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Fatty Liver and Pancreas

I am 31F, been having RUQ pain since 3 years ago and also breathing problems/chest pain/back pain/cough with blood seen.
I recently had endoscopic ultrasound and it showed fatty liver and pancreas.
1. I've heard about fatty liver but not pancreas, is it serious?
2. Are these all progressive? I am worried and scared.
3. Is my RUQ pain due to fatty liver? I had abdo ultrasound a year ago but it didn't say about fatty liver. Based on this timescale, does it mean that my condition is progressing fast? cirrhosis? cancer?
4. what may cause my fatty liver/pancreas? i don't drink alcohol, but my antinuclear antibody (ANA) is positive. ? autoimmune? I am 5'1" weighing nearly 160lb. I always feel my tummy very swollen and bloated (and very big of course)
HOpe to hear from you guys for any advice.
Thanks and god bless.

-worried, dying Zoe
22 Responses
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1177761 tn?1263894979
Zoe,
MajNeni is right, try to not put yourself into a state of panic. We all have some sort of disease on this panel and all you can do is follow your doctor's recomendations on what to change..diet, exercise, weight loss vitamins and medications to treat the disorder/disease. Try to stay as positive as you can, I know how painful the abdomen can get. It's important to get some rest from the worry and write down questions you have concerning your fatty liver. Read up on your condition, but don't be so afraid of the fatty liver that it incapasitates you.
Follow a low fat, heart healthy diet. Use canola or olive oils when cooking, eat plenty of veggies, salads, watch your food portion sizes. Get checked for diabetes if you are obese for your height. If you are having trouble losing weight ask your doctor what can be done to help you lose the excess fat around your waistline. Muscle weighs more than fat does. Numbers on a scale are just that, numbers.Building muscle decreases fat accumulation in your whole body. And take life one day at a time, if you don't do as well today as you would have wanted, try harder tomorrow to change what you can, when you can. Be patient with weight loss, it doesn't just drop off your body. Spend less time on the computer and go for a walk or read a comic strip on occasion. And remember you need to get enough sleep so you can think clearly and be emotionally balanced and able to put up with the stress you will encounter. I hope you can find comfort in the fact that 80% of all diabetics have this condition, and it is the result of weight problems and poor glucose control. As a diabetic all I can tell you is to follow your doctor's recomendations and try to think of something peaceful. Try to enjoy yourself Zoe, we only go around once. Make the most out of every day, and try to be positive
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Avatar universal
I have just been diagnosed with fatty liver and fatty pancreas.  Have you been able to find anything out?  I am scheduled for a liver biopsy on Jan 7.

Worried2
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Avatar universal
If a person is diagnosed w/a swollen fatty liver, and stops alcohol input and watches his/her diet and loses weight with exercise, will the liver return to normal?
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Avatar universal
Please excuse me,
I'm tesing my ability to post a link to my nifty plot of
my HCT levels and Riba dose during tx...

Andrew
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Avatar universal
vit E, Milk Thistle and lecitin--great
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Avatar universal
vitamin E 800 u/day(high quality with mixed a,b g etc toco"s)
milk thistle and lecithin+ multivitamins and B&C complex
have helped me unbelievably to relieve liver pain--anyone have good reults or good source for quality/quantity of
Milk Thistle/silymarin extract? phone me 831-338-4232
"Michael" or email-***@****
I really think the milk thistle, vit E and lecithin combo must be further investigated
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
vitamin E 800 u/day(high quality with mixed a,b g etc toco"s)
milk thistle and lecithin+ multivitamins and B&C complex
have helped me unbelievably to relieve liver pain--anyone have good reults or good source for quality/quantity of
Milk Thistle/silymarin extract? phone me 831-338-4232
"Michael" or email-***@****
I really think the milk thistle, vit E and lecithin combo must be further investigated
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
vitamin E 800 u/day(high quality with mixed a,b g etc toco"s)
milk thistle and lecithin+ multivitamins and B&C complex
have helped me unbelievably to relieve liver pain--anyone have good reults or good source for quality/quantity of
Milk Thistle/silymarin extract? phone me 831-338-4232
"Michael" or email-***@****
I really think the milk thistle, vit E and lecithin combo must be further investigated
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Dear Zoe,
I'm sorry, but who told you you're dying?  Of course, that's part of the bargain:  you get born, in the end you die.  But at 31, most of these liver conditions have not gone on that far, hopefully.  So listen to the doctor, and if you want, ask him/her if you're dying from all this.  Have the doc explain the swollen abdomen, etc.  In the meantime, stop any smoking or drinking; drive carefully and cross on the green.
Try, try, try to think of some other things and get together with your doctor as soon as you can.  If you are uncomfortable with your doctor, get another one.  
I recommend getting very informed, and trying to be more positive.  If you see yourself as suffering, you will suffer much harder than you need to.  On some level, every human suffers.  If you see yourself as doing all you can with your days, you'll be enjoying as much of life as you can grab. (During this holiday season, do something nice for others.  It will make you feel good.)
Best,
Maj Neni
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Avatar universal
how old are you Bob? How do I know what might cause my fatty liver? Have you heard of fatty pancreas?

