Have Fatty Liver. Suffer Weight Gain And Bloated Stomach. Have Swelling In Legs. What To Do?

Posted on Mon, 22 Jul 2013

Question: I have a fatty liver after having my 2nd baby 20 months ago and needing a emergency gallbladder removal when my child was 5 months old since then I have gained more weight my stomach is always bloated and sticks out and I never have been a drinker with alcohol. Can I repair a fatty liver and what can I take to help repair it there is a lot of herbal medicine available in many pharmacies and health food stores but it says not to take unless physician approves ie: milk thistle , Green tea coffee bean and a lot more. I have been hesitant as the bottles all say if you have bile/duct obstruction or any liver problems consult a physician I assumed since I had gallbladder removed I had bile issues don't have any coming out anywhere? Also I have had swelling in my legs since my last pregnancy in September 2011. Still can't get rid of all the fluid and have had cellulitis 3 times due to it and my legs are always red with white spots I've seen a XXXXXXX specialist here in XXXXXXX Saskatchewan (Canada) and they say they've never seen this case before and do nt have any answers for me I'm desperate to get healthy as I have two small children that need me around for a long time. Please help me

Answered by Dr. Dinesh Kumar Singal (21 hours later)

Dear XXXXX,

Thanks for contacting Healthcare Magic.

I went through your past and current history. Fatty liver is a very common problem. It mainly occurs in people who are obese or overweight, diabetics or family history of diabetes, hyperlipidemics (increased cholesterol or triglycerides), hypertensives. It also occurs in people who take alcohol. Those who do not take alcohol and have fatty liver are said to have NAFLD (non-alcoholic fatty liver disease).

There is no definite treatment for NAFLD at present. If you are diabetic or hypertensive or have high lipids then all these things need to be controlled by medications and diet. You need to specifically cut down on your fat and sugar intake. You should regularly exercise and reduce your weight. If you are not diabetic then probably Cap Vit E (Evion) 400 IU twice a day is the drug of choice at the moment.

There are general liver tonics like milk thistle as you mentioned, these can be helpful. I do not think you would be having biliary obstruction, since this would have been evident on the ultrasound as well as you would have been jaundiced if obstruction was there.

Since you mentioned that you have swollen feet, I will like you to be seen by a liver specialist in your place as I need to rule out liver disease other than just fatty liver (this will require some blood tests, ultrasound, urine test).

Lastly you should not worry, I am sure everything will be well and you will be there for a long time to take care of your kids.

Best wishes, Let me know if you have any other questions.

Dr Dinesh Singal

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Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar