What can cause sudden elevation of liver levels in a primary biliary cirrhosis pt on meds?

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I have primary biliary cirrhosis (and also have auto immune disease)for 7 years now and have been maintained on medication. I recently switched one of my meds to a generic due to insurance reasons.My bloodwork was PERFECT 5 weeks ago, as it has been for the most part for 7 years. Then just last week I had my bloodwork done again and the LIVER LEVELS have elevated out of the blue. My dr. doesnt think its the medication switch.What else can it be??
I don't agree with your doctor if your levels have been good all this time and suddenly when you change meds to generic, they go up. I have primary biliary cirrhosis too. Well, not the cirrhosis part now since mine was so bad that I had to get a transplant, but I still have the primary biliary disease. I know that my transplant doctors want me to get lab work done every week when my insurance is going to force me to take generic anti rejection drugs instead of name brand. I haven't done it yet, but it will be soon.

Are you taking Ursodiol? Is that the drug that was switched? My levels started to rise once and they put me on the Urso and they came down right away. Most people with PBC does take Urso. The reason my enzymes went up was due to a small bile duct blockage. At least that is what they told me. Personally, I think it was my primary biliary disease trying to attack my new liver after transplant. Urso thins out the bile which really works well in some people like myself. You could have a bile blockage, but it seems to be too coincidental that this happened just as you changed your med to generic. Sometimes generic is not the best even though the insurance people will argue with you on that forever. One sure way to tell is to take the name brand again that you were taking and see if the levels go back down again.  (+ info)

Liver cirrhosis?

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I know I've asked this question before about liver cirrhosis, but I need more info, please. If a person falls off the wagon, and ends up back in the hospital, I know it will damage the liver again, but can something else happen too??
what is fibrosis?? My husband recently had a swollent stomach, & fluid. they got a lot of fluid out now, and now they want to do more tests?
The fluid they took out of your loved one's abdominal area is
known as "ascites". This fluid will be sent to the lab to
see what it contains and if there is any infection.
This fluid is caused because of the lack of a protein, known
as "Albumin". The liver once made this protein, but as it
becomes more damaged, this function of making it is
decrease. Albumin has a special purpose, it not only
carries other substances throughout our body, it holds
the fluid in our vessels. When there is not enough of
it, this fluid seeps out and into the abdominal area.
Draining the fluid will help relieve the patient of discomfort,
but it is not a cure. The patient will develop this fluid once
again.
To think of fibrosis, think of having a wound that is open and
someone places a gauze across the top. The gauze looks
like a net. This will give you some idea of what it looks
like inside the liver...like netting. This fibrosis is just
the beginning of the scar tissue being formed there.

Our body is made up of cells, but the liver has specialized
cells that do the certain functions. With liver disease,
these cells can start to have inflammation. If the doctor
finds this, he will give the patient medication and the liver
can heal. Why? cause the cells are injured, but are not
dead. However, once the cells die, it forms this fibrosis
inside and this leads to scar tissue. This scar tissue
that forms, blocks the flow of blood that carries nourishment
and oxygen to the other healthy cells and then they
eventually die also. The death of the cells is known as
cirrhosis.

The liver does so many different functions for the body...
When the cells start to die, the functions the liver once
did deteriates...such as the lessening of the amount
of the Albumin made, like I stated above.
This is an easy to read article on cirrhosis. I hope it
will help you understand better the symptoms and
the things your loved one may be going through.
http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/cirrhosis/

Trying to stop alcohol can be very trying. The patient
may have jumpiness, sleeplessness, sweating, and poor appetite, to tremors (the "shakes"), convulsions,. hallucinations, and sometimes feel like they are dying.
To them...they are very sick and that one drink to make
it go away is so tempting. The doctors have medication
that will lessen these symptoms and make it more able
to be dealt with. But, the person has to want to overcome
it. When a person is so sensitive to alcohol...I mean that
some people can drink it all their life and not develop a
problem, but others cannot. So, when they are sensitive,
the liver usually can handle a small amount...but when it
becomes overwhelmed...the alcohol it doesn't handle
changes into another chemical that can damage the liver
cells more.

