I heard the nurse outside the door. She was telling the physicians assistant that I looked pregnant. They ended up shipping me off to the hospital for an MRI. I was still lying on the MRI table when they handed me a phone. My doctor was on the other end. It was bad news. She wanted to get me a bed for more tests. If I had known the 4 warning signs of a dying liver, I could have gotten help months or years before. Instead, my liver had failed and I was diagnosed with end stage liver disease.
Before we start, let’s get clear that everyone should ask their medical provider for routine blood work. The metabolic panel or liver labs have specific lab results. However, let me warn you that it might not always show the damage. Mine did not show anything wrong a few months before my liver failed. So what now? Let’s look at 4 warning signs.
What are 4 Warning Signs of a Dying Liver
Jaundice is when your skin turns yellow. In my case, the whites of my eyes were yellow also. This had only started the day before, so it was kind of the very last warning. If your skin is yellow, get to the doctor now.
Swollen belly is another one of those signs that shows your liver is shutting down. It is called 
(uh-site-ease). It started out as my feet throbbing. That should have been a warning sign of a dying liver. But, since it was in the middle of summer heat, I just wore flip flops and sandals. One night, my feet went numb and I just brushed it off. Within a few days, fluid was collecting in my abdomen and I looked 9 months pregnant. I could feel the fluid making a “glug glug” sound with every step.
Nausea is easy to dismiss. Maybe you hear about a bug going around and think it will go away. It’s easy to take a few tums or drink a Sprite or ginger ale and move on. STAY ALERT. I was eating red jello and drinking broth for nausea. The high sodium in the broth made the swelling worse, and then when I began to throw up, I thought it was red jello coming up. Nope. It was blood. I had no clue that I was in the last stages of liver disease. I was sleeping on the bathroom floor thinking it was the flu.
Earth to Karen
Confusion or being out of it. Hepatic encephalopathy (HE) can be an early signal, but I didn’t know that. So when you’re living in a confused state and don’t know you are, it’s easy to keep going. Zoney girl here could have died from a varices bleed out. Because I am not a drinker, no one suspected liver damage. Since we thought there was a stomach bug going around, I told everyone to stay away for about 10 days. I slept off and on the whole time.What are 4 Warning Signs of a Dying Liver
Thankfully, my childhood friend knew what are the 4 warning signs of a dying liver. Once she saw the yellow skin, she shipped me off to the doctor’s office with my big pregnant looking belly. Let’s spread the word. Liver disease is on the rise, and so many don’t know that they might be dying.
