Raised Bilirubin levels otherwise normal LFT..Worried!!
 

Hi all, I am a 36 year old male in good health & feeling well. I have been drinking quite heavily since I was around 18. I have quit for periods of months on several occasions. This June I decided to quit again. I had a liver function test & everything came back as normal except my Bilirubin which was 26 umol/l (normal 0-23 umol/l) I quit drinking & had another blood test a month later & it was still 26 umol/l. I was told that this should probably go down on my next blood test. I was scheduled to have a blood test in another month & stupidly 3 days before I had the blood test I had 3 days of drinking, about 20 units of Alcohol a day. I have just had a call from my doctor saying my Bilirubin has risen to 36 umol/l. I feel well, no yellowing of the skin or eyes although I feel a little tired at times. Should I be concerned? Also I am taking Disulfiram to help me quit drinking. This has really scarred me now & i am more determined than ever to quit for good! Thanks for listening, Tony.

Most importantly, stop drinking!

Okay now that this part is done, I had the exact same thing happen after I quit, my levels were super high. This was about a week after my last drink and I drank alot that night.

2 months later it evened out but I still had some damage, and it can possibly be reversed by staying off alcohol.

That being said, everyone is different but its most important to stop while you're ahead before it gets worse!

Thanks for your reply. I have not had a drink now for almost 2 week & this has frightened me now. It is the first real indication that i have had that i have been doing damage to myself.

hi bflare

Have you asked your Dr about this?

I understand you're concerned. We can certainly share our experience, but none of us can give you medical advice or expertly interpret your results - apart from anything else that's against our rules.

Speaking with your Dr may bring you peace of mind?

The liver is pretty resilient tho. If you stay sober apart form any other benefit you'll be giving your liver the best chance to heal :)

D

Hi D, i fully understand i think i were just looking for reassurance but understand that i cannot ask for medical advice & sorry for that.

My addiction nurse said because i look & feel well she thinks the bloods will come back better next time & said i should have another blood test in a months time. That's when i will have the opinion of my doctor.

Thanks, Tony.