Dealing with skin redness/irritation, right rib pain, and kidney area discomfort...

Hi there,
I’ve been trying to dig through the forums for an answer or even just a similar thread—but I haven't found anything quite like this.
I'm having some health issues lately... honestly, my body feels totally out of sync. I have a whole bunch of symptoms that don't seem to connect at all... MAYBE SOMEONE HERE CAN POINT ME IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION! I really need some advice based on your experiences.

Skin issues—my face gets red and reacts to absolutely everything, whether it's water, lotion, or oils... it's just awful, plus my skin is super dry.
Allergies too—I get this slight redness on my knees whenever I eat something heavy or right after I shower.
Also, if I eat something greasy, I get this pain under my right rib cage—though sometimes it happens regardless of what I've eaten. And if I happen to have a drink, I feel this tightness around my kidney area the next day, almost like they're swollen.
I try to eat pretty healthy, I drink about two liters of water a day, lots of tea, I don't have much of a sweet tooth, and I keep my salt intake low—yet I'm constantly gaining weight, and I often feel bloated and puffy... even though I go for walks every single day.

My blood work is mostly fine, except for my cholesterol and triglycerides which are high, but my urinalysis is
fine, digestion is normal, and my blood pressure is a little on the lower side... I'm 26 years old, 5'2", and about 134 lbs.

(Last year was incredibly stressful for me—I lost my baby—so everyone keeps telling me it's just stress, but I can't help feeling like there has to be a physical cause behind all this).

Any help would be appreciated... 😉

wearydriver41 said:Hey there.
I tried digging around for an answer or even just a similar thread, but I came up empty.
I’m dealing with some serious health issues right now. My body is throwing a dozen different symptoms at me all at once, and I can’t find a single common thread to link them together. It feels like a total mystery. MAYBE SOMEONE HERE CAN POINT ME IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION! I need some guidance based on what you guys have been through. Help me out.

My skin is a total disaster right now. It’s constantly red and basically reacts to everything—water, moisturizer, facial oils, you name it, it’s a nightmare. My face is just incredibly dry and irritated.
I’m getting this slight redness around my knees whenever I eat something heavy or right after I hop out of the shower. Might be an allergy, but I can't quite pin it down.
Whenever I eat anything heavy, I get this sharp pain right under my right ribcage. Sometimes it happens completely out of nowhere, regardless of what I’ve eaten. On top of that, if I happen to have a few drinks, I feel this weird tightness in my kidney area the next day—it feels like they're all swollen up.
I eat pretty healthy, drink about two liters of water a day, stick to tea, stay away from sweets, and barely touch the salt shaker—yet I’m constantly gaining weight and feeling bloated as hell. I even go for walks every single day. What gives?

My blood work came back mostly fine, except for my cholesterol and triglycerides, which are both running high, and there was some protein in my urine.
Everything looks normal on my end—my blood pressure is actually running a little low... I’m 26 years old, 5'2", and about 135 lbs.

I went through an incredibly brutal stretch last year—losing my baby was devastating. Everyone keeps trying to tell me that it was just "stress," but I’m not buying it. In my opinion, there has to be some underlying physical cause behind it all.

I need some help here. 😉

If you’re feeling that pain right under your right ribcage, especially considering those high cholesterol and triglyceride numbers, you’re likely looking at an issue with your gallbladder—possibly gallstones or just some sludge buildup—and quite possibly a fatty liver. You really ought to stick to a strict liver-friendly diet to get things back on track.
Get an abdominal ultrasound.
Better go take a look at your bumper.

Angela Wright, thanks so much for getting back to me!

I'm currently 10 months along...
My thyroid hormones look good, and my abdominal ultrasound came back fine too—though they mentioned my liver is right on the edge of being enlarged, which they say is just common during pregnancy. I also have a tiny cyst on my thyroid and a uterine fibroid (which I actually had removed about ten days ago)

Look, I’m no doctor so I won't try to diagnose you or anything, but I’d seriously suggest hitting up YouTube to watch that documentary "Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead." It’s pretty wild how much everything revolves around what you eat—it's all connected, I guess. Just give it a shot; I'm pretty sure all your health issues would just vanish. Good luck 🙂

wearydriver41 said:Mary, thanks for getting back to me.

At 10 months
Thyroid levels look fine, abdominal ultrasound was clear (though they mentioned my liver is right on the edge of being enlarged, which they're blaming on the pregnancy), I have a small cyst on my thyroid, and a uterine fibroid (which I just had removed ten days ago).

It’s most likely a thyroid issue then. You need to get those hormone levels rechecked. That thing can throw your entire system into such total chaos you wouldn't even recognize it.