I have been sufferring with the exact same thing for a year now, emotional issues & stress, followed by getting extremely ill near death and realized it was my liver, then leaky gut, and now ascites... you should read up on Andreas Moritz forum on why you retain water there is alot of useful info there.. anyways i just wanted to praise you for your post! You absolutely have to deal with any emotional retention you might have as it will hold you back from healing, i know this for a fact trust me.. alot of it has to do with your adrenals pumping out acidic chemicals which wont help one bit, i was so close to giving up until i had my first hypnotherapy session for anxiety... and omg it COMPLETELY turned things around, so now i am working on any other retention or resentment i might have... Hypnosis is the ultimate tool to healing when you have been chronically ill, emotional clarity breeds physical vitality!