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Been diagnosed with Fatty Liver: What can I do about it?
Digestive Health | Last Active: Aug 11, 2023 | Replies (64)Comment receiving replies
Non Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD) affects people who drink little to no alcohol.
@riflemanz64, @troyhenn22, @marjou, @deloresthanasse, @rashida, and anyone that I unintentionally omitted - I am a liver transplant recipient that was caused by a different liver disease, and I want to support you and encourage you in any way I am able.
- Here is information from Mayo Clinic Patient Care and Health Information. It is my intention that this resource will be beneficial as you continue your journey with NAFLD as you continue to share your experiences as a way to support each other in this discussion.
"As the name implies, the main characteristic of NAFLD is too much fat stored in liver cells.
Some individuals with NAFLD can develop nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), an aggressive form of fatty liver disease, which is marked by liver inflammation and may progress to advanced scarring (cirrhosis) and liver failure. This damage is similar to the damage caused by heavy alcohol use."
Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/nonalcoholic-fatty-liver-disease/symptoms-causes/syc-20354567
@rashida, How long have you known that you had fatty liver disease? What kind of treatment are your doctors suggesting?
@troyhenn22, What questions do you have about NAFLD? How can we help you?
@riflemanz64, I can see that you care deeply about your brother. Is he under the care of any doctor? Has the doctor talked with him about the alcohol/liver connection? I hope that your brother will seek the support of his medical team if he is interested to stop with alcohol.
@trellg132, Ity has been a while since you posted. How are you doing?
@deloresthanasse, How long have you been living with fatty liver disease? Are you being followed by a doctor? What kind of information does he/she use to check your liver health?
Replies to "Non Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD) affects people who drink little to no alcohol. @riflemanz64, @troyhenn22,..."
I tell my brother again after his blood tests for his physical. He was turned down for long term care insurance due to his fatty liver.
@rosemarya thank you for the Mayo Clinic link. I was diagnosed in 2005, discovered through an ultrasound done because of some other complaint. I was put on a statin drug, told to change my eating habits, lose some weight, etc. When I was heavier I also was borderline diabetic but after losing weight and reducing sugar intake I am no longer borderline. The fat in my liver is reduced but I doubt if my liver will ever be completely fat free because I think medications cause fatty liver too. I have been on medications over the years for various other conditions like fibromyalgia, anxiety, psoriasis, hypothyroid, etc. and I have read that drugs can also cause/trigger fatty liver. My doctors keep an eye on my liver to make sure it stays within accepted levels.
I have experienced various degrees of pain in my upper right quadrant but a CT scan and ultrasounds don’t show anything. I also have an uncomfortable bulge for at least ten years on the right side just below my waist, to the right of my abdomen, which gets bigger by the end of the day. Been to various doctors and they all shrug their shoulders and say they don’t know what is causing it because the CT scan and ultrasound sounds show nothing. I have asked repeatedly for an MRI but no doctor thinks that is necessary, although I feel an MRI may show something a CT scan may not. I have just resigned myself to living in pain and discomfort. In Canada all referrals to specialists have to follow government health guidelines; i.e., our health insurance is run by the government and it approves the drugs and procedures a medical practitioner can order. I do not have, and cannot afford, private health insurance.
Sorry, I am not very good at getting across what I want to say, or should say. Others can put my thoughts into words better than I can, which is why I am on these threads - to learn and understand and deal with my various health problems by reading similar problems by other fellow sufferers.
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No nash was seen in the ultrasound I took a week ago