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billiruben levels not decreasing

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Posted 10/31/2012 8:00 PM (GMT 0)
Hi we joined the forum on 4th oct this year, arthur just had another check up and blood tests BUT his billiruben levels are still very high and have not decreased at all

He has not had any alcohol for over 8 weeks he is eating regularly, doing everything the doctors have told him to do and taking all the meds :-

100mg espirolactone (aldactone) 1 tablet daily

becozyme c forte (vitamins b1, b2, b5, b6,b12 and vit c) 1 tab daily

5mg acfol (folic acid) 1 tablet daily

20mg omeprazol

300mg ursobilane 2x1 tablet daily

Lactose 2 x 20ml daily

atenolol 25mg daily

aspirin 100mg daily

Is this normal does anyone know for the bilirubens to not decrease - he is feeling very depressed that nothing is happening that is positive

one consultant is convinced that it is an alcohol problem but does not explain why and will not test for anything else

his gp is worried there is something else going on

but what else could it be where can i research about this

best wishes from Cath (worried caregiver)

Posted 10/31/2012 9:07 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Cath,
I am sorry that Arthur is feeling deprsessed with his current blood tests.

My husband's doctor told him that the bilirubin is the last thing to improve, that it would take months...and maybe would never return to normal. It was a slow road, but my husband's bili at first went up, then came down with each set of labs, finally after 6-9 months it settled into about double high normal, and has stayed there for about 18 months now.

In your post, you didn't mention what level Arthur's bilirubin is at, or what previous tests have been. My husband's doctor just wanted to be sure that the lab results were trending in the right direction.

Also, his GI doc was most concerned with the PT/INR test. He said that was the most important one.

I am sure one of the moderators will be along soon to give you some more information.

Take care.

Emma
Posted 10/31/2012 9:22 PM (GMT 0)
Hi, Cath! Was it ever determined exactly what type of liver disease Arthur has? Has he been tested for the viral heps? Has he had a biopsy? The consultant you mentioned--is he a hepatologist?

I had a liver transplant a year ago, due to liver cancer caused by hep C. It has taken a full year for my bili to return to normal. And I still have hep C. It went down very, very gradually. Arthur hasn't been sober very long, so it will take months for him to fully recover from alcohol abuse. If he has scarring (cirrhosis), his numbers may never be normal.

The important labs to keep an eye on are his liver enzymes and creatinine, INR, bili, and PT.

Hugs,
Connie
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