The Pain in the abdomen

[ZooLou69]

I suspect I have cirrhosis - drinker for 35+ years  - I have dull aching abdomen pain, little itchy (not crazy) slight swollen right ankle somedays, little confusion, last blood test had normal ALT but 78 AST. My scans back in Dec only showed fatty liver  - nothing else.

I have some appts coming up since the abdominal pain wont go away. Did anyone get prescribed pain meds for their Cirrhosis - I can see this will get worse.

Thank you in advance

[Dbzc2]

I was given pain meds. The pain went to my shoulder! The liver  ached & caused referred pain to the back and shoulder.  Doc put me on Opioids. I  also went to a pain management doc.  He did genetic testing—I found out I cannot get addicted to opioids. I am a rapid-metabolizer. No liver damage either.

When I was given my 3rd death sentence, Sep 29, 2013. I prepared to die. Last minute, April 2, 2014, (sovaldi & olysio—new round of combo-therapy). I was put on methadone for that treatment for 12 weeks—it was brutal!

I’m a one percenter—if there are severe but minimal chances of side effects—I tend to get them!

Those drugs got rid of Hep C but caused a neurotoxic brain injury. I still have epilepsy & non-dementia short-term memory loss &  a list of issues. By 2018 I finally came out of the brain fog & adapted to the new me. Persistence and patience with a good therapist helps!

I had had Hep C since 1989. Three rounds of Interferon without & with pegulated/ ribavarin. (Pain meds for that stuff!)  Third round I had a scary bad reaction. No more interferon. (Don’t let anyone think less of you! Interferon is worse than chemo!)

So, yes, if you’re sensitive or your digestive tract is also affected, pain meds per doc. There are also anti-spasm drugs and Zofran—non-drowsy anti-nausea meds.

(Avoid meat & salt. Fried or junk food. Drink water. Stay on-top of B-12 & iron.)

[flyinlynn]

The ankle swelling could be edema an early symptom of cirrhosis

Confusion could be HE hepatic encephalopathy a very concerning development of that is the situation.

What scan did you have? I’m assuming an ultrasound which really can’t diagnosis cirrhosis although it can somewhat confirm a cirrhosis diagnosis from other means like liver biopsy or a Fibroscan test

[flyinlynn]

Pain management is complex for those with cirrhosis. My hepatologist recommends only Tylenol (acetaminophen)  as NSAID medications like Aleve and Advil can be hazardous to patients with advanced liver disease due to our increased bleeding risks which can have deadly consequences.

Multiple hepatologists agree that 2 g or less per day of acetaminophen would be recommended for Most patients with cirrhosis. Use caution with acetaminophen as it is included in many multi symptom medicines so it’s very easy to accidentally overdose which can be very harmful to the liver.

Normally, the liver is not capable to feel pain as it has no nerve endings. However, Ann your internal organs are surrounded with a membrane which dose have pain receptor nerves. So if your liver is enlarged it can begin to press on that membrane which can cause pain sensations.

I’m assuming you are trying to stop driving as that will stop the progression of any additional damage and with time your liver can begin to return to a healthier condition and prevent all the symptoms associated with liver failure resulting in an early death.

Best of luck to you