I've just been diagnosed with a fatty liver!! I need help!!?

The doctor just told me I have a fatty liver. He thinks it is caused by alcohol. I only drink once a week and I usually drink one of the bigger bottles between 3 people or so. I've never seen this doctor before. I'm really overweight, but I've lost 31 pounds in 2 months. I'm continuing to lose weight also. I've been doing research on the internet and the number one cause for fatty liver disease is obesity... Do you really think it could be alcohol?? It would make more sense that it would be my weight..... I like to drink once a week with my friends... Do I really have to stop for good??? Thanks for all of your opinions!!

Some people can drink alcohol and never develop a liver
problem. However, others can only drink occasionally and
develop a liver problem. Each individual has their own
body chemistry and some are more likely to be sensitive to
this drug than others. Alcohol is the number one reason for
people being placed on the transplant list.

Fatty liver means that the fat is building up inside the liver
between the cells. These cells do many functions to keep
the body healthy and working properly (estimate of approx.
500 things). The fat can block the blood flow to these cells
and cause inflammation of the cells. This is because the
cells may or may not be getting the nourishment they need or
the oxygen. Losing weight is a very good thing. But if this
is caused by alcohol...continuing to drink this can cause
more inflammation which can lead to death of the liver
cells, known as cirrhosis. All liver patients are told not
to drink alcohol whether or not it is caused by this.
Once the liver starts to have problems, to do this is
putting it more at risk. Patients who need a transplant
know that they have to be free of alcohol for at least
6 months to be even considered to be placed on the
list for a donor organ.

There are different types of fatty liver. Some people
just naturally have what they call 'simple fatty liver'...
this doesn't cause any problems for them and may
never advance. However, even patients who never
drank alcohol, can have a condition known as NASH
non alcoholic steatohepatitis which means a fatty liver
with inflammation not caused by alcohol. Or they can
develop another condition known as NAFLD which
means they have non alcoholic fatty liver disease in which
the cells of the liver have fibrous scar tissue from the cells
dying.
http://www.medicinenet.com/fatty_liver/a...
So you can see that alcohol isn't always the cause of
a fatty liver.

Alcohol is a known toxin to the liver cells themselves.
The liver may not be able to handle this and if it isn't able,
it can easily destroy the liver itself. Cirrhosis of the liver
is a very serious disease:
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/cirrhos...
I can honestly say that it turns into more of a nightmare
for the patient than anyone could possibly believe.

If there is anything you can do to heal your liver now...please
try to do it. A liver transplant costs not in the $1000 range,
but in the $100,000's range....possibly $500,000 if you
develop complications afterwards.

I wish you the best and hope your liver will heal and you
will be fine again.

If you like to talk with friendly people who also have fatty liver...for free, you can try to become
a member to this site> No obligation to post if you
do not want to:
http://health.groups.yahoo.com... Report It

curb the fat ya eat and no alcohol,ever..........can be serious disease if progresses.....good luck

yo, bud, is there some treatment. Fatty liver is i dunoo. But tell ur doctor for some tips.

REgards, Hurt Knee person.

Your doctor may have jumped to a conclusion. Alcoholics usually end up with a fatty liver, but there are causes other than alcohol. It would be a very good idea to have a check up with another doctor to look at your liver function. Its not uncommon for someone with high triglycerides and high cholesterol to have a fatty liver. A fatty liver doesn't always mean the liver is damaged, but it sometimes occurs because a liver is damaged, so when a fatty liver is discovered, its a good idea to follow up with tests to see if anything is wrong. If you have impaired liver function, you definitely don't want to drink alcohol in any amount.