sassylassy40
10-05-2006, 12:07 AM
Hi again not many replys to last post like none lol.But wanted to ask i found out that sept of 2005 my alp was 170 with severe itching exspecially in back of head for some reason.now its severe pain under right rib almost like when i had gallbladder attacks , severe itching but now alp is 183 . i got tuesday he is going to order an ultrasound. should i worry i am already sick with a multitude of problems.
And is ultrasound of the liver like 1 of being pregnant?
And is ultrasound of the liver like 1 of being pregnant?
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danielm
10-05-2006, 08:26 PM
Hi Sassylassy. Sorry you didn't get any replies before, but I thought I'd pipe in this time and give you some feedback from personal experience.
The pain under the right rib is the region of both your liver and gall bladder. I've had gall bladder attacks before (and since had my gall bladder removed) as well as fatty liver disease (which I am in the process of recovering from now). Both can and do cause pain in that same area.
Gall bladder attacks generally are sharper and often follow eating fatty foods (although not always). Liver problems are usually more dull in the ache, but remain pretty constant with the occasional spike.
The itching you have described may or may not be related, but if it is, it's usually related to liver. If your liver is having some issues, it can bring on many different symptoms (mostly unpleasant). I've had nausea, dizzyness, stomach cramping/constapation, tan coloured stools, dark urine, sleep issues and the occasional headache as well as the odd itch. Yeah, a sick liver can do all that and more!
The Ultrasound is just like the one you get when you're pregnant, except they'll naturally focus on the area in and around your liver. If you still have your gall bladder, this is actually a good first step because they can tell pretty quickly what's causing the problem. As both gall stones and liver inflamation will show up on an ultra sound.
Once your GI has done this, they may need to do an Abdominal CT to confirm any findings and/or an MRI. Depending of course on what they find.
If you can perhaps provide a little more background on your situation and perhaps list more of your symptoms I might be able to give you some more advice?
Cheers and best wishes!
The pain under the right rib is the region of both your liver and gall bladder. I've had gall bladder attacks before (and since had my gall bladder removed) as well as fatty liver disease (which I am in the process of recovering from now). Both can and do cause pain in that same area.
Gall bladder attacks generally are sharper and often follow eating fatty foods (although not always). Liver problems are usually more dull in the ache, but remain pretty constant with the occasional spike.
The itching you have described may or may not be related, but if it is, it's usually related to liver. If your liver is having some issues, it can bring on many different symptoms (mostly unpleasant). I've had nausea, dizzyness, stomach cramping/constapation, tan coloured stools, dark urine, sleep issues and the occasional headache as well as the odd itch. Yeah, a sick liver can do all that and more!
The Ultrasound is just like the one you get when you're pregnant, except they'll naturally focus on the area in and around your liver. If you still have your gall bladder, this is actually a good first step because they can tell pretty quickly what's causing the problem. As both gall stones and liver inflamation will show up on an ultra sound.
Once your GI has done this, they may need to do an Abdominal CT to confirm any findings and/or an MRI. Depending of course on what they find.
If you can perhaps provide a little more background on your situation and perhaps list more of your symptoms I might be able to give you some more advice?
Cheers and best wishes!
sassylassy40
10-06-2006, 12:39 AM
Hi there,
thanks for responding it means alot to me.I have pernicious anemia, hypothyroidsim,pn due to nerve damage, severe pain, arthritis, degerative disc disease, irritable bowel syndrome, now my other vitamins are messing up.
I am on lipitor,loritabs,acephex,synthroid,albut erol. I quit smoking a year ago.
Last oct my alp was 170 next time 168 then now it was 183.
I am so tired of being sick, i dont want to give up but its getting bad, i have enlarged heart.on left side .Gall bladder is gone, appendix ,hysterectomy.god bless ya. its nice to talk went your nervous.
thanks for responding it means alot to me.I have pernicious anemia, hypothyroidsim,pn due to nerve damage, severe pain, arthritis, degerative disc disease, irritable bowel syndrome, now my other vitamins are messing up.
I am on lipitor,loritabs,acephex,synthroid,albut erol. I quit smoking a year ago.
Last oct my alp was 170 next time 168 then now it was 183.
I am so tired of being sick, i dont want to give up but its getting bad, i have enlarged heart.on left side .Gall bladder is gone, appendix ,hysterectomy.god bless ya. its nice to talk went your nervous.
kmacdona
10-06-2006, 01:55 AM
Are you sure the lab test done was ALP or was it ALT? ALP is Alkaline Phosphatase. If you meant ALT it could be raised because of the enlarged heart.
gudewan
10-06-2006, 01:21 PM
Hi, just wanted to say my husband has high ALP too, along with ALT and AST. Luckliy no others symptoms, but when he was recovering from his unknown illness, he did go through an itchy phase. Are you jaudice at all? His itchy-ness diminshed with the jaudice.