The requirements to be placed on the transplant list, after going through an evaluation and testing, they have to be free of alcohol for a period of six months.

I hope this has helped you understand better what is going
on. Only the doctor, who has his blood work and sees the
patient and knows his medical background can tell you
how damaged the liver is and if he will need placed on
the transplant list.

The best thing that can be done now, is to get a living will,
advanced directive, or a power of attorney...so someone
can handle his medical affairs if he isn't able to do so himself.
Living wills and advanced directives can be found free on
some sites on the web. This power is usually given to
someone who is a relative of the patient. It has to be the
patients will that this be done. The best doctor he can be
with now is a liver specialist: Hepatologist. The best test
to see how his liver is, is the liver biopsy.  (+ info)

liver cirrhosis?

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when patients get liver cirrhosis, many male patients develop gynecomastia and testicular atrophy, while female patients start showing signs of virilizm. what is the mechanism of action behind that?
Testicular atrophy, gynecomastia, and hypogonadism are common complications of advanced cirrhosis because the liver can no longer break down estrogens or because of possible breakdown of hypothalamic or pituitary functioning.  (+ info)

Liver Cirrhosis?

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What are the symptoms, and what can you do to prevent it?
Extra facts would be superb.

10pts, peepz. Come awn
I am posting the very best sites on the
web that will tell you a lot of information:
http://www.emedicinehealth.com/cirrhosis/article_em.htm

http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/cirrhosis/

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/cirrhosis/DS00373

There are a number of things a person can
do to prevent cirrhosis:
(1)Since the number one cause of cirrhosis
is alcohol consumption...this would mean
eliminate it or at least don't overdue it.
(2)People can develop a fatty liver from
alcohol and also from being overweight,
so eatting a healthy diet with the right kinds
of fats, like olive oil...would be good.
(3)Stay away from exposure to hazardous
chemicals. If you read the labels on them,
you will know which ones to avoid. The
main one is carbon tetrachloride.
(4) Take only medication approved by
the doctor or prescribed by him. Most
all medication go through the liver first
to be broken down before going to the
rest of the body. There are so many drugs,
even prescribed ones, that are very hard on
the liver. Liver patients are told to tell
their doctors all over the counter, herbs,
herbal teas, vitamins, mineral, muscle
building products, and medications prescribed by other doctors. They are not
to take any medication unless the doctor
weighs the pros and cons of it, cause once
the liver becomes damaged..it isn't able
to handle the drugs the same way as it used
to and can cause even more injury to the
cells.
(5) Most people know that they should wash
their hands frequently and use purell or
germ-x or some other product when they
cannot. This is to prevent not only illness,
but can sometimes prevent a virus also.
They should not eat at open salad bars where people can cough or sneeze into
them or where someone may handle
something with unclean hands. They should
also be aware that anyone who is in contact
with someone elses blood or uses a needle
they use, can contact one of the Hepatitis
virus like A,B,C,Etc.
(6) Do not eat mushrooms you pick yourself..mushrooms can cause immediate damage to the liver itself if you get a poison one.

Other causes of liver cirrhosis cannot be
prevented or at least they do not know
how to prevent them: like biliary obstruction,
gallstones, mal formation of the biliary
ducts coming from the liver, hereditary
conditions, auto immune disease.

I hope this information has been of some
help to you. The links I provided have
a wealth of information and are easy to
read.

The symptoms of the disease cannot be
prevented. They usually appear once
the liver cells are no longer functioning well
and some of them start to die off. They
can only treat the symptoms with medication to try to control it or to ease
them...that is all. This is a very progressive
disease and the symptoms will worsen
over time.  (+ info)

What are the causes of liver cirrhosis or cancer?

