To start, i am a 21 year old MAle. 170 and 5'10 so im not overweight, overall rather healthy. I'm waiting for a Ultra Sound to come back, but I am going crazy trying to figure out what is wrong. About 3 months ago I started getting piercing (like someone pinching or pull hair) spots in my outer chest for about 2 weeks. after there, I started to notice stomach pain in the middle of my stomach, pretty much right below the bone that connects the lungs together. (make sense?) anyways, the pain shifts from not really a pain, but more of a discomfort, almost like sore muslces or tighten muslces, from the middle of my uppder abdomenal, to the edge of my ribcage, changing from left, to right, always random. Doesnt seem to be affected when I eat, and I've tried chagning my diet and saw no results. I went to the doctor twice, the first time he told me it was stress, and the second time he told me it was stress but to take a blood test. So i took the blood test and was told i had a large stomach enzyme count (never got to ask which enzyme). So I was sent to an ultrasound, where i noticed the paper said to check the liver and gallbladder. it also said LFT - (something scribble that started with a C I'm pretty sure ). so now I have started to get random headaches, that sometimes last all day, and sometimes last 10 minutes. the headaches range from temple, to the very front of my forehead, kinda like a burning sensation. on top of that, i've noticed i CANNOT STOP BURPING. non stop all day. I've even noticed that sometimes when i burp, i burp up food. in fact most of the time thats the case. i've noticed an increase in pulse sometimes, and a tightness in the chest. nothing extremely painful tho, just discomorftable. also noticed that i always feel like my throat is blocked. i function fine, and it doesnt hurt me enough to not do things. I find when i keep my mind busy it obviosuly doesnt occur as much, but i can still feel the discomfort. I've also began to empty my stool very often now. not diareha, but 3 times a days, sometimes 4. its solid but organgey in color. (thats always fun to describe)

here are some of my habits:

smoker (3 years - 1 pack/3-4days)
8-12 hour sitting periods for work
drinking ( 3/7 days of the week, never exceeding more than 9 drinks. im a cheap drunk, so i dont drink a lot)
i do smoke marijana 3/week, not much
i eat fairly well, lots of chicken, a decent amount of vegies , beef. order out maybe 3-5 meals of the week.

if i missed anything please let me know. i should have my results by thursday, and i will let u all know. i also would like to say that i can't physically feel any lumps or bumps. it does however feel good sometimes to rub near the middle of the stomach. after some rubbing, u can hear the stomach making adigestive nosies, and definitley reliefs the belching.

i found this in another form and it explains the pain very well

"Hello ,
I can see that sometimes it is difficult to express the condition / sensation clearly . I saw the following from another thread :"the pain feels like a strange sort of pressure from the inside - like something is trying to push its way out of my abdomen because there is not enough space for everything to fit " , OR "not in any particular pain, it's more of a troubling -pressure on the inside- sensation" from another member 's reply , AND another "basically internal 'crowding ' pressure sensation 3-4 ribs up from the lowest rib. Maybe an inch below the heart, and on both sides. Almost want to believe that it's due to bad posture but I dunno ....."

i would like to add that sometimes when the stomach pains occure i almost have a panic attack. i get a weird feeling in my stomach that makes me pain, but feel no real pain.

one more thing i'd like to add is the fact that maybe 3-5 times in the past 3 months i've had the chills when i get the panic attack or anxiety from the weird feeling in my stomach. i get so cold and no matter how warm i try to get i cant get rid of the cold feeling. after some time it will stop (say 30-45 minutes)

Hi Nicknamefij--it almost sounds like this is gastrointestinal. It's good the U/S is checking the gallbladder--it sounds to me like that's involved. It's usually standard for them to run LFT (liver function) on blood work and also the liver itself when doing an U/S--I think they're covering all the bases. I thought I was having a heartattack...it was a gallbladder packed with stones. I must have had symptoms for abt 3 yrs ahead of time but didn't put it all together. By that time I felt like I literally had a bag of rocks in my side that moved every time I ate anything!! Gallstones will elevate your liver enzymes as will any meds, alcohol (and weed) you take. Do you take any meds on a reg basis/daily? Do you take any meds when you get the headaches? I know this is scary-but hopefully you'll have some answers tomorrow. Hang in there and let us know how you're doing!! H/elf

thanks for the information! it's greatly appriciated. since the first intial pains, and speaking to a doctor, the anxiety for this has decreased immensly, i guess my brain was just over working the different possibilities. i too thought i was having heart problems. the pain is never severe, most of the soreness being the edge of the ribcage, just feeling very tender.

I would imagine that if i had a bad case of gallstones it would hurt a lot more, correct? because im not in a lot of pain it makes me a little more confident that i can clear the problem through liver/gallbladder cleansing. have you ever tried this? did you get your gallbladder removed?

