What’s causing my swelling?

Hello! I’m a 29 year old male that has been diagnosed with ulcerative colitis and primary sclerosis cholangitis of the liver for about ten years now. In the past fifteen months I’ve been subject to more frequent swelling spells where I retain water and observe particular discomfort and swelling in my legs (predominantly my left thigh, ankle, foot) and abdomen.

I’ve had a number of doctors give me different answers over these last few months without any definitive answer. I’ve had plenty tell me that my stomach looks “impressive” with thickening rugal folds that could be responsible for protein loss and I’ve had a regularly decreasing albumin result on my labs. For a while Mentrier’s disease was a potential suspect but that has since been ruled out. Doctors are now pointing toward portal hypertension, but I also think diet is a contributing factor. I’ve made every effort to stick to a whole food diet, cutting out processed food and greatly limiting my added sugar intake.

I guess my biggest question is how/why do things seemingly change at the drop of a hat with no real sign to point to? For example, I’ve been stuck at about 159-163lbs for the better part of the last few months, but the last two weeks or so have been able to get myself to a more regular weight of 156-159lbs. My diet has been practically the same day in, day out for all of May but since Tuesday afternoon, my legs and abdomen have just been retaining water and I’m currently at 164lbs. Any additional thoughts or is this just my life now until I eventually need a liver transplant? Happy to elaborate on any and all parts of this.