What does ascites feel like?

Ascites means that there is some water accumulation in the human liver. The accumulation of water in the liver can cause lesions in the liver and vomiting may occur. If a person suffers from hepatic ascites, in fact, the early symptoms of hepatic ascites cannot be obviously manifested. There will only be slight abdominal distension and urge to vomit. Over time, it will also cause edema of the body. Next, let’s understand what ascites feels like.

First, liver enlargement or liver shrinkage. Cirrhosis ascites, especially cirrhosis ascites caused by alcoholic cirrhosis, is often accompanied by liver enlargement, while the liver may shrink in the late stage. In liver cancer, the liver is enlarged and hard as a stone, and the surface may be nodular. When there is acute hepatic vein obstruction, there may be sudden progressive liver enlargement accompanied by rapid growth of cirrhosis ascites.

Second, the symptoms of ascites caused by cirrhosis are accompanied by jaundice, hematemesis, and black stools. They are more common in ascites caused by cirrhosis, liver cancer, and other gastrointestinal tumors. Hematemesis and black stools are typical manifestations of upper gastrointestinal bleeding.

Third, the early symptoms of ascites are not obvious. Most patients only have mild abdominal distension, which can easily be confused with the original digestive dysfunction symptoms of patients with cirrhosis and is difficult to detect in time. Therefore, patients with late-stage cirrhosis should go to the hospital for examination in time if they experience slightly obvious abdominal distension, increased waist circumference, weight gain, lower limb edema, etc.

Fourth, as the amount of ascites increases, the patient will begin to experience obvious abdominal distension, and the symptoms of ascites will become more and more obvious. Due to the large amount of ascites, the patient's belly becomes very big, causing difficulty in walking and even inability to take care of himself. Large amounts of ascites can cause obstruction of diaphragmatic movement and lead to shortness of breath.