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Alcohol is largely to blame for liver cirrhosis but my friend hasn't really abused it yet he got the ailment. What might have caused it besides alcohol abuse? He's skin and bones right now and deteriorating fast. Please add curative suggestions if any. His doctor sent him home as a hopeless case so i'm appealing for any other remedies. Thank you
I'm going through the same thing with my husband. He just came home Tuesday night and I have hospice helping out. He is already getting to where he can't walk hardly. People keep talking about a liver transplant but my doc. said my husband wasn't a candidate because he has cancer. But my husband drank alot when he was younger. He has been on alot of pain medicines. Along with meds for blood pressure and cholesterol. I think the cholesterol drugs caused this cirrohsis. He was taking to much at one time but thats what the doctor told him and it started scarring his liver. And later they changed it and he started getting jaundice and thats how they found the cancer. He also has blood clots from his heart to his liver. His liver isn't functioning right along with his kidneys. I wish you luck with your friend.  (+ info)

What is the life expectancy for advanced cirrhosis of the liver?

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What is the life expectancy for a person with advanced cirrhosis of the liver? A family member is currently in hospital with jaundice and a swollen stomach, and I don't think the prognosis looks good. What is the usual life expectancy?
My first symptom of cirrhosis for me was a swollen stomach. I had no other symptoms. It turned out my liver was functioning at only 10%. I had no jaundice. The doctors gave me an estimate of 5 years before total failure would occur and told me I would need a transplant in order to stay alive.

Three years later I had my transplant done. The transplant surgeon told me after viewing my actual liver that I would have only lived another year or a little longer at best with my cirrhotic liver, so the estimate was pretty accurate. He also said that the time I would have left would not be very good, that I would be very sick. My cirrhosis was caused by an autoimmune disease.

If your family member has had a biopsy, that should tell them a lot about how much damage has been done which will give them the ability to give a time frame. It would just be an estimate since there are a lot of factors that come into play in determining how long a person will be able to stay alive. I hope your family member will be able to get a transplant should they need one. It saved my life.  (+ info)

If you have cirrhosis of the liver can that bring on liver cancer?

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Can you have cirrhosis of the liver and liver cancer at the same time. If you had cirrhosis of the liver is liver cancer worse or will both kill you around the same time? Can you live longer with cirrhosis about how long. Thank you, I'm writing a story and one of my characters is struggling with this issue. Thank you for you help.
When the liver cells become damaged,
by any number of causes, the immune system
of the body responds to this and causes
inflammation to develop inside the liver.
The cause has to be found and, if possible,
stopped and the inflammation has to be
treated...if not, it can lead to death of the
liver cells and scar tissue formation inside
the liver. This scar tissue will block the flow
of blood to the other liver cells and also
block the flow of blood through the liver,
on its way back to the heart.

As the cells of the liver die off, the functions
(500 plus) they do to keep the body well,
starts to deteriorate, also. The liver start
to die slowly as they cells do and the
functions go down at the same time.

This can happen fast in some patients and
slower in others.

With cancer, it depends on how fast growing
the cancer is and whether or not it came
from another part of the body to the liver or
started in the liver and stayed there, or
started in the liver and then went to other
areas. If cancer is found just in the liver, itself...
the patient may be placed on the transplant
list for another liver. It will depend alot, also,
on how many growth (tumors) are in the liver
and how large they are. Cancer that has
spread to or come from another area...is
very poor prognosis of living long. It becomes
too difficult to treat and it will keep advancing
to other areas.

Yes, it is possible to have cirrhosis and
cancer together. The cells of the liver can
become damaged If the cancer tumor keep enlarging and multiplying in size.
People who have cirrhosis are at a greater
risk of developing cancer.

It depends on how fast the cancer or
cirrhosis advances; how old the patient is;
if they have other medical problems; if they
can withstand the long hours of surgery for
the transplant; whether they respond to
treatment; if they are able to stop the cause
of the cell damage (like alcohol, medication
toxification, chemical exposure, etc).....
You really cannot say how long a person
has to live. The doctors can only give
an educated guess because they have
the patient's medical background and see
the results of their blood, film, and biopsy
testing.

Cirrhosis of the liver and Cancer of the liver
are both like living through a nightmare.
Both are facing death, head on.

I hope this information has been of some help
to you. Best wishes for a great story.  (+ info)

Is there a proven mediation to improve cirrhosis of the liver?

