Hello everyone, I am here because I'm frustrated and don't know what to do anymore. I am 35 years old and have been having many odd symptoms since March. Fatigue, dry mouth, body pains, no energy, lightheadness, memory issues and a host of other symptoms. I didn't know liver problems could be a worry until I saw my dermatologist about some things that kept popping up on my skin these last 2 months. I did have a ct scan w/o contrast of my abdomen for another reason early may that said my liver was enlarged at 20cm but it was thought to be something called Riedels lobe verses true hepatomegaly, so I didn't give it a second thought.
I went to the dermatologist because I keep seeing these purplish raised dots on my skin that have several tiny veins going away from the center. They are on my chest and arms. I also noticed on my face tiny veins on my nose, around my nose, mouth and chin. What really freaked me out was one day while driving my hands felt really sore. When i turned them over I saw my palms were red and blotchy (all except the middle). I thought it was a rash but after a week it was still there so finally my appt with dermatologist comes and I point out all these things he calls them "Spider Nevu", "Palmer erythema" and Telangiectasia. He pointed out a few things to me and told me to go back to primary and have some blood work done because these things are seen in liver disease.
Off to my primary I go who tells me he checked my liver in May via blood and it was fine. I then bring up the ct scan report and the fact it was done without contrast and he still isn't impressed. I asked him to please send me off for an ultrasound. He isn't happy with me and says all it's going to say is you have fatty liver. I went and had the ultrasound Tuesday before last and got a call from the nurse 2 days later telling me my ultrasound is normal but I have fatty liver which is likely due to my weight or diet and if I'm still having abdominal pain he will send me to gastro. I accept because I had my gallbladder removed in 2010 and have still had the same pain ever since only not as severe. I decided to go pick up the report the same day for my records for the gastro. The report reads "diffuse increased echogenicity of the liver suggesting hepatocelluar disease likely caused by fatty liver".. okay... what is hepatocelluar disease and why wasn't this mentioned to me? I call back and they have me make an appt. I went today and it was a total waste of time. It seemed like my Dr didn't know himself what was. He told me all it means is that I have fatty liver. They just word it different on the report. Hmm well Maybe but why then does it say "heptocullar disease likely caused by fatty liver? This seems to mean I have a disease that was likely caused by fatty liver but all I got from the Dr was crickets... I ask him about all this skin stuff and why it just would suddenly pop up and again all I got was crickets.
I went to the hospital that did the ultrasound that found my gallstones and the report mentioned I have fatty liver but no one ever told me this. I drank heavily in my 20s, I don't mean a few drinks either, I mean shared 5ths with my husband daily and sometimes more but I quit drinking 7 years ago as I realized i had a problem. I am pretty over weight and my diet not great. I had a mountain dew addiction and drank nothing but that all day everyday. I lost appetite a long time ago due to my pain meds so rarely ate and if I did it wasn't wonderful food, lately I have had a very different loss of appetite though. Putting food in my mouth makes me sick and after just a few bites I'm uncomfortably full and this has been the case since February.
For 6 months I took Advil and Tylenol max amounts daily as my pain meds (narcotics) no longer are effective. I was clueless about the effects Tylenol has on your liver. I also have had high triglycerides my whole life actually just given meds for them last month. My bad cholesterol is good but my good cholesterol is low.
I have threw the Tylenol away and put myself on a diet. I am scared out of my mind. Things like liver failure and liver cancer keep popping up in my mind. It seems my Dr doesn't care and I'm left to ponder. I will see the gastro on August 16th but it's still a while off. Why would these skin symptoms suddenly pop up on me? They don't go away and my dermatologist has told me they won't go away not ever except the Palmer erythema could possibly go away if the underlying cause is treated yet my Dr acts like no big deal..
Please help me, I have 3 kids and it takes everything I have to get out of bed and even cook a meal for them and I'm worried I'm gonna die and leave my kids motherless. Yes as you can tell this is causing me great anxiety which isn't normal for me.
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Nobody here can give you medical advice unfortunately.
Be very wary of using Google to self-diagnose especially with hepatocellular disease. It's all too easy to get your eyes and mind stuck on the worst case scenario when it can also refer to a simple infection.
You have to speak to your specialist, it doesn't sound as though you are seeing a hepatologist which it may be worth suggesting as they specialise in liver disease and are possibly best placed to answer you mire precisely.
The appetite can be psychosomatic, this is not any judgement on sanity, it just means that it COULD be down to a subconscious fear of diet worsening things. However, healthy diet us essential.
As I said this is not medical advice in any way, just information gleaned aling my own journey.
Demand answers but remember you have to ask the questions you have. Make a list of questions and tick each off as you get answers.
Try not to worry as it doesn't sound as though you have advanced disease.
Hi and thank you for your reply. I have been checked for infections and don't have it. I haven't googled what the disease is. My Dr didn't seemed to not know what it is either. Someone told me that hepatocelluar disease meant infection or cancer and now I'm worried..
hi thanks for sharing your experience, as mrsmerlin says nobody can give you medical advice, but just a note on "hepatocellular" definition. It's kind of a scary word but what it means simply is that there is a problem with the cells in your liver, and they have told you it's fatty liver, which means that there is too much fat stored in the cells of your liver, probably as a result of too many carbohydrates in your diet. Sounds like you are working on doing the right things! You mentioned drinking a lot of Mountain Dew, and it's a really good idea to avoid sugary drinks. Good to keep a jug of chilled water in the refrigerator as a substitute, and ideally put sliced lemon in the water.
