1. Pale or Clay-Colored Stools Your liver produces bile to digest fats and give stool its brown color. When bile flow slows, stools turn light, pale, or even float due to undigested fat. Rate your stool color: Have you noticed a change lately?
2. Night Blindness or Trouble Seeing in Low Light Liver issues can impair vitamin A absorption, leading to poor night vision or dry, gritty eyes. Quick check: Do you struggle to see clearly when driving at night?
3. Swollen Right Foot or Ankle (Often More Than the Left) Liver swelling can increase pressure in the portal vein, causing fluid buildup. Press and see if it leaves a dent. Many notice this asymmetry first.
4. White or Yellowish Growths on Eyelids These cholesterol deposits (xanthelasma) appear when the liver struggles to process fats. Have you spotted any small bumps near your eyes?
5. Right-Sided Rib Pressure or Pain After Eating Sludgy bile can clog ducts, causing discomfort under the right ribs – sometimes radiating to the shoulder.
6. Easy Bruising or Purple/Red Spots on Skin Reduced clotting proteins from liver stress can cause unexplained bruises or rashes.
7. Cracked Heels That Won’t Heal Vitamin B3 depletion from liver repair efforts can leave heels dry and cracked.
8. Intense Itching on Palms or Soles Bile acid buildup under the skin triggers itching – often worse at night.
9. All-White or Clubbed Fingernails Severe liver issues can cause nails to lose their pink hue or become rounded and bulbous.
10. Dark, Cola-Colored Urine Excess bilirubin spills into urine when the liver can’t process it properly.
11. Yellowing of Skin or Eyes (Jaundice) A classic sign of advanced bilirubin buildup – seek medical attention immediately.
