Pancreas and cirrhosis fears

[Worriedwobbler]

Hi, I'm 35 and struggled with health anxiety for over 10 years. Some years go by and I manage it well and others I spiral quite bad.
I started feeling unwell at the beginning of march, I felt a pressure type pain in my upper centre abdomen, occasionally to the left and stabbing pains round the side to my left flank area. This happens every day but only in the afternoons/ evenings. I wake up in the morning feeling ok and as the day goes on I feel it coming on, sometimes it's bad sometimes its mild. I went to the doctors had liver/kidney/pancreas blood tests along with full blood count and CRP all normal. After a few weeks of the pain they sent me for a endoscopy and abdominal ultrasound, endoscopy showed mild gastritis which the doctor said wouldn't cause any pain and my ultrasound showed no gallstones but a fatty liver, which again the doctor said wouldn't cause pain.
Now here's why I'm worried, I used to drink quite heavily, I've known about my fatty liver for 3 years after a ultrasound and raised LFTs years ago and didnt really cut down on the alcohol until last year or try to lose any weight. I'm worried that the ultrasound may have missed cirrhosis.
Or I'm worried I have chronic pancreatitis from my alcohol use, the left flank pain and upper stomach ache points to pancreas
I've also had a borderline calprotectin result which I've heard can be associated with cirrhosis or pancreatitis.

My doctor has referred me to a gastroenterologist but all this waiting is causing me so much distress

[WorryRaptor]

Try not to worry too much yet. It sounds like you're in good hands, and they're doing all the checks they need to. You've also had a considerable amount of tests carried out which would pick up anything amiss. I thought calprotectin was more associated with intestinal inflammation, which can come from lots of things. And your results were only borderline, so quite likely nothing to worry about at all.

One thing about fatty liver, is that in my experience, is that it can sometimes cause pain. I know this is anecdotal, and I'm not a medical professional at all, but I frequently had upper right quadrant dull pain over the liver before I was diagnosed with fatty liver. Quite a few people with fatty liver have also talked about some pain and discomfort, despite their doctors telling them fatty liver never causes pain.

The fact your bloods were normal is another great sign that your liver and pancreas are probably just fine, apart from the fatty liver. Abstaining from alcohol and eating a really healthy diet is the best way to allow your liver to heal itself. The liver is pretty amazing at doing that if you allow it to. Unfortunately, there's a distinct lack of guidance from GP's here on how to address a fatty liver. They usually throw out the "just have a healthier lifestyle/don't drink" and send you on your way. I had to take to Google to find out the best type of diet and lifestyle approach would help the most!