Hepatitis disease - Current illness not yet diagnosed

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Current illness not yet diagnosed - hep a??

MarkM

2005-09-24, 2:09 pm

A week ago - last Saturday night - I started feeling very, very weak
and tired, as well as being nauseous. For the next two days - until
Monday - I was so weak I could hardly move from the sofa. I ate and
drank very little and suffered from unpleasant acid heartburn,
particularly at night, and had a very nasty vomitting session on
Monday. I live in the UK and should have set off today (Sunday) on a
10-day trip to New York; but on Thursday, still feeling poorly, I went
to my GP. By this time, I was actually feeling a little better - less
weak, less nausea, and only one more session of vomitting. My urine,
however, was very dark brown/orange.

My GP looked in my eyes and instantly diagnosed jaundice (when I got
home, I looked at my sclera and could instantly see what he meant: they
were *very* yellow). He took some blood and the next day, Friday, he
called me to say that I had very elevated levels of an enzyme
associated with liver damage, and that he wanted me to go to the
hospital for more blood tests, that very afternoon. He also said that I
should cancel my NY trip!!

At the hospital on Friday evening, the consultant who saw me before my
blood was taken told me that the level of the enzyme my GP had referred
to (presumably ALT or AST - he didn't name it, my my internet research
suggests that it's one of those two) should have been at about 40 if
I'd been healthy - but was actually at 2000!! He said he'd only seen
levels so high in people who'd just had a liver transplant, or who were
in acute liver failure!!! EEEK!!
He showed surprise that I *seemed* fairly healthy (in fact by this time
I was feeling better than I'd done all week, and apart from the
disturbing jaundice, my only symptoms were tiredness and a slight
nausea that I could easily have put down to eating nothing but plain,
grilled fish and drinking water all week!!) but still thought I was
probably very ill. More bloods were taken and he said he'd look at the
results that evening - and that, in the absence of my feeling any iller
before then, I had to come back this Wednesday for the results of the
new blood tests.

Since then, apart from tiredness - I've been sleeping for hours and
hours - and an increase in the yellowness of my skin - I've felt fine,
really. I've eaten lots of fresh fruit, fish, glucose powder and water
(with the occasional cup of tea or coffee).

Now I know that Wednesday should reveal all, but I just wondered if
anyone here, amongst you knowledgeable people, had any thoughts on my
condition. Speaking to friends who work in sexual health, and checking
the internet, suggests that it might be hep a. Does this seem likely?
Or maybe one of the other heps. Or something else??

I'm a sexually active gay man in my early 40s, but I *always* have
safer sex, have never experimented with drugs and have never used
needles.

I'm sticking to fruit, grilled fish and chicken, water and the odd tea
or coffee. Am I doing right? Is there anything else I can do to help my
liver recover?

Wednesday seems a long way off, so all and any advice would be
gratefully appreciated. As I'm sure you imagine, this is quite a scary
time for me - the thought of severe liver damage is very disturbing.
Let's face it: this could kill me!

Thanks in advance!

Mark
x

Randy Thomas

2005-09-24, 2:09 pm

diseased gall bladder? i.e. (gangrene) blocked bile duct? dont jump
conclusions. Your doc should refrain from much chatter until he knows
more. And your onset of symptoms came on very fast?

MarkM

2005-09-24, 2:09 pm

Randy Thomas wrote:
> diseased gall bladder? i.e. (gangrene) blocked bile duct? dont jump
> conclusions. Your doc should refrain from much chatter until he knows
> more. And your onset of symptoms came on very fast?

Well, it's confirmed as Hep A - and although a couple of my liver tests
are still quite high (and I'm disturbingly yellow!) - I'm feeling on
top of the world! Took more blood yesterday and I have to go back next
Wednesday to see whether the trend's up or down. Yes, the symptoms did
come on fast, didn't they?

So - cautiously - it seems to be good news: better Hep A than gall
bladder problems, I reckon! And as as side effect, my diet has improved
no end: buckets of fresh fruit and almost no fat. Hope I can keep it up
once I'm better...

Mxx