Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with liver

I’m in the UK and have Primary Sclerosing Cholangitus, what can I expect?

Nufkin — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 05:51:13 -0800

I’m in the UK and have Primary Sclerosing Cholangitus, what can I expect? On Friday I was diagnosed as having Primary Sclerosing Cholangitus. I have used my Google-fu and found information relating to symptoms (itching, upper-right quadrant pain and so on) but no where I can find describe what that exactly is. Is the itching just normal? What type of pain?

Also, I was trying to get some personal stories from people to tell me that my life isn’t over now or in 10 or so years when I need a transplant.

Hepatic Hideaway.

sully75 — Fri, 29 May 2009 14:10:34 -0800

Please tell me I didn't destroy my liver! Details within I got very drunk 2 weeks ago, which is quite rare for me. I usually drink maybe 3-4 drinks a week, if that. Although I've been ramping it up lately. But still well under 7 drinks a week.

Anyway, between 4 of us I think we emptied 2 bottles of Jamesons. I was really drunk and was worried about being hung over. I drank (I believe) 4 pint glasses of water. In the past I would have taken aspirin but in my friends medicine cabinet there was only tylenol (i think that's what it was).

I know at this point this was insanely stupid, but I took 4 tylenol. The next day I was normally hung over, got up in the morning and went home, not feeling great but not too bad. Through the day I was very weary (we were up till 3 I believe). By the next day I was just tired, no more hangover.

I'm just worried that I might have done some permanent damage to my liver. No jaundice, no nausea or anything else. I am very stressed out lately and feeling anxious but I think that's more due to circumstances than anything (just started a school program).

Anyway. I know you are not my doctor, etc. Should I get a liver test? Or is the fact that I'm feeling pretty ok a good enough sign that I got lucky?

Fried livers & gizzards in Houston?

mrbill — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 13:03:04 -0800

Where can one find fried chicken livers & gizzards in west Houston? Growing up, my dad introduced me to fried chicken livers n' gizzards as a perfect redneck finger food/snack food, especially for fishing trips. Buy some raw to use as bait, and another box of em cooked to eat while you fish!

I was able to buy them in high school (southwest Oklahoma) from the deli section of the local grocery store, right next to the egg rolls and stuffed jalapenos, but I've been unable so far to find any in Houston! I've tried Kroger, Fiesta, etc, and have come up empty.

So, where in west Houston (within 5-10 miles of BW8/Westheimer) can I go to buy fried livers and gizzards? Or am I out of luck, and just live in too urban an area?

Can my liver protect me from a lead bullet?

Anonymous — Sun, 28 Sep 2008 20:03:48 -0800

YANMD...Can my liver handle lead? I had an accident with a firearm and now there's a bullet in my leg.

It's a .22 caliber copper jacketed lead hollow point.

The doc who checked me out in the ER said that it's not in a bad place for removing, but it's still safer to leave the bullet rather than take it out. It's sitting right in front of my femur.

I asked the doc about the lead in the bullet, and he said that any lead that goes into my system from the bullet will be taken care of by my liver.

Can my liver really handle lead? The bullet is deformed, and I'm worried about the lead.

Puffy Foot

Oriole Adams — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 13:27:02 -0800

Foot Filter: I know y'all are not my doctor, etc, but I'm looking to the hive mind for some opinions. What are some possible causes of non-painful swelling on the top of one foot? (The usual looong story inside.) Three days ago I happened to notice that my left foot was swollen on the top, between the part over the arch and just short of the base of the toes. It wasn't painful nor discolored nor warm to the touch. I wouldn't have even noticed it had I not had trouble scooching that foot into my slipper. It is only on the left foot, it doesn't affect the ankle, the toes, or any other part of the foot that I can see, and it doesn't affect my walking or range of motion. After the first time I discovered it, I noticed that when I woke up the next morning, that foot was back to normal. But then later in the day, the swelling had returned. (I work from home as a writer, a sedentary job.)

When I Google "swollen foot" I get all sorts of dire diagnoses like liver and/or kidney failure. I have an appointment coming up with my rheumatologist in three weeks, so if at all possible I'd like to wait and ask her what the heck is going on. (Actually, in a perfect world, I'd prefer that my foot stop doing this long before my appointment.)

