gurgling = blood pooling or ascites

I have been doing research regarding a condition I have (high standing heart rate, dizzy, tired, etc). It looks like what I have may be POTS. I also have abdominal bloating, which I believe may be blood pooling since it shifts from side-to-side when I change positions.

Anyway, I frequently heart gurgling noises from my stomach. These noises sound like there is some kind of liquid in there because it sounds like a dripping faucet. I originally thought these sounds may be the blood shifting in my abdomen from POTS.

But I have since wondered whether they could be from ascites - either from heart failure or cirrhosis. I have moderately high liver enzyme (ALT=79) and probably have fatty liver since I am overweight (5'9" and 220 pounds). But I have never drank and show no other signs of liver issues (my other liver blood tests are fine).

My question is whether other POTS patients who have abdominal pooling hear gurgling sounds. My concerns about ascites were based on my assumption that blood would have a higher "viscosity" (or whatever the term is) and would not be prone to gurgling noises, whereas the water (or whatever fluid) from ascites would make gurgling noises.

[Heiferly]

No, there is no sound associated with blood pooling in the splanchnic (abdominal) bed.  At least I've never heard it mentioned nor seen any mention of that in any medical texts on the autonomic nervous system or dysautonomia, nor in any journal articles.  I don't even know what ascites are.  I normally would look it up but I'm not well today/this evening and need to get back to bed myself.  

Did the doctor who ordered your liver panel show concern over the elevated ALT?  Have you asked a doctor to listen to the noises you're hearing in your abdomen?

How high is your standing heart rate?  What is your resting heart rate when seated?  What is your resting heart rate when lying down?

[Heiferly]

Ugh, I hit send before I finished. .. .  Welcome to the Dysautonomia Community.  Sorry I can't say more right now.  But hopefully I you can answer those questions and I can get back to you after you do and I'm feeling better as well,

Thanks!
-Heiferly.

[stocktrader]

Did the doctor who ordered your liver panel show concern over the elevated ALT? No.
Have you asked a doctor to listen to the noises you're hearing in your abdomen? I asked, but he dismissed the possibility of there being any fluid in my abdomen without listening.
How high is your standing heart rate? It peaks at 125 then settles at 115.
What is your resting heart rate when seated? Around 65-80.
What is your resting heart rate when lying down? Around 65.

I plan on seeing a different doctor sometime soon.

[Heiferly]

I am extremely sorry it has taken me so long to get back with you.  If you haven't seen my personal post on the forum, I'll summarize:  I'm going through my own issues with my illness, and took a trip to see my family to help de-stress before I reached my boiling point.  

Considering the heart rate values you gave me, I agree with your assessment that you may want to pursue a diagnostic assessment for POTS.  This is particularly so because in addition to apparently meeting the HR criterion, you cite several of the symptoms relevant to a POTS diagnosis such as dizziness and fatigue.  A referral to a specialist such as an electrophysiologist-cardiologist (EP cardiologist) at a larger hospital (university/teaching hospitals are often the likeliest places to find knowledgeable docs in this area) can be a good starting point.  A referral to a neurologist with knowledge of POTS/autonomic dysfunction would be the other route to take; I usually recommend the cardiology route particularly for suspected POTS cases because the diagnoses to be excluded are often more cardiovascular in nature than neurological, but patients have had success with both specialties.  Sometimes it's trial and error and you may have to try more than one specialist before you find one who can help you properly rule in/out autonomic dysfunction such as POTS.

I apologize, but I cannot be of much help when it comes to the liver concerns.  I have a chronically borderline-elevated ALT level myself, but it's just a tiny elevation.  I suspect to know the cause of mine, or at least when it started (long story, but we don't know the cause of *that* event), and am satisfied that it isn't of particular significance to my health.  However, I don't have lab ranges for that test memorized, and I doubt you can compare between labs anyway, so I'm not sure what to say about your value or what its possible significance to you might be.  The liver is one of the few things that just doesn't come up in autonomic "stuff," so it's too far out of my field of knowledge for me to even begin to speculate.  I think your plan to see a different doctor (considering your apparent dissatisfaction with your current one) is a good one.  You'd be hard-pressed to find a single patient on *this* forum who hasn't hand to change doctors at least once to get the help they needed.

Again, I apologize for my delayed response.  I hope you will keep us updated on your condition.  If you would like more information on the diagnostic criteria for POTS, diagnostic testing for dysautonomia, or about POTS in general, let me know and I can point you in the right direction.  

-Heiferly.