Aa
Autoimmune Hep Labs
I was wondering that is someone had autimmune hepatitis would there liver enzymes be constantly elevated? I've been having hepatitis type symptoms (itchy skin, nausea, loss of appetitie, joint pain, upper right sided pain, fatigue....) for about 2 months now.... I have been tested numerous times for Hep A,B and C and they are continuously negative... also negative for the Estarian Barr (EB) virus as well, However I've had my liver checked through blood tests about 4 times in the past 2 months and absolutely no elevation in the enyzmes (globulins were slightly elevated on one of the test but then returned to normal) everything else is fine, however my WBC count continues to climb, started at about 10,000 and now am up to 10,900...
If i had autoimmune hepatitis would my enzyme leveles be elevated, if that is what is causing my symptoms...
Is it worth talking to my doctor about, or do normal lab results rule it out? I'm 20 years old and have otherwise never really had any health problems....
If i had autoimmune hepatitis would my enzyme leveles be elevated, if that is what is causing my symptoms...
Is it worth talking to my doctor about, or do normal lab results rule it out? I'm 20 years old and have otherwise never really had any health problems....
Hi Pennie I am Cliff and I am new to this thread. I am sorry you are going through a very troubling time and understand that it is very hard today to find a doctor who is very thoural who also advocates for you. I know your a young 20 year old female but my question to you is this have you been exposed to sharing a needle or having unprotected intercourse. You may have been testing prematurely the good news is if this is a form of hep b that you have a 80 percent chance of clearing up the virus. However hep b and c can take up to as long as 7-8 months for your body to make antibodies to. Have you also tested for Mono? There is a lab test for hep c that can detect antibodies faster than the 7-8 month window period called a PCR test. It is more sensitive than a regular hep c test.
The first thing you need to do is start a log. Listing all your symptons because according to webmd 85 percent of what doctors look for are what your symptons are specifically. So start a log. Where exactly is the pain on your right side? the doctor might order you a CT scan on your abdominal area and a Ultra Sound on your liver. But be as accurate as possible. Log the color of your urine you said it's dark? what shade color is it Amber, Brown, Red? Does it smell like Amonia, or a moldy smell. Is your stool color changed all the time or just sometimes. If you want an accurate diagnosis of what you have you need to be specific in your log this gives your doctor the best chance to give you the proper labs.
The first thing you need to do is start a log. Listing all your symptons because according to webmd 85 percent of what doctors look for are what your symptons are specifically. So start a log. Where exactly is the pain on your right side? the doctor might order you a CT scan on your abdominal area and a Ultra Sound on your liver. But be as accurate as possible. Log the color of your urine you said it's dark? what shade color is it Amber, Brown, Red? Does it smell like Amonia, or a moldy smell. Is your stool color changed all the time or just sometimes. If you want an accurate diagnosis of what you have you need to be specific in your log this gives your doctor the best chance to give you the proper labs.
You know what, I think you are on to something. Have them check all avenues, if they find nothing just move on w/your life. Take it as it comes. But I can guarantee you this if you were having liver problems and damage was happening your numbers would be elevated. If they are not elevated take it as a good thing....High bilirubin does not always bring the yellow eyes and dark urine. Mine got to 3 before I ever showed signs of yellow. Now that I'm on my meds its brought the liver numbers and the bilirubin down so they are all tied in together...Nice to have white eyes again....
Anyway, just try and relax and look into the ulcer concept...
Let us know!
Anyway, just try and relax and look into the ulcer concept...
Let us know!
maybe you're right about the ulcer thing, if my bilirubin were high (as you said was probably the case with pale stools) wouldn't i have dark urine or yellow skin/eyes, the last time i had my bilirubin numbers checked was only about 1-2 ago and it was normal: 0.5, and i haven't had problems until after the 2 drinks the other night.... also my sed rate was normal too, which she says looks nonspecifically for any inflammation, if my liver was inflamed wouldn't that number be off, but then again wouldn't an ulcer cause that number to be off too? (sigh) i just don't know anymore lol... maybe ill just give up and wait a year and see what that brings me, stressing about it is driving me crazy
i still have that endoscopy scheduled with my gastro to check for ulcers, maybe that will show something?
i still have that endoscopy scheduled with my gastro to check for ulcers, maybe that will show something?
Well results are in, negative for rheumatoid arhritis factor, negative ANA, and a normal sed rate.... She doesn't seem too concerned with the stool thing after drinking, i know i should stay away from it, i dont think ill do that again anytime soon... its just eating me away, im almost sure its a liver thing, yet none of my test results ever show anything, not that i want something to be wrong with me, i just to find something that they can treat, so i can accept it and move on, and hopefully its something they can fix.. im just scared that i am going to live with this and then 5 years from now, when whatever it is has finally done enough damage to show up on the lab tests, i could have stopped/slowed it now before it got that far, unfortunately our medical system isn't set up that way.... Any other ideas? I don't know where else to look for answers, or even what other tests should be done (if any even) at this point... should i just wait it out, and maybe in a year or 2 something will come back abnormal and then they'll finally delve deeper into the problem?
