Fatty liver???
VeeDub75
Posts: 13
Hi everyone! I'm pretty new here. I've been using the site for a couple weeks now, and it has made it SO EASY to keep track of everything! I was diagnosed a couple months ago with fatty liver, and also have high cholesterol which I have had for years. I tried in the past to watch what I ate to control my cholesterol, with no success. After the fatty liver diagnosis, I was told I needed to watch my diet and exercise. I then talked to a nutritionist, about the same time I found this site. Since the diagnosis, I had lost 11 pounds prior to using this site. So now I am hoping to use this site to continue. I am hoping that by dieting I will get the fatty liver under control, and after talking to the nutritionist, I am hoping that the things that I am now doing differently will also help my cholesterol. Anyone else have these conditions?
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Replies
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Yes I do . I just found out too . I'm truly scared with everything I have read plus I've been having abdominal pain in the upper right region too. I am on a low carb low sugar low fat diet as well...0
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I was diagnosed with one of those a few years ago... ick0
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I have routine bloodwork for my cholesterol (taking meds for that, which I had always worried would mess up my liver), and my liver function numbers came back elevated, that is how they found the problem, I didn't have any symptoms. Had a liver ultrasound that confirmed it. Monday I go in to recheck my bloodwork to see if there is any improvement. I sure hope so. I think I am doing ok on the diet, lost a couple more pounds, and have been watching the fat, cholesterol, and getting more fiber. And I bought a treadmill this week. So when I get that home, I can start working on the exercise part by walking a couple miles a day. Really hoping it works. Hope you are able to make some progress too!! It is scary, but by the sounds of it, it is not impossible!! Hang in there tytania!!0
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Hi
I just got diagnosed with a fatty liver. Mine is alcohol related. I'd been through a tough time and turned to too much alcohol and didn't eat properly, got very stressed etc. I put on 21/2 stone and became very bloated. It's been 7 weeks now and I have completely cleaned up my diet with no alcohol, low fat, low sugar etc. I've got to go for a scan later on this month and also see my doctor again on Friday.
It gave me a massive shock! If there is anything I can do to support anyone else let me know.0 -
I have routine bloodwork for my cholesterol (taking meds for that, which I had always worried would mess up my liver), and my liver function numbers came back elevated, that is how they found the problem, I didn't have any symptoms. Had a liver ultrasound that confirmed it. Monday I go in to recheck my bloodwork to see if there is any improvement. I sure hope so. I think I am doing ok on the diet, lost a couple more pounds, and have been watching the fat, cholesterol, and getting more fiber. And I bought a treadmill this week. So when I get that home, I can start working on the exercise part by walking a couple miles a day. Really hoping it works. Hope you are able to make some progress too!! It is scary, but by the sounds of it, it is not impossible!! Hang in there tytania!!
Thank you !!! Yes it was quite a shocker . I gained 20 pounds since Jan and this is why it has gotten worse I guess .
I'm trying to manage with diet . I'm having major upper right abdomen pain too.
But when I go to the er they treat me like I'm a hypochondriac . My Dr read there tests and the ultrasound and said I have
Fatty liver . They did not even mention it in the er before I went back to my Dr .
So I really don't trust going back there ever . I'm losing my faith in medicine and Dr . I'm thinking
Of asking my Dr to refer me to a specialist . I'm really scared. Been having nightmares . Can't sleep. So I'm exhausted .
I'm only glad to know I'm not alone . I actually walked 30 minutes yesterday and did 16 minutes of aerobics
So today I'm sore lol does Anyone have Amy success stories ? Thank u dear you hang in there too!!@!hugs0 -
I was also having pain in the right side for about 5 years now off and on. At first they thought it was my gall bladder but then said no. I had another ultrasound last year and the Gastro Dr. said my liver had some fat but didnt exactly say fatty liver. He told me not to lose any weight ( he thinks im too thin) and just keep excersizing like I have been. I take a liver supplement from the heatlh food store but can it go away? or is this a forever thing? I havent had it rechecked recently. I do notice a difference in pain levels depending on what I eat--less fat is better.0
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Thank you !!! Yes it was quite a shocker . I gained 20 pounds since Jan and this is why it has gotten worse I guess .