I have noticed that when i do physical activity such as jogging or walking, the discomfort is lessened. I am also concerned that it may have to do with sitting all day and putting pressure on my inner workings. the pain started around the same time i started the office job, go figure. i don't eat poorly, but could eat better, but as i said, food doesnt seem to effect it.

what would explain all the burping, and sometimes regurgitating some food. im never vomitting or feel like vomitting ( unless im grossed out by the food and the taste that is regurgitated, which i would imagine is normal. horrible taste when food comes back out). I will post tomorrow when they give me results. I will also ask which enzyme was increased.

any tips from anyone experiencing this discomfort would be great.

on another note, i take no other medications, have no allergies that i know of, and if a headache arises i usually tough it out and avoid taking any pain killers. like i said, its not enough pain to make me in agony, its just very annoying. i have noticed that i can feel my pulse in the area, but then again its an area that is realtivley close to the heart. it's been so hard to find people with what i am experiencing. when i first got this discomfort i looked up my symptoms and all i kept reading was "you have cancer! your going to die" which is why i probably started getting the anxiety attacks.

thank u so much

It's me--the liver flusher pusher :)

I had what you have, about 12 years ago. I burped all day long and sometimes I felt like I needed to burp and nothing would come up, I would have to force air to get it to release. I also noticed my heartbeat skipping beats too until I released that air. Food came up (sometimes through my nose when I'd bend over)...yeah, ewe.

That's when all my anxiety and panic started---and it was definitely related to my stomach somehow. Do you know what I was told I had--after MANY Drs and a digestive disease center?? I had ulcers in my esophagus and a hiatal hernia. I was given ....ahhh my mind has slipped --- it's the stuff that is now called Nexium...but the drug it used to be called. AH! It just hit me---Prevacid. I took that for about a year---and I've felt better ever since.

Now....I also was diagnosed with my fatty liver at the time so that had my hormones all out of whack...therefore that might have had something to do with my anxiety and rapid pulse, etc. So I just watched my diet very carefully---less bad carbs, no fake sugars, etc. Got my cholesterol down and triglycerides and all of those other symptoms just seemed to disappear.

Ok--so you knew I was gonna mention this----but you could liver flush if they happen to tell you it's your gallbladder and it needs to come out. The only way I'd ever have mine out is if it's infected and is going to burst at anytime. Otherwise a flush is just going to take out all of those stones (which is what the Drs are doing by cutting that organ out of you).

Just a thought....good luck. Let us know what happens with your results :)

thanks again!

any idea why the edge of my ribs would hurt? i don't understand the tenderness in the ribs. the only reason i can think would be that the inner workings are beeing pushed against the bones?!?!

i will try prevacid, is there any thing i should know about the drug? side effects? etC?

Hmmm, I wouldn't necessarily go out and buy Prevacid until you hear what's wrong from your Dr. Back when I took Prevacid it wasn't over the counter (I believe it is now, right?), so he had ordered that for me. And possibly there's something bigger and better out there for you now. And maybe your symptoms aren't exactly the same as mine were...so I'd just wait if I were you :)
Oh, and I didn't have any problems taking it, just in case that's what they order for you. With any drug, there's always side effects.

I had rib pain too--and yes, I believe it was just from the pressure of the enlarged liver pushing against it. Boy, I don't miss those days AT ALL. I sure hope you get to feeling better. One thing out of that whole mess that I don't miss is the panic attacks. Those things SUCK!!! and once you have one you panic over having more panic.

ok, thank you again. im just very relived that others have experienced this.

have u heard of much about a herbal cleansing?

Black Walnut Hull Tincture Extra Strength Dose
Wormwood Capsule Dose (200-300mg)
Clove Capsule Dose (500mg)

It's Dr. Hulda Clark, i found a website where they have taken 5 different cleansing peices out of his book.

The Cleanses (5)

1. Parasite Cleanse
2. Tapeworms, Ascaris Cleanse
3. Bowel Cleanse
4. Kidney Cleanse
5. Liver Cleanse


i just want to know that if i do this, can i hurt myself in anyway?

You hit the nail on the head--good job on searching :)

Hers is the flush that I did. You don't have to parasite cleanse first. I did no other flush first, just the liver flush. Many others on the forum I visit have not done those other flushes first either.

I have not read one horror story about flushing yet. There is always that first time, BUT wouldn't you rather take the chance in curing yourself than having to go under the knife for a surgery that you really don't need in the first place?

The only things I have read are that some people have a tinge of pain for a few days after and they panic because they think something is wrong. All you have to do is take one more shot of Epsom Salts to open those ducts up and it will relieve any stones that might be lodged in there. I've done two and am going to do my third one this weekend and I've never had any problems as far as that goes. My full feeling liver no longer felt full. The twinges of pain I had, were gone. And I won't even go into detail as to what was left in the potty...

My only problem was becoming dehydrated because it says do not drink after 2 pm. So I didn't. By the next morning I felt like I had the flu and that was because I didn't drink water AT ALL. So the next time I drank water during the entire flush and felt fine.

The flush is a very important thing---it can change your mood--sometimes good, sometimes bad. If you continue to search about them, you'll find that your liver holds a lot of emotions--good and bad. It really is an amazing organ (I know, you thought it was your penis, huh) :) HA HA, I just said penis!! Sorry, it just made me laugh out loud--had to share that with ya.

