Intermittent pain across the liver

[weee]

I have this on and off, sometimes its griping sometimes aching sometimes burning. I can't seem to pin point why it happens although I do seem to remember it being rather severe last time I was 'glutened'

I saw my GI Dr this week and he didn't seem interested and didn't order any LFTs or such. I joked that maybe it was alcohol related (I have a few glasses of wine 4 or 5 nights a week and perhaps a tad more at weekends but always 2 or 3 alcohol free nights a week). He perked up and moaned at the amount of alcohol related patients he sees and had judged and tarred me with that brush within 2 minutes. (the clinic is GI and liver diseases so maybe he sees a few alcohol related cases)

Anyway, does anyone recognise these symptoms as being related to coeliac?

Cheers

[SilverDreamMachine]

Hi wee, So did the GP just dismiss it? Has your GP asked for liver blood tests or an ultra sound?

[weee]

It was a registrar (the consultant was elsewhere) at my annual coeliac check up, no he did nothing, no that's not true, he suggested I keep a diary to watch my alcohol intake..Maybe I should go to my GP...

[SilverDreamMachine in reply to weee]

Thanks wee, I`d go to your GP and ask for liver blood tests. This gives a good but not perfect indication of the health of your liver. If they are OK ask for an ultra sound. This will give a better analysis such as size, fatty aspects etc. If that`s OK ask to be referred to a specialist and they may, may not offer a CT scan. The CT scan is, I think, the gold standard for liver analysis.

I have been through this process and am due to meet the specialist in a few weeks.

Best of luck and don`t give up. You are your best advocate!

[tmoxon]

Hi Wee, I have found that I cant drink as much alcohol as most people can, some of our friends etc can manage a bottle of wine in one night whereas i would feel awful if i drank that much. By the sounds of it I drink about the same amount as you as we tend to have a glass of wine with our meal on a night but not every night. I haven't ever had the pain, however i have had the burning sensation, the area where i assume my liver would be gets very hot.

[pretender]

I get pain under my right ribs (front liver area)when I have dairy products, it goes when I stay off dairy. Remember doctors are human beings and will never know everything about the human body. I have a formaldehyde allergy (no cure no treatment)which produces Urticaria which will last 17 days unless I take Piriton which reduces it to 12 days but if I drink a bottle of Vodka or white rum it has gone by next morning. Easiest treatment for me is to go out as little as possible, watch what I eat and keep of prescribed drugs, do doctors listen.............No!

[Alyssa]

Hi I have Coeliac disease and lactose intolerance and have suffered the same kind of pain in my liver area for the last couple of years. Recently on seeing a new Dr blood tests confirmed my levels were 3 x = normal and that my liver was inflammed. I hav drank wine for may years at lower levels than you suggest in your post but regularly drinking more than the recommended levels over a long period caused liver damage. It sounds to me the pain is related to your alcohol intake and not coeliac disease. Please go back to another GP and ask for blood tests liver disease is serious and it may like me make you reevaluate your alcohol intake. Best to be aware and healthy. Hope this helps. Ax

[Alyssa]

I had CT scan of my liver which showed fatty liver and some scarring. I was shocked!

[weee]

Thank you for your replies guys.. I will go to my GP. I've already cut back on the booze but am wondering about gall stones as I did feel quite nauseous after a fry up breakfast on Sunday... hmmm

I did have a scan of my liver about 2 years ago and it was all ok.. But haven't had LFTs done for a while..

[poing]

I get mild pain in the gall bladder/liver area. They keep checking me for stones - three times over five years - but I don't have any. The pain is more likely after I've been glutened.

Reading around, I discovered that malfunction of the gall bladder is common in untreated coeliac disease. The release of the hormone that causes gall bladder contraction is inhibited, so the gall bladder doesn't empty properly. Maybe that's where the pain comes from.

I have no idea what the underlying mechanism is... but at least I know the trigger. Gluten!

You can totally rule out alcohol in my case because I rarely drink. I have a drink about once a month. That's down to poor liver function and the fact I can't handle alcohol. My LFTs and scans are fine. Only liver DAMAGE shows up in blood tests.