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High Liver Enzymes and More
My BoyFriend had some crazy complications last year. He was in the hospital for 2 weeks, but doctors couldn't figure it out. But he was drinking alot then to. He had extremely high liver enzymes, extreme stabbing stomach pain, very swollen throat,high fever, nausua, rectal bleeding, also he would cough up blood. He needed 3 blood transfusions he lost so much blood out his bowel, he blacked out one day while standing up. The doctors did scoping everywhere. They thought it could be pancreatitis, or just plain ulcers, gull stones, kidney stones, but those all came back negative. A year later he still occasionally gets the stomach pain, but no bleeding, usually when he has a few alcohal beverages, or sometimes when he eats alot. Is it the liver that can cause it all? He also remembers a time when he was younger, he went to the hospital with the similar stomach pain. That time it was from too many dairy products. I wonder if its related?
I was thinking along the autoimmune lines as well. Couple things that came to mind, to rule out, might be Crohn's disease and autoimmune hepatitis...there are a number of tests they can run to rule out any autoimmune involvement.
I have just been real confused about the work up that they did...not convinced that it was thorough.
In any event, good luck to you and your boyfriend. I apologize if I came across the wrong way in my last post...I was just confused. Its definitely a puzzling case. Its good to hear that his liver enzymes are near normal...you just need to find out what happened to cause initial damage to his liver. Good Luck.
I have just been real confused about the work up that they did...not convinced that it was thorough.
In any event, good luck to you and your boyfriend. I apologize if I came across the wrong way in my last post...I was just confused. Its definitely a puzzling case. Its good to hear that his liver enzymes are near normal...you just need to find out what happened to cause initial damage to his liver. Good Luck.
Wow, Thanks alot, thats really helpful information. I appreciate it, and were definatly going to look into that.
I really don't think it is very plausible that alcohol itself is enough to cause your enzymes to go up THAT high. I would definitely suspect something at least partially autoimmune related. His bleeding symptoms are consistent with impaired liver function (massive bleeding may have been from esophageal varices - where scar tissue in the liver impairs blood flow, causing it to back up in upper blood vessels). I would think it wise for you it wise for you to DEMAND a liver biopsy and abdominal CT Scan/ultrasound - your doctors are indeed in a sorry state if they haven't done at least some sort of imaging tests already. You need to find out the state of his liver and not just "assume his liver has a problem". I know there are substances that can cause rapid liver damage - you need to tell your doctor everything drug that has entered his body since at least a year before his symptoms started. If possible, I'd break ties with your current doctors and get referred immediately to a hepatologist - someone who specializes in the study of the liver. Anything else, and you're just wasting precious time and resources.
Thanks for responding, I'm curious to know what others think. I know my information isnt the greatest.
No no, I'm not pulling anyones leg, And yes this is a real question.
Okay, from what I was told from the doctors, were that Liver Enzymes are supposed to be around 30 - 60, and his were at 1500. I'm not a doctor I'm not sure of any terms they would use for that, not just for that either. I was told that was HIGH.
They gave him a few CT scans, and they also gave him another scan, where they injected him with his own blood that had been mixed with neutrons. Then they placed him under a scanner and could see the blood move through his body, to determine where any bleeding was comming from. But both those scans showed nothing. Sorry I should have mentioned that before.
The scoping they did, one to check to see about the pancreas. I believe they were looking for a blockage. Another one was to check his stomach for ulcers and anything else. Also they did a colonoscopy, but they never did find where the bleeding had started from, but it was comming out of his bowel.
The first day they checked him right away for any type of hepatitis. He didnt have hep a, b, or c.
I don't recall anything about an ultrasound on the liver. They may have, but I wasnt told about it. But obviously It was his liver that was ill. The doctors never did diagnose him with anything, other then his liver was ill "The Obvious", and he had an infection (Swollen throat, high fever) He was put on antibiotics. But they couldn't ever tell us anything else, like why and where he was bleeding from, why he had stabbing stomach pains.
Also he wasn't taking any other medications or drugs before this all, other then alcohol. They had him on morphine, and antibiotics while he was on the hospital.
To answer any other of your questions, his platelet count, was low. That's all I know. They never game me exact numbers. It must have not been very very low then. Otherwise they probably would have told me more.
Sorry for the lach of information before, I guess I didnt think of all this stuff which I should have.
Anyways, he was a mystery patient. The doctors never did find the source of bleeding, or never found an explanation for his pain. Which was by the way, his mid abdomial area. I couldn't believe it. After 2 and half weeks in the hospital, he felt well enough to go home. The bleeding had stopped, his pain had gone away, and his fever and throat had all cleared up. Like I said, he still "sometimes" gets the stomach pain when he has a couple to drink (Which I tell him he shouldnt even be doing that), or only "sometimes" when he eats alot. But its not nearly as painful as before. And also there hasnt been any bleeding since.
Well I hope this all makes sence, I'm not sure if it helps, I'm just curious what anyone else thinks, since no one then could tell us much. I tried to answer your questions the best I could, sorry.