That mixture that you posted is for parasite cleansing only. That's not for liver flushing. Her liver recipe is on her site---but remember, there are others out there too that you might like better. But the majority of the people I know do hers.

Whatever you do---just WAIT until you get your results back please, ok? I don't want to lead you down the wrong path in case there might be something really majorly wrong with your health right now.

awsome! thank you very much.

well i'm sure hoping there is nothing wrong, as i still feel fine. no illness is accompanied with the discomfort. doesnt hurt when u push in on my stomach, no lumps, etc. no vomitting, no incredible pain. i would just imagine that i would be in a LOT more pain if something was majorly wrong.

but thanks again, this has helped my mind so much. :) I'll post tomorrow!

is there certain foods that i should avoid right now until i get my results?

Glad you feel a little better---wish I had the net back when I was having all of my problems cause I felt like I was the only person in the world with it.

If it is your gallbladder, I'd stay away from fried, fatty foods. If it's your liver that's enlarged, I'd stay away from processed foods, sugars and fake sugars.

Yep, please post back! I'm interested to hear what they tell you.. Take care :)

i stopped in at safeway today, and couldnt find the salts. what section would these ingredients be in? here are the ingredient i've read tthat i need to get

Epsom salts 4 tablespoons
Olive oil 1/2 (half) cup (light olive oil is easier to get down), and for best results, ozonate it for 20 minutes. Add 2 drops HCl.
Fresh pink grapefruit 1 large or 2 small, enough to squeeze 2/3 cup juice. Hot wash twice first and dry each time.
Ornithine 4 to 8, to be sure you can sleep. Don¹t skip this or you may have the worst night of your life!
Large plastic straw To help drink potion.

Pint jar with lid

Black Walnut Tincture, any strength 10 to 20 drops, to kill parasites coming from the liver.

and i WILL wait untill i find out the results, i just wanted to pick them up now, seeing as i was close to safeway

The salts should be in a little (or you can get big--but little is fine) paper carton (like a milk carton) and it should say somewhere that it can be taken internally as a laxative. P.S. WARNING---this stuff is NASTY! but I'll give you some hints as to how to get it down.

It should be found near the laxatives I would think. If you have a CVS nearby I know they carry it and it's cheap, like $1.49 or something.

The olive oil should be extra virgin, but I've taken it with the cheap stuff that just says olive oil and that worked ok too. It's nasty too, but not near as bad as the ES---but I'll help you with that department also.

Don't worry about the HCI.

I use fresh grapefruit---I buy 3 or 4 just in case you can't squeeze anything substantial out of them. Plus they're always good to eat the day of the flush when you're not allowed anything else but fruit (remember only NON FAT foods the morning before the flush starts).

Don't worry about the Ornithine either. I took Melatonin the first flush and I didn't sleep well. The second time I searched all over God's earth to find Ornithine and it didn't make me sleep well either. I think the night that you drink the olive oil you're just not gonna sleep well, bottom line. So be ready for that. Although----some people sleep great. All depends on how anxious you are and how much you can make yourself relax.

I did use the glass jar to store the ES mixture and the Olive oil/GJ mixture. Plus it makes it easy to shake the ingredients.

Didn't use the black walnut either. Like I said before, a lot of people don't worry about that stuff and it's really not dire that you use it.

First---find my old post about the recipe of flushing on here---it explains it step by step. BUT...here's some things that I've found really help me with flushing:

1. When you take the Epsom Salt Water mixture--you know, the 4T to the 3 cups---substitute about 1 cup of fresh squeezed grapefruit juice (another reason I buy those extra ones) instead of it being all 3 cups of water. It makes it go down easier (if there is such a thing).

How I take mine is hold my nose and chug it and before I breath again and take my fingers off my nose I bite on a lemon wedge. The salts don't taste salty they taste BITTER as all get out. It's really a nasty thing, but if you want to do this and feel better, you'll do whatever it takes.

2. Next--when you mix the Olive oil and grapefruit juice put the juice into the jar first, and then slowly pour the oil into the center of the juice and then shake it until it blends together. It should be sorta creamy. Use a straw to get this stuff down and drink it fast----within 5 minutes. After you drink it IMMEDIATELY lay down on your back and don't move for 20 minutes. Then roll to your right side and sleep that way during the night.

You can also use a colander to collect the stones instead of fishing around in the potty---if that's something you're into to see what they look like. They might be brown, tan, black, green. You might get sludge--which is what I got the first time. The second time I flushed I got about 200 stones out and no sludge.

3. Eat apples or apple juice/cider everyday for about a week before the flush. These contain malic acid which softens the stones so they don't get lodged.

4. Eat NO FAT the morning of the flush---eat fruits, veggies, juice, plain potato, rice, etc. Very important or you might feel nauseated in the evening.

5. And don't forget to keep yourself hydrated. If you wake up the next morning and feel kinda woozy, dizzy, etc. your electrolytes are probably low (because you're gonna be having butt pee for a long time)----drink drink drink. I even buy some Gatorade for a quick fix if I'm feeling really low. There's something called Emergen-C that is an electrolyte balancer. I just use Gatorade though in a pinch. But if you drink water throughout you shouldn't feel dehydrated.