I am v worried and scared to death. I am dying.

-Zoe :(
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
ral
I have fatty liver also and before I started tx they needed to determine if my scarring, cirriosis, and bridging was more realted to hep c than to the fatty liver because they treat them differently. With me they decided that hep c  had created all the problems so I started tx with pegasys and co-pegasys..

Bob

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Avatar universal
Hi Joni, I don't know of any studies explicitly linking fatty liver to a diminished response rate. However steatosis, regardless of its origin, is associated with increased fibrosis ( <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=12524415&dopt=Abstract">see</a> )  and there <em>is</em> a correlation between fibrosis and response rate. As shown in tables 1 and 2 of the following <a href="http://hepatology2.aasldjournals.org/scripts/om.dll/serve?action=searchDB&searchDBfor=art&artType=fullfree&id=ajhep036s185#head3">article</a> if you separate those with fibrosis scores of 3-4 and compare their SVR rates to those with less fibrosis they end up with about a 10% lower SVR rate ( 8% for pegintron and 15% for pegasys at full riba).


So whether  fatty liver will have any effect on your tx outcome seems more related to your biopsy fibrosis score. Needless to say, anything you can do to lessen the fatty liver condition  is an important part of keeping your liver healthy. I'm usually not too fanatical about this, but given the dose-related alcohol<>fatty-liver link,  I'd say any alcohol should be avoided if you're trying to get fatty-liver under control. Best wishes.
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Avatar universal
something i found about fatty liver.  do u have hepc and had a biopsy??


FATTY LIVER ---- What is fatty liver?

What is fatty liver?
Fatty liver is not a disease, but a pathological finding. A more appropriate term is fatty filtration of the liver.

What causes fatty liver?
Fatty liver can be caused by certain chemical compounds, nutritional or endocrine disorders, and by genetic factors. Drugs and chemical compounds that can cause fatty liver include alcohol, tetracycline, methotrexate, valproic acid, cortisone and cortisone-like medications, carbon tetrachloride, and other solvents. Of these, alcohol is by far the most common cause. Liver inflammation may accompany exposure to these toxins and is responsible for the associated symptoms of fever, fatigue and jaundice.

Nutritional causes of fat in the liver include starvation, malnutrition, or obesity. Fat in the liver can also occur with rapid or extreme weight reduction such as might occur following an intestinal or gastric bypass operation for obesity. In some patients with fatty liver the fat is accompanied by inflammation (steatohepatitis), and occasionally the fat and inflammation may lead to scarring of the liver (fibrosis).

The endocrine causes of fatty liver include diabetes mellitus, elevated cholesterol or triglycerides, and fatty liver of pregnancy. Fatty liver during pregnancy occurs near the end of pregnancy and may result in premature delivery or termination of the pregnancy.

