Anyone with Auto Immune Hepititus Have these Problems?

[starrynightgurl]

Hi, I was diagnosed with auto immune hepititus about ten years ago when I was ten and have been on azathioprine and Ursodiol now for a few years. Does anyone with AIH have pain in their right side under the ribcage? Also, are digestion and stomach pain linked to this disease? Finally, does anyone with AIH suffer from fatigue and/or anxiety attacks?
Thanks for your help!

[danielm]

Hi Starrynightgurl.

I don't have AIH, but I do have fatty liver disease and the symptoms are actually quite similar.

The dull ache under the rib cage is related to your liver being inflamed, it's common with most liver diseases and can be quite annoying.

Digestion and stomach pain is something I also get too, which is quite annoying at times.

Fatigue is common with liver disease, because your can't process the food you eat to extract the nutrients as well.

Anxiety is also common with any kind of serious illness as your body is under a lot of stress. I actually had to go on anti depressants to help me cope - don't be afraid to ask.

Liver diseases cause your body all kinds of stress that can lead to some pretty poor side effects. For me, I had problems that not only encompass what you're describing, but also constant nausea, distubred sleep patterns, loss of appetite, headaches, dizzyness and even chest pain.

The best thing you can do is speak with your doctor about what's going on and ensure they run the tests they need to make sure it's not something else causing your problems. Before I got liver disease, I thought having a bad cold made you feel really cruddy... boy was I wrong!

Hang in there Starry, you're not alone in this!

[starrynightgurl]

Thanks so much for the information danielm...what exactly is fatty liver disease? is it a type of hepatitus?? Do you also have a "stiffening" feeling in your stomach and under your rib cage ever? like it feels as though everything has constricted....Well, thank you again for your helpful words...it means a lot!
--starrynightgurl

[danielm]

Fatty liver disease is the fatty infiltration of your liver. Put a more simple way, fat that you put into your system gets stuck in your liver cells, making your liver full of fat, effectively strangling it. It's actually a very common disease in the adult population (with some 20% of the entire population getting it) because it can be gotten through drinking alcohol or by having a high fat diet.

It is not a form of Hepatitus - which is a different disease unto itself.

The 'stiffening' feeling is something I definitely get, and quite regularly. You have to remember that your liver is still part of your digestive system and if it's having a tough time, it's going to affect the rest of your digestive network too. I take a daily fibre supplement to help keep things moving as it were and it really helps, so definitely take a look into that if you can.