Hmmm....It surely sounds like a liver problem...The pale colored stool usually means there is a high bilirubin count. Which of course is tied to the liver. Have them check your bilirubin numbers. I told you about the drinking. Stay away from alcohol until they figure out the problem. Hey, how about an ulcer? Wouldn't drinking drive a ulcer crazy as well. Don't know much about it, but maybe a thought???
Good luck w/your test results today. Let us know!!!!!!!!!
Good luck w/your test results today. Let us know!!!!!!!!!
So tonight I decided to have a couple of drinks with dinner, only 2, and consequently afterwards I felt very nauseous and upon returning to my house discovered that my stools were pale and had a strong odor... I NEVER got sick with alcohol before, ive always tolerated it well and was rarely even sick even the morning after nights with a few too many drinks, i had to lie down and take a nap and now my skin is itchy and the pain in my upper right side is markedly worse... this sounds like a liver problem, does it not?
i dont understand how my labs have been normal up until this point... I'm really sure this is a liver problem, ill get the results of my ANA test tomorrow... hopefully ill get some answers
i dont understand how my labs have been normal up until this point... I'm really sure this is a liver problem, ill get the results of my ANA test tomorrow... hopefully ill get some answers
Well back to the doctor tomorrow.... hopefully some results and good news... wish me luck!
Charan620....What is stage 6 cirrhosis? Do you have autoimmune hepatitis? What was your diagnosi?
And
ASMA & TNF would also be good..
If negative in all the tests ..than you can be in peace and rest assured you are safe.
I am not a specialist i know them because These were all the tests i had to confirm.
ASMA & TNF would also be good..
If negative in all the tests ..than you can be in peace and rest assured you are safe.
I am not a specialist i know them because These were all the tests i had to confirm.
Well she checked my ANA, not AMA though, I get the results back hopefully on Wednesday.... I'm nervous, but hopefully if I do have anything serious, I've caught it early enough to do something about it....
What's AMA?
What's AMA?
Hi
Check for the ANA & AMA.
I used to have a Annual Health Check up and every time doctors Suggested i had Cholestorol. But i wondered as i was never obesse no fat. But my LFT was little high.
But when i got my last checkup the LFT was really high and went to a specialised Gastro..he had series of tests done and said i had a Stage 6 Cirrhosis.
Friend My Suggestion is better get to a specialist and get a thorough checkup and all possible tests. Never Miss any..
I Sincerely pray no one should get tested positive for Hepatitis.
Check for the ANA & AMA.
I used to have a Annual Health Check up and every time doctors Suggested i had Cholestorol. But i wondered as i was never obesse no fat. But my LFT was little high.
But when i got my last checkup the LFT was really high and went to a specialised Gastro..he had series of tests done and said i had a Stage 6 Cirrhosis.
Friend My Suggestion is better get to a specialist and get a thorough checkup and all possible tests. Never Miss any..
I Sincerely pray no one should get tested positive for Hepatitis.
Well that is great! It just feels good to be making some progress, I'm sure....The lupus and rheuamatoid arthritis are also forms of autoimmune diseases...I know a couple of people w/both of these diseases and they are doing fabolous....So don't get yourself worried...Now, wait for the results because on the other hand it could just be a parasite. That would be great!
Anyway, keep us updated on your results next week..
Anyway, keep us updated on your results next week..
Well went to the Infectious Disease Doctor this afternoon, she was sooo helpful, well kind of, i dont know any more than i did when I went it, but she sat there for like 1 hour for me and talked and didn't rush me... She said we should rule out parasites, so I'm trying that and she also ran a test for TSH and ANA and ESR (sed rate) and a few others, i don't remember, she said it could be lupus or rheumatoid arthritis b/c of the muscle/joint aches (i certainly hope it isn't though) but atleast I feel like im getting closer to figuring it out now though!! I have a follow up next week, im surprised she could get me in again so fast, no typical of doctor's ive been to thus far! so hopefully in a few weeks time ill have this all figured out and will be on my way to recovering :)
You are right about the medical community. You really have to work through them. It can be difficult, but you are your only advocate. Type into google or something diseases with characteristic of high WBC. Maybe some things will pop up that you can research. I would definitely rule out Auto Hep. Unfortunately, I don't know much about anything else. The web would be the place to start searching. The infectious disease Dr. may be very, very helpful. Especially w/you being out of the country. I think w/high WBC your body is really trying to fight off an infection. It may have something to do w/that....Let us know how it goes on thursday...Stay Positive!
