Ascites?

[Kg1012]

Hello all,

I'm not sure if this is really the right place to post this question, but you all seem so knowledgable about cirrhosis & liver issues that I thought I'd give it a try.
I'm a 30 yr old female, recently having bloating/abdominal pain/indigestion. I talked to my PCP about it and she ordered a slew of GI tests which have all been negative so far. I had an ultrasound of abdomen done and the results were that everything was normal EXCEPT that the US showed "trace fluid" around my liver. My PCP thinks this is weird and is ordering a CT scan of the abdomen.
I'm worried about cirrhosis because from about ages 18-26 or 27 I was a binge drinker: would go out with friends several nights a week, some nights drinking 12-15 drinks. This wasn't nightly but probably weekly. The last couple years I have been a much more reasonable drinker, trying to have no more than 7 drinks a week/ 3 drinks in one day.
I'm so afraid that I have cirrhosis. Will a CT scan show whether I do, and is that a reliable method of looking for cirrhosis? Any other reasons there could be trace fluid around the liver?

Thanks, all.

[HectorSF]

There seems to be some misunderstanding about cirrhosis and how alcoholic cirrhosis develops as well as what ascites is. I will try to explain a little about both so you can understand that your symptoms are not those of either.

The odds of you having cirrhosis from drinking is extremely low. It typically takes many, many decades of alcoholism to develop cirrhosis. This is why almost everyone diagnosed with alcoholic cirrhosis is age 50 and up. IT takes many decades of continual liver damage on a regular basis causes alcoholic cirrhosis. Alcoholic poisoning is a different matter and can happen at any time but that is not cirrhosis. A major cause of alcohol poisoning is binge drinking, a pattern of heavy drinking when a person downs too many drinks in a small period of time. A person can consume a fatal dose before you pass out.

For a person to have ascites they need to have advanced cirrhosis, which means their liver has become so damaged that it is no longer able to perform all of its normal functions and will typically have multiple complications and symptoms of advanced liver disease which will be obvious.

A good doctor should be able to detect if a person has cirrhosis using a simple physical exam which takes about 1 minute. They can feel the size of the liver and spleen and tell if they are abnormal. A person with cirrhosis will have an abnormally hard liver and an enlarged spleen that can be felt by the doctor. If cirrhosis is expected, than they will follow up with other testing. Of course a few simple blood tests would also show that the person has advanced liver disease. They would have at minimum, a low plate count and other abnormal blood levels may also be found. With cirrhosis there may be other obvious physical symptoms that the patient will have such as spider veins, some yellowing of the skin or eyes, confusion and other mental issues from hepatic encephalopathy.

Please understand that ascites is not 'bloating/abdominal pain/indigestion'. "Trace fluid" around the liver is not ascites. Ascites is fluid buildup in the space between the membranes lining the abdomen and abdominal organs. It doesn't change size in an hour or a day. There is no pain until it is extreme and a person looks pregnant from the many pounds of fluid build up. Ascites doesn't cause indigestion. If you type in ascites in your search engine you will see photos of people with ascites and you will see the bulge around their belly button where the fluid builds up.

A CT will see any physical abnormalities of the abdomen and the organs of the abdomen. Since cirrhosis and ascites is advanced liver disease the CT would show the cirrhotic liver with its nodular surface and other physical changes to the liver plus with advanced cirrhosis there would be changes to the blood supply around the liver caused portal hypertension.

I wouldn't worry about having cirrhosis. Hopefully there is nothing going on that is of concern. If you think you may ave a drinking problem, I would recommend getting help with it now, while you are still young and it is easier to live a healthier lifestyle.

Good luck with your CT.
Hector

[Kg1012]

Thank you for the information, Hector.

[keepingOnkeepingOn]

Do you have any idea why a hepper who had a transplant 6 years ago is not being consider for treatment? Is it a lack of self advocacy or something else?
How much damage could the virus do to the new liver in those short years? They guy is not doing well.

[HectorSF]

Please post a new question to start a discussion about new topic.
This thread is for Kg1012 and her concerns about having liver disease.

Thanks.
Hector