Deranged Liver

[Lakitu]

Ive been pretty unwell lately. The first time I had blood taken the doc said the results flagged up something with my liver, so they took more to do more specific tests. I got a call from the GP 3 days later "to check I was feeling ok" and asked me to come back in. They said the results between 1st and 2nd tests showed my liver had deteriorated and took more blood to see what it said now I was feeling a bit better generally.

I called for the results today and was told I have deranged liver and with all the blood work and me feeling crappy showing I had/have a virus, she said that virus's tend to settle in the liver and spleen it could just be that so she's leaving it 2 weeks before they do more blood checks to see if my liver function has improved.

To be honest, I'm feeling a bit anxious about it, I think more because I don't understand what it all means. I can feel my liver pretty much all of the time. It's not a pain but certainly an awareness of it, if that makes sense?

Also, the first time I went to doc and had blood taken, she listened to my heart and told me its irregular and sent me for an ECG. The result of that is an eptopic heartbeat. Also concerned about this, I'm 34 and had my heart listened to over the years and nobody has ever mentioned this like you'd expect them to so surely this is a fairly new thing?

Can anyone explain it all better to me, or at least assure me I'm not likely to drop dead anytime soon?

General stats - 34, non smoker for 6 months (with the occasional slip) and don't drink much.

[FredPuli43]

Don't worry, the liver is an astonishingly resilient organ, as any recovering alcoholic can testify. It survives extraordinary amounts of death in its structure ( through cirrhosis) and recovers to function normally

[Sqad]

Lakitu.....first things first......are you jaundiced?

If the answer is "No" then don't worry BUT if the answer is "YES" which I doubt, then start to be anxious.

The data that you have given is insufficient to give an accurate diagnosis BUT:

From what you have said it could well be Hepatitis A, B or C or even Glandular fever and all of these may in the main (without jaundice) are usually mild and self limiting.

So no big deal there.

Now ..ectopic heart beats..... depending upon which part of the heart is producing them, usually harmless and do not need treatment.

So....to sum.............no big deal.

[Lakitu]

Thank you for your answers. Generally I'm not a sickly person, the odd cold during Winter and a bout of glandular fever last year about sums it so I've got me having liver disease/cancer/failure and subsequently my death. LOL.

Sqad, I'm not jaundiced and they tested for all the Hep's, which came back clear.

I guess it maybe is just the virus settling in there and leaving it 2 weeks for it to get better and re-testing is the best I can do.

I'll haunt you both if I die though ;o)

Thank again x

[rowanwitch]

If you have excluded the hepatitis bugs (that is good news) they will need to take blood tests for a few weeks to see if the liver function improves if not expect to be referred to a hepatologist. There are a few other possibilities but they are really very very rare... and while you will find loads of scary stuff on google I worked as a nurse at a regional liver centre and we only saw them once in a blue moon... far more likely its a reaction to a virus as suggested before.

Best advice I can give is relax, leave the alcohol alone for a few months, and stop searching the internet as you will just scare yourself

[anneasquith]

if you urine and faeces are " normal " as above with rowan.