A Fatty liver? - WHAT THE HELL?

I came back from the Doctor yesterday, and without putting much thought into it, I vented on Facebook, and ended up freaking a whole lot of people out... The doc was concerned about the high liver count I had, and while I'm free of Hep C or Hep B, it turns out that I have a "fatty liver" which, according to the doctor, isn't good. I'm being seen by the liver specialists up at the VA - don't know when yet, they have to call me.

While doing some reading on the whole mess, of course there is the OMG, the world is coming to an end, scenario, and just as interesting, it could completely resolve itself with changes in diet, and exercise, and avoiding alcohol - which I pretty much do already.

Being that I don't drink to speak of, the doctor asked if I had been a heavy drinker in the past. I told him of when I was stationed in Iceland, and how of the 365 days I was up there, I drank to intoxication almost every one of those days - but when I came home, I literally just stopped. I asked if that could have done this, and he said he didn't know. I asked if this could be the result of my liver trying to process all the damn chemicals I have to take every day, and he said it very well could be the reason... in other words, it's entirely possible that the meds I'm taking to give me a somewhat quality of life, could be killing my liver, and hastening the inevitable.

I've had time to digest it a little bit, and while I'm not dispairing of life, I am pissed. I am SO SICK of this shit. I want to scream. I am really really sick of this bullshit. I'm pissed. There it is.

I don't have much more to share regarding the Dx, as they haven't told me anything definitive, but the doc showed me my liver on my CAT scan and my MRI, and what should be a dark mass, looks likght grey, with lots of spots through it... If left unchecked, it can cause scarring and eventual cirrhosis of the liver - where so much scar tissue is present, that the liver cannot function any longer - possibly requiring a transplant. The Doc's exact words when he was looking at my liver in the images was, "Hmmm that's not good."

So, while I'm not dead yet, my body systems seem to be failing me. I'm having a very hard time seeing the glass half full right now.

The symptom is called NAFLD - or Non Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease, or "NAFLD" - the danger being that it could turn into "NASH" - Non Alcoholic SteatoHepatitis. Here are some details:

"NAFLD refers to a group of conditions where there is accumulation of excess fat in the liver of people who drink little or no alcohol. The most common form of NAFLD is a non serious condition called fatty liver. In fatty liver, fat accumulates in the liver cells. Although having fat in the liver is not normal, by itself it probably does not damage the liver. A small group of people with NAFLD may have a more serious condition named non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). In NASH, fat accumulation is associated with liver cell inflammation and different degrees of scarring. NASH is a potentially serious condition that may lead to severe liver scarring and cirrhosis. Cirrhosis occurs when the liver sustains substantial damage, and the liver cells are gradually replaced by scar tissue (see figure), which results in the inability of the liver to work properly. Some patients who develop cirrhosis may eventually require a liver transplant (surgery to remove the damaged liver and replace it with a “new” liver)."

A diagram showing the progression

A picture showing from L to R, normal liver, fatty liver, and cirrhosis liver

A really good website that explains this process very well can be found here: http://www.thelivercentre.com.au/development/fattyLiver/default.htm

So, in spite of the "Woe is me, the sky is falling" sound of this post, a fatty liver can resolve itself, and be absolutely harmless. - But on top of every other damn thing in my life right now, it wasn't welcome news... so there you have it - The REST of the story!