I'm trying to manage with diet . I'm having major upper right abdomen pain too.
But when I go to the er they treat me like I'm a hypochondriac . My Dr read there tests and the ultrasound and said I have
Fatty liver . They did not even mention it in the er before I went back to my Dr .
So I really don't trust going back there ever . I'm losing my faith in medicine and Dr . I'm thinking
Of asking my Dr to refer me to a specialist . I'm really scared. Been having nightmares . Can't sleep. So I'm exhausted .
I'm only glad to know I'm not alone . I actually walked 30 minutes yesterday and did 16 minutes of aerobics
So today I'm sore lol does Anyone have Amy success stories ? Thank u dear you hang in there too!!@!hugs
I was diagnosed a couple of years ago with fatty liver after elevated liver function came back on my annual. You can't fix it in a few weeks, just like you didn't gain 20 lbs in a few weeks. Take your time and don't stress out. Do everything you can to turn things around.
My Dr. did not recommend any medication, just diet & exercise (nixed alcohol & shellfish). My Dr. monitored my liver function once a month for about 4 months. When my levels came down sufficiently, I was monitored once a quarter. In the meantime, I was trying to get pregnant and was worried. I must have done something right, because I have a healthy 8-month old napping in the other room and as far as I know my liver is OK, too.0 -
Thx. Yeah I know but reading some horrible stories online have frightened me into taki.g it seriously
Thank you so much . I'm watching everything I eat . At least I know u had it and you made it through it . It gives me hope !
Bless you !0 -
About five years ago or so I was diagnosed with Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease. However, the doctor said about 97% of the population has this disease and most don't know it because there are rarely any symptoms or complications and not really any treatment. NAFLD has nothing to do with being fat; it's just that fat accumulates in the liver and there's not much you can do to get rid of it. He told me my cholesterol levels were good but if I exercised more I could raise my good cholesterol. The only reason I found out about this is because I had blood work done to test for H. Pylori when I got my ulcer (they were negative; turns out I got it the old fashioned way: stress) and my liver enzymes came back elevated. They ran me through several more blood draws (one repeat, one repeat with fasting, one repeat with fasting and no pain relievers for a week prior) and then an ultrasound (which revealed an oversized spleen which no one cares about despite the fact that I get pain there) just to tell me that I have a disease which has no symptoms and no treatment and which almost everybody has. Awesome.0
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I've been reading it is pretty common. And in many, many cases reversible with diet and exercise. My nutritionist says low fat, low cholesterol and eat more fiber, and more whole grains, and try to stay away from sugar substitutes (they are not as great as they claim to be). So, I'm giving that a shot. I have pretty much stopped drinking soda, but then I did that before having talked to her. You hear so many stories about sweeteners these days. Honestly, since I have been watching what I am eating, I realize how bad I was eating before! Try not to let the internet scare you. I have read some good stuff and bad stuff. You read a lot of bad stuff on the internet, and when you are already worried, that doesn't help a great deal, other than to stress you out more. Try not to let the stories on the internet worry you more tytania, and ask your doctor if they can refer you to a gastroenterologist. The one I went to ran a BUNCH of bloodwork to rule out pretty much any other problems that I might have had before having me have an ultrasound. Diet and exercise are really the only treatments available for this, and it can take quite long to fix, but it can be done, or so I have read. Good luck everyone!!0
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Thank you sweet pea !@!! I'm worrying myself into the ground . Been having horrible upper right pain when I sit .if I stand I'm fine. When I sit it feels like there is this pinching pain and lots of discomfort . I told the Dr on.the phone this today and he said there are mo symptoms of fatty liver so it had to ne something else . So I'm kinda freaking.out thinking there is something.else wrong as well even though my recent cat scans and ultra sound only revealed fatty liver . Ugh this is so frustrating but thank you so much for your support ! HugsI've been reading it is pretty common. And in many, many cases reversible with diet and exercise. My nutritionist says low fat, low cholesterol and eat more fiber, and more whole grains, and try to stay away from sugar substitutes (they are not as great as they claim to be). So, I'm giving that a shot. I have pretty much stopped drinking soda, but then I did that before having talked to her. You hear so many stories about sweeteners these days. Honestly, since I have been watching what I am eating, I realize how bad I was eating before! Try not to let the internet scare you. I have read some good stuff and bad stuff. You read a lot of bad stuff on the internet, and when you are already worried, that doesn't help a great deal, other than to stress you out more. Try not to let the stories on the internet worry you more tytania, and ask your doctor if they can refer you to a gastroenterologist. The one I went to ran a BUNCH of bloodwork to rule out pretty much any other problems that I might have had before having me have an ultrasound. Diet and exercise are really the only treatments available for this, and it can take quite long to fix, but it can be done, or so I have read. Good luck everyone!!0 -
I had it a few years ago, but I was able to reverse it with diet, exercise, and meds. My doctor took a plastic shopping bag made a fist and pushed his hand through the bag, then he said that is your liver coming out of it's casing. It was a complete wake up call because I was probably only 15-20 lbs overweight, but my cholesterol was about 260. We first tried diet and exercise to lower it but my good chol. went down and the bad stayed the same...so I went on lipitor 10mg for 2 years. Im now in the 100s for my cholesterol level off the lipitor and my liver is in check.
