signs of cirrhosis
hey there viewers i know summer's in full swing and you want to go out and party but we need to talk about the state of your liver the liver is your largest internal organ its job is to process nutrients and flush out waste of your body when we abuse our liver it can lead to cirrhosis a condition where the organ becomes scarred and damaged let's talk today about signs of cirrhosis are you getting tired are you losing weight out of nowhere have you been experiencing really bad swelling we're talking about all of that and more.
cirrhosis can cause swelling if you're a health-conscious person there are fewer things scarier than noticing your body parts mysteriously swelling out of nowhere this is exactly what happens with cirrhosis you see cirrhosis slows down the flow of blood through your liver as a result the veins that bring blood to the liver begin to clog forcing them to work harder.
To bring blood from the spleen and intestines this leads to swelling in both the legs and abdomen swelling in the legs is also known as edema while abdominal swelling is called ascites both of these conditions develop through extra fluid buildup if you're noticing either types of these swellings you're going to want to get to a dr asap you.
see there are two stages of cirrhosis compensated when you're asymptomatic and decompensated where you're showing symptoms and your liver is deteriorating ascites is a sign of decompensated cirrhosis this can lead to liver failure which you can die from if it's not treated in time redness in your palms is another thing to watch out for this is a rather rare sign of cirrhosis but it's one you still need to watch out for also known.
As palmar eurythema red palms happen when the liver is becoming scarred either your palms will just be red or small sections of redness will appear like i said red palms are rare when it comes to cirrhosis only about 23 percent of people with the condition end up with this symptom either way if you start noticing redness on your hands.
you're going to want to talk to a professional and get it diagnosed there are a few signs of cirrhosis that are uncommon but let's talk about one that is cirrhosis can make you lose weight it's not just slow gradual weight loss either this type of weight loss can happen rather suddenly you'll be looking in the mirror and notice that you're lighter cirrhosis can affect your appetite the liver plays a huge role in your digestive system.
when the organ becomes damaged you won't be eating as much as you used to weight loss can also be a sign of fatty liver disease this is when you have extra fat on your liver the disease is usually brought on by heavy boozing all the alcohol causes fat to build up inside your liver cells making it harder for the organ to do its job early stages of fatty liver disease are relatively harmless but if it goes without treatment it could eventually lead to cirrhosis of the liver one of the things.
you can do to put an end to fatty liver disease is adopt a healthier lifestyle this includes cutting out booze and eating healthier foods weirdly enough these new habits will cause you to lose weight if the weight loss is achieved through healthier living your fatty liver disease may go away studies show that dropping between five to ten percent of your body weight can improve the health of your liver enzymes another common cirrhosis symptom is itching.
when someone has cirrhosis they often find themselves itching like crazy this is due to a higher level of salt under the skin the more salt that is collected the more you'll be scratching the salt that i'm talking about is a particular type known as bile salt bile salt is produced by the liver bile salts are sent from the bile ducts into the small intestine once there it'll be so much easier for your body to absorb and digest fats and nutrients since your liver isn't working properly the bile salts will be out of control with a large amount of it building up in your system when the salts reach the skin it'll cause uncontrollable itching you'll find yourself stretching throughout the day try to avoid doing this as much as possible stretching only makes things worse if you talk
to your doctor there are certain creams that they can recommend for you to apply to your skin you don't want to get stuck stretching layers off your skin sometimes itching can make you scratch so much it'll drain you of all your energy come to think of it that's our next symptom [Music] cirrhosis can make you fatigued now fatigue can be caused by countless things sometimes you haven't gotten enough sleep
other times you might just be bored but if you're living with cirrhosis of the liver you're going to feel exceptionally tired think about it your body isn't absorbing the nutrients you need to maintain energy a lack of calcium and magnesium will drain your body of the energy it requires throughout the day because of this lack of energy you'll be struggling to get through your daily tasks this will end up affecting your work life as you won't be able to do your job the way you used to if you experience fatigue long enough don't be surprised to find yourself dozing off
randomly this can be especially dangerous if you're driving long distances or operating heavy machinery to fight fatigue it's recommended that you start exercising regularly this will be a big challenge since you're already lacking the energy to stay active this is why you should also turn to a steady diet of greens and other healthy foods a doctor will be able to diagnose your
condition and tell you exactly what is needed whether it's fatigue or something else entirely not having enough energy can affect your life in all types of ways we talked about what cirrhosis can do to your insides let's discuss the effects it can have on your actual appearance this is where jaundice enters the conversation have you ever heard of jaundice a lot more people need to familiarize themselves with this condition let's talk for a second about bilirubin this is a yellowish
pigment made during the breakdown of red blood cells bilirubin passes through the liver and then flushes out of the body with cirrhosis the liver is not removing the bilirubin from your system this causes it to build up and circulate in your bloodstream after a while the bilirubin will reach the layer just underneath your skin this makes your skin look yellow it's not just your skin that turns yellow the white area around your eyes will also turn this color as if it wasn't scary enough already along with your yellow
pigment your urine will also be dark this is due to all the bilirubin in your kidneys if you're starting to notice jaundice forming on your skin get to a doctor right away your liver's in trouble on top of jaundice cirrhosis can also lead to nausea much like fatigue nausea can be caused by a bunch of things but liver disease is one of the more serious causes
remember the liver is directly linked to the function of your digestive system if the organ is suffering you're going to feel it in your stomach nausea is an uneasy feeling in your stomach that often leads to vomiting what's freaky about nausea is that it can happen randomly you'll be going about your day when all of the sudden your stomach gives you this queasy feeling this is happening because your liver is not properly getting rid of toxins making your digestive system feel like garbage while getting rest and staying off
your feet can help with nausea the best treatment is certain medication don't be afraid to speak to someone if this feeling is ongoing [Music] as if cirrhosis wasn't bad enough there's also random bleeding we've all found random cuts and bruises on our body you could drive yourself crazy
thinking about what you did the night before to get them when you have cirrhosis bleeding and bruising can happen fairly easily this is because the liver isn't producing the proper protein needed for blood clotting when this happens bruises develop much quicker than usual you also bleed quicker when you cut yourself your liver is key to your health but it's not the only organ you need to be looking out for care.