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Doctors have told me cirrhosis of the liver is irreversible so deal with the fact this condition will certainly shorten my life.
I understand that but I have read that the liver CAN rejuvenate
itself to some degree under certain circumstances if you obstain from the harmful elements which are under your control, alcohol, etc. Is there anything I can "take" or "do "
to maintain or improve the condition of my liver besides eat right and take care of my body, or am I too late? I' 60.
Try a product called liv 52, its the top product for maintaning a healthy liver also carbohydratess help also..  (+ info)

Strep throat home remedies for a person with cirrhosis of the liver?

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My bro has no insurance so he can't go to doctor. He has strep troath and needs some home remedies that won't hurt his cirrhosis of the liver?
Hi Sol

I have healing remedies for both mentioned.

Cause
Sore throats are usually caused by viral infections, but can also be due to bacterial infections, tonsillitis, overuse of the voice, exposure to irritating substances such as cigarette smoke, allergic reactions, infections of the mouth, and/or colds and flu.

Caution: Sore throats are rarely serious. However, if your sore throat does not heal within two weeks, and/or occurs with a rash, seek immediate medical attention. If any sore throat occurs with a rash, see a doctor. A sore throat caused by a Streptococcal infection (strep throat) must be identified and treated, or else it could create rheumatic fever or acute glomerulonephritis (disease of the glomerulus, a network of blood capillaries of the kidney).


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Natural Cures

Aromatherapy: Inhalations with benzoin, lavender, thyme, eucalyptus, geranium, lavender, clary sage, or sandalwood can help relieve symptoms.

Diet: Increase your intake pure filtered water, hot herbal teas, diluted fruit juices, and broths. Eat an organic whole foods diet that emphasizes fresh vegetables and vegetable soups. Avoid all sugars, alcohol, milk and dairy products and any and all foods to which you are allergic or sensitive. Raw organic honey placed at the back of the throat can also help soothe symptoms and speed healing.

Flower Essences: Crab Apple.

Herbs: If your sore throat is due to an infection, chew a small piece of osha root (Ligusticum porteri) and/or gargle with an infusion of sage or licorice. For a sore throat due to smoke or pollution irritation, gargle with an infusion of lavender or hyssop. Other useful herbs include echinacea, garlic, ginger, goldenseal, and slippery elm.

Juice Therapy: Drinking the juice of one or two red potatoes can soothe symptoms.

Nutritional Supplementation: The following nutrients can be helpful: vitamin A, beta carotene, vitamin C with bioflavonoids, and zinc (in the form of lozenges taken every 1-2 hours unless nausea occurs, in which case decrease dosage).




Cause
Liver function can be impaired by a toxic bowel. Most pharmaceutical drugs, if taken on a consistent basis, can also cause liver disease. If you are on such medications, be sure to have your liver function monitored regularly (every 3-6 months) by your physician, and consider other healing alternatives that might reduce or eliminate your need for medications.

Caution: Serious cases of cirrhosis require immediate medical attention.


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Natural Cures

Aromatherapy: Juniper, rosemary, and rose essential oils can all help stimulate liver function.

Detoxification: Liver function can also be impaired by a toxic bowel. For this reason, bowel cleansing and rejuvenation techniques may be very important. In severe cases, repeat the bowel cleanse once a month, or as needed, and stay on bowel nutrients for up to one year depending on the severity of your condition and your response to treatment.

Diet: Diet is extremely important in preventing and reversing all forms of liver disease, including cirrhosis. Eat a low-protein, whole foods diet of organic foods, including seeds, nuts, whole grains, beans, nuts, and goat or rice milk, and also eat plenty of leafy green vegetables. Avoid all alcohol and processed fats such as margarine, hydrogenated oils, and foods with these oils added, rancid oils, and hardened vegetable fats. Instead, use cold-processed oils such as olive. Also increase your consumption of foods high in amino acids and potassium, such as nuts, seeds, bananas, raisins, rice, wheat bran, kelp, dulse, brewer`s yeast, and molasses, and drink plenty of pure, filtered water. Avoid animal protein as well as raw or undercooked fish, and limit your overall intake of fish.

