To ask if I have liver disease?

[Evaka]

Any medics around this eve? I've had a horrible experience the past two weekends when drinking moderate amounts of alcohol whereby my body suddenly produced a sort of sulphuric smell, like rotten eggs or a backed up drain. Incredibly embarrassing but also really unnerving because it didn't come from a belch or my bottom, it was like it came from my lungs. I did some Googling and this seems to be associated with serious liver disease. I then also saw that extremely itchy skin at night is another symptom and my blood ran cold as I've had that too. Again, if there are any nurses or docs reading, or someone who's had this happen, should I call 111? Go to A&E? Chill and make a gp's appt? I'm pretty anxious (not normally overly worried about health..)

GP for sure. I'm assuming it's your breathing you're alluding to.

Start with blood tests. You can get a free liver fibroscan at the Liver Health bus in these areas too.

https://britishlivertrust.org.uk/information-and-support/love-your-liver/roadshow/#dates

How old are you? You can request a health check at around 40. That includes a full blood count which checks your liver, or you can just make a gp appt tomorrow and mention it?

Thanks for your kind answers, I totally panicked for some reason! Will see the gp this week x

Yes, see GP. Are you bruising easily?

Bit of bruising around the itchy skin, probably because I'm scratching like crazy but no mysterious bruises appearing x

Full blood count has very little to do with your liver, it's a test of cells within the blood (the only cross over is that it includes platelets which are abnormal in severe liver disease).

You want LFTs (liver function tests) and gammaGT for liver investigations

I have never considered smelly breath as a common a sign of liver disease you've probably just got a dry mouth from dehydration from drinking which has made it smell

Theres many different causes of itching

But yeah gp appt

Thanks again all, I'll see the GP and most importantly for now get off the Internet and stop searching for liver disease symptoms and freaking myself out!

Be honest, how much do you drink in an average week? What's the most you've drunk in a day?

That's good then! Best of luck at the GPs. Hopefully it's nothing and your blood tests come back fine.

How much alcohol are you drinking? My late dp had alcoholic liver disease & he started with itching, nosebleeds, his bones snapping, when his arm snapped he had bruising right down one side of his body due to the blood not clotting where the bone snapped. This was still showing 3 months after he broke it & the break took 6 months to heal.

It sounds like bile. Have you got reflux?

I would ask for thyroid bloods OP because both belching and really itchy skin are signs.

OP do not go in asking for certain tests. Go to the GP and describe the symptoms and tell the GP what you are worried about i.e. your liver.
But smells such as you describe can mean nothing much, so try not to panic.

Those are quite generalised symptoms could be quite a few autoimmune conditions, a digestive problem including gut bacteria imbalance, or any other number of things. Definitely get to the GP and have some bloods done as a starting point. If you were drinking wine it could be a sulfite intolerance

Try not to panic, op! I'd convinced myself in January beyond all doubt that I had liver disease and it's since been ruled our. I'm no doctor, but I believe liver problems are more likely to produce an ammonia smell than sulphur. Again not saying it couldnt be liver issues, but try not to panic and just get in with a gp ASAP.

PS. A PP mentioned thyroid. Itching was 100% a symptom for me before I had thyroid diagnosed.

Hope all is OK and you get seen to soon 🙏

Itching can be common with lots of things, including peri menopause and just dry skin.
Its really easy when googling to come up with serious health problems as the cause, when most of the time it will not be.

People with liver issues often have a yellow tinge to their skin and even the whites of their eyes.