He went back for one followup, but he was fine. His Enzymes were about normal and he wasnt sick.
Thats all I can tell you, because that's all I know. Wish I knew more.
Okay, from what I was told from the doctors, were that Liver Enzymes are supposed to be around 30 - 60, and his were at 1500. I'm not a doctor I'm not sure of any terms they would use for that, not just for that either. I was told that was HIGH.
They gave him a few CT scans, and they also gave him another scan, where they injected him with his own blood that had been mixed with neutrons. Then they placed him under a scanner and could see the blood move through his body, to determine where any bleeding was comming from. But both those scans showed nothing. Sorry I should have mentioned that before.
The scoping they did, one to check to see about the pancreas. I believe they were looking for a blockage. Another one was to check his stomach for ulcers and anything else. Also they did a colonoscopy, but they never did find where the bleeding had started from, but it was comming out of his bowel.
The first day they checked him right away for any type of hepatitis. He didnt have hep a, b, or c.
I don't recall anything about an ultrasound on the liver. They may have, but I wasnt told about it. But obviously It was his liver that was ill. The doctors never did diagnose him with anything, other then his liver was ill "The Obvious", and he had an infection (Swollen throat, high fever) He was put on antibiotics. But they couldn't ever tell us anything else, like why and where he was bleeding from, why he had stabbing stomach pains.
Also he wasn't taking any other medications or drugs before this all, other then alcohol. They had him on morphine, and antibiotics while he was on the hospital.
To answer any other of your questions, his platelet count, was low. That's all I know. They never game me exact numbers. It must have not been very very low then. Otherwise they probably would have told me more.
Sorry for the lach of information before, I guess I didnt think of all this stuff which I should have.
Anyways, he was a mystery patient. The doctors never did find the source of bleeding, or never found an explanation for his pain. Which was by the way, his mid abdomial area. I couldn't believe it. After 2 and half weeks in the hospital, he felt well enough to go home. The bleeding had stopped, his pain had gone away, and his fever and throat had all cleared up. Like I said, he still "sometimes" gets the stomach pain when he has a couple to drink (Which I tell him he shouldnt even be doing that), or only "sometimes" when he eats alot. But its not nearly as painful as before. And also there hasnt been any bleeding since.
Well I hope this all makes sence, I'm not sure if it helps, I'm just curious what anyone else thinks, since no one then could tell us much. I tried to answer your questions the best I could, sorry.
He went back for one followup, but he was fine. His Enzymes were about normal and he wasnt sick.
Thats all I can tell you, because that's all I know. Wish I knew more.
Additionally...
Given the elevated enzymes, I find it hard to believe that they didn't do an ultrasound of the liver...at the very least.
You sure you aren't pulling our leg?
Given the elevated enzymes, I find it hard to believe that they didn't do an ultrasound of the liver...at the very least.
You sure you aren't pulling our leg?
I am somewhat at a loss, given the limited amount of information to work with...
The fever obviously hints at some type of infection/inflammation...if we were to piece together all of what you have presented...it sounds like some type of acute hepatitis. It could be alcoholic, viral, autoimmune, etc.
You mention that they scoped him "everywhere"...but didn't mention any results. I guess one could assume, from the limited information that you posted, that he did not have any esophageal/gastric varices...So, what was the source of the bleeding?
What were his labs like? How was his platelet count? His INR? Did they do a Hepatitis panel? How elevated was his ALT/AST/GGT/ALP? Did they do any autoimmune testing?
What medicatons/drugs had he been taking besides alcohol?
You said they checked out his pancreas, kidneys and gallbladder...I assume they did some imaging? Ultrasound? CT scan? MRI?
All I do know, for sure (from the information that you provided), is that your boyfriend was very ill...and that his liver had suffered some kind of insult. The liver enzymes being "extremely" elevated is not a great sign.
What kind of follow up did the hospital plan for him? Are they continuing to monitor his liver enzymes?
Is this question for real? Your last response makes me wonder...
The fever obviously hints at some type of infection/inflammation...if we were to piece together all of what you have presented...it sounds like some type of acute hepatitis. It could be alcoholic, viral, autoimmune, etc.
You mention that they scoped him "everywhere"...but didn't mention any results. I guess one could assume, from the limited information that you posted, that he did not have any esophageal/gastric varices...So, what was the source of the bleeding?
What were his labs like? How was his platelet count? His INR? Did they do a Hepatitis panel? How elevated was his ALT/AST/GGT/ALP? Did they do any autoimmune testing?
What medicatons/drugs had he been taking besides alcohol?
You said they checked out his pancreas, kidneys and gallbladder...I assume they did some imaging? Ultrasound? CT scan? MRI?
All I do know, for sure (from the information that you provided), is that your boyfriend was very ill...and that his liver had suffered some kind of insult. The liver enzymes being "extremely" elevated is not a great sign.
What kind of follow up did the hospital plan for him? Are they continuing to monitor his liver enzymes?
Is this question for real? Your last response makes me wonder...
Hmmm, but hes only 20...You would think the doctors would look for something like that, I dont recall hearing anything about it.
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