Problems with liver
Posted , 8 users are following.
Hi im new to this group but I am a member of other groups due to my list of ailments. I have lupus and sjorgens which was diagnosed over 17 years ago im never sure whether it my lupus or my sjorgens playing up. I have been having problems with my liver Alkaline Phosphate levels have been going up and up for no apparent reason I was recently diagnosed with a fatty liver which showed up on an ultrasound scan. Im really getting worried now I don't drink at all and im not overweight I have recently come off steroids after 17 years and this has been a very long process. Does anybody else have problems with their liver
1 like, 26 replies
margaret22116 christine63572
Posted
lily65668 margaret22116
Posted
I think many of us got TB from living in those conditions. I was never diagnosed with it as a child, but when I joined the army at age 26 I had such a strong reaction to the Heaf test they used in those days that they did specialist chest X-rays, as they hadn't seen anything on my routine X-ray. This was in the early days of tomography, before it was computer-assisted - and it delivered a horrendous dose of radiation! It turned out I had a small calcified primary in one lung due to a healed TB infection in childhood. So I obviously dodged yet another bullet!
Something has just occurred to me. Maybe the repeated infections we suffered in childhood over-stimulated our immune systems, leaving them on constant alert? I clearly have some kind of genetic autoimmune inheritance as well. Many members of my mother's family suffered from RA, allergies and asthma. But I wonder whether the constant gunning of my immune system in childhood eventually tipped this tendency over into SS.
margaret22116 lily65668
Posted
Yes sure that is the case. In the end I didn't actually have TB. I had lesions in my chest which were probably the result of having some form of vasculitis. No one knew what to do with me so sent me there to recover.
But yes, I think our immune systems were already misfiring. And I do vaguely remember someone doing sone rasearch into auto immune diseases and their connection to TB. Dredging up some memory from the past on that .
christine63572
Posted
It is all to do with childhood illnesses I also had glandular fever when I was a child and that stays with you all your life. Professor Graham Hughes diagnosed me many years ago and part of his diagnosis apart from blood tests was taking into account childhood illness plus family illnesses, I was asked did I have a lot of headaches when I was a child and yes I did. I think if you have been a sickly child and your immune system has been turned on and off on lots of occasions whilst you are growing up it gets all confused and doesn't know what to attack and what not to attack. I am also have allergies to lots of things one being penicillin which can also be another indicator of autoimmune disease.
margaret22116 christine63572
Posted
morelia100 christine63572
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Just thought I would add this little piece of information:
"Too much refined sugar and high-fructose corn syrup causes a fatty buildup that can lead to liver disease. Some studies show that sugar can be as damaging to the liver as alcohol, even if you're not overweight. It's one more reason to limit foods with added sugars, such as soda, pastries, and candy."
So I'm pretty sure this was a contributing factor because growing up, my diet was certainly not good. I believe that having to fight off certain childhood illnesses, also didn't help.
christine63572 morelia100
Posted
Thanks for that Morelia I did know that that's why I don't take sugar and limit my intake of sugary things, ive discovered my fatty liver is caused through an autoimmune disease as I have sjorgens so I really must be even more vigilant as to what I eat and drink
margaret22116 christine63572
Posted
Yes me too Christine. I am lucky enough to have no taste for sugary foods. Never have had not even as a child. And can't stand sugary drinks. It is not an issue for me either. My diet is pretty good and my specialist is always happy with how low my cholesterol is. If, like us, you have auto immune disease we have to be more aware. Couldn't agree more x
christine63572 margaret22116
Posted
My cholesterol is 4.7 so well in the range I don't eat cakes or sweets anymore I didn't eat much anyway to be honest I never go out for meals as I also have diverticular disease and have to be careful what I eat and drink I usually just stick to drinking water and tea and have a very bland diet very boring but it suits me and now im horrified when I see the things people put in their shopping trolley I feel like taking it out and saying "don't do it". x
nicksie christine63572
Posted
Hi there
I was diagnosed with Sjogrens in 2012. Prior to this my liver function tests were always coming back as abnormal.. More investigations finally showed I have primary biliary cirrhosis or pbc liver disease. The only symptoms I had was severe tiredness and joint pains as well as dry mouth and eyes. I was a little over weight but managed to lose two stone. I take ursoxychoric acid capsules250mg each 5 a day. This improves my bile consistency from a sludge to a thin liquid. If I didn't seek a diagnosis for Sjogrens I would not know about my liver. I have Connective tissue disease which I am on medication for. This improves my joint pains. My main issue is my dry eyes. Looking to get moisture chamber glasses!
Hope my experience helps you?
CeCe1220 christine63572
Posted
Hi! I'm also new to the group, and I have Sjogren's, Autoimmune Hepatitis and several other autoimmune ailments. After being in remission for about 10 years with the Auto Hep, my recent liver ultrasound and followup fibro scan showed active inflammation. At first we thought it might be fatty liver (NASH) but am now wondering if it could be drug related damage from the many biologics and other prescriptions I have taken over the years. My doc is scheduling a biopsy so I hope I will have some clearer direction after it. He indicated the pathology from the biopsy would be able to give us more information. I will share my findings when I know more. Good luck to you. This is not an easy area to navigate!