Hmmm, I think that's about it for now----like I said go back and reread my recipe and let me know if you have any questions.

Talk to you later..

would it be alright to have a beer or two? does that have a large effect on gallstones?

what about coffee?

I would say neither, but maybe do a search to see what you can find on that. Beer affects your liver and I'd probably stay away from things that stimulate that---but then again, coffee is a stimulant, so not sure if that would affect it or not.

The whole process of flushing is to eat as pure as possible--so after you flush, coffee and beer should be out of your diet.

so i should never drink coffee or beer again?!?!?!?!

nooooooo!!! :(

That's entirely up to you. I don't drink either, so that's not an issue for me. But I will tell you that if you plan on eating the same junk foods and unhealthy stuff, there's no sense in doing liver flushing because the stones just come right back. The whole idea of flushing is to purge your body from toxins that are caused from medications, alcohol, pesticides, etc. Believe me, it's hard to live in this society while trying to really take care of your body, but it can be done if you're dedicated and want a healthy body.
I didn't think I'd be able to give up sugar, flour, sweets, meat, and dairy either, but I have. You might call it not living, but I call it living without feeling sick everyday and I'd much rather have that.

how old are you inyourdreams?

as i said, im only 21, and have been athletic through out my years. last year I worked in a mall and ate there a lot but never got sick or overweight. all of my other levels in the blood test were fine, except for an elevated "stomach enzyme".

what are other possibilities than gallstones? shouldnt i be in a lot of pain if that was the case?

I dunno if this makes any sense, but since our discussion the other day I started drinking lots of apple juice and eating fruit, and this morning i passed stones?!!?!?!

Was it Pepsin that was high?

And what did they tell you they were gonna do about it being high?

You had said the pain was in your left area of your stomach, right? Your gallbladder and liver are on the right. You don't always have to have pain to have a gallbladder attack, but some people have excrutiating pain. I've never had pain in my gallbladder, just a full achy feeling in my liver.

The fruit and juice will not hurt you, no matter what your problem is. And if they aren't going to do anything about the digestive enzyme, a flush will not hurt you either. It's basically like eating salad dressing and washing it down with a laxative, right?

Is it possible to pass stones just from apple juice and fruit? I've passed stones before taking the olive oil/grapefruit juice combo, so I'd say yes to that question.

How old am I? Young enough to still shop in a mall, but old enough that the teenagers hanging out in it drive me crazy :)

I wasnt told which enzyme was high. All they said was that they wanted to do a ultrasound to check out the high enzyme.

the pain shifts from left to right, sometimes both. i find that if i walk or lay down the pain will subside.

i havent noticed any difference in the food i eat effecting the discomfort. as i said, no lumps or bumps, just tender ribcage and the feeling of something trying to push its way outward.

i havent recieved a call today on the results, so i may call the doc to see what happened.

Yeah, I'd call---that way we can stop second guessing everything and get you on the road to recovery.. :) Please let me know what happens.

what would cause high pespin enzymes? as far as what i've read its good to have, as it helps digest

well heres the dillio!

nothing was found in the ultrasound. I asked what enzymes were high and she told me my alt ggt were what was elevated and she basically explained that if i had been drinking much over the holidays thats what would have elevated it.

so now im just confused as to what the pain is from. its still persistant and the only other thing i can think of is GERD. but i don't have hurtburn. arghh, i was excited to know nothing was detected but also dissapointed as to not having any solutions.

any idea?

nicknamefij,
Are you drinking all kinds of juice, or just apple? What about fruit, just apples?

I'm having sort of similar symptoms, and also suffer from panic attacks and anxiety. I haven't had my ultrasound, 2 more weeks and 1 day! But I've read several things about people having similar symptoms, with some variations, where the people are prone to anxiety and panic attacks. I'm wondering if there is a connection, and if there is, what the connection is. Do the stomach/abdomen/rib problems cause the panic attacks, or is the anxiety causing the symptoms?!

My doctor seems to think my right flank, lower back and right abdomen problems can be cured with paxil. I refuse to take it because I'm not big on medicating and I also don't want to take anything until they find out if something is wrong with my liver or kidney, I don't even take my supplements anymore.

So, did your anxiety problems start recently, or have you had them awhile? I had my first panic attack last April, but then no panic attacks or anxiety problems again until September, when it became a fairly regular thing. My pressure in my back and side started occasionally in October, then became more and more regular until it's almost constant now.

"Do the stomach/abdomen/rib problems cause the panic attacks"

What I meant by this was not psychological, but physiological, like something that causes the pain and pressure affects your neurological system and makes it feel like your having anxiety and panic attacks, but it's actually a physical symptom of the problem.

Not sure if I'm making sense to anyone but myself :P

Nickname--know what I'd do? I'd flush--HA HA You knew I was gonna say that huh.

