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Do I have liver damage?

I’m 27 years old and I have drank heavily on and off for some time more so when I was in my early 20’s not drunk everyday but more of binge drinking for a day or two and then a week or more off. I have pain in my upper right quadrant and my back, itchy feet and ankles (itchy to the point I scratch the skin off)and can see my veins in my feet a lot like my veins in my feet are raised and kind if bulge out from the skin, I take medication for indigestion without it I have bad heart burn, and sometime I get a gurgling feeling under my ribs on my right side, I also sweat a lot when I do hard work more then the other people around me. The pain in my side started almost three years ago during a period when I didn’t drink for eight months, at the time I was dieting and went a little to far like a crash diet I guess, I didn’t look well and was tied all the time, I realized i was going about it the wrong way and when I ate more and better I improved but that’s when the pain started.I had blood  and liver function tests on two different occasions and a ultrasound a little over a year ago, and everything always came back normal after seeing a specialist she diagnosed me with be lactose intolerant and sent a note to my doctor bacically saying I was paranoid and self diagnosing myself with liver problems , the pain in my side is always worse after drinking. My drinking is not out of control I work away from home two weeks of the month in a place you can’t drink and the two weeks I’m home I usually drink twice (each weekend) I would quit completely but my doctor keeps telling me I’m ok ( I didn’t tell them about the itchy ness or sweating, at the time I didn’t know it was a symptom and never thought to mention it) I’m not obese but could lose a few pounds I’m 5.9 195lbs. Some sometime it’s not just pain but a sharp stabing like pain right under my right ribcage and it will worse with a deep breath and it goes away normally after a few minutes some times after a few seconds. Please help!? I’m going to see my doctor again when I get home in 2 weeks and ask for testing again since it’s been almost a year since I’ve been in. But I’m freaking out after reading about common signs of liver damage and having like half of them
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Avatar universal
Ty fly. Friday, I'm taking these various symptoms to my Dr. Changing my diet is important regardless, as its just needed. Ty for the info.
Helpful - 0
683231 tn?1467323017
Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease usually causes no signs and symptoms. When it does, they may include:

Enlarged liver
Fatigue
Pain in the upper right abdomen
Possible signs and symptoms of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis and cirrhosis (advanced scarring) include:

Abdominal swelling (ascites)
Enlarged blood vessels just beneath the skin's surface
Enlarged breasts in men
Enlarged spleen
Red palms
Yellowing of the skin and eyes (jaundice)

Causes
Experts don't know exactly why some people accumulate fat in the liver while others do not. Similarly, there is limited understanding of why some fatty livers develop inflammation that progresses to cirrhosis. Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and nonalcoholic steatohepatitis are both linked to the following:

Overweight or obesity
Insulin resistance, in which your cells don't take up sugar in response to the hormone insulin
High blood sugar (hyperglycemia), indicating prediabetes or actual type 2 diabetes
High levels of fats, particularly triglycerides, in the blood
These combined health problems appear to promote the deposit of fat in the liver. For some people, this excess fat acts as a toxin to liver cells, causing liver inflammation and nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, which may lead to a buildup of scar tissue (fibrosis) in the liver.

Risk factors
A wide range of diseases and conditions can increase your risk of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, including:

High cholesterol
High levels of triglycerides in the blood
Metabolic syndrome
Obesity, particularly when fat is concentrated in the abdomen
Polycystic ovary syndrome
Sleep apnea
Type 2 diabetes
Underactive thyroid (hypothyroidism)
Underactive pituitary gland (hypopituitarism)
Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis is more likely in these groups:

Older people
People with diabetes
People with body fat concentrated in the abdomen

Prevention
To reduce your risk of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease:

Choose a healthy diet. Choose a healthy plant-based diet that's rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains and healthy fats.
Maintain a healthy weight. If you are overweight or obese, reduce the number of calories you eat each day and get more exercise. If you have a healthy weight, work to maintain it by choosing a healthy diet and exercising.
Exercise. Exercise most days of the week. Get an OK from your doctor first if you haven't been exercising regularly.
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Avatar universal
I'm losing weight. I'm more concerned with taking  25 vicodins a day as I did for too long.

Ty  fly!
Helpful - 0
2 Comments
To not treat you because if your insurance status would be negligence. Some hospitals specifically are designated they must treat all who come to them regardless of their ability to pay.

Your symptoms are vague and could be many things like as was suggested by your doctor a problem with lactose or digestion.

Diagnosis
Because nonalcoholic fatty liver disease causes no symptoms in most cases, it frequently comes to medical attention when tests done for other reasons point to a liver problem. This can happen if your liver looks unusual on ultrasound or if you have an abnormal liver enzyme test.