Additional info that might apply: I have Lupus and circulation issues (Reynaud's syndrome, anti-phospholipid syndrome) and have always had very cold feet, but never any swelling. Even when traveling on overseas flights my feet never swelled. However, about a month ago I did slip and fall in the bathroom and took the brunt of it on the left knee. Within the hour, the knee had puffed up, so Mr. Adams took me to the ER. X-rays determined no breaks or serious damage, but I did get serious bruising after the fact that not only covered the kneecap but aslo extended down the front of my leg to just above the ankle. (I'm on a daily baby aspirin regime, so I've always presumed that's what causes my extreme bruising.) I'm wondering if this previous trauma could have anything to do with this foot swelling? Some sort of tiny blood clot or something?

Again, it's not painful or discolored in any way, so for the moment I don't think a visit to the ER is in order. (Unless the hive mind medicos tell me that this is in fact a sign of liver failure or blood clot or some other dire condition.) The swelling goes away after I nap (that is, when I have that foot parallel to the rest of my body.) Any ideas as to what the problem is?

Herpes in the Liver. Possible and how?

Anonymous — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 10:27:08 -0800

STD question The question setup: Person is male and as genital herpes. Person B is female and does not.

Has anyone heard of a situation in which person A comes in contact with person B, and passes the disease to person B, but instead of the herpes going to work in the genitals as one would expect, it attacks the liver without ever showing symptoms in the genitals?

Is this possible and why would it attack the liver rather than the genitals?

Please help me revive my damaged liver

cheero — Sun, 02 Sep 2007 12:54:26 -0800

I have read numerous pages on the web in regards to how a liver could be revived but truth be told, I got overwhelmed with the intense amounts of information that is out there so I am wondering if anyone could give me somewhat of a simplified guide to what (foods and drinks) I can and cannot consume. Hello all,

Just recently I flew back from Europe where I learned via my doctor that my liver is damaged. I am only 24 years old and I did not expect this type of problem at all considering I do not drink alcohol more than once every other month, and even than I only have about a beer or two, I guess alcohol is just not my thing.

However, in the past (lets say 3-4 years ago) I have experimented with certain drugs which is probably why I have two scars on my liver right now. The drugs I have took varied from DXM, Vicodin, Percs and Methadone. I have not done any drugs since 2003 but the scars stayed apparently.
I dont want to give a false impression that I was a heavy drug user, I really wasn't, it was mainly a weekend type of deal. Little did I know my liver was sensitive and that I would pay the price right now.

My doctor prescribed pills called Hepalic Forte and said to take it 3 times per day. Now I am wondering what foods I should avoid and what I should eat more of.

I have a sauna in my building and I am wondering if I should use it to my advantage, I've read on the web that it could be beneficial but I am not entirely too sure. I am also wondering if I need to avoid spicy/hot food and caffeine as well. Spicy food are kind of my vice but if it damaging my liver even further, I will stop consuming it.

Any help in regards to liver revival would be greatly appreciated. I want to fix this via the natural root as soon as possible so I can sleep better at night. If someone could give me a guide to what type of food I should eat more and what food and drinks I should avoid, I will be extremely grateful.

Thank you very much in advance.

Wine, Women and Song

special-k — Fri, 22 Jun 2007 12:30:22 -0800

How do I take care of my liver? I'm a healthy late 20's male. I like to go out and drink about 2 (sometimes 3) nights a week. When I am out (for several hours, say between 9 and 1:45), I'll drink
~ 6-8 mixed drinks or ~5-6 pints of beer

I drink about the same at parties. At dinner parties I drink much less (3-4 glasses of wine/beer but with food). I always drink water when I get home and I'm rarely hung over (2-4 times a year). At home I occasionally sip scotch but never more than one drink at a time.
I'd like to enjoy drinking when I'm 50 so obviously I want to take good care of my liver. Other than drinking less, what can I do to achieve that?

As much as possible, I take Vitamin B12 before (to metabolize alcohol faster) and sometimes after (I rarely remember though) drinking. Any other suggestions?