Ok seriously---I'd either get Gaviscon (over the counter) and see if that helps your pain. When you take it, it puts a barrier on top of your stomach to keep the acid down so it doesn't come back up in your esophagus. I know you said you don't have heartburn, but you did say you had a lot of burping--so that means something is going on with your digestion.

Or............ I'd flush. It has really helped me out with my digestion problems and I've only done 2 so far. But that's up to you.

Seems like if your bloodwork is ok and your scan is ok, there's really nothing to worry about. Try to pinpoint it by the things you're eating or drinking. Maybe cut out the caffeine and beer for a week and see if it helps. Even chocolate and minty stuff can cause digestion problems.

I'm glad to hear everything was ok though, makes me feel a lot better :)

i have no back pains or anything.

the anxiety has lessened and i think it was just because i didnt know what was wrong. now they have done ultrasound and found nothing and i STILL don't know whats wrong. maybe the doctor is right, maybe its muscle tissue and its knoted from stress. i don't know what because im very peaceful but who knows. it could also be my position, seeing as the pain started right after i started my desk job of sitting down 8 hours a day and then driving for 1 hour a day, and then sitting at home on my computer afterwards.

as i said, walking/jogging basically anything physical helps reduce the pain, as well as lying down which really makes me thing that the pressure is just from no stretching my body enough. what do u do for a living? how old are you?

what enzymes were tested high?

It's more pressure, like under my ribs either in the back where my kidney is, or in the front where my liver is. Sometimes down low, like Appendix. I had my gall bladder out in 1993.
I'm 34. All my labs where normal. I'm a stay at home mom, fairly active though. I could probably lose 5 to 10 pounds, nothing major though. I'm afraid to exercise since the pressure has become constant, about the last 2 or 3 weeks. My doctor told me if I'm not going to take the paxil, I should exercise vigorously. I guess I'm not really afraid, as I want to give the pressure a chance to go away if it's a rib problem so I don't continue to freak out about it.

i've picked up soem gaviscon took some after dinner. man those tablets are HUGE.

so far its been easy going. nothing painful, just still have the sore ribcage but that might take time to heal?

if the pain persists im going to back to the doctor agian tho one last time and explain my symptoms once more in a better detail

Hi Nick,,,with the high liver enzyme and sounds like your liver is swollen,,,Have you been tested for hepatitis?

Maybe they could do an endoscope to look into your belly? You might have some ulceration going on--that's what I had and it was awful!

Wise choice---if you're not feeling better in a few days to a week, I'd go back. You've got good bloodwork, a good scan, so all that would be left gutwise is the old garden hose down your throat to see what's happening.

Yep, huge pills and how bout how they foam? Gross! :eek:

Nighty

well the gaviscon has helped!

im still concerned as to why my ribcage hurts.

as for the hepetitas, i was given vacinnes all through school. it was mandatory, so i'm pretty sure im clear of that. what are the side effects or symptoms? wouldnt they have been able to tell if my liver was swollen during the ultrasound?

any advice would be great.

:wave:

LFT's is a Liver Function Test's where they draw blood and it is for the lipid panel, and a lipase, and amylase. These are all tests that they need to check into your liver and manily your gall bladder. It sounds like to me that you have a gall bladder problem, and your probably going to need it out. But at least that will make you feel a hole lot better. I had to same thing a few years back, and that is what is was.

Keep us posted :wave:
sal

Hi--didn't you say you had bloodwork done for your liver and you just got your ultrasound results back yesterday? If the liver tests were ok and the scan was ok---then it's not your liver. Your liver enzymes weren't elevated, so it's not hepatitis. The size of it would have been measured during the scan, and also if it was a fatty liver, it would have shown too. They usually check your gallbladder, pancreas and kidneys while doing one of those scans too.

I've heard of MANY people that have had their gallbladders out and have had nothing but trouble and actually feel worse. If you do a liver flush you're doing a non-surgical gallbladder surgery---it pushes the stones out. Why go under the knife or scope if you don't have to? All it is is a little oil and grapefruit juice chased down with a laxative.

Are you sure since you're sitting more that your pants just aren't too tight and digging in under your ribs or something? Glad to hear the Gaviscon is helping a bit. Give it a few days and see how you feel. I don't think your problem is anything to panic about :)

(I'd still do the flush if I were you)---I'm doing mine tomorrow :)

Nick,,,Sorry I thought you had said your enzymes were high. There is no vaccination for Hepatitis. And describing how you said it felt swollen under your rib cage,,,,that sounded like it was swollen so not sure whats going on and it could very well be gallstones. I would be careful about doing any kind of flush unless advised by your dr. My neighbor tried one of those on her own and got very sick...

Honey,

well as i stated in my previous messages, I've had an ultra sound and everything was fine. the doc said my ALT and GGT were slightly higher, but after the scan came back alright, he said it could have just been from holiday drinking.

i'm trying the gaviscon for a few days to see if that helps.. if it does, im assuming GERD?