Tests done to pinpoint the diagnosis and determine disease severity include:

Blood tests

Complete blood count
Liver enzyme and liver function tests
Tests for chronic viral hepatitis (hepatitis A, hepatitis C and others)
Celiac disease screening test
Fasting blood sugar
Hemoglobin A1C, which shows how stable your blood sugar is
Lipid profile, which measures blood fats, such as cholesterol and triglycerides
Imaging procedures

Imaging procedures used to diagnose nonalcoholic fatty liver disease include:

Plain ultrasound, which is often the initial test when liver disease is suspected.
Computerized tomography (CT) scanning or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the abdomen. These techniques lack the ability to distinguish nonalcoholic steatohepatitis from nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, but still may be used.
Transient elastography, an enhanced form of ultrasound that measures the stiffness of your liver. Liver stiffness indicates fibrosis or scarring.
Magnetic resonance elastography, which combines magnetic resonance imaging with patterns formed by sound waves bouncing off the liver to create a visual map showing gradients of stiffness throughout the liver reflecting fibrosis or scarring.
Liver tissue examination

If other tests are inconclusive, your doctor may recommend a procedure to remove a sample of tissue from your liver (liver biopsy). The tissue sample is examined in a laboratory to look for signs of inflammation and scarring. A liver biopsy may be painful in some patients, and it does have small risks that your doctor will review with you in detail. This procedure is performed by a needle insertion through the abdominal wall and into the liver.
Avatar universal
Also, medicines are very hard on me now. I just did a round of antibiotics that wiped me out!! Could be my age? I've also overdid Tylenol a number of times. Like many, many times. The last time I was sick w flu like symptoms.

I think I'm a rockstar. I really must take care of me now!
Helpful - 0
1 Comments
Nausea and URQ pain could be many things.

NAFLD is an up and coming illness due the the increasing waist line of many Americans. Best treatment for fatty liver is lose some weight. You could get an abdominal ultrasound to look for signs of fatty liver.

If your liver enzymes are normal it simply means that nothing currently is bothering your liver. If you have fatty liver the excess fat can cause liver inflammation which is how fatty liver disease can injure your liver. If this is happening you woulld have elevated liver enzymes.

Your doctors went to college for many years to study human disease and illness. If you have multiple doctors saying you don’t have liver disease then you don’t have liver disease.

Maybe try to lose some weight
Avatar universal
I have a question. I'm 52. From 14-34 I was a heavy drinker. Alcoholic. Than from 34-49, abused opiates. After I quit opiates, I gained a ton of weight. My bmi is, I'm obese.

Well, I've been having stomach pain, and got a lower, and upper GI. Negative. The Dr said, you have nafld. But than she retracted and said I did not?!

Now,  months later, I'm weak, slight nausea, ruq pain, extremely tired. I wonder if I do have liver damage as these are signs. Being on state aid, and my substance history, I'm almost thinking they don't want the expense of further testing. My weight certainty can be the weakness, but how can it be the nausea and ruq pain.

They said my liver enzymes were fine, but I heard thats  common in nafld. Combined w years of abuse, I'm Wondering.

Also, what type of test should I request from gp. If I get another enzyme test, it won't calm my thoughts. Ty gang
Helpful - 0
683231 tn?1467323017
From the Mayo Clinic:

Signs and symptoms of liver disease include:

Skin and eyes that appear yellowish (jaundice)
Abdominal pain and swelling
Swelling in the legs and ankles
Itchy skin
Dark urine color
Pale stool color, or bloody or tar-colored stool
Chronic fatigue
Nausea or vomiting
Loss of appetite
Tendency to bruise easily
Helpful - 0
683231 tn?1467323017
You should believe your doctors they are the experts. If you have no signs of liver damage you don’t have liver damage.

The symptoms of very advanced liver disease may include itching all over not just the feet. This is caused by elevated Bilirubin which also causes you to have yellow skin and eyes. Some people swear more than others this is not a symptom of liver disease.

It takes for most people decades of hard drinking to get to the point of liver disease and liver failure.

Your BMI is 28.9 you are considered overweight and borderline obese.

“BMI between 25 and 29.9 (Overweight)

People falling in this BMI range are considered overweight and would benefit from finding healthy ways to lower their weight, such as diet and exercise. Individuals who fall in this range are at increased risk for a variety of ilnesses. If your BMI is 27-29.99 your risk of health problems becomes higher. In a recent study an increased rate of blood pressure, diabetes and heart disease was recorded at 27.3 for women and 27.8 for men.”
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