He was on Crestor right before he was ill, and has been off of it since. I am concerned that you maybe giving your liver and galbladder alot to deal with, making your syptoms worse. These have to process the cholesterol and fats you eat, even more so with the cholesterol meds, so the less of these things you take in, the less your body has to work on - and more engery can go into healing. Eating lots of fats and cholesterol and expecting your organs and meds to "just deal" with it AND heal is spreading your body pretty thin.
Here are a few articles that have given us a lot of prespective:
http://www.newstarget.com/008310.html
http://www.newstarget.com/001505.html
http://www.newstarget.com/002692.html
I like this guy.
He was on Crestor right before he was ill, and has been off of it since. I am concerned that you maybe giving your liver and galbladder alot to deal with, making your syptoms worse. These have to process the cholesterol and fats you eat, even more so with the cholesterol meds, so the less of these things you take in, the less your body has to work on - and more engery can go into healing. Eating lots of fats and cholesterol and expecting your organs and meds to "just deal" with it AND heal is spreading your body pretty thin.
Here are a few articles that have given us a lot of prespective:
http://www.newstarget.com/008310.html
http://www.newstarget.com/001505.html
http://www.newstarget.com/002692.html
I like this guy.
sassylassy40
10-07-2006, 12:30 AM
hi there,
yes it was my alkaline phospates , And last year when the itching started it would come and go, thought well maybe dry skin , now its all the time and head alot, ps even checked for head lice its so bad.I am a little jaundace but cant really tell cause im sorta brown from sun.My eyes stay discolored all the time. I go tuesday to see whats up with it. The itching now has gotten so bad my scalp is very very sore .just the back of the head.
I know i cannot lay on right side when i sleep its to tender.God bless
yes it was my alkaline phospates , And last year when the itching started it would come and go, thought well maybe dry skin , now its all the time and head alot, ps even checked for head lice its so bad.I am a little jaundace but cant really tell cause im sorta brown from sun.My eyes stay discolored all the time. I go tuesday to see whats up with it. The itching now has gotten so bad my scalp is very very sore .just the back of the head.
I know i cannot lay on right side when i sleep its to tender.God bless
kmacdona
10-07-2006, 03:30 AM
The itching and jaundice are from the bilirubin in your blood. There is no clinical way to remove this. The doc will be able to give you something for the itching but it won't stop it. There's not much docs can do but help relieve the symptoms. Have you been diagnosed yet?
MaC
MaC
sassylassy40
10-07-2006, 09:08 PM
Hi there,
I found out tuesday to see what he is going to do about it, i can almost deal with the pain on side its the itching thats driving me nuts.
Can this make vision mess up on occasions?
I found out tuesday to see what he is going to do about it, i can almost deal with the pain on side its the itching thats driving me nuts.
Can this make vision mess up on occasions?
kmacdona
10-08-2006, 08:36 AM
Yes. But it should be temporary. It sounds alot like your liver. The itching is most likely from that. Ask your doctor to have you refered to a hepatologist. (liver speacialist) At first, they won't want to do this because doctors all think their smart but they are not that smart and they are not all specialized on the liver. The liver does a billion and one things for us. And when it gets hurt, we feel it.
MAC
MAC
danielm
10-08-2006, 09:05 PM
Yeah, I agree. That definitely sounds liver related to me too.
I have had tenderness on my right side for some time which definitely interferes with my sleeping patterns. I often wake up because I sleep on my right side a lot and the discomfort wakes you up, even when you're on meds to help you sleep!
I have also had a slight blurryness on my vision and a little dizzyness which comes and goes too.
The only thing I have been diagnosed with so far is a fatty liver, and I've had quite a few tests to rule out other possibilities (3 CTs, Bloods, Upper Endo, Ultrasound, Xray, Stool/Urine sampling etc etc). A sick liver can cause all sorts of weird things to happen to your body, so don't fret too much, you're not in this boat alone.
Your GP can order blood work and an ultrasound to check your liver. That is what they should be doing right now. If they notice inflammation and raised liver levels they really should then refer you on to a heptologist who can order more specific tests and give you a more definitive diagnosis. Liver issues can come from many different sources, although fat infiltration is a very common cause.
For me, I've had my diagnosis for about 3 months now and have been on a strict zero fat and low sugar diet with plenty of fruit and veg and regular exercise. I also take vitamin supplements including Milk Thistle which really really does help if you have a sick liver.