Here ya go,,,,,this is what you said,,,,,,,"I asked what enzymes were high and she told me my alt ggt were what was elevated "

The alt is your liver enzyme,,,,Do you drink quite a bit because it would take more then a weekend to raise your alt. Whenever that is high,,,that means that something is working on the liver,,,,Most common is drinking,,,fatty which has been ruled out by ultra or hepatitis....

The reason a person gets sick during a liver flush is because the directions aren't followed exactly. You can't eat items with fat during the day of the flush or it will cause nausea. And you must drink water during the flush or it will cause dehydration. So basically you'll feel like you have the flu if you don't follow it perfectly. There have been no known cases of people going to the hospital because of a flush--and if you really want to do it-do searches you'll find that out along with tons of other information.

Flushing has changed my life--both mentally and physically AND my Dr. recommended it. He's not a pill pushing general practitioner, but a natural Dr. that believes in healing.

You'll find 1000's of people on the net with negativity towards it, but you'll also find 1000's of people that do it and full heartedly believe in it. You have to make the decision yourself and do what you feel is right for your body.

At 21 I wasn't into natural healing and health, but as you get older and have a family and children, it becomes so much more important. Wish I would have started it when I was 21. Good luck to you!

Its not that I'm against it because I don't know enough about it. My thoughts are if it is indeed good for the system to at least run it by your dr on what you plan on doing. I also know lots of people that do this and do have good results. Nick will have to use his own judgment and research because none of us are drs here and all we can do is tell our stories by our experience...

Should I ask my doctor what the enzyme levels were at, or at this point after having an ultrasound and finding nothing, if the levels were dangerously high would he not have had me checked for something else? Am i clear of hep if the ultrasound went good? what about a fatty liver? can all this be detected in the ultrasound?

day 2 of using gaviscon and other than being farty, my stomach/ribs feels much better today! :) does this mean i may have GERD?

Fatty liver would have been detected on the ultrasound as well as any abnormalities. Alcohol, drugs (even over the counter) can all raise liver enzymes---if you were drinking over the holidays that could raise the levels.

My liver enzymes were TRIPLE what the high normal was. I was puking, sick and felt totally exhausted ALL the time. Once I got them down (from diet, no alcohol, no medication), I was fine. Enzymes in your liver, stomach or anywhere can go up and down everyday. If he thought they were THAT bad, I'm sure you'd be doing some more testing.

If Gaviscon helped and helps with the burping too, it is probably GERD. Just continue to take it for awhile to give your stomach a rest from all the acid. Then wean yourself off and see how you feel then. The reason you're probably "arting" as my 5 year old says is because you're keeping the acids below the esophagus and into the stomach and it's probably pushing stuff downwards instead of upwards. Like I always say---better out than in (in some cases anyway...)

Trust me, I've been to about 42 Drs in the past 12 years and that's all they would tell you to do with GERD symptoms in the beginning. If it becomes bothersome or worse, that's when you head back to the Drs and tell them the over the counter stuff isn't working.

Nick,,,,I would hope that your dr would want to check in more if your liver enzymes were high but guess you never know. Ultra sound would show fatty liver but that would be it,,,,not hepatitis because with hep sometimes you could have for years and no damage at all. You need to take the test but best idea,,,,call your drs office and tell the nurse,,,to pull your labs and write the numbers down so you will have and we all will know exactly where you stand before we try to diagnose you over the net lol

Alright so here's what I got for numbers. The receptionist told me that all counts were fine, but the ALT and GGT were slightly high.

ALT - 73
GGT - 122

Does this help at all? Should I really be concerned for testing for Hep?

Nick,,,they are both high. Alt: Normal range 3-40

GGT: Normal range 3-60
GGT:
This is an enzyme made in the bile ducts. High levels may mean problems with the liver's bile ducts.

Did you say you just drank some through the holidays? Because to be honest,,,you would have to be drinking daily for awhile now to have these figures. Now if that is not the case,,,,we ruled out the fatty liver due to ultrasound you had done so that leaves us with hep test. Do you have good insurance because it wouldn't be much for you to go to drs office one morning and just give blood for this. That is all you have to do,,,not see a dr. If it is due to drinking,,,then you would need to address this. My honest opinion is I would not do any liver cleanse until you have some other medical answers. Something is definitely cooking in the liver for your numbers to be that high.

well this is the solution i have decided with. im goin to wait a week and get the LFT test again to see if the levels have changed. does that makes sense? if they have stayed the same i will get the hep test. I have never been exposed to it, as far as i know. What are some other symptoms.

i have had little to NO pain today since taking the gaviscon, so that may be the issue. it has been known in family history that they have had poor digestive systems, lots of burping, etc.

Yes,,,Sounds like a good plan to re check your alt and GGT to see if it goes down. Hep can be caught from many things they say,,,,previous drug user,,blood transfusion,,,even at the dentist office would be possible,,,its blood to blood contact. I wouldn't be alarmed because you probably don't but more and more,,,people are finding out they have it just because of raised enzymes. Sometimes there is no symptoms until the liver is severly damaged. As far as your stomach,,,that sounds like something else and could possibly be GERD. You will probably have to try a few things on your own to see if you can relieve the symptoms and if that doesn't work,,,Ask your dr. Good Luck and let us know how it goes on your next lab work...

is there huge rush on getting these things done? is it ok to wait and try a few things? wouldnt my doctor have thought to check these things?

