A bit confused

[Breakfastbabe]

I notice quite often that posts here include results of acronyms such as ALT, LPT etc and things like Bilrubin. Are they important and how do you get hold of these please as we have never heard of them before coming on here? My husband was diagnosed 4 years ago with Cirrhosis and has been in and out of two different hospitals but the only thing anyone has spoken to us about is low haemoglobin resulting in a blood transfusion and ensuring his albumen is replaced during Ascites drains. Thank you.

[AyrshireK]

My hubby has never - in 12 years of living with cirrhosis - been told any of his blood test results. Some people do get theirs and some hospitals and health boards do have patient access that allows you to view your own results. Sometimes folks can 'sweat' their results rather than just getting on with living your best life possible, it becomes an obsession to know what these results mean and really they are best left in the hands of the professionals and you get on with living your life.

In case you don't know what some of the acronyms mean I created a post some years ago which goes into them and you can find this at:- healthunlocked.com/britishl...

The BLT has a pinned post too with useful words glossary at:- healthunlocked.com/britishl...

Plus on the website a whole section explaining the various liver tests etc. britishlivertrust.org.uk/in...

Hope they help somewhat.

Katie

[Breakfastbabe in reply to AyrshireK]

Thank you that is helpful and you are right in a way.

[Vius]

For me, the terms were initially irrelevant: I was in a coma so had little interest in them. But after that I found them interesting for several reasons:

(A) About a month after discharge from that first (and only) coma, I could see whether any kind of progress was being made. Kind of a quantified sanity check on whether drugs, dialysis, and other treatments were working. And to ask my doctors questions about them.

(B) I could share stories with others, having some kind of correlation between objective numbers and actual experience.

(C) prioritization for transplant (in the US) are based on some of these numbers

(D) it is medically/intellectually very interesting.

Probably B and D dominated over time. Why does Ascites form? Why add albumin? What is the TIPS procedure doing and its impact?

A science experiment involving me and anyone I talk with. The terms quantify some aspects of the experiment.

[juneblue]

I did get on with living my life and amhappier now than ever before. In the US it is a law that medical records have to be relesease to patients upon request. Don’t ever blindly trust your physician with anything. My wife is an ICU nurse and has stopped doctors from accidently killing patients due to frivolous mistakes. All doctors are not created equal and are only human. That being said it is not healthy to stress over things you have no control over. How ever you have more control over your health than doctors when treating cirrhosis. Educate yourself. God Bless , hope everything improves.