Well went to see my Doctor again, she is soooo not helpful... i almost feel like i have to figure this out on my own... I was trying to talk to her and she started making her way to the door..... she was only in the room like a whole 2 minutes, agghh well i asked her about autoimmune hep and she said that my liver enzymes would probably be elevated and not to worry about that now, she wants to do an endoscopy? i think thats what it called where they stick the tube down your throat and check your stomach and what not.... so i guess she is just set on it being my stomach for the time being.... im not so sure i agree with her, ive had "stomach pain" before and it wasn't where it is now... but im going to get the test done anyway... shes already done a Abd. CT and Sono, so that basically ruled out gallstones, liver tumor/cancer.... so thats good news....
On a different note, i made an appointment with an infectious disease doctor b/c my white count has been high, and i was out of the country for a while, so maybe she'll be of more help and actually listen to me!! up until lately i've had the upmost respect for the medical community, but im starting to have my doubts.... just cant wait to figure out what it is :( so thats thursday and ill keep you posted, let me know if anything comes to mind it could be/i could ask about..... im thinking something infectious also, i just cant figure out what it could be....
On a different note, i made an appointment with an infectious disease doctor b/c my white count has been high, and i was out of the country for a while, so maybe she'll be of more help and actually listen to me!! up until lately i've had the upmost respect for the medical community, but im starting to have my doubts.... just cant wait to figure out what it is :( so thats thursday and ill keep you posted, let me know if anything comes to mind it could be/i could ask about..... im thinking something infectious also, i just cant figure out what it could be....
Great choice going to see your Dr. We really don't know all the things that it can be. And trust me, it can definitely be something little, we just don't know. I'm sure they'll run a ton of tests. At least your liver numbers are low. So your liver is probably in no danger. Let us know how it goes after your GI appt. I'll be anxious to hear...
Well i got tested for A,B, and C and it was all negative, and i definitely don't have alcohol issues, i dont really drink...
and you're saying that i prob. don't have autoimmune hep if my livers are normal?
well i have an appointment with my gastroenterologist on monday, so hopefully she'll be of more help to me this visit than last.... i guess i'll just discuss my fears with her....
and you're saying that i prob. don't have autoimmune hep if my livers are normal?
well i have an appointment with my gastroenterologist on monday, so hopefully she'll be of more help to me this visit than last.... i guess i'll just discuss my fears with her....
You would not have a inflamed liver if your liver numbers are normal. Dr's know there is a problem when your liver numbers are high because those numbers reflect how inflamed the liver really is. That is really what hepatitis is. It means "inflamed liver". Now you either have viral hepatitis which are your Hep A, B, C etc. The ones you can catch. Or you have alcohol issues or you have autoimmune hepatitis. That is not one you can catch rather it is one you are born with. Something that can be passed on through the blood line to children, etc.
There are many, many other serious liver diseases but they all start with an inflamed liver. High liver numbers...I had my worst liver pain when my numbers were at there highest. That is just your liver telling you it is in trouble and being attacked (severely inflamed). I don't know much about the leukemia issue, but check it out. Read up on web sites and definitely talk to your Dr...
There are many, many other serious liver diseases but they all start with an inflamed liver. High liver numbers...I had my worst liver pain when my numbers were at there highest. That is just your liver telling you it is in trouble and being attacked (severely inflamed). I don't know much about the leukemia issue, but check it out. Read up on web sites and definitely talk to your Dr...
Also..... general question: if a person's liver IS inflamed and is what is causing the upper right sided pain, would their labs (liver enzymes) definitely be elevated?
or can you have an inflamed liver causing you pain without and evidence on the blood labs??
or can you have an inflamed liver causing you pain without and evidence on the blood labs??
leukemia? really? does that cause all of the symptoms ive been having? could that cause upper abdominal pain?
Thanks...Good luck to you as well. I hope they find out what is going on soon. Doesn't sound like auto hepatitis. Your ast and alt are great! Wish I had numbers like that...Ha-ha
Thanks Km, i hope you're right my AST was 7 and my ALT was 19 and my albumin was 4.8, the doctors said they look good, i just wish i knew what was causing all the symptoms.... its driving me crazy, thanks again and best of luck to you
Have an Answer?
You are reading content posted in the Hepatitis Autoimmune Community
A list of national and international resources and hotlines to help connect you to needed health and medical services.
Herpes sores blister, then burst, scab and heal.
Herpes spreads by oral, vaginal and anal sex.
STIs are the most common cause of genital sores.
Condoms are the most effective way to prevent HIV and STDs.
PrEP is used by people with high risk to prevent HIV infection.
