Drug induced liver disease

[Lalcat]

Hi all..

So after feeling unwell and suffering two excruciating bouts of pain I was rushed into hospital mid January where I was diagnosed with a ruptured gall bladder and sepsis. I have no gall stones but there was billary sludge... was treated with alot of very strong IV antibiotics for a week before before being allowed home with a weeks course of Augmentin and being told I would need my gall bladder removed once things had settled down. I started feeling alot better but then about two weeks later started being constantly sick, in pain and felt seasick and very unsteady. Saw my GP for blood tests and that night ended up back in hospital very unwell. The consultant took one look at my blood test results and said he was pretty sure I had been put into liver failure from the Augmentin I had been prescribed. I had another week in hospital and then sent home with oramorph to take if I had anymore pain. I've needed regular blood tests to check my liver function and he had said he hoped to have me back in in May to remove my gall bladder so long as my liver was back working normally. I have had around 5 or 6 really painful episodes where I have needed a dose of the morphine to get me through it. I'm really hoping that I hear from him soon to get this sorted

I was wondering if anyone else has experienced this as it feels like bad luck!!

Any input appreciated!

[CarpeDiem11]

I will only comment on anything I have knowledge of, so can't comment on the drug induced liver injury I'm afraid. As far as removing the gallbladder is concerned, they are unlikely to remove the gallbladder until you have good liver function. When your liver is unstable, there will be too much risk attached to the surgery, so I was told, for the gallbladder to be removed. The liver needs to be stable and have good liver function. Having said that, I have other issues going on that you haven't mentioned, so your risk may be much less than mine. I did not have gallstones or sludge.

Whilst the oramorph will help with the pain, it is not ideal to take for long periods of time, because any morphine derivative can cause constipation and this in turn can lead to horrible pain. Please make sure that your GP is checking on you regularly and don't be afraid to go to A and E for help if you get sick again. You have suffered a lot so far and I really feel your pain. I had many episodes like this (although not as severe as yours in terms of sickness) and it took 6 months before surgery was carried out. On the plus side, the surgery went well and I am free of those horrible episodes. I wish you the best of luck and hope this gets resolved soon.

Make sure you ask for a copy of all your bloods (both from the hospital and GP), so that if you do need to go to A and E again, they can quickly see what has happened so far and make the right choices for your further care. In these situations, you really must advocate for yourself. It would be a good idea to ask your GP what to do if you experience another episode and what to look for. So sorry to hear that you have had such a horrible time so far.