I have "slightly" high bilirubin?

[safeduck10]

Hi,

I (24/Male) recently I went to the doctor concerned about being a heavy drinker for 4 years as I'd started experiencing right abdominal pain, shivers, fatigue and right upper back pain. Apart from a slight feeling of discomfort in my abdomen it's never been as bad as it was. However my doctor referred me for a liver function test and ultrasound to be safe.

I've had 2 blood tests in the past 2 months, both have returned normal levels apart from "mildly high bilirubin", it's in the 40's apparently and should be in the 20's or lower.

Any experience in what this could actually mean? My doctor reassures me there's no sign of serious liver damage and thinks it might be related to gallstones. She said to call again in 3 months for another blood test so surely it's not a major problem? She somewhat disregards my concern about being a heavy drinker because I'm young and apparently abdominal pain is very rarely a symptom of liver damage, even when the liver is in serious trouble.

Any experience with having high bilirubin but everything else is fine on here? I'm pretty worried despite being reassured it's nothing major.

[Hillclimber72]

If you don’t drink over this period you will get the best results next time. Then think about overall intake and days off.!

[Romantic34]

Did you have an ultrasound done ?

[safeduck10 in reply to Romantic34]

Not yet, I'm having it done later this month, been on like an 8 week waiting list due to covid.

[Hidden in reply to safeduck10]

The ultrasound will answer your question, and show gallstones if they are present..

[patrick62869]

Ask your doctor if it may be Gilbert's syndrome? Sounds similar to me - I'm 32yo M, had been drinking far too much and developed an uncomfortable feeling in the liver area. Ultrasound was fine & my bloods returned fine except slightly raised levels of bilirubin. My doctor told me the bilirubin levels were as he would expect given that he knows Gilbert's runs in my family. To my knowledge its not something to be overly worried about and may account for some increased sensitivity of the liver in terms of slight discomfort. Good luck!

[safeduck10 in reply to patrick62869]

I've been reading about Gilbert's syndrome a bit and have thought about whether this could be the cause.

Funnily enough before I even drank I remember people noting I sometimes would have a somewhat yellow complexion and yellow tinge in the corner of my eyes which would come and go. Didn't really go to a doctor or anything though as I was like 16 and it never caused any bad symptoms. Maybe this was the cause, I'll find out anyway. Thanks!