housemum
11-15-2004, 08:19 PM
What does that mean?
My dh has had very high liver enzymes and was told its probably fatty liver, well he lost some weight, but now has terrible itching. The Dr. said it could have something to do with his liver. Why?
Also they might do a liver biopsy, and I'm wondering what that entails.
He seems fine about it all, but I'm getting worried it could be something very serious. He doesn't drink, but does take dilantin for Epilepsy.
Any info would be appreciated.....so many here seem so knowledgable about medical things.
Thanks
My dh has had very high liver enzymes and was told its probably fatty liver, well he lost some weight, but now has terrible itching. The Dr. said it could have something to do with his liver. Why?
Also they might do a liver biopsy, and I'm wondering what that entails.
He seems fine about it all, but I'm getting worried it could be something very serious. He doesn't drink, but does take dilantin for Epilepsy.
Any info would be appreciated.....so many here seem so knowledgable about medical things.
Thanks
Sponsor
vamp36
11-16-2004, 10:39 AM
WHen I started to get sick with my liver, I itched like crazy!!! I could not see anything though like a rash. It was excess bilirubin that causes the itching. After awhile my eyes started to turn yellow. Then my skin. I have Autoimmune Hep. My immune system is attacking my liver. But normally, the itching from a liver problem is by to much bilirubin in the body. THe liver biopsy is an easy procedure. They use needles and like an ultrasound guide to go into the liver and take out a biopsy. Then the patient must lay in recovery for several hours to prevent bleeding. The patient is usually sedated. Good luck to you
butterflytrans
11-18-2004, 01:46 AM
Good points from vamp36; Has your dh had any jaundice at all? Usually the itching will stop if there is a reversible cause of the liver problem. If there isn't, there are a few medications which can be given to help control the itching, and these include:
Atarax (hydroxyzine), Benadryl (diphenhydrinate) and Questran (cholestyramine).
Atarax (hydroxyzine), Benadryl (diphenhydrinate) and Questran (cholestyramine).
Morrow
12-27-2004, 11:30 PM
I had a liver biopsy done a year or more ago and was diagnosed with Non-Alcoholic-Fatty-Liver-Disease. I had thought from some testing done about 12 or 13 years ago that it was more like a congenetal problem causing chronic hepetitis (not the catching kind). My doctor says the only "cure" is to keep my diabetes under control. I have recently discovered that I have gall stones and am having the GB removed in a couple of days..
To get "on-topic" .. the thing that prompted me to post here is the comments about itching.. my back constantly itches.. sometimes worse than other times.. it is REALLY annoying and drives me crazy. I thought I had read somewhere that it had to do with the liver but am glad to see here that that might indeed be the case.. I am sure that the gall problems have affected the liver... so I am going to be glad to get this gall bladder taken out and be rid of pain that I have been experiencing (ended up in the ER once which is what led us to discover the problem)
I will keep in mind the meds suggested and if the problem continues I can inquire of my physician.
thanks
To get "on-topic" .. the thing that prompted me to post here is the comments about itching.. my back constantly itches.. sometimes worse than other times.. it is REALLY annoying and drives me crazy. I thought I had read somewhere that it had to do with the liver but am glad to see here that that might indeed be the case.. I am sure that the gall problems have affected the liver... so I am going to be glad to get this gall bladder taken out and be rid of pain that I have been experiencing (ended up in the ER once which is what led us to discover the problem)
I will keep in mind the meds suggested and if the problem continues I can inquire of my physician.
thanks
butterflytrans
12-28-2004, 02:05 AM
Hey Morrowcoteacher,
If you have NAFLD, your doctor is totally right, the two ways you can keep the disease under control is to control your weight and watch your diabetes. The gall bladder thing is a separate issue. It might have been a factor in the itching--that is usually a result of some blockage in the liver and the backing up of the liver's products (i.e. conjugated bilirubin) in to the bloodstream where it normally isn't in high concentrations. You may notice that your urine is a little more dark than usual, and you MAY be jaundiced, but aside from all this, people usually notice the itching first. I have named three drugs above that can often help with the itching.
If you have NAFLD, your doctor is totally right, the two ways you can keep the disease under control is to control your weight and watch your diabetes. The gall bladder thing is a separate issue. It might have been a factor in the itching--that is usually a result of some blockage in the liver and the backing up of the liver's products (i.e. conjugated bilirubin) in to the bloodstream where it normally isn't in high concentrations. You may notice that your urine is a little more dark than usual, and you MAY be jaundiced, but aside from all this, people usually notice the itching first. I have named three drugs above that can often help with the itching.
yawningdog
12-28-2004, 10:21 PM
I am just recovering from a bad case of jaundice and I have to say the itchiness was the worse part. My feet were the worse. It would wake me up at night and me shaking the bed trying to scratch my feet bloody was waking up my husband and the dogs. The medical term is puritus. It means itching without an outside source. It is caused by the bile salts building up in the blood stream. In my case, my liver shut down due to a prescription med for a unirary tract infection. That was October and my liver number are just getting back to normal. The bile that the liver would normally send through the gallbladder into the stomach ends up in your blood and in your urine. (thats what turns the urine dark and your skin yellow) There isn't much they can do for the itching, I only found one medicine on the net that is prescribed for colestral lowering but it seems to clean out bile salts as well. I didn't try it myself, though. Heat will make the itching worse. Taking a shower was bad, and washing dishes impossible. The warm water makes the blood rush to the skin and the itching is unbearable. Also you will notice that 'pressure' points will itch when the pressure is removed. Like your back itching when you stand up. I lost a lot of weight with this so my jeans hung on my hips and that started the itching there. Feet and hands are worse at night and I don't have a theory on that.
butterflytrans
12-29-2004, 12:21 AM
Questran (or cholestryamine) is the drug that is used for pruritis associated with cholestatic disorders. A lot of people think the itching associated with jaundice is not actually due to bile salts being deposited in the skin, because cholestyramine (which binds bile salts) doesn't work as well as one would think. There, however, is something IN the bile which is not being eliminated through normal bile flow which is causing this problem. There is a drug called rifampin which is most often used to treat tuberculosis which seems to have benefit in the itching associated with liver disease.
tazmanial
03-10-2005, 11:14 AM
I too have been diagnosed with NASH, and I have recently started to have itching spells more often than in the past. I am also experiencing blood in my stool, along with a darker yellow in my urine. I also have chronic fatique, disorientation at times, and pain throughout my body. I am wondering if this is the latter stages before a transplant is required? I am due to go back to my Dr. in two months. Any suggestions or info for me? :angel:
Georgette
03-11-2005, 09:16 AM
I seem to be itchy all the time. No rash or anything, just itchy. Sometimes I feel itchy but I can’t quite figure out where (sounds weird, I know!). I have had chronic stomach problems for about three years, and an ultrasound that I had done about two months ago showed that I have the amount of fat on my liver that you would expect to see on an overweight person (I am only 5’5”, 120lbs). Could there be a connection? My GP is sending me to a gastroenterologist who also specializes in hepatology, but that isn’t until April 5.
fally
05-05-2005, 08:08 PM
last january i started itching also. after a m.r.i. a tumor was found in my bile duct just below my liver. my blood work was bilirubin total was 2.99, alkaline phosphatase 268, ast 98, alt 605, i had surgery 4-9-2004. and thank god everything is great now. i went for chemo and radiation for 3 months.