My aunt told me to drink lemon water is this good for the liver? I stopped the soda when my palms turned red. I had no idea what it was, I thought it was a rash. It's the only thing I googled about this whole situation and what I read was enough to make me drop the soda and start a diet. I have lost 6 pounds in a week and a half. I have only been drinking water, unsweetened tea and eating protein and veggies and perhaps a piece of fruit and glass of fresh orange juice. I cut carbs out completely for now.
I managed to get an appt with a liver specialist for August 25th. It's a very long drive from home but that's okay. I'm also waiting to hear back if Cleveland clinic will accept me as a patient. These were the only 2 specialist anywhere near my area that take my insurance and even they are hours away.
Still I will continue to do whatever I can to help my liver. It's nice to have people to talk to about it esp since I'm so clueless. I refuse to Google because I know the things Google will tell me and I will end up more anxious then I already am. Though it's frustrating esp when you go to your Dr and ask specific questions and are given no real answer. For instance, if I was a Dr and a patient came to me pointing out various things on their body that hadn't been there before I would be trying to figure things out. It's sad that my dermatologist was the one to tell me "hey, have your Dr check your liver as you have every skin symptom of liver disease. My Dr was upset when I told him what the dermatologist suggested. He didn't want to give me the ultrasound as my CMP he says was normal. I had to push him.
I started to question a lot of things like the ct scan i had start of may which should have been done with contrast and wasn't but it showed my liver is enlarged at 20 or 21cm. He never even told me about it. I have been having pain off and on since 2010 that was supposed to be from a bad gallbladder but it was removed still the pain persisted grant it not as severe but I have been having it daily now for going on 2 months and it's getting worse. No one ever told me back in 2010 that I had fatty liver but I saw it plainly on the report that I picked up last week. Had I had this information back then I could have started doing things to better it.
It's upsetting to me that my Dr acts like it's no big deal. It is a big deal and I would think suddenly showing all these skin symptoms he would move to figure it out. After I had the ultrasound done all I was told is you have fatty liver and if you want i can send you to a gastro for your stomach pain.
I do thank you for your responses. I feel a little more at ease I suppose. I'm trying really hard not to be consumed by anxiety though it is hard esp when no one has taken the time things to me. I really believe it's time for me to change Drs as I also have had a mass on my left ribs since early march. He sent me for a ct scan of chest and abdomen but it showed no mass. It's still there, has gotten bigger, is now painful in the surrounding area just the actual mass doesn't hurt when touched. He knows it's there because he has also felt it but because nothing showed on the ct scan he brushes it off. I no longer feel safe with my Dr.
I think you need to fire your primary doctor. Mine is pretty worthless also and I'm looking for a different one. I don't know if you believe in God or not, but I find peace through prayer. I know God is by my side and whatever happens I will be ok. Best of luck to you. Please try not to worry. Worrying is such a waste of energy. Just have faith that everything will work out. Take care and just keep doing the good things you have been doing for your body.
Google is good when you ask a good quality question, and subsequently find a reliable source, such as Mayo Clinic, WebMD, National Institutes of Health. There are others such as the liver foundation. 1.Be sure to check the date the article was written, over 2 years old may not be up to date. 2. The information is not true for every single person on the planet, and these websites will say that. Don't be afraid to learn about your liver online, at the very least you can learn what NOT to do, IMO. I know I have, plus I have bi-annual blood work and physical. Best of success reading and understanding the research that is out there.
You need to find another doctor immediately and get an MRI with contrast because you definitely have some liver problems, my brother has end stage cirrhosis and I've been going thru this with him, your doctor is stupid or he thinks you are
I just wanted to update my post. I still have not seen the liver specialist but my appt with him is next week on the 25th. It has been such a long wait to see him. I did get to finally see the gastro 2 days ago. She tells me I'm showing signs of cirrhosis but that I'm young so she wants to rule out other things. She sent me for a good amount of blood work one of which was an AFP TUMOR MARKER test which kind a freaks me out a bit... she set me up for an endoscopy for the 8/28 and an MRI of my liver on 8/29. She says the next step would be biopsy.
The Palmer erythema has gotten much worse and I am having something else going on that is very strange. I'm olive skin color and normally have never been able to see my veins but it's as if my skin has become transparent and you can see straight through it.. I also have more spider angionomas popping up. I am over all not feeling very well.
I am scared and I hate that it has taking me months to see these specialist..
You are getting better help now. Never be afraid to fire a Dr. GOOGLE them and pick the best. I travel almost 2 hrs to see mine. And yes you have to wait for apps. Be patient but always remember it's your body...you know it best and they work for you! Just like life in general not everybody clicks with everybody. You have STUFF going on and it needs to be addressed. I'm sure you will have answers soon. And even if it's not what you want to hear..it's a project and your the boss. Good luck and let us know what's up. We are all here for each other
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is this good for the liver? I stopped the soda when my palms turned red. I had no idea what it was, I thought it was a rash. It's the only thing I googled about this whole situation and what I read was enough to make me drop the soda and start a diet. I have lost 6 pounds in a week and a half. I have only been drinking water, unsweetened tea and eating protein and veggies and perhaps a piece of fruit and glass of fresh orange juice. I cut carbs out completely for now. 
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