Can NASH Cause Permanent Damage to My Body?

Before I got my diagnosis of NASH, one of my many symptoms was pain and sensitivity on my right side where the liver is. The pain felt as if it were spreading to my left-hand side, all below my rib cage. I would describe the pain as a stitch, but the stitch is on steroids and wants to bounce from side to side of my body.

The pain I experienced

A dull type of pain in the right-hand side of the abdomen is expected when you have liver disease. You can also experience pain and aching in your lower back; unfortunately for me, I experienced all the above. The reason for me telling you about this symptom is not just for the awareness but for the fact that sometimes the damage that liver disease can do to your body can be irreversible.

Chronic pain and weight gain

On Wednesday, 2nd October, I saw my hepatology nurse for my 6-month follow-up. I was very nervous about attending this appointment due to my weight gain over the last year. Due to my degenerative disc disease and arthritis, I am in constant pain, and because of this, I find it hard to exercise. I am currently waiting for an epidural for the pain, but the waiting list on the NHS is very long.

My results improve, but the pain doesn't

At my appointment, I had a fibro scan, which measures the stiffness of the liver. My results improve each time I have the scan, which is terrific news. However, I asked my nurse why I was still getting a lot of pain and discomfort in and around my liver even though it was healing nicely.

It turns out that when you have a severe case of liver steatosis or cirrhosis, your liver can enlarge. For example, the average size of the liver is 11cm, but mine was 32cm. That is double the size, and when this happens, the liver pushes against all of your nerve endings, causing the pain and discomfort you might be experiencing.

If this happens for a substantial amount of time, the nerve endings can become damaged. This means that even if you are able to reverse your liver disease, you may still experience some pain due to the damaged nerve endings.

This doesn't happen in every case; everyone's bodies are different. Unfortunately, even though my liver is now of normal size and is giving a good KPA reading, my nerve endings are already damaged and may or may not heal and get better.