Blood Test Results - Help please!

[constantworrier]

Hi all,
I recently had a battery of blood tests...my GP said it was just a general MOT and to check on liver enzymes which had been raised last year. The tests were extensive and everything came back normal except for a slight elevation in liver function - Bilirubin and ALT . My GP said the Bilirubin was nothing to worry about, but he wants to repeat the liver tests after six weeks of no alcohol, to check on the ALT. I do drink alcohol, but never more than the maximum 21 units per week. The ALT has come down dramatically and is only a few points above the normal range but my GP has badly scared me by suggesting a liver ultrasound scan if the level has not completely normalised after the retest.
I did see a different GP this morning because i have been getting severe sharp pains in the centre of my chest which then move around my ribs. Was panicking about gallstones or liver problems but she examined me and said my liver feels normal, if it was gallstones i would be in a lot more pain, and said it was chest muscle spasm due to anxiety. She was not really concerned about the ALT or Bilirubin, though thought it wise to recheck in a few weeks or so for my peace of mind. The ALT seems to be steadily coming down to normal and i suppose if there was anytning serious going on, other things would have been wrong in the other blood tests and i would have symptoms? Any reassurement please? Has anybody had any problems with Liver function tests? I don't think i can survive the next six weeks worrying about this!

Thanks,

CW

x

"Instead of seeing the rug being pulled from under us, we could learn to dance on a moving carpet." - Anon

[djm]

Hi CW

If you read the history of my posts, scares about my liver is an issue I have had for a while.

I have experienced the same pains as you describe around my right ribs and I drink (too much).

You have at least had the bottle to go to your GP, who does not seem worried about the elevated levels, that alone should give you some reassurance.

I cannot bring myself to even do that as I have :

(1) An irrational fear of the medical profession - and what they might tell me
(2) A real phobia of needles

However, I have found that when I don't focus my mind on my worries too much (difficult to do) the symptoms seem to subside.

Based on that, I am starting to convince myself that it probabally isn't a liver issue, but probabally is anxiety.

As people have tried to reassure me before, if you had real liver problems, you would certainly know about it, as the symptoms are none to pleasant and pretty unmistakeable. On top of that, as I understand it, severe liver problems come on very quickly and again, as I was told, "you wouldn't be sitting there typing on a computer".

Having said all of the above, I know how dreadful it must be waiting on results etc.

Kind Regards
Dave

[lass]

Hi, I'm not medically qualified and I've not had this before, but my job is secretarial/admin service to health screens at a private hospital, so I thought it might help if I told you what I've experienced through this.

Lots of people have raised bilirubin and it is a condition called Gilberts syndrome. I think about 1/3 of the population have this and it is not significant, so I really wouldn't worry about this at all. Your GP may have already told you about this?

Some people's liver can tolerate more toxins that others. Therefore, some people can cope quite well with a large alcohol intake, whilst others will show signs from far less alcohol that it is not coping so well. If you have been regularly drinking up to 21 units of alcohol per week for months/years, then it will take a while before your liver function returns to normal ranges. From what I've seen, lots of people have raised ALT and it is only when it is significantly raised that the doctors seem to react. And then it is usually due to either medication/drugs or alcohol.

Your GP seems to have it all under control and I don't think you have any cause to be worrying (but I know you can't help it, otherwise you wouldn't be here!). Just cut out the alcohol for 6 weeks and return for your tests, and it should all be fine. The fact that your liver is not enlarged should also be encouraging for you.

If you end up having to have a scan, please also try to remember (as my nurse friend keeps telling me) that doctors do this as a precaution, to rule out various illnesses rather than diagnose.

Hope this helps a bit and I wish you lots of luck. I know how awful it is waiting for tests and results, I don't cope well myself.

Caroline

[constantworrier]

Hi,

Dave, thanks for the reply. Like you, i dread test results and am reallly scared of all things medical. It was really tough to have the blood tests done as i always anticipate the worse scenario. Like you say though, if i had serious problems i suppose that i would have more symptoms and be quite unwell.
Caroline, Thankyou for the information. My GP appears to have overlooked the possibility of Gilbert's syndrome, though i was aware of it (afer googlng liver disorders all weekend) [:I]. I will definitely mention it to her. It would explain a lot...the other thing with Gilbert's is that i had to fast for the test and fasting causes an increase in blirubin in people with Gilbert's. Gilberts also magnifies the toxicity of alcohol i believe (?)..which would explain the ALT elevation despite moderate drinking. I just hope everything is normal when i go for the retest and i don't need a scan.
Thankyou so much for the reassurement...I suppose worrying for the next six weeks isn't going to help anyway (easier said than done but i will try).

Thanks again,

Kind regards,

CW:)

"Instead of seeing the rug being pulled from under us, we could learn to dance on a moving carpet." - Anon

[manmoor]

Hi Cw,

From one health anxiety sufferer to another I just want to say I'm thinking of you. I know how it feels to worry about tests and results. xxx

"When There Was Only One It Was Then That I Carried You."

