@DMs,
I am curious, did your doctor explain your symptoms?
It is muscle strains thatās 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, itās 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 didnāt 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 wasnāt 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. Itās like carrying a load inside. It doesnāt really mean that I feel pain, itās 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? Iām experiencing reduction in weight and muscle mass and Iāve been eating well lately so I donāt think itās lack of food. So Iām 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 donāt 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 CaseāControl 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 āunremarkableā 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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Hi everyone,
This is my first post. I am so thankful to @ThomasTu to have founded this forum and honestly it has given me more mental relief than any google info or anti-anxiety pill. My husband was diagnosed with CHB in Octā21. We had our first baby 21 days before the diagnosis and due to all international flights being cancelled because of Covid, none of our parents could visit us. It was extremely difficult to accept this news and with no support we were very scared and completely lost.
His viral load in Octā21 was 75IU/ml and ALT was 65. His liver stiffness score was 8.04kpa and necroinflammation was 0.39. His platelets were 128000.
Surprisingly after 6 months of good exercise and eating habits, his viral load in Mayā22 was not detectable and ALT was 27. His platelets were still at 128000.
But, the last few months he has been on numerous trips and outings, missed his workouts and eaten out a lot and his results in Decā22 came back much worse. His viral load is 328IU/ml now and ALT is 39. His platelets are a low of 96000. He is also complaining of a soreness in his upper right side of the abdomen with relief after bowel movement.
We have an appointment with the specialist day after and I am having sleepless nights. I hope his liver fibrosis has not progressed further. Please do enlighten me if something similar happened to anyone.
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I also have pain on my side abdomen, I donāt know if mine is ulcer or my liverā¦I did live me test and doc confirmed my liver is ok but i still have pains and tingling on my right side
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Hi @SS090711
Welcome to the forum. Thanks for your kind words and your question.
Itās very difficult to know what is causing this in your husband because many things can cause this sensation (as we have discussed in the above and other threads: Titling feet and pain on the righ shoulder blade). It is best for you to see your specialist to examine him appropriately and take his history into account. The low platelet count is not a general sign of Hep B, so this could relate to another health issue.
Hope this helps,
Thomas
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Dear everyone
I have the same question about pain on the right ribs cage. I would like to share my experience
I always feel the pain on the right ribs cage some time in the front some time at the back. Sometime strong some time mild and something not feel anything at all. This has been on going for years.
Currently, even though I do blood test and the result are normal ALT, FibroScan ( F0-F1 ), ultrasound but I still feel the pain. Sometime the pain go a little bit stronger when I eat full or sometime when I am too much hungry.
I notice the pain is increasing while I sit too long especially driving long road. If I am actively doing physical activity I usually donāt notice the pain.
This may be sound silly but the pain is true.
Thanks for sharing everyone.
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Last year I had a mild HBV flare, and my ALT never went above 60 (although a lot of other bloodwork spiked, in general blood test results were nasty)
Before and after that I had fluctuating upper right quadrant discomfort. Then up until a few weeks ago it started getting so bad that I felt like I had a football stuck in my chest, and it tended to get worse particularly after eating
Then I went for a FibroScan and it showed 9.1kPa fibrosis, and moderate steatosis
But hereās what I want everyone to know: I started taking 3 grams of NAC (N-acetylcysteine) at night, and even after the first day I felt 80% better regarding the upper right quadrant discomfort. After I week I felt so much better I went to a different hospital and got another FibroScan. It showed no fibrosis (<5 kPa) and no steatosis. The doctor couldnāt believe it because I showed her my previous result from a week ago. I predicted this would be the case since the upper right quadrant discomfort had almost entirely gone
I can share the FibroScan result images here if anyone wants to see proof
I think it would be good if anyone reading this thatās experiencing the same issues were to try taking NAC and post the results if it works for them or not. And if it works for most people it would be good to spread the message - because Iām extremely grateful myself for it and itād be nice if everyone knew it were something potentially worth trying
I would like to add something else that I noticed when I had intense upper right quadrant discomfort: If I laid on my back and breathed out, and put my hand over my liver and compressed it (just pushed down for a few seconds), then took my hand off and just breathed normally - I would get about 15-20 seconds of the discomfort being completely gone and itād feel normal. So this tells me that it would have been caused by the blood not flowing out of it properly - pushing down on it would squeeze the blood out so itād stop feeling inflamed for a little while. So in my case I believe I got misdiagnosed with fibrosis just because I had a lot of liver inflammation. So perhaps NAC is mostly useful for those of you having liver inflammation (which can be misdiagnosed as fibrosis)
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Dear @ThomasTu, @bob, @SamanthaMech, @SS090711, and @senhour,
Iām back. Itās been more than a year since I last posted, and I cannot believe how fast time has gone by. When I last posted, I was relocating to a place with limited quality healthcare options so I am reconsidering some options including relocating to a larger metropolitan area with more options.