PS: I NEVER drive to bars so don't worry about me drinking and driving. I've been meaning to ask this but I just got inspired by this question

How will his liver cancer end...?

twine42 — Tue, 10 Apr 2007 04:33:12 -0800

My grandfather has been diagnosed with a liver/pancreatic cancer that can't be operated on. How is this likely to play out? How do we deal with my grandmother afterwards? I know none of you are doctors. I'm after experiences and suggestions not carefully guarded vague statements. We're all in the UK if that effects anything you're going to say.

The old goat is 86 years old and appears to be in superb health. Routine blood tests last year showed he had problems with his liver. Meds change did nothing so he was hit with a barrage of tests. The result was a diagnosis of cancer at the bottom of the liver bile duct in the liver/pancreas area.

Because of his age, risk and the state of my grandmother's health (more of that later) they've decided that the best course is to let the cancer run it's course.

The doctor implied that he had 3 to 12 months to live. He stated that once my grandfather get jaundiced he'd have a stent put in. He also stated that stents tend to get blocked after just three months. He implied that there would be no need to replace the stent, in turn implying that once jaundice starts, he's got 3 months tops.

He's in good spirits and generally seems to be of the opinion that he has to die some time, so why not now. He was considering having the risky operation on the grounds that he would rather die on the table than from cancer.

So... the questions...

1) How is this likely to play out for him? His eyes are starting to show grey/yellow but he's not had a stent fitted yet. Is the 3 month guess about right?

2) The doctor implied that he'll be fine until the last week or so, at which point the pain will become 'moderate'. Are we talking codrydamol or liquid morphine here?

To make things worse, my grandmother is an OldTimers case. Often she's fine apart from a lack of short term memory but then other times she talks nonsense, apparently stringing words and sentence fragments together at random, frequently based on events that happened decades ago. She mixes pronouns all the time, frequently has no idea who family members are but pretends she does and doesn't recognise her own house of 20 years.

3) How the hell do I explain this situation to her? Attempts to convince her she had alzheimers went badly enough (and weren't remembered).

4) What the hell happens after he dies? She can't live on her own, and my brother and I are completely unable to look after her. How does one put a family member in a home while they're lucid enough to be upset about it?

So, basically "OMG planning/emotional overload, what the hell do I do now?"

Canine Liver Issues

popechunk — Sun, 04 Feb 2007 20:32:32 -0800

Is the best dog in the world (according to me) going to beat his liver rap? My almost-11 year old Shepherd/Husky mix (Jake) has had on-again/off-again liver problems for 5 years or so. It's never been pinpointed to an exact issue, rather a 'let's watch and see.' He became violently ill 2 months ago where he ended up dehydrated and then in the vet-hospital for a day and a half. His blood work came back looking iffy but the vet put him on 45 days of antibiotics and our dog bounced back. Now, he hasn't totally rebounded because the same weekend that landed him in the hospital was the same weekend we had to put his 'brother' (of 10 years) down. His 'brother' (or deranged partner in crime) had an abdominal mass and starting vomiting/excreting blood. We didn't know about the mass until the morning he was put down. Jake has been lonely without his bud ever since. We've tried VERY hard to off-set it but ... they were together from day 1.

The vet wanted Jake back in this month to have another round of blood work, an ultrasound, and possible biopsy. He had this appointment scheduled to coincide with his annual booster shots. I got a call mid-afternoon that they only did the ultrasound (wouldn't tell me the results) and asked for my authorization for an extensive blood work up. I asked about the booster shots and was told that they would only give him his rabies shots and nothing else - just for the 'in case he bites somebody' scenario. When I pressed further, the tech said that the vet wanted to see the blood work results before he was able to give me a 'plan.' The fact they didn't want to give him the rest of his booster (parvo, distemper, etc.) AND didn't do the biopsy (though he passed the clotting test) really sets off a bunch of alarm bells.

To be honest: this freaks me out. Is there any chance in hell that the vet's "plan" is going to be one filled with hope? Or is this just the beginning of the end of my relationship with the best dog in the world?

Did you ever have a liver biopsy?

