symptomes of high bilirubin

[rexx73]

hello everbody,

i know that when the bilirubin gets high usual jaundice and itching occurs.
since i have no jaundice and itching i wonder if the feeling of small hot needle sticks everywhere could be a symptom of high bilirubin alltough no jaundice is visible.

its a feeling like all my skin is very sensitive and hurting like decribed above.
pain in liver area is also present when i have these symptoms.
my bilirubin end of december was 16 ummol.but i guess it goes up and down,since in summer it was 28 then 22 then 24 and now 16.
i would like to know from people who have bilirubin above 34 ummol/2 mg/dl

thanks for answers
Marc

[fntn]

Forgot to mention that my liver is of average size and looks normal in MRI scans (I think you were wondering about that in a previous post). F3 was confirmed by biopsy.

[fntn]

Hi Rexx -

I'm a fellow F3're like yourself but of a different flavor. I have PSC and ICC. My last platelet level was 207, inr was 1.1 and albumin was 4.9. Unfortunately my alt/ast levels are bouncing around a bit but never get past slightly elevated. My alp and bilirubin do vary quite a bit more due to the PSC but usually my bilirubin remains below 1.0 mg/dl. I do have portal hypertension due to my bile ducts in the portal tracts getting beat up by the PSC ... the portal veins are collateral damage in the fibrosis pattern. The portal hypertension isn't clinical significant though since my platelet count remains relatively normal and I have no varices at all. I do have an enlarged spleen.

I'm not nauseous at all and eat pretty much anything I want. I get some numbness in my legs and feet. Normally sleep very well. I could certainly do without the cancer of course but I remain active otherwise.

[rexx73]

thanks for writing.
well my recent labs are about the same as they where one year ago,also us reports and fibroscan.
I had some increased bilirubin last summer but my latest results are normal again,although upper norm limit,inr was 1.0 platelets 210 ,ast alt in the middle norm,albumin was 45.
I really hope they can find out what's going on with me.next monday I have my appointment to discuss the MRI results,wednesday is my 6 monthly hcc screen.
I just feel so sick and I believe its my liver,but no one is believe me.
Marc

[ceanothus]

Do try to prepare yourself for the (strong) possibility that your MRI results will be good. I know you don't feel well but so far all your actual tests keep being good and I think there is a strong possibility that your liver is doing just great and something else is making you feel ill, or that it really takes some people a very long time to feel better after achieving SVR. My own progress has been way slower than most, and has been further slowed by multiple joint replacement surgeries,but it does keep progressing by small amounts.  I just had my annual physical (not liver) and when my doctor read back her notes on how I said I was feeling one year earlier that progress really was very apparent. Maybe you are just watching yourself a little too closely and need to step back a little. Can you compare your current status with any note from  a whole year ago and see some real movement one way or another? Wishing you well!

[rexx73]

thanks for writing.
i had my MRI last thursday but i have to wait 2 weeks to discuss the results with both my gastro and hepatologist at the tp center.
iam quite nervous about the reults but its better to know than to be in denial of whats happen.
Marc

[Advocate1955]

Hi Marc,
So glad to hear that your bilirubin and other test results are normal.  Have you received the results of your MRI yet?  Hopefully that will be normal as well.
Best wishes,
Advocate1955

[HectorSF]

According to your recent blood test you have a normal bilirubin level now. So you don't have a high bilirubin level.
Secondly, "the feeling of small hot needle sticks everywhere" is not a symptom of high bilirubin or a symptom/complication of liver disease.
The only symptom of high bilirubin, meaning 2-3 times the normal range can be itching and of course membranes becoming yellowish. All people with "high" bilirubin will turn yellow at a certain level. Bilirubin is one of the easiest complications of progressive liver disease to understand.

"i would like to know from people who have bilirubin above 34 ummol/2 mg/dl "

I am not sure why you mention 34 umol/l? There are no symptoms from having a bilirubin level of 34. In 2013 for many months I had bilirubin levels between 50-80 umol/l. In fact many people with no liver disease have a syndrome called "Gilbert Syndrome". Most people don't know they even have the syndrome because there are no issues related to it. It is a syndrome only not a condition or disease. They have bilirubin levels above the normal range. There are no symptoms and there is no treatment needed.  
When my bilirubin was between 50-80 umol/l my eyes and skin had a yellowish tone to them. I wasn't yellow. A person needs to have a much higher level of bilirubin to appear orange-yellow as many hospitalized patients awaiting transplant with high MELD scores. That is why bilirubin is 1/3 of the MELD score. At 80 umol/l I had no itching. Most people couldn't even tell I was yellow. It was only after transplant that everyone noticed that my skin now has a pinkish color to it.

A high bilirubin in a person with progressive cirrhosis is a sign that their End-Stage Liver Disease is progressing as the liver fails. To see a photo of a person who liver is failing and has jaundice go to
http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=&imgrefurl=http%3A%2F%2Fen.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FJaundice&h=0&w=0&sz=1&tbnid=Vd31OdsQ9yaN0M&tbnh=259&tbnw=194&zoom=1&docid=4kSPId0YA2eyGM&ei=tBLgUrWLCKLs2QWy6IC4DA&ved=0CAIQsCUoAA

So in summary...according to your labs you have normal bilirubin levels so thinking you have high bilirubin levels is something that has no basis. Of course since your bilirubin is normal it can't be producing the symptoms you describe which as your doctor says are not related to liver disease.
Good luck with the MRI.

Cheers
Hector

[rexx73]

my latest results were are normal,and they insist telling me my symptoms are not liver related.
but I don't believe that,as my bilirubin is always upper norm or a bit above.
tomorrow I will have an MRI of my abdomen,wich my gastro doc ordered he's working hand in hand with the hepatologyst at the transplant center.
my next appointment with my hepatologyst is in February with hcc screen,us and blood work.

Iam just tired feeling sick all the time

[Advocate1955]

Hi Marc,
What was the result of your recent appt with the hepatologist?  What did he/she say about your symptoms?
My husband doesn't have high bilirubin or jaundice, so I can't answer your question.
Advocate1955