Hi cysters, I am really concerned tonight. I saw my doc today. My ultrasound was normal, and it showed no fatty liver, compared to about 6 months ago. So that's good news. But, my liver enzymes have jumped 10 points. I am scared. Is it possible that a liver can become "unfattied" while having PCOS? What else could be causing these increased liver enzymes? I have no option except to wait until I hear from the oncologist about coverage for a PET scan. I told my doc that I was taking about 1700mg of Tylenol a day for about 4 days only while I was on my period, but that was days after she took these recent labs. I have gotten no answers, and am very shocked that these enzymes have increased a lot in a very short time.
What do I need to do? The pain is still there, just took a Naproxen an hour ago, because no more Tylenol allowed due to this.
Patty, I asked my doc about EBV, and she said there is really no test for it (?) I am truly at my wits end.
Please help.
I'm so sorry you are going through this. I don't have any great advice. I do know that Tylenol and alcohol are totaly no-no's at this point. Have they mentioned anything about taking Milk Thistle? I know it's not the same but my patients with Hep C take it and it can really help repair the liver.
A close friend was in liver failure in March due to Hep C and wasn't strong enough for a transplant so she ate well, increased her water intake, took vitamins and Milk Thistle and is looking very well and her liver is regenerating. It looks like she may not need a transplant after all.
__________________ Joann - old enough to know better
You don't have to see the whole staircase,
just take the first step.
Martin Luther King, Jr.
You ask people why they have deer heads on the wall. They always say, "Because it's such a beautiful animal." There you go. I think my mother's attractive, but I have photographs of her.
Ellen DeGeneres
Awww eva! (hug) right back to you
Thanks cysters. That is really amazing and awesome that your friend didn't have to have the transplant - that is great.
I will check into the Milk Thistle tomorrow, sounds like it is worth a try.
Of course not - docs don't believe in the alternative route, at least docs in Cali lol, many just doll out the pills for whatever ails you, when there are alternative remedies with 1/2 the side effects of pharmaceuticals.
My liver has really gotten the brunt of my unhealthy lifestyle over the last 10 years, as well as from the numerous medications - the ones I abused and the ones I didn't, and of course, gaining a lot of weight.
In the last two weeks, I have learned more about my body than ever and thanks to SC, I don't think I would ever be making the changes that I am, it amazes me. I can only hope for the best with this and hope I can do everything possible to start repairing my liver.
Anyway, thanks you two, I will know the 're - check' of the lliver enzymes next week.
BTW Om - was your friend having a lot of pain around her liver, or was it more unnoticeable due to the Hep C? The thing that gets me is that my doc was going to do a Hep panel, but when I told her I was taking that Tylenol for a few days in a row, she just rechecked the enzymes, so I don't know.
She found she had Hep C because she was feeling like crap and had a lot of pain where her liver is. She had no idea at the time that it was her liver, she just kept complaining that her side hurt. She almost died and it was very scary. She blew up and turned yellow. She is very petite and thin and had to wear maternity clothes because her liver was so enlarged and her gut was full of fluid. She wasn't strong enough for the transplant or even the Hep C treatment.
We are in So Cal also and her doc is the one her told her to go home, stay off of her feet and drink water, take vitamins and Milk Thistle. He was afraid she would bleed out if they did surgery so it was her only option. She was in a lot of pain but didn't take anything. She just called me 15 times a day and complained. And, I'm not kidding about the 15 phone calls a day! That was in late February and she looks normal and feels almost normal. She finally had a liver biopsy done on Thursday and we are waiting for the results. I am hoping she doesn't need a transplant for 2 reasons, I don't want her to have to go through that and I have been pegged as the donor so I don't want to have to do through that!
Many times you can regenerate your liver if you take the Milk Thistle. It really is amazing. So many of my patients use it and look so different within a few weeks.
She drank WAY TOO much for about a year and has been sober for a couple of years but she has no idea how she got Hep C as she doesn't have any risk factors. So, no more alcohol or tylenol for her. They told her in March if she had one drink or took ONE tylenol, it would be enough to kill her.
I'd get tested for Hep just to be sure. And, I'd also take the Milk Thistle. Just don't take the one that is made with alcohol.
Good luck.
__________________ Joann - old enough to know better
You don't have to see the whole staircase,
just take the first step.