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Yep fatty liver here too. Found it while they were ultrasounding my gall bladder. Said my gall bladder was fine which it was not and was removed last year. I wasn't told to do anything about the fatty liver. BUT with having my gall bladder removed I lost 10 pounds and thought why not keep the trend going.0
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About 2 years ago i had issues with pain in the upper right quad, and they did an ultra sound and said that it looked like i had a fatty liver. I stopped drinking as much and since ive lost 20lbs, the pain hasn't come back yet. Just continue to do what your doing and im sure everything ill go back to normal
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Im in the middle of this "scare" also... and its fustrating!!! I was told when going over tons of bloodwork for WLS that my live was high... so next week wednesday i go in for a liver scan. The Dr tried his best to scare the crud outta me... gave me nightmares for a few days. The truely fustratig part is im already planning on WLS to drop the weight to correct this... what more can i do?????? after a few days of readingup on FLD.. i have the feeling that the Dr tried to put the fear factor in me for no reason.. this is such a commen thing that so many folks have. OK enough o the whining... sorry its been a down kinda morning. Anyway. im here , im doing the food tracking and im trying hard to adjust to a high protien low carb diet... hoping to kick off the wieght loss and lose a few pounds before surgery in Jan/Feb... i would LOVE a few more friends.. maybe someone in the same boat as me to help me stay on track and help me tweek my diet. The Doc also has me on Biolean right now.... anyone else tried this?0
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I also have a fatty liver. Please share your stories with me..
I am 67 yrs. old...had breast cancer in 1994...and have had a fatty liver since.., but have not truly stayed on a diet to help it..,Please share your stories. I need help...Just retired from school...to be a caregiver to my husband with pancreatic cancer....I miss my job....and ...it has been hard not to graze all day...
betty0 -
I had a diagnosis that the doctor thought was this. That was years ago and all has been normal since then. What I did do was to get a book written by a woman doctor on the liver (got it at the bookstore, it's probably on Amazon). It scared the you know what out of me. Now I am eating clean and losing weight and go back to the doctor this week, so will update.
Get a book on liver disease and it will show you where you are, and how to help yourself.
I spent many sleepless nights waiting until the next set of numbers came back normal, after I read the book. Educate yourself on liver disease and make all the lifestyle adjustments you can.0 -
My aerobics instructor has this diagnosis and she keeps all her meals to 500cal or less per doctors orders. I don't know anything about the diagnosis but She's spoke of it for years. She's doing really well and her cholesterol is down.0
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What liver supplement are you taking? I've read a few things about Milk Thistle begin good for liver. Though I have not tried it.0
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I was also having pain in the right side for about 5 years now off and on. At first they thought it was my gall bladder but then said no. I had another ultrasound last year and the Gastro Dr. said my liver had some fat but didnt exactly say fatty liver. He told me not to lose any weight ( he thinks im too thin) and just keep excersizing like I have been. I take a liver supplement from the heatlh food store but can it go away? or is this a forever thing? I havent had it rechecked recently. I do notice a difference in pain levels depending on what I eat--less fat is better.
