r/LiverDisease

Recently diagnosed with serious fibrosis, 40s, still trying to figure all of this out but immediate interim plan includes obvs no alcohol but also healthy eating requirements, a sodium restriction, AND a fluid restriction. I say "healthy" because that's about all the guidance I've gotten so far which is way too vague. ("Avoid fried foods," sure, but "no aged cheeses"? Dark chocolate is practically medicine, but don't eat it. Salads are a great alternative to many meals just don't overdo the low-sodium chickpeas.)

After some research I've sort of settled on the Harvard version of the Healthy Plate guidelines, but it is so strict and I'm so sick of it. There's no way I can eat all this produce and I hate just having like 3 breads and meats I can eat. Good thing I love olive oil, lemon anything, and peanut butter, but damn.

I suppose this is just a vent. Maybe it all simply means don't eat pizza and burgers and I'm overthinking it. My ongoing labs will probably lead to some tweaks. But if anyone has any encouragement or inspiration for the low-motivation moments I'm all ears, thank you!

Hey all, after a couple weeks ruminating over this and googling every combination of key phrases I could think of, I decided I'd just ask others for their opinions on this.

I've been sober for 95 days, after many years of heavy daily drinking. I'm 31F.

On the 29th, I'm traveling to stay with my best friend of 16+ years and on the 30th we're getting a group together with some "drunk d&d" where there will be irl challenges and quizzes with drink concoctions made for the punishments. I told her I was fine with it, I think it'll be fun. But my worry is with my liver. I was diagnosed with an F3 liver in July, around when I quit. Now, my health journey the last 90 days has been fantastic. I've lost 40 lbs, I started walking, jogging, I'm starting to play softball, I eat well (low fat, low sodium, lots of fruit and veg and protein from legumes and fiber from whole grains etc) and I started feeling WAY better even a month in to my sobriety.

Everytime I google about drinking one time with a recovering liver, I find stories from people who describe their desire to moderate after 100 days, 400 days, 2 years, as "I felt like I could drink a couple nights a week, or on weekends, or for special occasions" or "I missed it and just wanted to try it every now and then." And thus the cycle begins and they relapse and they're back a year later on day 1. That's not me. I don't particularly care to get drunk, I don't need it in my life, I'm not curious. I should just tell my friend actually, I don't want to drink, and she'll respect it. But the idea of a drink themed d&d night sounds fun and like it'll be a fun memory and I'd like to take part.

The big question is, and what I'm wondering if anyone here has any experience or knowledge of (because my doctor will absolutely tell me not to in fear of me relapsing), will the progress on my liver completely stop and push me into cirrhosis? Will it send me to the hospital? Am I signing my death warrant taking a 4th shot? Or will I slow it/set myself back a bit, have a terrible hangover, and risk myself wanting to drink more? Cause I think I can handle the latter. I know every alcoholic thinks that. But truly, I am so in love with my new, active, sober life, I'll be happy to get right back to it after that night. I'm not meaning to ask for medical advice here, just if you happen to know what one night of some drinking (I'm thinking after 3 or 4 I'm going to say my head hurts and tap out of having any more) will do to a liver on the mend from fibrosis.

Thanks for any insight 🙏

38 male. Went to the doctor for server itching after quitting alcohol. The doctor took blood work ast was 79, alt was 220. No alcohol for 53 days. AST is normal ALT is 70. Er will not check to see if I have any scarring or issues but great progress. I drank everyday for 7 years and used cocaine. Worked construction and never drank water. I have other health issues but liver seems to be going good. If you think you have issues take a break and see how it goes. When I quit alcohol I had terrible withdrawals lasted 2 months and still going.

My father (70M, diabetic, India) was admitted with upper abdominal pain. He now has severe pain in both hips and the lower back, on a fentanyl patch plus tramadol. I'd really value opinions, especially from hem-onc, hepatology or radiology folks, while we work with his doctors.

**CT abdomen with contrast (triphasic):**

- Liver small (~10 cm), mildly nodular contour, i.e. chronic liver disease. Splenomegaly 16.4 cm, splenic vein 13 mm, prominent gastrohepatic/perigastric/mesenteric collaterals.

- Heterogeneous perihilar mass ~7.0 x 4.4 x 5.6 cm involving segments 1, 5, 4A and 8, with patchy arterial enhancement, venous washout and necrotic areas.

- It completely encases the main, right and proximal left portal vein, with tumour thrombus in the lumen. It encases the common hepatic, left hepatic and replaced right hepatic arteries without narrowing, and partially encases the proximal CBD (~180-240°). The proximal CBD shows mural enhancement; no IHBR dilatation.

- Multiple enlarged periportal, peripancreatic, para-aortic (largest 28 x 16 mm) and aortocaval nodes. Subcentimetric mesenteric and iliac nodes, and small paracardiac nodes.

- Multiple tiny omental/mesenteric nodules; minimal ascites.