I was a lot worse 6 weeks ago than what I was now and I am feeling better each day. Your liver is a miracle in that it can heal itself if you adjust your lifestyle, but you need good medical advice and support to do it (and you also need to catch problems early as well before any permanent damage is done). Whilst the symptoms can be irritating and terribly worrying, you can get good help and recover. Just stay positive and be proactive with your medical care. Get referrals to specialists and get good advice.
Best of luck to you and god bless.
I have had tenderness on my right side for some time which definitely interferes with my sleeping patterns. I often wake up because I sleep on my right side a lot and the discomfort wakes you up, even when you're on meds to help you sleep!
I have also had a slight blurryness on my vision and a little dizzyness which comes and goes too.
The only thing I have been diagnosed with so far is a fatty liver, and I've had quite a few tests to rule out other possibilities (3 CTs, Bloods, Upper Endo, Ultrasound, Xray, Stool/Urine sampling etc etc). A sick liver can cause all sorts of weird things to happen to your body, so don't fret too much, you're not in this boat alone.
Your GP can order blood work and an ultrasound to check your liver. That is what they should be doing right now. If they notice inflammation and raised liver levels they really should then refer you on to a heptologist who can order more specific tests and give you a more definitive diagnosis. Liver issues can come from many different sources, although fat infiltration is a very common cause.
For me, I've had my diagnosis for about 3 months now and have been on a strict zero fat and low sugar diet with plenty of fruit and veg and regular exercise. I also take vitamin supplements including Milk Thistle which really really does help if you have a sick liver.
I was a lot worse 6 weeks ago than what I was now and I am feeling better each day. Your liver is a miracle in that it can heal itself if you adjust your lifestyle, but you need good medical advice and support to do it (and you also need to catch problems early as well before any permanent damage is done). Whilst the symptoms can be irritating and terribly worrying, you can get good help and recover. Just stay positive and be proactive with your medical care. Get referrals to specialists and get good advice.
Best of luck to you and god bless.
sassylassy40
10-08-2006, 09:32 PM
Thanks, so much,
To be honest ive been threw alot but this liver scares me more then anything i think, it seems to cause me alot more stress on body then other things.
He is suppose to order a ultrasound when i see him tuesday. I am now getting nauseated, and lightheaded a little. ill let you all know thanks so much. until someone knows what your going threw they really dont understand.
god speed
To be honest ive been threw alot but this liver scares me more then anything i think, it seems to cause me alot more stress on body then other things.
He is suppose to order a ultrasound when i see him tuesday. I am now getting nauseated, and lightheaded a little. ill let you all know thanks so much. until someone knows what your going threw they really dont understand.
god speed
danielm
10-09-2006, 02:56 AM
Oh absolutely I know what you mean! I had nausea since I was first diagnosed 3 months ago and you feel horrible all the time. I remember even laying awake and night and unable to get to sleep because of it and even avoiding food for days at a stretch (and getting headaches, light headed, dizzy etc etc), but it's hard to want to eat when you feel like you want to throw up all the time! I know all too well what you mean there!
You are definitely right about the stress it puts on the body. I never realised how sick you can get until my liver started going downhill. There's so many complications it scares the crap out of you, it's not like getting a tummy bug or a cold as you know!
The best thing you can do is get the medical advice and a clear diagnosis early. I remember they found my fatty liver pretty early (from the first ultrasound in fact), but because I had so many other symptoms they were worried something else was going on and I went through the stress of endless tests, each coming up negative. But as these tests were going on I started on treatment for what they had diagnosed and slowly, but surely, I'm actually getting better.
I still get symptoms, but nothing like before and when you start to feel a little better day by day, you get more positive about the outcome. Just having someone who's been through the experience to talk with can really, really help you get through it and take away a lot of the fear factor that's involved so don't be afraid to talk about what you're going through, it definitely has helped me.
Just make sure you get that referral for the ultrasound when you see your doctor next as it will give you some quick feedback, whilst being non evasive. The fact you report side pain screams to me inflamation of the liver and an ultrasound will confirm that pretty quickly.
Be sure to let us know how you go!
:angel:
You are definitely right about the stress it puts on the body. I never realised how sick you can get until my liver started going downhill. There's so many complications it scares the crap out of you, it's not like getting a tummy bug or a cold as you know!
The best thing you can do is get the medical advice and a clear diagnosis early. I remember they found my fatty liver pretty early (from the first ultrasound in fact), but because I had so many other symptoms they were worried something else was going on and I went through the stress of endless tests, each coming up negative. But as these tests were going on I started on treatment for what they had diagnosed and slowly, but surely, I'm actually getting better.
I still get symptoms, but nothing like before and when you start to feel a little better day by day, you get more positive about the outcome. Just having someone who's been through the experience to talk with can really, really help you get through it and take away a lot of the fear factor that's involved so don't be afraid to talk about what you're going through, it definitely has helped me.