Here are my updates and Iād like to get @ThomasTu input. Then I will share similar experiences to others who have posted.
- Since diagnosis with HepB in March 2021 through donating blood, Iāve had two āunremarkableā ultrasounds of the abdomen. But, this past February, my third ultrasound found āmild coarsening of the echo pattern of the liver but there is no intrahepatic mass or intrahepatic biliary dilatation.ā The results also found that my liver āmeasures 16cmā and there were āno ascites.ā The scary āscarringā word was used but my doctorās office said that the ultrasound was not the best test to identify scarring. I meet with my doctor Friday assuming she does not cancel again.
In addition, my AST is 28 and my ALT is 21. The doctor said all blood work, including kidney and liver, were āfine.ā
@ThomasTu, what are your thoughts on these finds and what should I ask my doctor?
- That annoying upper right quadrant pain.
I have experienced what others have described since, coincidentally, my March 2021 diagnosis. Here is what Iām dealing with:
. Throbbing sensation but no pain
. Subtle āflash sensationsā of sharp pain but nothing that causes me to say āouch.ā It comes and goes instantly.
. Feels like pressure in my bowel or intestines which feel good with massaging or bowel movement.
. Obvious discomfort down right side of back, cross middle of back, near right shoulder blade.
I agree with @ThomasTu that non-HepB conditions can cause the same sensations. But the fact that there appears to be a lot of similarity among us suggests as reasonable correlation between HepB and our upper right quadrant pain/discomfort. I think telling out stories could possibly inform the medical profession so our health care system can be proactive in educating us about what could happen and how to treat.
In closing, my latest ultrasound worries me, especially since I had already drastically changed eating habits, am not a drinker, am not a smoker, and lost a LOT of weight (about 50% gained back since covid mess).
Thank you everyone and stay hopeful.
Dear @hopefulone,
Great to hear from you again, and glad that your blood results seem to be fine. Your doctorās advice appears sound. There doesnāt appear to be anything that is worrisome and you seem to be going about it the right way.
Thomas
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Hi @hopefulone
So good to hear from you. I am in no position to comment regarding your lab findings as i have no expert knowledge. But, as an informed wife of a chronic hep B patient I see very little to worry about in your message. Little bit of scarring is no reason to worry as it can be reversed. Your ALT/AST are great too! I am sure you will get good news and guidance from your doctor. Please update regarding your doctor visit.
The upper quadrant pain is a problem with my husband too. It is very nagging and gives him trouble too. The shoulder blade pain also happens. However, his GI has said that it is related to other issues( he has costochondritis so that adds to the pain and also his posture while working on the laptop and certain foods that cause gas and bloating).
His platelets had dropped a lot so he had to undergo a liver biopsy and result came out good. No significant fibrosis and no sign of cirrhosis. So, the pain is not related to the liver.
Donāt worry and take good care of yourself!
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Dear @SS090711,
Thank you for your kind words of encouragement. I really needed to hear them. I will keep community posted on progress when I learn something new. Dealing with other work-related problems also (ughh!). I really rely a lot on my faith, positive scriptures, and healing YouTube videos when I go to bed so positive messages can seep into my subconscious when sleeping.
Take care everyone!
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