You can wait as long as you want,,,,its your health and you can monitor it or not. If you had mentioned to your dr that maybe you had been drinking and that was the reason for the higher numbers,,,,he may have been satisfied with that. I have found in my experience that drs are just human and don't cover all bases at times. That is why,,,WE,,,,should be in charge of our own health because its in our best interest.

well lets put it this way, when i drink to get drunk, which is what i did on the following dates, that means about 5-10 in one night and here it was as follows

chrismtas eve
christmas day
newyears eve
2 days in jan b4 test. test was done jan 5th

is that enough to make them that high?

i guess this post has gotten way to large.

i would like to add one thing.

You know when u get those pulses in different parts of your body? i've been getting those lots recently. id say 3-6 times a day i will get a random little pulsing action somewhere in my body, wether it be the legs, arms, finger, toe, shourlder, anywhere.

does this mean anything? i know its normal, its just weird cuz itsbeen happening so often

also, I've started taking prevacid, and its helped LOTS but the pain is still slightly there. could it just need time to heal? how long should i take prevacid before i go and see the doctor agian?

update:

Prevacid has done the trick! its incredible!!!!!
thank you prevacid!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Glad it worked for you---it worked wonders for me too. It cleared up my esophagael ulcerations (this was prescription strength I used at the time) and I remember I could eat anything and nothing came back up on me. I stayed on mine for about a year, per my Dr. You should probably stay on it consistently for a few weeks anyhow and then slowly back down and take only as needed--kinda like a preventative thing. Once you get yourself feeling better, watch your diet and see what causes your problems. Then you should be able to take one of those pre-meal drugs before that item to prevent any upset. Good luck to you!

i'm actually using an Rx as well, but not from my doctor. My best friends mother is a Nurse and gets it for free. She informed me the same, take it once a day for about a week and then go off of it to see how it goes.

thanks for all your help guys, hopefully some day someone with this same problem reads my post and it helps! take care.

Hi nick, not sure if you ever figured out what your problem is, but I have had similar symptoms. I have been diagnosed with both GERD and IBS (irritable bowel syndrome). While that might sound bad it really isn't since neither are chronic problems. I don't take anything for either, and they only give me minor problems on occasion. One thing with the GERD, I never had any symptoms of acid reflux or anything, the only symptoms I had was weird sensations in my chest and upper stomach area . The GERD was diagnosed with an upper GI (they can see the esophegus). And the IBS was most likely the cause of the wierd sensations in my stomach and side and rib areas, I do get some weird "pushing" sensations right below my ribs from that. Mainly I just try to keep to a good diet and that helps alot. Also smoking is known it increase GERD problems.... I know because I quit smoking about 6 months ago and it helped.

Anyway not sure if any of this helps but it sounds like you maybe suspected GERD anyway. The main thing is that if you have either GERD or IBS, both may be nothing more than minor annoyances from time to time, and in my case don't even require medication. As long as you do your part with diet, exercise, etc. BTW I still drink lots of coffee so that doesn't seem to have much affect....

well no more symtpoms.. unless i eat spicy food and such :) the prevacid has done wonderful things ,and i am finally back to living a normal life! thanks for all your help and conerns!

since taking prevacid i have notice that my veing will pulse throughout the day. randomly at tidfferent times and different areas of my body. particularily my neck, arms and leg.

i have stopped taking prevacid for about a month now but the pulsing is still there. any ideas? should i be concerned?

awsome! thank you very much.

well i'm sure hoping there is nothing wrong, as i still feel fine. no illness is accompanied with the discomfort. doesnt hurt when u push in on my stomach, no lumps, etc. no vomitting, no incredible pain. i would just imagine that i would be in a LOT more pain if something was majorly wrong.

but thanks again, this has helped my mind so much. :) I'll post tomorrow!

Hi there...at last ive found spomeone who has the same symptoms as me...pain under the edge of the rib cage and it worsens when im sat at my desk in work or at my pc at home. It moves from left to right...sometimes its at both sides at the same time and is not there all the time..only intermittently. Feels like a pinching sensation..almost as though there is a piece of elastic being stretched to its full capacity.I had a U/S last year on all my upper organs which was clear and I even had xray on ribs. I should have been refferred to a gastrointologist to check my stomach and bowel but the GP I had at the time left the surgery and I think he forgot to pursue this for me. I still have the discomfort 12 months on and I think its time I went to my current GP to ask her to reffer me to this specialist. Like you I also have no problem eating but constantly burp and pass wind. I have no pain when pushing on my stomach and dont feel ill..its just a nuisance of a thing.. Hope you get yourself sorted out and let me know how you get on. ;)