Just make sure you get that referral for the ultrasound when you see your doctor next as it will give you some quick feedback, whilst being non evasive. The fact you report side pain screams to me inflamation of the liver and an ultrasound will confirm that pretty quickly.
Be sure to let us know how you go!
:angel:
sassylassy40
10-12-2006, 03:47 PM
Hi there,
Went do doc tuesday the 9th and they couldnt get my blood in niether arm tried 4 times.They were going to do the blood work that hospital wanted before i had ct scan on abdomen and pelvis and something else lol forgot what it was.But Anyhow last night had to drink some mixture that i picked up at hospital(mixed it with water).Had to drink 32 ounces all together but 8 ounces last night some 45 minutes before scan and then 30 minutes before scan thought my bladder was going to blow lol.Well i had it done and tech said it would be to doc within 24 to 48 hours.The needle in there is a pain in butt thought i was going to use bathroom again lol i half to laugh a little or would be crying .
Thanks all for talking it does help.
god bless.
Went do doc tuesday the 9th and they couldnt get my blood in niether arm tried 4 times.They were going to do the blood work that hospital wanted before i had ct scan on abdomen and pelvis and something else lol forgot what it was.But Anyhow last night had to drink some mixture that i picked up at hospital(mixed it with water).Had to drink 32 ounces all together but 8 ounces last night some 45 minutes before scan and then 30 minutes before scan thought my bladder was going to blow lol.Well i had it done and tech said it would be to doc within 24 to 48 hours.The needle in there is a pain in butt thought i was going to use bathroom again lol i half to laugh a little or would be crying .
Thanks all for talking it does help.
god bless.
danielm
10-12-2006, 07:17 PM
Yeah, it definitely does.
I assume the drink was one to help with clarity in the CT? I had that as well as an iodine solution in the arm when I had mine done. It's really no big deal and the procedure is quite painless.
Drawing bloods would really help as it's a very common way to measure your liver activity. You must be like me and have small veins. I've had a few issues with them drawing blood before too :)
Well the CT is a good place to start anyway as if your liver is inflamed, it will show up for sure. Also, if you have stones in your gall bladder, it will also show up quite distinctly too. The other benefit of an abdo CT is that they can also check your other organs while they do it (like kidneys) to rule out other possible issues.
Hang in there and see how you go with the results. I know it's agony waiting for them and your mind will wander a lot until you can get a pinpoint reason for what's going on with you, but you'll get there. Stay positive and keep your mind occupied in the meantime and wait until you get the results!
Best wishes!
I assume the drink was one to help with clarity in the CT? I had that as well as an iodine solution in the arm when I had mine done. It's really no big deal and the procedure is quite painless.
Drawing bloods would really help as it's a very common way to measure your liver activity. You must be like me and have small veins. I've had a few issues with them drawing blood before too :)
Well the CT is a good place to start anyway as if your liver is inflamed, it will show up for sure. Also, if you have stones in your gall bladder, it will also show up quite distinctly too. The other benefit of an abdo CT is that they can also check your other organs while they do it (like kidneys) to rule out other possible issues.
Hang in there and see how you go with the results. I know it's agony waiting for them and your mind will wander a lot until you can get a pinpoint reason for what's going on with you, but you'll get there. Stay positive and keep your mind occupied in the meantime and wait until you get the results!
Best wishes!
sassylassy40
10-13-2006, 03:09 AM
Hey all,
the cat scan went as normal wont find out for 24 to 48 hours, and yea the waiting is killlllllling me lol.
But i wanted to ask a question, I have never had trouble them finding my veins before but for the last 2 times and plus hospital they couldnt get my viens to stay up they either collapsed or couldnt find one but finally a man got it out of top of hand today.What causes that any ideas?Ps i havent a gall bladder, appendix, and i had a total hysterectomy.god speed
the cat scan went as normal wont find out for 24 to 48 hours, and yea the waiting is killlllllling me lol.
But i wanted to ask a question, I have never had trouble them finding my veins before but for the last 2 times and plus hospital they couldnt get my viens to stay up they either collapsed or couldnt find one but finally a man got it out of top of hand today.What causes that any ideas?Ps i havent a gall bladder, appendix, and i had a total hysterectomy.god speed
kmacdona
10-13-2006, 03:34 AM
It could be from inexperience of the nurse or lab tech. And after so many punctures your vein tends to shrivel up, which makes it harder. Ask for the butterfly needle next time. (Ithink this is the term?) Lab techs know what this is. I think it's a smaller needle they use when it's hard to find the vein or after they have taken many blood samples. Any lab techs out there with suggestions or comments?
mac
mac