What liver supplement are you taking? I've read a few things about Milk Thistle begin good for liver. Though I have not tried it.0 -
I was nearly 300 pounds 5 years ago and was told I couldn't donate plasma anymore due to having a fatty liver and have had pain around my liver. Now, the present, I am down to 237.6 and seems as if the pain near my liver is gone..does this mean that I don't have a fatty liver anymore or is it scar tissue? I didn't mean to hi-jack this thread with my concern..but I just wanted to learn more about having a fatty liver.0
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One of my best friends was suffering from severe abdominal pain. When ultrasound was done, was also diagnosed with fatty liver. Her doctor told her pure vegan for at least 6 months. Then slowly limited animal products could be added in. Yes, she eats a lot at home, but also taught us about the many vegan products out there. Eating clean is a big help, but the vegan diet helped quickly. I am a meat and veggie eater,trying to eat cleanly, but wanted to share her experience with you. Good luck!0
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I also have a fatty liver. Please share your stories with me..
I am 67 yrs. old...had breast cancer in 1994...and have had a fatty liver since.., but have not truly stayed on a diet to help it..,Please share your stories. I need help...Just retired from school...to be a caregiver to my husband with pancreatic cancer....I miss my job....and ...it has been hard not to graze all day...
betty
Honestly, I feel like I AM grazing all day. GO FOR IT! Just graze on healthier choices! I have lots of snacks through the day of fruits, vegetables and nuts between meals. And I make popsicles out of fat free pudding packs or Fruit and Protein Silk, or just Silk Chocolate or Vanilla for something sweet but low fat. But I do sometimes feel like I am always eating, but it's been working as far as losing a few pounds. Just need to wait on the bloodwork to see if the liver numbers are coming down any. But I have read it can take a while. So, I am hoping there is at least a SMALL change to keep me feeling like I am headed in the right direction.0 -
Back when I had my gallbladder problems, they saw fatty liver on the ultrasound. I dropped 73 pounds and it was gone. I'm not a drinker, so it was caused by being overweight. From everything my doctor has said to me, if it's from being overweight, losing weight can help and even reverse the condition.
The most important thing is to believe that you are correcting the issue, and release the worry. Worry will not help you. Stress just saps your energy, robs you of your sleep, and takes the attention away from where it belongs: on healing. So when you catch yourself feeling stress, release it with some positive self-talk. (You can do this in your head, not out loud if you aren't alone.) Tell yourself that you are working on losing weight and eating better, and that every day your liver is healing more and more.
I wish you the best.0 -
Just wanted to share my experience: i was diagnosed with Fatty Liver 6 1/2 years ago, i made some progress weight wise but not much, and am still trying as i am also hypoglycemic. Mine is related to metabolic issues i have had my entire life. Keeping a low fat diet, avoiding alcholol/drugs/ and keeping medications down to those necessary has helped alot. i had the pain and couldnt even sit in my car and drive for work. the pain and swelling have gotten better...it takes a long time to get it cleaned out but can be done and will feel loads better as time progresses. i was fortunate enough to catch it before any bleeding and scarring could happen, and have avoided that so far, my levels are also in good range have never been elevated. so keep up with the changes and keep as much natural foods in your system. not only avoid sugar (which has been the hardest for me) but also watch the artificial sweetners and preservatives....and ask your pharmacists bout meds your on...they can help you understand how they work and are metabolized and if it is going to make your liver work harder. i look at it as giving my liver a break. wishing you and everyone else here also, good luck, just keep up with the changes and longterm you will see the difference. Keep Up The Good Work Everyone!!0
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rheilala, sounds like many of us are learning too! Hijack away!!! Always nice to know we are not alone and can learn and benefit from each other's experiences. I never had any pain, and am just starting working on my diet, but I'd suggest maybe going back in to the doctor for a recheck on your liver. They'd be the best to tell you if you have made any improvement :-), but sounds like you are headed in the right direction :-)0
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Thank you sweet pea !@!! I'm worrying myself into the ground . Been having horrible upper right pain when I sit .if I stand I'm fine. When I sit it feels like there is this pinching pain and lots of discomfort . I told the Dr on.the phone this today and he said there are mo symptoms of fatty liver so it had to ne something else . So I'm kinda freaking.out thinking there is something.else wrong as well even though my recent cat scans and ultra sound only revealed fatty liver . Ugh this is so frustrating but thank you so much for your support ! HugsI've been reading it is pretty common. And in many, many cases reversible with diet and exercise. My nutritionist says low fat, low cholesterol and eat more fiber, and more whole grains, and try to stay away from sugar substitutes (they are not as great as they claim to be). So, I'm giving that a shot. I have pretty much stopped drinking soda, but then I did that before having talked to her. You hear so many stories about sweeteners these days. Honestly, since I have been watching what I am eating, I realize how bad I was eating before! Try not to let the internet scare you. I have read some good stuff and bad stuff. You read a lot of bad stuff on the internet, and when you are already worried, that doesn't help a great deal, other than to stress you out more. Try not to let the stories on the internet worry you more tytania, and ask your doctor if they can refer you to a gastroenterologist. The one I went to ran a BUNCH of bloodwork to rule out pretty much any other problems that I might have had before having me have an ultrasound. Diet and exercise are really the only treatments available for this, and it can take quite long to fix, but it can be done, or so I have read. Good luck everyone!!
