Gallbladder/ High Bilirubin

[dcom]

I have been diagnosed with a malfunctioning gallbladder with an ejection rate of 22%, with no stones! For the most part I can control any symptoms with a strict diet. My GI doc states that I should keep my gallbladder and just monitor it. What is your feelings on this?

Also on all my blood work, my bilirubin has been high. It has been a 2.1 on all test. My GI doc says it should range between 1.4-2.8. He stated he is not worried about the bilirubin levels, because my ALT is a 18 and my AST is a 17. Could the high bilirubin levels be caused by the malfunctioning gallbladder.

[dcom]

Thanks for the responses guys. I don't see anywhere on my labs where it states indirect or direct. It does say negative by the bilirubin in my complete urinalysis.

My GI doc says he is not worried about it because he said the other liver numbers were quite normal. He also said people with chronic dehydration tend to have higher number of bilirubin. I think i have a problem staying hydrated. I try to drink like 10 glasses of water a day. At the beginning of the day my pee is yellow and by the end of the day it is clear. I pee a lot from drinking so much water. I hope that is normal.

As far a getting my gallbladder back to normal from this " sludge", how would i do this?

[CalGal]

Dcom, in general, bilirubin is derived from the breakdown of red blood cells. The bilirubin tests are used as a measure of liver function. In your liver, you've got special enzymes that complex the bilirubin to make it more water soluble, so that you can eliminate the breakdown products of red cells via the kidneys.

Laboratory tests also measure the indirect and direct components of bilirubin. The direct bilirubin (aka conjugated bilirubin) measures that part of bilirubin which is water soluble, while the indirect refers to the fat soluble portion of bilirubin (aka unconjugated bilirubin) Bilirubin is conjugated to other molecules in the liver, by part of the liver enzyme machinery.

Without knowing what the direct and indirect components are, it's a bit difficult to say whether or not the level you've got (2.1) is really worrisome. It is high, but many docs would say it's not problematic or to watch it. So I assume your other numbers may have been just fine. To fully answer your question, as to what that level of elevation means, we would need to know what the direct and indirect components of the bilirubin are. Nonetheless, a total bilirubin of 2.1 is abnormal so you might want to have another discussion with your doc to see what his 'overall' plans are. You might also want to ask him if you're a candidate for using stone-dissolving meds. Some people are, some aren't.

As for your gallbladder, if you can keep it in control with diet, it might be the best thing to do. Make sure you stay well-hydrated.

[aaronmac5]

As far as the 22%, that is not terribly low but yes definatley low enough that you would be feeling discomfort. So I presume you just have lots of sludge in your gallbladder? This would be good news as you can improve the function of your gallbladder over time.

Unless you find it ridiculously hard to eat anything with fat then I would recommend keeping the gallbladder but making the correct diet changes. Biliruben would be for checking to see if anything is blocking your bile ducts correct? Is your stool at least brown and not yellow? I believe the higher the biliruben the more blocked your ducts are, or could be the other way around.. I'll have to check. It is possible you still have some stones even though they are too small to see on an ultrasound.

There is a liver detox/gallbladder detox that you could do that would remove all the stones and help remove some sludge. Do a search for the liver flush + gallbladder stones and you will find it. Ive never done it but many people swear by it and actually have posted pics of some gallbladder stones that have come out.