Hi there...at last ive found spomeone who has the same symptoms as me...pain under the edge of the rib cage and it worsens when im sat at my desk in work or at my pc at home. It moves from left to right...sometimes its at both sides at the same time and is not there all the time..only intermittently. Feels like a pinching sensation..almost as though there is a piece of elastic being stretched to its full capacity.I had a U/S last year on all my upper organs which was clear and I even had xray on ribs. I should have been refferred to a gastrointologist to check my stomach and bowel but the GP I had at the time left the surgery and I think he forgot to pursue this for me. I still have the discomfort 12 months on and I think its time I went to my current GP to ask her to reffer me to this specialist. Like you I also have no problem eating but constantly burp and pass wind. I have no pain when pushing on my stomach and dont feel ill..its just a nuisance of a thing.. Hope you get yourself sorted out and let me know how you get on. ;)

Hey there! My discomfort has left almost completely, and comes back every now and then. As I said, I took Prevacid for awhile and it helped, but I almost think it was acting like a placebo. The reason for this is that, as I stated before, once I started taking Prevacid I started to get throbbing veins in all sorts of places on my body. When I stopped taking prevacid, the feeling never really came back, as I was more focused on this new throbbing problem. It's been over a month since i've taken prevacid and the throbbing is still there. If you go to the General Health board I have posted my case about this, but nobody seems to want to respond to me.

Anyways, I would ask your doctor about trying Prevacid or some other GERD antibiotic and see if that helps.

Take Care.

PS - Just try to sit back at your desk and stretch whenever possible.

Hey there! My discomfort has left almost completely, and comes back every now and then. As I said, I took Prevacid for awhile and it helped, but I almost think it was acting like a placebo. The reason for this is that, as I stated before, once I started taking Prevacid I started to get throbbing veins in all sorts of places on my body. When I stopped taking prevacid, the feeling never really came back, as I was more focused on this new throbbing problem. It's been over a month since i've taken prevacid and the throbbing is still there. If you go to the General Health board I have posted my case about this, but nobody seems to want to respond to me.

Anyways, I would ask your doctor about trying Prevacid or some other GERD antibiotic and see if that helps.

Take Care.

PS - Just try to sit back at your desk and stretch whenever possible.

Thanks will try that and have a word with my GP..ill go check out your thread on the General Health Board ;)

Hey! I've recently discovered some new information on my problems. They more than likely may be different than your problems but all the peices fit for mine.

I've started to get weird "pulses" that I thought were in my veins. About 100+ times a day, in various parts of my body. I went to the doctor and he said it was actually muscle twitches. So this was the next issue I started looking into on this forum, and I discovered that you can get these twitches from a low magnesium level. So I went on the search for symptoms of low magnesium levels. And sure enough one of them is the gastrointestinal problems. the dizzy spells, the sore muscles, etc. So all in all, I don't think what I had was a GERD problem, but is possibly due to a low Magnesium level. I've picked up some magnesium suppliments and apparently it will take up to size weeks to notice a difference. If it all works out, voila! I'll keep ya updated, just wanted to share this information.

It's been a hell of a run, searching for the answer to my problems. I went from thinking it was Gall Stones, to Gerd, to Blood Problems, to Nerological problems and finally to the theory of low magnesium levels. We'll see what happens!

TakeCare!

Hey! I've recently discovered some new information on my problems. They more than likely may be different than your problems but all the peices fit for mine.

I've started to get weird "pulses" that I thought were in my veins. About 100+ times a day, in various parts of my body. I went to the doctor and he said it was actually muscle twitches. So this was the next issue I started looking into on this forum, and I discovered that you can get these twitches from a low magnesium level. So I went on the search for symptoms of low magnesium levels. And sure enough one of them is the gastrointestinal problems. the dizzy spells, the sore muscles, etc. So all in all, I don't think what I had was a GERD problem, but is possibly due to a low Magnesium level. I've picked up some magnesium suppliments and apparently it will take up to size weeks to notice a difference. If it all works out, voila! I'll keep ya updated, just wanted to share this information.

It's been a hell of a run, searching for the answer to my problems. I went from thinking it was Gall Stones, to Gerd, to Blood Problems, to Nerological problems and finally to the theory of low magnesium levels. We'll see what happens!

TakeCare!

Thanks for the update hun, im still having problems but im convinced its my gallbladder even thought the scan didnt show any sign of stones. Im waking every morning to this awful niggly pain/ache under my right breast and it radiates through to my back. When i take antacid medicine it eases it slightly. Going back to the Doc's next week. Good luck with the magnesium tablets :)

I had similar problems to you guys. A year with pain near my liver in rib cage. I've had ultrasounds, upper gi series, upper gi series with small bowel, abdominal x-rays, numerous blood tests etc. I have never been a drinker. Hey nick, the pulses you are feeling sound like palpitations.

I had similar problems to you guys. A year with pain near my liver in rib cage. I've had ultrasounds, upper gi series, upper gi series with small bowel, abdominal x-rays, numerous blood tests etc. I have never been a drinker. Hey nick, the pulses you are feeling sound like palpitations.


Have you been diagnosed with anything :confused:

doctor figures they are muslce twitches. they have checked my heart and I have no irregular beats. but im still convinced its my veins