Deranged lft

[Moux1]

My husband has cirrhosis and has currently got horrendous cellulitis, he is taking flucloxicillan and I’ve just read his discharge note from a short spell in urgent care saying he has chronic deranged LFT and raised inflammatory markers . What does this mean , if it is serious I think they should have made us aware. They haven’t asked for repeat bloods which I find strange considering these results

[deanw41]

Means that his liver is not happy for some reason. I would personally chase that up.😊

[Aotea2012]

I agree with Dean. A phone call to his consultants secretary is required. He should be having 6 monthly bloods if he has cirrhosis so these should be being monitored. It’s important to flag to his consultant that he’s had an admission into urgent care so that they are aware of the blood results too. The join up doesn’t always happen so just to be safe it’s worth a phone call.

[Moux1 in reply to Aotea2012]

Thank you , we are just at the beginning of this journey and he already has regular blood tests where numbers were fine. I just wondered if the antibiotics could have effected them. He is to have ultrasounds every 6 mths too and endoscopy every two year as it showed no sign of cancer or varices. He was doing well but this bloody cellulitis keeps coming back , he didn’t respond to the flucloxaciilin so is now on IV for 14 days, hopefully this will kick it out of touch xxx

[Aotea2012 in reply to Moux1]

The infection and the antibiotics that are treating it will throw bloods out. Infections and cirrhosis are not a great combination as the liver has a tougher time as it has to contend with fighting an infection too. Infections are more common with cirrhosis as the immune system is not as strong. All the more important to get on top of infections quickly. It sounds as if that’s happening. Urgent care treats loads of people every day and is often a bit removed from the rest of the hospital and focused on the here and now. Its important that his liver consultant is aware of the admission as they will be able to focus on the consequences for his liver.

[Moux1 in reply to Aotea2012]

Thank you so much , I will let them know tomorrow, I was wondering if the infection or antibiotics would give off different results as he was doing so well and you’ve answered that question, much appreciated

[Lantana100]

Just a thought - Is the cellulitis in his legs? And did he/does he suffer from oedema in his legs as a symptom of his cirrhosis? If this is the case then the cellulitis may be secondary to the oedema issues and therefore linked with his liver issues and you should definitely get in touch with his liver consultant to let him know what’s going on.

[Moux1 in reply to Lantana100]

Thank you , yes this is what is happening

[Moux1 in reply to Lantana100]

Do you think they may be a chance that it will right itself when the infection has cleared

[AyrshireK in reply to Moux1]

I agree with others who have said about notifying his liver consultant about this infection and deranged LFT's. Fighting an infection can destabilize the liver and his liver consultant needs to be involved in his current issues - especially as the cellulitis is linked with his oedema.

[Moux1 in reply to AyrshireK]

Thank you

[Lantana100 in reply to Moux1]

I’m not exactly sure what you are asking here but just to reiterate the leg oedema is probably secondary to his cirrhotic liver and oedematous tissues are very prone to infection/cellulitis which as you have experienced may require prolonged treatment. Following his cirrhosis diagnosis my husband developed quite severe oedema in his lower legs but luckily he never developed cellulitis which we were always on the look out for and the oedema resolved itself after a few weeks and never returned. But your liver consultant needs to be informed of this complication. The infection, inflammation and antibiotic treatment may well be affecting his LFT results.

[Moux1 in reply to Lantana100]

Thank you , I will ring the consultant today

[Dililiver]

Hi Moux1 I have just seen this now. Very rarely, flucloxicillin can cause serious injury to the liver. Happened me in late 2019, I was close to needing a transplant - having had no prior problems with my liver - but luckily made a full recovery after more than a year. My bloods were deranged with every marker off the charts but especially my bilirubin and ALP. Definitely worth mentioning to the doctor.

[Moux1 in reply to Dililiver]

How did yours recover and are you saying that it was antibiotics that caused the blood results to show deranged , thanks

[Dililiver in reply to Moux1]

Yes the antibiotic caused my liver to fail - I developed a condition called Vanishing Bile Duct Syndrome, it destroyed the bile ducts in my liver but thankfully, over time, my liver healed itself and I made a full recovery. All my LFTs were very elevated. Prior to taking the antibiotic my liver was perfect. I must stress it is a very rare - but very serious - complication of taking flucloxacillin. I am glad to read below that they believe it's the infection and not the antibiotic that's causing the problem.

[Moux1]

I have spoken to the consultant secretary who had confirmed that the infection will not all numbers out and that they should settle down once the infection improves , phew lol

[Hidden]

Based on the information you have provided, we would suggest to discuss directly with the consultant to ensure that the bloods are monitored to re- check levels.

[Moux1 in reply to Hidden]

Nobody even told us about them , it was when I read the report but I’ll ask for a repeat , thank you

[Boldad]

What stage cirrhosis is he in. Very important. Your doctor should inform of this. Is there any black in his stool? Is he cramping up or itchy. I hate Facebook gossip. If u need further help. [e-mail]. I’m just Linda and I’m am going through now same thing. However 2017 They gave me 30 days to live. I’m still here. Don’t stop believing. 🙂This is great healthunlocked. I’m just overwhelmed and very old school.

🤗👍👼😀

[Moux1 in reply to Boldad]

That’s good to hear , what steps did you take to improve ? He is decompensated but no varices or signs of liver cancer on his endoscopy, had mild acites last month when he had odema and cellulitis but none in this episode. No black stools or itching. He is tired more recently but this could be due to the infection and very cold at all times. Echo and ECG were fine and his bloods were improving before this , thank you for taking the time to reply , it’s much appreciated to know I’m not alone and worrying