[constantworrier]

Hi Manmoor,

Thankyou for the support. It helps a lot having people around who understand what the worry is like...however irrational.
Nobody except you lovely people at NMP seem to understand.

Kind regards,

CW :)

[Jo3016]

Hi CW

I had blood tests come back last year with higher than normal bilirubin levels. I was told that I had Gilberts Syndrome and would have been born with it. It rarely causes any problems and I will probably never have any affects from it. It is relatively common apparently.

Take care

[constantworrier]

Hi Jo,

Thankyou so much for the reassurement and information. If you don't mind me asking, was the diagnosis of Gilbert's made from the blood test alone, or did you have to have more invasive tests like scans etc...?

Thanks,

CW
x

[constantworrier]

Hi all,
Well, i couldn't could not cope with waiting any longer so went back to my GP and requested the blood tests be repeated early to check that things weren't getting worse. Dunno if that was just stupid of me or not but i could not handle the uncertainty. In my own way, i was tring to be brave and face the fear i guess. The good news is that the elevations have come down even further and are now almost normal. My GP says she is happy with that and i do not need to have a scan or further blood tests. I should be relieved and reassured i know, but i now wonder if something could have been missed with not having a scan or repeated monitoring through blood tests. I keep getting pain in my ribs..i does feel muscular, like a tightness in the muscles, almost as if i have just done 20 sit-ups! My GP says this is anxiety induced muscle spasm but i am still worryng about whether this pain is actually from my liver or gallblader/gallstones. I did have an abdominal xray last year to check for kidney stones, would gallstones have been picked up on this if there were any? Does anybody else get this type of muscle spasm?

Thanks,

CW

x

[lass]

Hi,

I understand how you feel - you expect you will feel elated when you get good news, but instead you are worrying that something's been missed. I have a friend who's a nurse, and she tells me I have to stop looking for what's wrong with me, coz there isn't anything. This is true - I'm searching for proof of all the horrible stuff that goes on in my mind, but I need to accept it's just in my mind.

I get a "pain" in the space below my ribs, like I'm wearing an iron corset! I thought this was due to my IBS but I think it's more likely muscle tension through anxiety. I did find that taking magnesium helped with muscle tension and I took this for about a month or so when I was really bad.

Problems with your liver would no doubt be picked up in your liver function test, and also I would imagine that your liver would be enlarged if there were a problem. I have had 3 friends who have had gall stones (and subsequently had their gall bladder removed) - they are in extreme pain, they all describe it as the worst pain they've ever had.

But if you're still concerned, go back and discuss this with your GP. Get some peace of mind - it's what they're there for.

Best of luck

[Freaky Chick]

Hi there, hope i can help

ALT - is just one of a number of tests things looked at in a liver function test. It can be mildly altered from normal by anything from alcohol consumption to medication - that's one of the reasons why you are told not to drink alcohol when you take some types of medications - like certain antibiotics. So if you are on prescribed medication, this could account for part of the rise - so you really don't need to worry too much about a slight raise - especially if your doctors not overly concerned.

Bilirubin is a biproduct of red blood cell breakdown and varies daily, according to how many red blood cells your body recycles, this can be upset by a cold, or mild tummy upset. Also it can increase if you're not eating properly. Before i got sick, (and hopefully when i am better) I work with new born babies and they are very susceptable to changes in bilirubin and we don't start worrying about their bilirubins depending on birth weight until they are between 300 and 600 micromols/litre - the normal is less than 8 - so a slight rise, especially one that is falling, is also nothing much to worry about.

Hope this helps
freaky chick

[constantworrier]

hi lass,
Thanks for the reassurement and the tip about magnesium...i'll maybe give that a try. It is scary how powerful an effect anxiety can have on the body isn't it? I can't watch any medical dramas on tv or else i get phantom sympathy pains that mirror the patients] illnesses!!....So i can see that if i am mentally focussing on one particular issue my mind will magnify any pains or sensations in a particular area, i will notice them more and they will seem more frequent.

Hi freaky Chick,
Thankyou for the information. That is very reassuring. My doctor doesn't seem too concerned at all really...so i think i need to now try and relax and be comforted by the fact that the elevations could have been much worse...and have now come down to almost normal levels again. I guess that any physical abnormality would maintain or further increase the elevations?

Kind regards,

CW
x

[Freaky Chick]

That's ok. I am supposed to be a nurse - and Doctors are really bad at explaining things sometimes, so my job basically entails retelling the exact same story that's just been told to a patient, but so they get it!

I like your quote about the rug - i feel like the rug goes every time i get stable. Is it ok if i use it for a while?
Freaky chick

[constantworrier]

Hi Freaky chick,

Of course you may use the quote.....glad you like it!

Regards,

CW.