I discovered my hepatitis B status a year ago with the the following Lab results:
HBsAg #Reactive
HBsab #Nonreactive
HBeAg #Nonreactive
HBeAb #Reactive
HBcAb #Reactive
And I have not taking any antiviral drugs even no ultrasound till date but now am having some discomfort in my right side rib cage,the right shoulder blade pain, sometimes the whole of right back, and it’s extending to the whole back for weeks now. Just want to know if it’s related to liver condition or any other known illness. Thanks
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Dear @DMs,
Thanks for your question. As mentioned above, it’s hard to assign a particular symptom to Hepatitis B specifically or know if it’s from something else. It might be helpful to get a liver function test to see if your ALTs are high.
In any case, you should see your doctor about this long-term pain to see if you can find the source of the problem and try to treat it.
Thomas
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Dear @DMs and others,
I have been experiencing similar symptoms for about a month now but they do not prevent me from doing anything, especially exercise. For me, it’s just the nagging sensations and discomfort in back, sometimes right side, sometimes left side, sometimes right smack in the middle, and sometimes lower back region. I also feel discomfort that feels like being bloated. Sometimes I get these quick bursts of sharp pain on both sides of my chest or other parts of the abdomen.
I was diagnosed in March 2021 after donating blood at work. All my blood work prior to March 2021 has been good so no sign of problems at all, ultrasound results are good (June 2021), viral load was 325 (April 2021), colonoscopy was fine (May 2021). Since the diagnosis, I have been experiencing a considerable amount of stress and abdomen discomfort. My gastro and primary both told me I’m fine and to stop worrying and that “it’s probably stress”. In addition, I experienced a lot of anxiety because of work stress AND from the joy of a huge new job. Yes, in the midst of getting a great new job, I received the diagnosis. Talk about life punching you in the face! But maybe this is when I needed to know.
I am a bit concerned because I have experienced symptoms as yours (and others on this site). But I also worry that my mind is playing tricks on me (could all this be happening right AFTER the diagnosis?). I also need to STOP googling symptoms and conditions every time I feel a discomfort or ache or read or hear about someone suffering or passing away from a disease. My diagnosis has made me hypersensitive to so many things that I never really paid attention to. I do not want to blame my condition for every ache or pain or sensation.
Now, I am in a part of the country where it is so hard to get immediate care locally. Getting an appointment to see a gastro is 3-4 months out in a few places! Thankfully, my 6 month check-up is around 3-4 months.
This site has been incredibly helpful. @ThomasTu, @Joan_Block, and @john.tavis have been God-sends and such a blessing.
Well, forgive the long story but I think it’s so important that we share how we are living and what we are experiencing in real time a long the way to help others and to even advance understanding about living with chronic HepB.
Stay encouraged!
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Thanks bro. I went for an ultrasound and the result came out good
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Hi @hopefulone, thanks again for sharing your experiences. I think it is important to keep this context in mind. Hep B is something that we can manage long-term and shouldn’t have to take over your entire life.
Not relying on self-diagnosis via Google is good advice. A real-life doctor is usually going to have a better overview of what’s likely and what isn’t compared to Dr. Google. Everyone’s mind is primed to focus on the more exotic and high-impact possibilities, rather than the more mundane and more likely reasons (particularly when they’re already stressed or their own health is at stake). Having an independent and experienced person there is really important. Doctors know this, and go to their own physicians themselves rather than treat themselves (@Suwang88 can probably share her experiences).
Great to hear that your liver looks fine, @DMs. ALTs should be able to confirm this.
As I’ve mentioned above and in other threads (e.g. Titling feet and pain on the righ shoulder blade), it may be worth considering other reasons that may be causing your right side discomfort.
Hope this helps,
Thomas
Hi Thomas,
Just want to say thank you for your insightful response: “Having someone independent and experienced there is really important. Doctors know this, and go to their own physicians themselves rather than treat themselves.” I can’t tell you how many times I misdiagnosed myself or scared myself witless by consulting Google.
TM
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Dr google can be your best friend or worst enemy. When I first diagnosed with hep b about 4 years ago, I looked up all kinds of stuff. Now I just live with possible outcomes.
I was like 1 out of 10-12 Asians might be chronic hepatitis b patient and then realized I was making up the 1 out of every 10 people lol.
