Blood Test Results - Help please!
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
Re: Blood Test Results - Help please!
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 :)
Re: Blood Test Results - Help please!
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
Re: Blood Test Results - Help please!
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
Re: Blood Test Results - Help please!
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
Re: Blood Test Results - Help please!
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