Liver Health and Weight Loss

losin_for_my_liver

I wanted to introduce myself with my first post, even though I have been tracking here on & off throughout the years. I am a 52 year old female living in the Chicago area. Despite being overweight since the age of 8, and obese my entire adult life, I had always been healthy -- at least all of my bloodwork had remained within the normal range, so on paper at least I was very healthy (normal blood sugar, cholesterol, triglycerides, etc.) with none of the weight-related conditions I had feared would eventually impact me if I didn't lose a significant amount of weight. I have always been unhappy with my weight, but it was more so a concern re: appearance than health.

About a year and a half ago when I was 50, I went in for a physical after skipping for a few years (my doctor had left the practice, then the pandemic hit). The only concerns I had were increased edema (swelling) in my legs/feet (which I had struggled with to some degree since turning 30 years old and crept up to 300 lbs) and newer/significant edema on the right side of my lower belly. I assumed it was my weight catching up with me but had no major concerns other than aesthetics. I thought the worst case scenario was that I had developed lymphedema, as it can be fairly common with long-term obesity.

The doctor noticed that some bloodwork numbers were out of whack, and also due to the fact that my swelling was primarily on the right side of my body, she was concerned that I could be dealing with liver disease. She then referred me to a hematologist, to try to confirm the cause, whether it be an auto-immune cause or worst case scenario -- cirrhosis of the liver. I actually found myself hoping to be diagnosed with an auto-immune disease.

He had me get an abdominal ultrasound before our visit, then ran many very detailed blood tests in his office lab, and I found out during that visit that everything was pointing toward cirrhosis. I was then referred me to a gastroenterologist with additional schooling in the liver. While I knew the odds were not in my favor, I was hoping that the gastro doc would diagnose me with fatty liver since that can be healed/reversed. Unfortunately, I learned that I do, in fact, have cirrhosis of the liver. The cause appears to be obesity, as I am and have always been a non-drinker. This was and remains a very scary diagnosis, and my doctor informed me that the only thing I can do is try to keep it from progressing by losing weight at a slow but steady pace.

I should point out that I felt - and mostly still do feel - fine. I don't feel sick. However, the battle with ascites (fluid in the abdomen due to cirrhosis) and edema is constant. I take 3 diuretics per day but still retain a lot of fluid. This makes accurately gauging my weight loss next to impossible and is an upsetting source of frustration that really gets to me sometimes. I brush it off, as I know I MUST continue on this path if I want to live a longer life. As I continue to eat a healthier, less processed, lower-sodium diet and lose a significant amount of weight, I am hopeful that the fluid retention will significantly reduce and I will be more comfortable and more active. While I have not shared this information with people in my life, other than my small close-knit circle, I have learned of others who were diagnosed with cirrhosis close to 20 years ago and are still going strong, so I am hopeful that I will live a quality life until my 70's. My husband and I got a late start on this chapter in our lives, getting married in 2018, and I want to do everything I can to enjoy a long, healthy, happy life with him and our fur-babies.

Please wish me well on my journey to better health, and send some positive energy my way -- I can use all the help I can get!

Thanks for reading my long post; I wish you all the very best on your own unique journey. I decided to post about this, as I had done a word search thru the discussion boards and saw 'fatty liver' come up a number of times. If anyone can benefit from my post, that would be wonderful. If you have even the smallest sign of liver disease/damage, PLEASE do everything in your power to eat better and lose as much of the excess weight as you can, slowly but surely, to avoid it progressing to cirrhosis. (Stopping drinking or significantly reducing alcohol intake is also important for people who do drink and have signs of liver disease.) My diagnosis came out of nowhere, without a warning, and it was too late to reverse it. Until that happens, your liver health remains primarily in your hands.

AnnPT77

Thank you for sharing this. I'm sorry that you find yourself where you are now, and hope that you'll be successful in stopping the disease progression. Wishing you the best possible outcome!

Sinisterbarbie1

Thanks for posting. I had slightly elevated liver enzyme numbers for years. They were only mildly elevated and I was overweight/borderline obese by the time anyone said anything and I also consumed alcohol so they would be mentioned in passing but with a —lets retest and keep an eye on them — if they come down you are fine attitude. You would think that both of these factors would be more rather than less cause for concern, but the docs were focused on making sure I didn’t have liver cancer or hepatitis. Since I am a cancer survivor I occasionally have body scans when something weird pops up and one of them showed that I had a fatty liver. Still, no one was particularly alarmed, just suggested it might be a good idea to lose the extra weight when I get around to it (doctors are so polite!).
Anyway, the good news is that as you note if it is caught early enough the liver does repair itself, so people should listen to your story and they should read between the lines and ask more questions when drs mention anything is off with their liver. I lost 79 lbs and I stopped drinking entirely (for general health reasons overall) and my liver enzymes are perfect now which suggests that things are going in the right direction.
I am sending you good vibes and much strength for your health outcome to be good. You have a wonderful and kind attitude in sharing your story so I hope the good karma comes back to you.

losin_for_my_liver

Sinisterbarbie1 wrote: »

Thanks for posting. I had slightly elevated liver enzyme numbers for years. They were only mildly elevated and I was overweight/borderline obese by the time anyone said anything and I also consumed alcohol so they would be mentioned in passing but with a —lets retest and keep an eye on them — if they come down you are fine attitude. You would think that both of these factors would be more rather than less cause for concern, but the docs were focused on making sure I didn’t have liver cancer or hepatitis. Since I am a cancer survivor I occasionally have body scans when something weird pops up and one of them showed that I had a fatty liver. Still, no one was particularly alarmed, just suggested it might be a good idea to lose the extra weight when I get around to it (doctors are so polite!).
Anyway, the good news is that as you note if it is caught early enough the liver does repair itself, so people should listen to your story and they should read between the lines and ask more questions when drs mention anything is off with their liver. I lost 79 lbs and I stopped drinking entirely (for general health reasons overall) and my liver enzymes are perfect now which suggests that things are going in the right direction.
I am sending you good vibes and much strength for your health outcome to be good. You have a wonderful and kind attitude in sharing your story so I hope the good karma comes back to you.

@Sinisterbarbie1 Thank you! I am happy to hear that you continue to be cancer-free and through significant weight loss have reversed your liver disease -- great job! Good for you w/quitting drinking for your health, as well. I truly appreciate your well wishes.

losin_for_my_liver

@AnnPT77 Thanks so much! I appreciate your reply.

Sinisterbarbie1

@Sinisterbarbie1 Thank you! I am happy to hear that you continue to be cancer-free and through significant weight loss have reversed your liver disease -- great job! Good for you w/quitting drinking for your health, as well. I truly appreciate your well wishes.[/quote]

I really didn’t do any of this because of my liver, because no one explicitly told me to and because no one thought I was doing anything terribly extreme. And that is why your post is so important @losin_for_my_liver . Often no one will say anything about the issues that are in your control - diet and drinking - until it is too late. I only coincidentally or accidentally helped my situation. Sadly, doctors would prefer to breathe a sigh that you don’t have hepatitis and move on than have a tough love conversation about weight and that daily consumption of alcohol even in “normal seeming” amounts is not healthy. (At least in my case with my cancer history)