Martin Luther King, Jr.
You ask people why they have deer heads on the wall. They always say, "Because it's such a beautiful animal." There you go. I think my mother's attractive, but I have photographs of her.
Ellen DeGeneres
Holy cow! That is amazing, poor thing. I hope things go well with her!
This milk thistle sounds great and I am off tomorrow to get it and start taking it. My abdomen is very bloated and you hit the nail on the head - I feel like there is free floating fluid in there, not my normal belly. Burning.
Thanks so much, if it continues, I am calling my doc first thing Monday.
What I'm noticing is that all day it was ok - then after I took my walk, drank this fiber again for the third time, the pain started, and I just don't take anything for it, except the Naproxen PRN, which doesn't do much. I'm also noticing spasms in the front and back near my liver now, I'm not yellow.
I need to be telling my doc all this.
Thanks again.
Quote:
Originally Posted by OmShantiOm
She found she had Hep C because she was feeling like crap and had a lot of pain where her liver is. She had no idea at the time that it was her liver, she just kept complaining that her side hurt. She almost died and it was very scary. She blew up and turned yellow. She is very petite and thin and had to wear maternity clothes because her liver was so enlarged and her gut was full of fluid. She wasn't strong enough for the transplant or even the Hep C treatment.
Good luck.
OmShantiOm-
Hi! I was curious to know what you do since you mentioned your patients and seem to know stuff about livers! I was wondering if you know if you can have other problems with your liver even though your LFTs are normal. The only thing that is raised on me is my indirect bilirubin, and it is just slightly raised. I have Celiac (gluten intolerance) and have had my gallbladder removed and have had a stone in my bile duct after it was removed. I'm currently having pains under my right rib cage that go around to my back, but, with normal LFTs, I'm just not sure if I need to ask about any other testing. My main concern is Primary Biliary Cirrohsis since that can go along with Celiac, but, again...just hoping I don't need to worry about that since all I have is the pain but normal LFTs. And...if you don't know anything about this...sorry about my rambling!! Hope you are doing "ok" and your friend does well so you don't get pegged as the donor!!! I do have a book by Dr. Cabot, think it is called something like "Learning to Love your Liver" which is very good.
Surrendered Cyster -
Hiya! I hope that your pains are subsiding today and you are feeling a little better! I noticed that you are on a no wheat diet and was wondering if you also have Celiac and are avoiding all gluten, or is it just wheat. People with Celiac often have elevated liver enzymes that get better when they go on a gluten free diet. Gluten is found in wheat, rye, and barley, and a lot of people avoid oats, too, due to cross contamination. I realize this may not have anything to do with what is going on with you, but thought I would mention it!! Take care!
Lisa
__________________ Lisa - age 39, gallbladder surgery 5/03; lap for Endometriosis 7/03; Hysterectomy 9/03 (uterus only); Celiac 4/04; PCOS; horrible return of the Endometriosis beast in 01/06
I agree with OmShantiOm with getting the Milk Thistle and taking it, my dad was in need of a Liver Transplant and he finally started taking some Milk Thistle and it did help some, but it kept him out of the hospital also. He was taking a few different herbs for the Liver I will get the list and post it after I find it but I know that the Milk Thistle is a really good one for the liver. Are you on Metformin or Glucophage?
Lisa - I probably am not staying away from wheat as much as I need to. I do about 90% of the time. Wheat gluten does make me ill if I eat a lot of it. I am still learning about what I can and cannot eat. Thanks for the reference.
Wendy - I started the MilkThistle tonight, thank God, see what happens. It seems this milk thistle is also good for colitis, chest pain, and acts as a mild laxative effect, only time will tell. I got the alcohol - free, 175mg capsules Standardized milk thistle.
