Hep C & Liver Pain

[Benesh]

Hi. I am a 53 year old male who was recently diagnosed with Chronic Hepatitis C. I originally went to the Emergency Room due to severe Upper Right Side Abdomenal (abdominal) Pain. After MANY CT Scans, blood tests, a Nuclear Scan, an Endoscopy and Colonoscopy and a Barium Scan the doctors cannot explain the pain I am having. They say that the liver isn't the cause. The doctor at the ER did give me Ultram for the pain but my GI doctor will not fill it any more. They want me to go to yet another doctor who is a surgeon. They act as though I am made of money AND they know I have no health insurance.

My wife has been researching Hep C and has read that some people with Chronic Hep C do complain of pain or discomfort in the liver area which is called Hepatalgia. It has also been referred to as Hepatodynia. They make it seem as though I am not being honest or I am imaging the pain.

Is there anyone out there that has gone through this same ordeal? If so, I would love to hear from you and hear how you got through it. Did you get your doctor to listen to you and realize that the pain was not 'in your head'? Did they give you anything for the pain?

Thank you for reading my question and for any responses you send.....Benesh :o)

[nygirl7]

From what we've all learned, your liver does not have any nerves inside it that could register any technical pain (this is why a biopsy is pretty painless).  Perhaps the area SURROUNDING your liver is experiencing some pain IF it is very swollen.  Have you had any of the liver panel tests done? Do you know what your liver enzyme levels are?

This is why your doctors are telling you the pain is not your liver - because technically it's not.  It could be that tissue surrounding it but...that's about it.

[domusic]

What the previous post says is true, the liver does not experience pain. I have pain in the area of my liver as well. As your liver becomes inflamed (enlarged) from Hep C, the membrane which contains it, stretches. This membrane does produce pain. If you have had an ultrasound or CT, they may note an enlarged liver. Not much to do about it but treat the Hep and hope to clear the virus. Hope this has helped.

DoMusic!

[merryBe]

you could have what I had, which is an inflammed gall bladder without stones.

I had severe pain as you descibe...and no stones on ultra sound so they would not give me a hidascan...
this is the test that will tell if your gall bladder works or has become infected and dysfunctional. No onther scan really will.
I was writhing in pain for a year, while my GP did every othert test because she was I sure I was wrong...and did not have this disease....but I was right...

read my profile journal to see what they just had to do to fix it....it was brutal but at least now that part of the pain equation is gone.

you may just be having general liver inflammation ache.....but if it is worse after eating...well, just go and google acute gall bladder disease and see if it rings any bells
they missed mine because I had no stones and was not throwing up.....but just because a disease is atypical, meaning you don't have EVERY common symptom, does not mean you do not have the disease.  Hope this helps.
MaryB

[TeeVee36]

I went through the exact same thing that you did.  About 6 years ago I was experiencing unexplained pain that would escalate at night.  I went to two different emergency rooms and one said it was my liver and I had Hepatitis but I needed to go to my doc to find out exactly which one I had.  The second emergency room said there was NOTHING wrong with my liver even after I told them that the other hospital said there was.  Thank God I haven't had that type of experience other than 6 yrs ago.  It is how I found out I had Hep C after going to my Doc.  It kind of pisses me off, because I remember her circling my liver function numbers (ALT, AST) and telling me that they were elevated and they would just keep a watch on them.  You know, if I never had that week long episode 6 years ago and gone to the emergency room, I would never know I had Hep C.  So it was both a curse and a Blessing at the same time.

Are you being treated for Hep C?  Do you drink?  I believe that it was a drink of alcohol that set off the pain that I had.  I quit drinking around 15 yrs ago and took this one drink at a xmas party 6 yrs ago and had a horrible reaction which I relate to taking that drink.

I hope you feel better.

Peace and Love,
TV