Is my liver okay?!

I am going to have to post this withou specific enzyme levels etc ... b/c I managed to misplace the results.  Regardless, my liver enzyme test results were fine and one was out of the range by about 2 to 3.  Could have been due to my exercising habbits, but the doctors were not concerned.  Here is what I have been experiencing for a year and the past week it has been AWFUL!

The right side of my stomach starting hurting last year and it was a constant dull pain. I was concerned that maybe I overdid the drinking for a bit of time in the summer into the holidays.  I took 2 weeks off drinking here and there.  It only helped a little.  Concerned, I started taking milk thistle tablets (3 x 1000 mg a day).  Which I discover, if I stop taking, my face breaks out, so it's just an awesome supplement for keeping my skin healthy alone.  During that time, the doctor did the first enzyme, hep, etc .... tests and everything was fine and normal (Dec 2010).

In January 2011, I had an endoscopy done.  Results and biopsies were normal.  There were some red patches he saw that could have been clearing up from a prior infection, but that's all I got out of that and he wasn't concerned.  I dealt with the pain that was usually constant until about August (on and off).  Then I went to a doctor for a second opinion.  I also had an upper GUI ultrasound that showed nothing bad.

The blood work from the second opinion showed the same results.  Everything was normal.  Still concerned about this pain, to ease my mind, he sent me for a CT scan of the abdomen.  Again, nothing enlarged, not stones, the liver was unremarkable, etc ...  After this the pain went away a little while.  Then about a week ago from today, it came back and stronger than ever.  I've had some fun at a few holiday parties lately, so I started to get concerned about my liver again.  Actually, the pain started up again 1 day after I decided to run 9.5 miles instead of an easy 5 miles.  It's been hurting ever since.  It's now more of an burning pain.

I feel a burn and I feel bloated.  I have not other symptoms.  My stools are normal and nothing else seems odd or different to me.  Besides wanting to know what in the world is going on with me and if I am okay, I have another question:

Would taking the milk thistle like that skew the blood test results in anyway?  I was concerned that maybe my enzymes really are higher and that the MT is causing a false lower reading.  

Thanks and Happy Holidays!!!

[CarStein77]

Really nothing?!  You people suck.

[mikesimon]

I see nothing that suggests a liver problem. I'm not a doctor or in the medical field in any capacity. I am a patient who had Hep C and learned a little along the way.
I was surprised to hear that you believe that Milk Thistle cleared up your acne. I have known a lot of people who have taken that supplement but I never heard anyone mention a skin benefit associated with MT. I do not believe that Milk Thistle would skewer your enzymes lower. There is currently some disagreement among the experts about whether there is any benefit to the liver from this supplement. I don't know the answer to that question but I do know that no one has every mentioned to me that Milk Thistle had a significant effect on liver enzymes. I took it and I didn't see anything clear-cut liver benefits.
I wouldn't dismiss the possibility that your 9.5 mile run could be the cause of your increased pain burning. Muscle strain can be quite painful and can last for a while. I am just thinking off the top pf my head so please don't be offended by anything I say.
I wonder if perhaps anxiety might be responsible for some of your discomfort. I have seen that before.
What I have learned about liver disease as it is usually relatively easy to see once you start looking for it. Significant Inflammation, fibrosis and cirrhosis  are generally revealed through blood tests and scans etc. Diagnosing the underlying cause of liver disease can sometimes be difficult and, in fact when they cannot identify the liver disease they call it cryptogenic liver disease. But, the fact that the liver is diseased is usually not that hard to determine.
I hope you start feeling better soon.

Good luck,
Mike

[CarStein77]

Thank you for your thoughts on this.  Anxiety is probably adding to the pains for sure.  That I can guarantee.  Your jumping in on this actually helped ease a little of that anxiety.  As far as the Milk Thistle and acne is concerned, I disocvered that if I stop taking it for a 3+ days, I will break out.  Could all be in my head though.  

Who knows why I have these problems. I have had almost every test done to man and everything (thankfully) is showing up fine.  That's a good thing and I will definitely take it.  I have a GI appointment next week with the doctor who di the endoscopy.  Something tells me the next test is the colonoscopy.  YIKES.  After that and probably more blood work, I really will have exhausted all tests and will have to face the facts it may really be nothing at all or nothing to be concerned about.  Could be another organ too or possibly just acid reflux.  

I have been paying attention a little more to when it is triggered.  It did get better a bit over the holidays.  I noticed that when I do have a drink though, it does hurt.  Again it could be in my head.  However, an odd trigger I discovered recently, was an altoid mint.  No clue why that would do it, but I am trying to see what ingredients may be the same in both.  

Again, I appreciate your response.  THANK YOU!!!

[mikesimon]

I won't pretend that I enjoyed my colonoscopy but actually the procedure itself wasn't a big deal. I had mine several years ago and the cleansing drink I had to drink the night before was worse than the colonoscopy. I understand that now there are better cleansing treatments so hopefully it won't be a big deal. Some hospitals offer virtual colonoscopies and this is available at Cleveland Clinic. From what I know they are pretty accurate except with small polyps. The good part is they don't sedate you so when it's over you can leave. The bad part is that if they see a polyp(s) then they'll do a regular colonoscopy to deal with the problem. Also with the virtual colonoscopy you still need to take a colon cleansing treatment - drink or pills or both.

After saying all that I will tell you what I say about every procedure. I am more worried about the results than I am with the procedure itself. And usually the results are good and the procedures aren't a big deal.

I hope you get some information when you see your GI. I know you want answers but I agree with you that when all the tests look good that is indeed a good thing.

Good luck and keep us posted.

Mike

[Paderla Anitha, DNB]

Hello and hope you are doing well.

If the pain is due to a problem from the liver like hepatitis, you should have associated symptoms like nausea and vomiting. The pain could be from the gall bladder too. It could be if there is a stone in the gall bladder or if its wall is inflamed. But these possibilities have been ruled out.

The pain could be due to exercises, in which case it should come down or stop altogether on discontinuing the exercises. The other causes could be gastritis, peptic ulcer disease and GERD. Disorders of the colon could also cause pain. Kidney disorders too produce colicky and sharp pain. Sometimes anxiety with flatulence can cause this pain. Please discuss this with your doctor am sure he will provide further assistance.

Hope this helped and do keep us posted.