Stay positive
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@DMs,
Thank you so much for sharing your ultrasound results. Congrats on the results! They give me hope since you and I had some similar symptoms. Unfortunately, where I live appointments are out 3-4 months which, thankfully, is around my regular 6 month check up.
It is muscle strains that’s overuse or improper use of a muscle, so he told me to reduce what I do with the hand and he gave me something to kill the pain and now am 91% fine.
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Thank you for sharing. Taking ibuprofen helps me. Thankfully, exercising does not hurt. But it has been quite a while since I been to the gym b/c I been focused on relocating. Maybe the muscle strains or catching up when you stop working out for a while.
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I was under the Impression that people have right upper quadrant pain with chronic hepatitis. I have had it off and on for years. My liver labs are always normal so I wonder if my disease is not as controlled as my labs say it is with the antiviral medication. Anyone have insights to this?
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As we mention here and in other threads (Deciding on treatment and liver biopsy - #29 by ThomasTu, Help with my ultrasound result - #19 by Civilke), there can be many causes of pain in the upper right quadrant. People who have Hepatitis B can have other conditions as well. Others have reported that they had pain there because of indigestion/reflux or sitting in their chair with bad posture.
So, it’s worth thinking about other reasons why you might have pain and discuss with your health professional.
Cheers,
Thomas
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Yes. I can testify I have been suffering from this for more than 10 years, and never thought it was reflux issue. My doctor also didn’t quite believe reflux can cause this pain. Now, after taking reflux medicine, I have got my life back. Wish I knew this 10 years ago.
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I am on tenofovir for two months now my last ALT was a bit high, three times a normal range. Before starting treatment I was experiencing stomach pain. I did fibro scan, the results was 6kpa. Although I am on treatment but I am still feeling some pain though not very much. My question is, is it normal for CHB patient feeling stomach pain ?
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Dear @gongo,
As mentioned in this thread, upper right quadrant pain can be caused by many issues that are separate from the Hepatitis B. It is worth mentioning this to your doctor to find out what might be the cause.
Hope this helps,
Thomas
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Well, my believe is when You have a number of people talking about a thing which beforehand wasn’t a fact, you have to agree to an extent that that thing is real. I understand that there are other health issues outside hbv, but I also feel the pressure on that part of my body too which is so uncomfortable sometimes. It’s like carrying a load inside. It doesn’t really mean that I feel pain, it’s just a feel of a load and when I lean on my right side and I have cause to make my right lat bend, I tend to feel the pain.
Secondly, does chb makes someone lean? I’m experiencing reduction in weight and muscle mass and I’ve been eating well lately so I don’t think it’s lack of food. So I’m curious.
Thanks.
Dear @Adedeji_Joseph,
I completely understand and think that this pain is real. I also think that people without HBV also get stomach pains as well, but we are more trained to worry about such things and tend to interpret it differently. There are certainly times where this sort of pain can be caused by HBV, but if ALTs are normal and fibrosis is low, then it is also important to consider other causes as well. As you see above, there are many people who have been able to treat their pain with reflux medicine, or altering their posture or other things. It is better to find out what may be wrong and not just accept it as a symptom of HBV.
Regarding your second question, I don’t know the answer to this, but these studies indicate that HBV is associated with lower levels of fatty liver, on average - https://aasldpubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/hep.28917, Hepatitis B virus infection and the risk of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease: a meta-analysis - PMC, Analysis Of Risk Factors For Nonalcoholic Fatty-Liver Disease In Hepatitis B Virus Infection: A Case–Control Study - PMC
The reasons behind this are still not really known.
Hope this helps,
Thomas
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My husband was experiencing severe abdominal pain and upper right quadrant pain and even groin pain which is what lead him to the ER. This is when he was diagnosed with HepB. His AST and ALT were extremely high at that time and he had an elevated Bili level. The CT and Ultrasound were listed as “unremarkable” yet noted a slight swelling to his liver and in the wall of his gallbladder too. They put him on Prednisone and Hydrocodine for pain.
As he got worse (MUCH higher AST, ALT, and Bili) his pain increased immensely. Once he became jaundice, his pain was excruciating. The Drs did explain that though the liver has no nerves, when it is not functioning properly it can effect other organs and systems that do and that was the reason for his severe pain? I am not a science person and can only relay what was experienced. But it has subsided quite a bit since he is less jaundice and his ALT & AST are coming down.
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