My mom was diagnosed with advanced liver disease from alcoholism, Hep C (tainted blood), portal hypertension manifested by varices pancytopenia, and asthma. She was hospitalized in 5/02 for broken hip (pins, plate in trochanter) and again in 6/1/02 for a pain medication overdose (was confused,hallucinating). She had taken Darvocet(N 100) and some cough medicine (with codeine?)
Although she stopped drinking altogether in 4/01 after GI bleeding and banded varices, her GI thinks she still drinks. Can't understand why. His reasoning: during the 6/1/02 hospitalization, labs said:
MCV: 107
AST: 55
ALT: 17
Blood Alco: 0
INR elevated: 1.3
Blood Cell count: 3000
Hemoglobin: 8.1
platelet ct: 50,000
Diag. on the 6/1/02 visit: hypokalemia, hyponatremia,hypochloremia.
I do not know what (if anything) the ER gave her before the 6/1/02 blood was drawn.
I wish I knew what else is relevent.Could this be?
Before she broke her hip (5/02), on 3/7/02 her AST was 25, ALT was 11.(MCV 116.3H).
She was admitted after her hip fracture in 1/10/03 and her
AST was 29 and ALT was 11. But on 1/12/03, her AST was 141 and ALT was 33 (still in hosp.)
Based on the 6/1/02 labs, could the GI conclude she was still drinking? What may have been other causes for elevated AST? ALT?
These issues are still very much present, as well.
Thank you so much for your response!