Surrendered Cyster -
If you do already know that gluten bothers you, you may want to check into getting bloodwork done to see if you have Celiac. Some people with it have lots of GI symptoms, but there can be such a variety of symptoms (non-gi) that doctors often miss it. The thing with Celiac is that unless you are 100% gluten-free, you can still be doing damage to your body and the damage can be occurring even if you are not noticing GI symptoms. Since you are in CA, there is a great lab out there, Prometheus Labs that is supposed to be one of the best in the country for diagnosing it. You can do a serology to see if you currently have it or the genetic test to see if you have one of the two main genes associated with it (or both). The only problem is that you have to be consuming a certain amount of gluten for the antibodies to show up positive, so it may not be accurate if you are not eating enough gluten. With Celiac, it is also rye and barley that you have to stay away from in addition to wheat, so if you are still eating those, you might have enough in you. And, of course, this suggestion could be way off base, but I just thought I should mention it!! You can find lots of good info at www.gluten.net and lots of other Celiac websites. I do hope you are feeling better soon and that the Milk Thistle helps!! Take care,
Lisa
__________________ Lisa - age 39, gallbladder surgery 5/03; lap for Endometriosis 7/03; Hysterectomy 9/03 (uterus only); Celiac 4/04; PCOS; horrible return of the Endometriosis beast in 01/06
i was slightly jaundiced with my diseased gallbladder.
Quote:
Jaundice (yellow discolouration of the skin and whites of eyes)
This is caused when there is an obstruction to the flow of bile from the liver. Jaundice is not always caused by gallstones. The symptoms are:
* increasingly yellow eyes and skin.
* the skin can become itchy.
* pale bowel motions and dark urine.
* the condition is often preceded by symptoms similar to those of cholecystitis.
* fever and shaking chills are serious symptoms and must be treated by a doctor - they are suggestive of infection travelling through the bile duct system.
Here are some herbs you might want to look into or atleast read about, they all help the liver. Milk Thistle, Dandelion Root, Ginger, Burdock, Licorice, Schisandra. My Dad took Milk Thistle and Dandelion Root and LIV52 all the time. Look into buying some Liv52. It has alot in it and it is very good for the Liver. Like I said my Dad was a very sick guy and he started the herbs to give it a shot and it did help him out some and keep him out of the hospital because he was going in all the time, He needed a Liver/Kidney Transplant he wasn't able to get one his liver and kidneys got to bad and passed last year. But I know that the herbs seem to help him.
Thank you so much ladies for the info. I am going to call Prometheus labs tomorrow, not sure where it is here. Thank you Lisa for posting all that info. I'm not eating any rye or barley, and little wheat.
Hi mix, not having any yellowing, which is a good thing, my abdomen is just bloated, like there's fluid in there. Very rare for me. Thanks so much for posting that link, I have looked up a lot on ELE, and the liver in general.
Thanks Wendy for the herb suggestions. (hugs) I'm so sorry you lost your dad. I got started on the Milk Thistle last night, makes my heart race, but that could be the anxiety, got a lot lately - no wonder. lol I bet WF has Liv52. I'll check.
**BTW, my insurance approved the PET scan, they want me to call tomorrow for an appt. I have to say, I am very scared of this, but I am grateful my insurance covered it - that is a surprise. By the sounds of it, it does not sound fun at all. This is a slow process, but my body is also adjusting to MANY new things in the last two weeks. I go full force with stuff.
Patty, I asked my doc about EBV, and she said there is really no test for it (?) I am truly at my wits end.
Please help.
What a doctor dork!
The EBV test is simple and can be drawn at any clinic. The test will only show whether or not you have the markers for EBV. It can show if it was current or in the past. Most adults have the markers by around age 30.
Most show no signs of the disease at all. Everyone can be a carrier.
There is no cure or treatment other than treating your symptoms.(Cough,cold like symptoms,sore throat)
On a few very rare occasions, a person can have a relasp of it(typically as Mono like symptoms). You can feel ill for months at a time. Most will test positive for strep throat. Another common symptom is a cronic cough in the first month that just doesn't want to go away. You can even have symptoms that effect your imune system for up to 12-24 months!!
When did you start the fiber therapy?
My husband had to stop his(and his vitamins) because it made his acid refux disease worse.
It caused stomach pain/bloating, difficulty/pain with bowel movements,even chest pains due to the bloating.(heart problem was ruled out)
Fiber is supose to be a laxitive...but acts like a binder for many.
Lack of proper diet and liquids can cause serious problems. You can even develope an impacked bowel.
I hope you feel better soon,
Patty
__________________ Endometriosis (Infertility Cause)
Andnomyosis (Infertility/Miscarry Cause)
Fibroid tummores(One reason for Non stop AF)
Tubal ligation syndrome(Sister of PCOS)
Check this link out for more information!!
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
Liver really messed up and sore 