Also avoid all stressors on the liver, such as overeating, drugs of any kind, a highly processed diet (especially one high in processed fats, additives and preservatives), and foods high in animal protein, and accumulation of toxins from chemicals that have to be processed by the liver such as alcohol, drugs, acetaminophen, insecticides, and chemicals from rancid and processed oils. Toxins from Candida yeast organisms within the body can also contribute to liver stress, as can the use of contraceptives.

Herbs: Milk thistle is an excellent herb to help in the treatment of cirrhosis because it helps liver cells regenerate. It may be taken in the form of tablets or the non-alcohol extract called a glycerate. The dose is based upon the content of silymarin (the active ingredient of milk thistle) and so standardized extracts are preferable. The typical dosage range is 70-200 mg of silymarin daily. The herb Picrorhiza kurroa is not as well-known as milk thistle, but may have similar effects. Licorice can also be helpful. The Chinese herb bupleurum (chai-hu) may also be helpful, as can the herbal mixture of kutki (200 mg), shanka pushpi (500 mg), and guduchi (300 mg), with is used by practitioners of Ayurvedic medicine to boost liver function. Take 1/4 teaspoon of this mixture taken twice a day, after lunch and dinner, with aloe vera juice.

Hydrotherapy: Hydrotherapy is the application of water, ice, steam and hot and cold temperatures to maintain and restore health. Treatments include full body immersion, steam baths, saunas, sitz baths, colonic irrigation and the application of hot and/or cold compresses. Hydrotherapy is effective for treating a wide range of conditions and can easily be used in the home as part of a self-care program. Many Naturopathic Physicians, Physical Therapists and Day Spas use Hydrotherapy as part of treatment.
*Purified water is essential for any hydrotherapy treatment. The section Remedies for Treating Chlorinated Bath Water offers clear instructions and recommendations.

Juice Therapy: The following juices can help the liver eliminate toxins that cause stress on it: beet and carrot juice and wheat grass juice. To either juice, you can add raw flaxseed oil and garlic as tolerated.

Nutritional Supplementation: Lipotrophic factor nutrients are essential for aiding liver function. These include vitamin C, vitamin E, silymarin, lipoic acid, and raw liver tablets. Other useful nutrients in this regard include vitamin B complex, vitamin B12, folic acid, niacin (in small doses such as 10-30 mg. three times), liver glandulars, digestive enzymes with hydrochloric acid (HCL) and ox bile extract, and the amino acids L-methionine, L-carnitine, L-cysteine, L-glutathione, and L-arginine.

Caution: For all cases of liver disease, do not use more than 10,000 IU of vitamin A daily and avoid cod liver oil entirely.

Alternative Professional Care
If your symptoms persist despite the above measures, seek the help of a qualified health professional. The following professional care therapies have all been shown to be useful for treating and relieving the symptoms of cirrhosis: Acupuncture, Cell Therapy, Detoxification Therapy, Magnetic Field Therapy, Natural Hormone Replacement Therapy, Naturopathic Medicine, Reflexology, Qigong, and Traditional Chinese Medicine.

Best of health to both of you  (+ info)

Can I get a handicap parking placard for Primary Biliary cirrhosis?

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I have just been diagnosed with Primary Biliary Cirrhosis as well as Sjogrens Syndrome. I was wondering if anyone knows if it is possible to obtain a handicap parking placard in the state of California for these issues?
Handicapped parking is for people that cannot walk very far and needs closer to the entrance or for someone in a wheelchair that needs the extra room for getting in and out of a vehicle.

I had primary biliary cirrhosis and never used handicapped parking until AFTER I received my transplant. There should not be any reason you need handicapped parking with PBC since it does not take away your ability to walk or even make you out of breathe.

I had to use handicapped parking for a few months after my transplant since it took me a long time to get back on my feet again. I don't know what Sjogrens Syndrome is so I don't know if that limits you in some way or not.

I guess the answer to your question is to ask yourself, "Can I walk to the store without a problem?" If the answer is yes, then you don't need handicapped parking even though I know you probably would like to have one of those placards just for the convenience of easy parking. Leave it for the people that really need it if you can.  (+ info)

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