one thing i did for the pain, (sounds like your is as bad as mine was) was using ice and cold packs and laying on my left side alternating....sometimes the cold felt better and sometimes the warm did...also, don't take tylenol for pain...it is very hard on your liver and i ended up in e.r. in major pain doubled over crying the whole bit after taking it for the discomfort. motrin has helped but it can cause you to swell so check with your doctor in your situation before using. but the most comforting was the warm and cold packs...good luck and hope you find what works for you....0 -
Yep fatty liver here too. But no underlining conditions other than over weight. My DR. wasn't too concerned with it. But I was a little taken back with what I read about it. Taking it one day at a time and feel 50% better. Not so bloated all the time.0
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Looks like we are getting a lot of support here for each other!! Good luck everyone!
To add to my experience a bit... It's been about more than the fatty liver, but that's what brought me here....
About a year ago, my feet and ankles swelled up A LOT and seemed to swell a bit pretty often after that. I was getting heartburn a lot, started getting slight headaches fairly often, felt woozie and lightheaded quite a bit, and sneezed at work a lot???? (what's with that? I told them I was alergic to work - HA!) I'm not a lot over weight, but at some point in the last maybe 9 months, I hit 188, and told myself I would NOT be 190 lbs. So I just started not having "seconds". And started drinking more water, and less soda (I had been drinking a fair amount of diet soda, and thought maybe that was contributing to the heartburn???) I started losing a few pounds, then had my cholesterol checked as I regularly do. I take Crestor for my high Cholesterol (gotta love the things you inherit from your family!) Anyhow, that bloodwork showed elevated liver enzymes. Then I started all that with the docs. All I have really done since the diagnosis, is watch what I am eating, and since the 188, as of today, I am down to 164. And just from losing about 20 lbs and eating better -- more fruits and vegetables, more fiber, more whole grains (and less white flour), less Sat. fat and Cholesterol -- I am feeling SO MUCH better. Haven't had heart burn for months, headaches have gone away, ankles are not swelling anymore, and I am not sneezing at work as much(????) <
I'm really not understanding if/how diet affects allergies, but, hey, I'm going with it!! Or it could just be coincidence! LOL!! And I have so much more energy. I was told to watch my diet and exercise, and except for a few weekend day trips spent walking around, I haven't really changed my activity level so far, and I sit on my butt all day at work. And the weather hasn't exactly been cooperative for daily walks. BUT I bought a treadmill, so when I get that home, I can start walking a bit every day. So, that's where I am right now. Diet, get started on the exercise, and let the rest work itself out, and try not to freak out about it. My goal I guess, is to get this fatty liver thing reversed, and hope in addition that the cholesterol also works itself out with my diet changes so that one day I can quit taking the Crestor, and do this healthy thing the natural way, and not have to take any more medicine.
Just curious... how many of you were taking cholesterol medicine when you found out about the fatty liver?0 -
My fatty liver is now normal and my cholesterol is going down. The doctor wanted me on medication for it but I don't need to now
I too had some discomfort under the right rib region. Good luck, you can do this and cure it too.
To the lady that was talking high protein low carbs I'd check that your doctor agrees with that. It might be fine for healthy people but I'm not really sure about in our case. It might make things worse.0
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