Did you know liver disease it totally silent? We have no nerve endings in the liver so it creeps up on you.

[FreakinScaryCaaw]

I really didn't realise this until today. I don't drink to excess so aren't concerned on that level but have friends who do.

An expert was on tv saying that half a bottle of wine a night is way over the limit. I do know that women's livers are half the size of men's so they shouldn't drink as much as men.

He said the liver has no nerve endings so there's no pain with liver disease.

Scary really.

A half bottle of wine is 5.2 units (average red wine) so that would be 36.4 units a week if you drank that every night. I think if I drank that much I would expect to have a problem with my liver.

I watched this too. I was amazed how blase the woman was!

not even stopping because of 'social events'. just stupid.

Which programme was it?

it was on bbc one.
cant remember the name

Yes she was blase. I'd have been mortified to admit it!

Was it on the news EXTERMINATEpeppa?

Thanks, I'll have a look on I player tomorrow.

There are three large glasses in a bottle.

Preciousbane a friend of mine drank a bottle a night. Now she drinks vodka instead because of some diet she's on

no it wasnt. it was a half hour thing just.

honestly cant remember

It was the Tonight programme on ITV. Did make you think!

Thanks vanillavelvet. Yes made me think. Just hope it makes others think too?

I didn't realise until recently that a huge risk factor for liver disease is obesity. Drinking is far from only way to screw it up.

Yes I saw that on a tv programme too about obesity.

It's actually not totally painless, I have liver disease (not alcohol related though) and I know when it's flaring up because it hurts. It's probably due to the swelling affecting tissue around my liver, but it does happen.

Sorry to hear that Crazy. Could they have meant it can be serious and you don't necessarily feel it?

One very silent liver disease is hepatitis. B or C (I had C for 12 years without knowing it - only found out by chance!).

And it is, more often than not, treatable/curable so if anyone thinks they may have been exposed to either do get checked

I got jaundice as a rare reaction to medication . I was itchy and went bright yellow and my liver felt uncomfortable . If your liver is ill you will know about it. I felt awful and five weeks on I am still recovering . You would notice !

Not necessarily. With acute disease, you are likely to get jaundiced - but not with chronic disease. At least, not until it's fairly advanced.

I never had any pain at all. It depends on the degree of inflammation, surrounding tissues, etc.

I've had liver biopsies with no anaesthetic at all - I felt a sensation, but no pain.

So are tgere any symptoms of chronic liver disease?

I had results of a scan recently that showed that all my other internal organs are fine and healthy. I do have the beginnings of liver disease though. But it's common in woman of my age who carry extra fat around the liver area ( so muffin top) so my gp told me not to concern myself. But if I was a heavy boozer I probably should cut down.

It's harder to lose weight if your liver is struggling a bit though so bit of a stalemate.

With chronic liver disease you can have symptoms such as general fatigue, finding it harder to fight off colds etc, feeling yuck after rich meals, and so on.

But you can have all of that without any disease at all - so not very useful!

Basically, if you go to your GP with general run-down-ness, fatigue, indigestion, unexplained itching etc they will probably run some blood tests - which should include liver function tests.

But definitely not worth obsessing over (this from an ex-HA person to all the anxiously healthy out there ). Just something to be aware of.

Fatty foods are also very bad for the liver.

The good news is that the liver is very good at self healing if you give it that chance. So making changes to diet and alcohol consumption can make a massive difference.

I agree that although you may not feel the liver itself, you would notice other manifestations of it's function being compromised - your body not functioning well in other areas. You just might not think that it's because your liver though.

Taking a more holistic view of our bodies and health really makes sense when you start to look at liver function and the knock on effects of living with a compromised liver.

Though the liver only 'self heals' if you've not reached the cirrhosis stage. That can be stopped in its tracks in certain cases by removing the cause of the damage (by far the commonest is excess alcohol, but not exclusively so). Certain fats are bad, but the liver likes to work for its keep and some fats can be good for it.

I have liver disease, due to autoimmune antibodies, and it's advanced a bit lately, but I've never had jaundice. Mine was picked up years ago in a routine blood test. I do have other symptoms now, though I didn't years ago.

There's a kind of capsule round the liver, which is why a biopsy in that area aint necessarily painless. People with liver changes do get pain, sometimes, but it may be put down to other things, as somebody above has said.

Lots of rubbish is talked about liver disease. I am quite shocked at the ignorance amongst friends, who are generally mature and well educated.

Lots of info on British Liver Trust website, for those who are interested in more on diet, safe drinking, looking after your liver, etc. And wot diseases you can get if you're unlucky.

I have a chronic liver disease with no symptoms (yet). Was only picked up by accident when I had a blood test about four years ago. It's called primary biliary cirrhosis.