Billirubin of 10

[Stressed_wife]

Hi all...when my husband was admitted his billirubin was 6.7...in 15 days with medication his billirubin went upto 10.7....the doctor says its ok...he has been off alcohol for 1 month now...how long does it take for the liver to heal...is there something that i can do to help...also his next test is tomorow...nervous as hell...what if the billirubin is on the high....does it happen???[

please advice

[RodeoJoe]

I might be wrong, isn't a normal level below 21?

Maybe we're talking different scales?

A low salt, no alcohol diet is recommended for the liver. Any kind of alternative medicine is a big no no.

Take care

[Stressed_wife in reply to RodeoJoe]

Thanks so much

[Bolly]

I think one of your earlier post said he had been drinking for about 22 years? How long will it take the liver to heal from 22 years of damage, hmm, well a long time, years probably rather than months. Also I think your husbands damage has progressed to what is called decompensated cirrhosis (this is when you get the fluid in the abdomen or ascites). Its not usually possible for the liver to 'heal' from this level of damage, the scarring and stiffness will most likely stay the same. What might improve are his side effects, such as the ascites, confusion, weight loss, fatigue etc.

A bilirubin of 10.7 is nothing to concern anyone. The normal range is roughly 21 or less as RodeoJoe says. It can go up and down within that level without concern, often goes up if the patient is dehydrated or hasnt drunk much water when the test is done.

Its things like GGT and ALT that the docs will be looking at to see how he is doing.

[RodeoJoe in reply to Bolly]

Bolly, I think a better diagnosis would probably come from a Dr. who knows the patient. The truth is the liver can heal, even when cirrhotic. The bilirubin is well within the normal range so there's nothing to worry about there. A change in life style could be enough for a normal life expectancy. And I would imagine the improvements would be immediate. Remember the liver doesn't have to fully heal it can function normally even when damage has occurred.

[Bolly]

Absoultely agree, stressed wife would be better asking her hubbys medics. She's asked a couple of times a similar question about how long it will take her hubby to get better, so not sure if she is getting the answer she wants from any of the doctors who know the patient. Have you asked your husbands doctors the same question stressed wife?

[Stressed_wife]

Hi...I have asked them...they say stay positive...anywhere between 3to6 months....but am just wanting to know

[RodeoJoe in reply to Stressed_wife]

I know asking can be hard because you may not want to hear the answer, but there you go. That sounds like a bloody good answer to me!

[Hidden]

is that direct bilirubin?

The question is what has he been diagnosed with? if he is lucky it may be Alcoholic Hepatitis and he could recover. But its highly likely to be Cirrhosis which has progressed to the point of near Liver failure. Some can get a fair bit of Liver function back, but he will never be the same and it usually progresses over time.

Im not sure you realise just how serious this is, he may not actually recover or have a recovery that will last for long. Dont give up though, people can do well, its going to take abit longer to see how its going to go.

sorry for this terrible time.

[Bolly]

There we go, stressed wife had the answer already from the docs. Thats optimistic. They might have added the 3-6 months time frame would be most likely if he abstained from alcohol entirely, ate a low salt low sugar very healthy diet, took gentle exercise and was totally compliant with his prescribed medication and treatment. I was advised in the past that though cirrhosis can remain stable (and as Rodeo says possibly improve) it doesnt take much to further damage a decompensated liver, say a course of antibiotics for an infection would put the liver under strain, or any future illness or infection not connected to the liver would put the body and therefore the liver under strain. I tend to agree with Ralph, that it is serious, that his health is never likely to be as good as it was before he started drinking, and that it may take longer than the docs time frame as his liver has spent longer (22 years) under stress than it has healthy (18 years).