I'm a bit yellow

[wellyesintheory]

Hi, sorry to bother you all. I have this problem and I have no idea if it's a legitimate thing or if I'm just blowing something minor out of proportion.

I woke up yesterday and noticed some small yellowish splotches on my arm. And I thought, okay, that's normal. Bruises turn yellow after a while, right? I didn't remember getting any bruises on my arm, but it's totally possible that I got them without remembering them. And if they're old then they probably won't hurt anymore.

The problem is, because I am an idiot, I thought I'd quickly google to check that yellow bruises aren't a sign of jaundice. They aren't, they're totally normal. If you've got jaundice then you've got yellow eyes and a more sort of all-over coverage of yellow. I had a quick look at myself and decided I didn't look very yellow so probably everything was fine.

But, of course, I can't just leave these things alone. And the more I looked, the more I've noticed that, actually, I am kind of yellow. Not 100% Homer Simpson yellow like some of the pictures on google images. But just a bit yellow. I have yellow patches on my palms. The skin at the corners of my eye has a touch of yellow to it. The soles of my feet are kind of yellow. I'm white and I don't get a lot of sunshine, so most of my skin is sort of pasty-looking, but I'm starting to notice a yellowish tinge. And then, like an idiot, I went and found out what jaundice could be a symptom of.

I drink alcohol infrequently but, when I do, I binge drink - the last time I drank was over three weeks ago and I probably had between 6-10 units. Obviously that's not great for the liver.

I'm going to try and book a doctor's appointment as soon as possible, but just now I'm freaking out a bit. When they say yellow, how yellow do they mean? Surely everyone's a little bit yellow to start off with? Or have I been totally jaundiced for ages without even realising it? If anyone knows anything besides the nightmare scenarios you get on Web MD and google,that would be really helpful. Thanks.

x

[onlysmee]

Hi there,
For what it's worth, when I had jaundice, I was VERY yellow all over - it wasn't mistakeable for anything else, and it wasn't just parts of me, though the eyes were the clearest sign. I don't think jaundice manifests as yellow patches. I also think that if your liver was seriously damaged, i.e. enough to cause jaundice, you would have other symptoms - nausea, upper right abdominal pain etc., and it would have been evident much sooner after your drinking session. Although 6-10 units in one go isn't ideal, it's very unlikely to have damaged you to any serious extent - many people drink a lot more, a lot more often. By all means go and get checked out, and if you can spread your units out a bit your liver might thank you for it in the long run!, but I'd not worry too much, it's probably just that you've never examined your skin tone that closely before!

[dodo]

Like pp said you'd know if you were proper jaundice. My eyes went really yellow. The guy in the bed opposite me in hospital did look like homer simpson he was that yellow. Never seen anything like it!

[Anxious_gal]

get your liver tested? don't binge drink as tats worse than just having one drink a day as your poisoning your liver with a lot of alcohol in one go.
Also if your very over weight that can damage your liver.
But a quick blood test should clear things up x

[Trish]

Before I had my gallbladder removed I went yellow after a bad flare up, it wasn't 'patchy'.

I don't think you have anything to worry about, but get checked out for peace of mind.

Another sign I had of jaundice was very dark brown urine and very pale stools.

Trish.

[anthrokid]

Hey,

I wouldn't worry a whole lot about it. My sister had to have her gallbladder removed at 6 months old, and she was literally yellow. Like a mustard colour. And her eye-whites were really yellow. And like Trish mentioned, pale stools (hers where literally white) and very, very dark urine are also things that happen alongside the yellowing of the skin with jaundice.

If it's patchy I would suggest that it may just be bruising or something to do with pigmentation in your skin. Patches does indicate more of a skin condition as opposed to something happening internally.

If it is worrying you a lot though go and have a word with your doctor. There's nothing like professional reassurance to calm yourself down.

[Hazel B]

I had gallbladder trouble last year and my GP told me that the yellow you get with a dodgy liver is unmistakeable, the whites of your eyes would be like the colour of the smile attached!

I checked in the mirror every morning but fortunately I did not get jaundice. Ask for liver function tests to put your mind at ease.