WCityMike — Tue, 02 Jan 2007 09:09:16 -0800

Have any MeFites had a liver biopsy? I'm scheduled for a liver biopsy as an outpatient procedure in the middle of January, and finding myself a little nervous about it; I'd appreciate it if anyone who has gone through it could tell me I'm getting myself nervous about nothing.

eating "disgusting" animal parts

mrkohrea — Wed, 21 Jun 2006 16:51:07 -0800

What are some "disgusting" animal parts (i.e animal parts that "normal" Americans don't eat for reasons of revulsion) that are good for you nutritionally speaking? Also, what are some animal parts that are unhealthy for you? Bonus points if the animal parts are cheap and/or readily available. An example that comes to mind might be liver.

Help me find newish research on Primary Biliary Cirrhosis

Optimus Chyme — Sat, 14 Jan 2006 08:33:02 -0800

What are the newest treatments and studies involving Primary Biliary Cirrhosis? I don't have access to scholarly resources at home, but I am close to a major university. I'm looking for the newest research possible; a lot of web resources are from quite a while ago and basically say "we don't know what causes it, but it can be treated with a hideously expensive drug that you take twice a day for the rest of your life, other than that, good luck." So: where should I start? Should I ask a reference librarian? Are there any articles I should dig out of the stacks? Books I should buy or borrow? Narrow, specialized articles for professionals are just as desirable as broad hepatology resources.

Liver enzymes

skjønn — Tue, 20 Dec 2005 11:25:52 -0800

My friend Mary was an alcoholic. She told me that she hasn't taken a sip of alcohol for a year. On December 9th, she had her liver enzymes tested. The GGT enzyme was out of range. It showed up as "165 H." A followup test on December sixteenth showed that the GGT enzyme was still out of range at "118 H."

On both tests, all the other parameters (AST, ALT, LDH, etc) are showing up normal. I showed a doctor the test results and he said that this meant in his opinion that she was drinking again.

However, after a bit of googling I found that there are many other things that can elevate liver enzymes.

Is Mary lying to me? Are there other things that would specifically elevate GGT or do these test results indicate that she is probably drinking again?

I heart my liver.

russmail — Tue, 01 Nov 2005 10:24:33 -0800

DetoxFilter: I'm entering my 5th week of sobriety (yay!) and it just struck me this morning that although this is a nice thing to do for my liver, maybe it's not enough...? I wasn't some big time alcoholic drinking a quart of vodka for breakfast, but I've been drinking regulary for the past 15 years and this is the longest I've ever gone without. I feel much better and I'm also now taking regular exercise, but I was just wondering whether my liver could use a bit of pampering, and how I'd go about it.

My liver hurts

ohio — Wed, 02 Mar 2005 11:08:22 -0800

I am having a hard time getting satisfactory answers about why my liver hurts. I've been to a couple doctors and have done some searching online, and I can't really match my symptoms to anything. I thought I'd check here to see if anyone had any ideas I hadn't thought of yet. I've been having fairly constant shart pain in my upper abdomen and right flank for about six days, with the pain increasing when I eat or move/twist/step hard. I am also tired, headachey, and generally feel kind of gross. I've been to a regular doctor, who sent me to an emergency room. They said there is nothing wrong with my appendix or gallbladder, and that blood tests indicated mild inflammation of the liver, but with no appreciable cause. They emphasized that this was REALLY mild, and so it's odd that I should be having so much pain. They tested for mono, which was negative. Is there anything they missed? Can you think of anything else I should ask/do? No one seems to be able to tell me anything except "wait it out and hope it goes away."

liver flush experiences?

spock — Mon, 24 Jan 2005 06:57:48 -0800

Anyone ever tried a liver flush? Opinions on its value? [+] I'm no health nut, but some time ago I read of a man who received a liver transplant. After returning home from the hospital he ate some peanuts and nearly died from an allergic reaction to the peanuts. Only thing is, he hadn't been allergic to them before. Turns out the guy who donated the liver WAS. If a liver with degenerating function contributes to allergies, it might explain why they seem to get a little worse every year. Anyway, alternative health nuts have long promoted a "liver flush" for health reasons. I'm interested in knowing anything that the MeFi congregation might have to edify me. Techniques, what to expect, was it worth it, etc. TIA