Symptoms of liver disease

[Debrah-Roundy]

  I have a damaged liver (vitamin A was the probable culprit)and am trying to repair the damage as much as possible. ( I am under the care of 2 doctors). As my health improves, I notice a lot of things that I thought were symptoms of just getting older, or being a mother chasing kids disappearing.  That has made me curious, just what are the symptoms of liver damage.  
  I went to 8 different doctors with various complaints at one time or the other, and none ever checked my liver because I do not drink, do drugs and I like to exercise and eat right.  Now I wonder how many things that aren't just quite right may be attributable to my liver.
  I imagine the answer to this question might interest many people who have damaged livers for various reasons.
  Thanks, and have a super day!

[HFHSM.D.-D.M.]

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Dear Debrah Roundy:
Your question is in fact one that will be of interest to many MedHelp readers.  However, I always want to tread carefully when I talk about the symptoms of liver disease because it is easy to alarm people inappropriately.
Many of the symptoms of liver disease are surprisingly not specific to the liver.  They are symptoms that can be seen with a lot of conditions or even in a normal person.  They are fatigue, depression, loss of appetite, itching, a sense of forgetfulness, and vague abdominal pain especially on the right.  If the liver disease is severe, patients can develop jaundice (yellow skin and eyes), confusion, severe fluid retention, and gastrointestinal itching.  In truth of fact, few patients present with severe disease out of the blue.  Liver disease is such that it usually gives warnings before the liver just starts to give out.  
Having said all that many patients with significant liver disease actually feel fine and many patients who have a lot of the symptoms I’ve described actually are reasonably physically healthy.  That’s why it’s so important to enlist the help of a thoughtful physician who can sort through symptoms and appropriate tests.  
I hope this information is helpful to you.  Good luck with your situation.  If you have additional information or questions, I would invite you to post the material to MEDHELP or to contact us directly at Henry Ford [phone]. We have an active group of liver specialists.
This response is being provided for general informational purposes only and should not be considered medical advice or consultation.  Always check with your personal physician when you have a question pertaining to your health.