improve your life and your future. Pretty pretty please, seek further support now whilst you investigate your intermittent pain.
Hey Connorsw95, your case seems familiar to me. For the last 1 and a half year i’ve been suffering from an ache inside my right side lower rib and also to the back of my lower ribs. This ache is intensified when i stretch or rotate my body. Any movement affecting that part causes pain. Normally it doesn’t pain at all but sometimes i feel like some tingling inside the ribs and like to press between the rib muscles on my right lower rib side. I have simultaneously been suffering from loose and greasy stool with excessive flatulence and somedays i don’t feel the urge to go to the loo. But whenever i feel the urge and go i don’t feel that my bowels are emptied fully. So constipated with greasy stool and smelly farts and with that pain in the liver area. I have checked with my Doctor, did all the Liver Function tests and essential blood profile test including endoscopy, colonoscopy and Fibroscan. Everything came out to be normal within the range. Fibroscan results were- 255 CAP, 5.5 kPa. Doctor has told me it’s in my mind and i should stop thinking about the pain and says everything is normal. But i don’t believe him. Why would the ache not go away even after almost 2 years. I’ve tried panadol(acetaminophen) yet this pain doesn’t go away. I don’t even drink alcohol and neither do i smoke.
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