How can fatty liver easily be identified?
Fat in the liver usually does not produce any specific signs or symptoms. Occasionally patients will experience a dull pain in the right upper abdomen. Blood tests may reveal an elevation of the liver chemistries (SGOT or AST, SGPT or ALT, GGT, Alkaline phosphatase). A fatty liver may be detected on an ultrasound, CT, or magnetic resonance (MRI), examination of the liver. Confirmation of the diagnosis requires a liver biopsy. In mild cases, where the patient has no symptoms and the liver chemistries are normal or minimally elevated, a biopsy may not be required.

How does fat get into the liver?
Fat enters the liver from the intestines after being digested and modified by the cells lining the intestinal wall. Fat derived from fatty tissues elsewhere in the body may also enter the liver. Patients unable to break down or process fat being transported to the liver can develop abnormal fat accumulations within liver cells and the entire liver (steatosis).

Can fatty liver lead to other liver diseases?
Fatty liver associated with alcohol ingestion can progress to more severe disease including alcoholic hepatitis and cirrhosis.

In people who do not drink, fatty liver associated with inflammation and scar tissue, nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), infrequently leads to cirrhosis.

How is fatty liver treated?
Treatment of fatty liver depends on the cause. A fatty liver due to alcohol can be reversed if alcohol ingestion is stopped. Likewise, a fatty liver caused by drug ingestion or chemical exposure can be reversed if the drug is stopped or the chemical exposure stopped.

Fatty liver due to obesity is best managed with a program of weight reduction, consisting of a nutritious, low fat diet, and exercise. In patients with diabetes, fatty liver is managed with diet and better control of blood sugar. In individuals with elevated cholesterol or triglycerides, diet therapy is prescribed first. Patients not responding to diet, and in those with severe elevations of cholesterol and triglycerides, specific medications to reduce the these levels may be prescribed (e.g., Questran, Colestid, Lopid, Lipitor, Pravachol, Lescol, Zocor, Mevacor). Niacin is generally avoided because of its tendency to cause liver test elevations by itself. Some patients may be treated with dietary supplements. (e.g., lecithin, L-carnitine). L-carnitine may enhance fat metabolism by the liver, whereas lecithin may prevent some of the tissue damage caused when oxygen reacts with fat during routine chemical reactions in the liver (lipid peroxidation).

Since many medications can cause liver test abnormalities, close follow-up with a physician is recommended.

How can I avoid fatty liver?
Do not drink to excess...

Watch your diet....
In particular, avoid concentrated sweets, saturated fats, and foods high in cholesterol (heart healthy diet). Whenever possible use monosaturated fats (olive oil, canola oil), instead of polyunsaturated fats.

Seek medical advice...
Your physician or a nutritionist working with a physician can guide you as to appropriate diets to follow. Multivitamin supplements and vitamin E (< 1000 IU/day) may be used. Avoid large doses of vitamin A; vitamin A in large doses may cause liver damage.

If you have any questions or would like additional information, contact the Tulane Liver Center (504) 588-5344, or the American Liver Foundation, (800) 223-0179.
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hey that was good info. do you have the web site available?
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does the fact that i have fatty liver(alcohol) affect my chances of SVR. I have been alcohol free for 1 1/2 years? THANKS FOR YOUR WISDOM AND YOUR HELP THROUGH THIS ALL.   Joni
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This is great info.......I don't have a fatty liver, but, i always feel good to learn something new....I'm still waiting to see the GI on the 24th to get blood results. Deb
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the American liver foundation website is:         www.liverfoundation.org/
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srry guys my fingers have fog this morning
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Do you have Hepatitis? this forum is for patients w/ Hepatitus and I don't Knoe if any of us are qualified or knowledgable enough to help you. I'll Try to get them in tho.    Joni
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Do you have Hepatitis? this forum is for patients w/ Hepatitus and I don't Knoe if any of us are qualified or knowledgable enough to help you. I'll Try to get them in tho.    Joni
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Avatar universal
Do you have Hepatitis? this forum is for patients w/ Hepatitus and I don't Knoe if any of us are qualified or knowledgable enough to help you. I'll Try to get them in tho.    Joni
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Avatar universal
my thoughts about fatty liver is diet.  wouldnt a diet without saturated fats, lots of fresh fruits and veggies, etc... benefit a fatty liver??  theres gotta be info. out there.
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