- Grade I L5-S1 anterolisthesis with bilateral pars defect.

- Radiologist's impression: "suggestive of HCC". (An earlier CT elsewhere described the liver mass as being in segment 7.)

**Upper GI endoscopy:** small oesophageal varices (no red signs), mild portal hypertensive gastropathy, oesophageal candidiasis.

**Para-aortic lymph node excision biopsy:**

- H&E: atypical lymphoid infiltrate.

- IHC: CD20+, CD5+, CD23+, BCL-2+; CD10-, BCL-6-, MUM-1-, Cyclin D1-, CD30-; CD3 in background T cells; Ki-67 15-20%.

- Impression: low-grade B-cell lymphoma, CLL/SLL likely; correlate with peripheral blood and flow cytometry (not done yet).

**Bloods:**

- Hb 9.9, WBC 11,550, absolute lymphocytes 6,610, platelets 152k

- INR 1.23, total bilirubin 1.7, AST 49, ALT 54, ALP 167, GGT 203, albumin 3.6

- Creatinine 0.8, Na 132

- AFP: normal

**Not done yet:** liver biopsy (planned), flow cytometry, hepatitis B/C status (not known to us).

**My questions:**

1. What would you suspect the liver mass is: HCC alongside CLL/SLL, CLL/SLL involving the liver, Richter transformation, or something else (e.g. cholangiocarcinoma, given the hilar/CBD involvement)?

2. Is a liver biopsy essential before starting treatment, or would you treat the CLL/SLL first?

3. If this is CLL/SLL needing treatment, what would you consider at his age with chronic liver disease (BTKi, venetoclax, chemo-immunotherapy)?

4. If the mass is HCC with portal vein thrombus, what options are realistic?

5. Any advice on getting his pain under control while this is sorted out?

I know nobody can diagnose over Reddit, and his treating team will decide. I just want to understand the possibilities and ask better questions. Thank you.

I’m a 24yr old female , with pcos .I’ve had fatty liver for a few years now my ALT has stayed around 37 to 47 and my AST has stayed below 27. However, I have never seen a specialist for only primary care and had two RUQ ultrasounds .When I was 12 weeks pregnant, my ALT was 47 and my AST was 27. That was the highest they had both been in a while. My ALT previous to pregnancy was around 33. I am now 16 weeks pregnant with my twins my ALT has gone up to 128 and my AST has jumped to 58. My OB/GYN is referring me to gastroenterology. Has this happened to anyone else with fatty liver during pregnancy? Pregnancy related issues have been ruled out . Should I be concerned ?

Look forward to some great professional advice,thanks

Now they are testing core antibodies and surface antibody. i am pregnant and was just non reactive in march. i also got a booster shot in 2018 for nursing school. I work in healthcare now, have no symptoms. I also got the rsv, tdap and flu shot recently. could this be a false positive?? could the antigen test be picking up on anything elss

I’ve got NASH and F3 fibrosis. has anyone who’s about the same get any like low blood sugar symptoms like dizziness when standing, shaky, eyes a bit weird and not focusing fully with occasional double vision? I’ve been having these for about 6 months on and off and I put it down to my blood pressure or thyroid but both are quite good now levels wise and it’s still happening. thank you 😊

I hope you can read my entire story, please. I would really appreciate it if no one ignores any part of it. If anyone has any information that could help me, please share it, because the doctors where I live have very limited resources and expertise.

I have had celiac disease for two years, along with longstanding bowel problems. I follow a very strict diet, and my health was actually very good.

However, last year I developed a problem with a coating on my tongue and very bad breath, which really affected me. I started doing everything I could to get rid of it. After doing a lot of research, I thought I might have SIBO or Candida, so I decided to try a protocol consisting of oregano oil, berberine, betaine HCl, digestive enzymes, zinc, and some other supplements I had bought.

I only took them for about one week because I couldn't continue. During that time, I became extremely yellow, started having very bad-smelling burps that smelled like rotten eggs, and all of my symptoms became much worse. Before this, I had actually been doing relatively well while following my celiac diet.

So I went to get liver tests because the yellowing was very noticeable. I became very pale, my face looked completely drained, and my digestion became much worse.

I had liver blood tests, including ALT, AST, GGT, alkaline phosphatase, and bilirubin. All of them were significantly elevated.

I then stopped eating eggs. Before this, I had been eating around 10 eggs without any problems. I also reduced my fat intake.

After about one month, my liver enzymes went down significantly, and the yellowing improved by about 97%.

However, whenever I start eating eggs again, the yellowing comes back, my bilirubin rises, my digestion becomes much worse, and I feel extremely tired and weak.

I have now been dealing with this situation for about six months, and it has really taken a toll on my life.

I also had an abdominal ultrasound, and everything appeared to be normal.

If anyone has experienced something similar or has any useful information about what could be causing this, I would really appreciate your help.