My Story of Lingering Liver Pain After a NASH Diagnosis

Before I received my diagnosis of NASH, I experienced itching, pain, and sensitivity on my right side. This is precisely where the liver is located.

The pain felt as if it were spreading to my left-hand side, all below my rib cage. I would describe the discomfort as a stitch. However, this stitch was on steroids and seemed to bounce from side to side across my body.

Lingering pain and liver damage

A dull type of liver pain on the right-hand side of the abdomen is expected when you have liver disease. You can also experience lower back pain and aching. Unfortunately, I experienced all of the above.

I am telling you about this symptom for more than just the diagnosis process. Sometimes, the damage that liver disease causes to your body can be irreversible. This can lead to persistent discomfort from liver damage, even after improvements in your overall liver health.

Chronic pain and weight gain

On Wednesday, October 2nd, I saw my hepatology nurse for my 6-month follow-up. I was very nervous about attending this appointment. This was largely due to the weight gain I had experienced over the last year.

Due to my degenerative disc disease and arthritis, I am in constant pain. Because of these conditions, I find it hard to exercise. I am currently waiting for an epidural for the pain. However, the waiting list on the NHS is very long.

My results improve, but the pain doesn't

After an uncomfortable liver biopsy experience, I was nervous about another appointment. At that appointment, I underwent a FibroScan. This test uses ultrasound to assess liver stiffness. My results improve each time I have the scan, which is terrific news.

However, I asked my nurse why I was still feeling a lot of liver pain and discomfort, even though the organ was healing nicely. This ongoing discomfort highlights the potential for ongoing pain caused by NASH.

The impact of an enlarged liver

It turns out that when you have a severe case of liver steatosis or cirrhosis, you can develop an enlarged liver. For example, the average liver size is about 11 cm, but mine was 32 cm. That is nearly triple the size. When this happens, the liver pushes against all of your nerve endings. This pressure causes the pain and discomfort you might be experiencing.

Navigating nerve pain and recovery

If this pressure persists for a substantial period, the nerve endings can become damaged. This leads to chronic nerve pain. This means that even if you are able to reverse your liver disease, you may still experience some lingering pain and damage from NASH disease. The nerve endings themselves have been compromised.

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