NAFLD--Right Side Pains

[Khaldris]

Some basic info: Age 39, Weight: (Now) 170 lbs., (When This Started) 200 lbs., (Normal Weight From Years ago) 145 lbs.

Back in September of 2019, I was having a strange dull, aching pain on my right side behind/below the last rib and sometimes it moves up the side or up to my right shoulder blade. I went to one of my doctors. He put me on a liquid diet for a few weeks and told me to get an X-ray done. I did. It came up clean--no obstructions or blockages, etc. I told him the pain was still there. It's around a 2/10 pain-wise and sometimes gets to be 4/10ish or so when it gets stabby. He said I could get an ultrasound in the abdominal region--so I did--first week of November.

The results came back. They said everything looked normal but that I have hepatic steatosis (which translates to Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease) per my internet searches. Over the years, my eating habits were horrible. I ate lots of processed foods and I was taking in far more than the daily recommended servings. I'd mix in salads and normal healthy foods--but, of course, this was probably counter-acted by the excess garbage: ice cream, frozen foods, pizza, pasta, etc. I also sit a lot--at the computer. I got lazy over the years and haven't exercised or played sports much at all. This contributed to all the weight gain. I've been walking 3-4+ times a week for 30-45 minutes--not counting January. I took a little break since I dropped 30 pounds between September and now.

Anyways, after doing lots of reading on the issue, symptoms/treatments/etc.--I changed my diet completely. I started eating lots of salmon, tuna, fruits/vegetables, tumeric, olive oil, lots of water, coffee/green tea, and many other recommended things. Since this started, I went from 200 to 170 pounds. My normal weight--before all this weight gain--was around 140-150ish pounds. I'm naturally thin--so I'd say I'm around 25-30 pounds away from my ideal weight.

Regardless of this, the pain just won't go away. I understand that a fatty liver has fat deposits that build up and stuff which is different from normal body fat. All my excess fat is in the waist area. The rest of me looks fine. Is this just a matter of having to keep at it, exercise a lot and drop another 20 pounds or is it something more?

I went to a Gastro doctor last week. He wanted me to get bloodwork so he could evaluate my enzyme levels. He didn't seem to take it very seriously, said that it's very common and offered me absolutely no advice on how to deal with the pain. He said my liver felt normal and that the pain is my rib...or in my ribs...which made little sense and didn't really address the issue. I've been afraid to take common medications since I read that some of them can hurt the liver.

Other than this constant right side pain, I am not displaying any other negative symptoms. My appetite is fine. I don't feel nauseous or have any side-effects like jaundice, bruising/bleeding, etc. I went down the whole list and none of it applies other than the abdominal area pain. This is driving me insane and I don't know what to do about it. Any advice would be welcomed.

Thanks.

[nash2 Partner]

I don't suppose it helps much but your experience is pretty common. I can give you some background that may be food for thought though you can't take it as medical advice.

The common source of right upper quadrant pain is Glisson's Capsule. You will be told that the liver has no nerves so can't feel paid. That is true but it has a tough covering called the Glisson's capsule that has a lot of nerves. With fatty liver disease the liver gets enlarged and can cause that pain. Losing the weight is the best thing to do but it took time for the liver to start to cause problems and it will take time for any change. The first thing is to stop getting worse which is what should happen with the first 5 to 10 percent of weight loss. If you continue and get down to your proper weight you can see some recovery though a lot of the scarring will be really tough to reduce so it takes years really. Since the pain is largely from mechanical stress on the capsule, it may or may not improve. It is a very individual thing but if you can stop it from getting worse you are winning the race.

Don't know that this helps but perspective perhaps.

Wayne

[Khaldris in reply to nash2]

Yeah I read other people saying it took them 6 months-2 years for the pain to go away. I have no idea about the specifics of my liver like it's size or whatever. I had the ultrasound results sent over to the doctor but I doubt he'll even contact me. He had me schedule a follow-up in two months--since it took forever to even see the guy. I pass out during blood tests too so I kinda hate the idea of having to have one. I haven't had a blood test in about ten years. The last time I tried--I passed out and had to leave.

[Pipe11]

I was feeling same as you but for the past couple of weeks i have cut just about all sugar and strive for under 50 carbs a day the pain is not noticeable most days and i feel so much better. Beans seem to hurt the most so i stopped eating them as well they gave me the bloat feeling and when i became bloated thats where it would be intense. Figure out what foods help you i believe it's in are diet thats makes a huge impact on are health

[Khaldris in reply to Pipe11]

Well, the problem is I read so many conflicting things. I've read dozens of things that say, "NO CARBS!" Then, I read some that say to avoid bad carbs but that you can have them from natural foods like fruits/vegetables etc. Then, I've seen things that say, "Avoid white bread but you can have grain bread." So, I've been having tuna sandwiches for lunch on organic sprouted bread maybe 1-2 times a week. Sometimes, I have quinua (however you spell it) at dinner or some brown rice. There's so much conflicting information with sources saying certain things are "complete no's" or "alright in moderation." I've been drinking nothing but water, coffee and green tea for the last four months.

It doesn't help that my gastro doctor said I can eat whatever I want--just avoid processed foods. That doesn't seem like he knows too much about this condition. He claimed it's a common thing--but that advice seems a bit contradictory. You'd think he'd add in a list of things I should eat and things to avoid. He didn't seem too concerned at all. He didn't give any advice for the pain either.

Once in a while, I've given into temptation and had a scoop of ice cream--but only about two/three times in the last few months. I also snack on organic popcorn sometimes. Other than that, I've cut down on salt enormously. My normal meals are fruits, salads with a very low calorie/no fat score--15 calories a serving. I eat Atlantic and Alaskan salmon a few times a week mixed in with chicken and turkey--sometimes turkey meatballs. Sometimes I have normal beef meatballs with a little bit of organic tomato sauce. It's hard to give that up. I've started adding tumeric to everything. I also mix in olive oil as best as I can and garlic. I'm not sure what else to do. I'm down to 169 pounds. I was 200 when this started (and my normal weight is around 140-145ish) so I still consider myself overweight a bit. All the fat is in my waist and I don't know how to get rid of it. It's a pain--literally.