Only Jaundice

[Kath5050]

About two weeks ago I noticed a change in the whites of my eyes turning creamier and more bloodshot. Currently today, my eyes are definitely a yellow, and now a tinge to my skin.

I had my last drink two weeks ago when I first noticed it.

I have previously been admitted to hospital with Jaundice before, with no other symptoms. I was given steroids and was in there for 3 weeks. Fibroscan came back at 20

As I have no other symptoms other than darker urine and occasional light brown stools, I feel fine and am eating, sleeping well etc. Would continuing to remain sober and keep my healthy lifestyle mean that the Jaundice will go away eventually?

[Oldbits]

Hi kath, maybe go to gp and get your LFT blood test done at your surgery. This would help clear any of your concerns. If there is a problem and as you don't have too many symptoms, it may be resolved quickly. Stay off the drink, eat healthy and exercise to help your liver.

[Grassroots112]

Hi and sorry you are experiencing this, jaundice is likely down to your bilirubin levels being elevated, a blood test will reveal that and the cause is likely through heavy drinking as was the case with mine, ceasing drinking and taking in plenty of fluid as well as eating a healthy diet will see the jaundice disappear soon enough, it took about a month for mine to disappear.

A word of caution, however, if the jaundice is being caused by drinking and this is the second time now, you run the risk of developing full blown alcohol hepatitis which jaundice is one of the first symptoms of which is usually followed by ascites and you don’t want that. Alcohol hepatitis can also mimic cirrhosis and often leads to cirrhosis and very quickly if drinking is continued and even then it may still develop into that even after abstaining. A fibroscan score of 20 would put you in the cirrhosis stages of liver disease…

See this as a warning that your liver isn’t functioning right, is damaged and now you have the chance to arrest that and for it to start healing and hopefully fully recover which it can do.

The prognosis of those who develop alcohol hepatitis is not good if you go back to drinking, I don’t want to scare you, but the only way forward is to cease all alcohol for the rest of your life and of course cut out any fatty processed foods, it’s taken me almost two years to kind of recover from alcohol hepatitis/likely decompensated cirrhosis, to now what they call moderate fibrosis after my liver has remodelled itself.

I had ascites, muscle wasting, have neuropathy and was at death’s door and all through alcohol. I was told even if I drank moderately again I would quickly get jaundiced again and then ascites and then full liver failure, good luck and take care, you can do this.

[Kath5050 in reply to Grassroots112]

when you say it took about a month to return back to ‘normal’ - was that without any medical intervention?

[Grassroots112 in reply to Kath5050]

I wasn’t given anything for my Jaundice specifically that I’m ware of other than I was detoxed when hospitalised for the alcohol dependency and was given albumin and saline through a tube. I was told by stopping drinking, my bilirubin levels would return to normal eventually which they did. They were well over 60 I think at one point and are now a 9 I believe. I first started noticing my stools were getting a weird colour and my urine was getting darker and darker, and I would itch badly, and then my eyes started turning yellow and next thing I know I’m as yellow as Homer Simpson (I was still drinking at this point, but trying to ween myself off). I look at photos from back then and you’d think I’d been dunked into yellow radioactive waste that’s how yellow I was, yet I couldn’t see it, just in my eyes. It’s a major symptom and complication of advanced liver disisease usually associated with alcohol hepatitis and or cirrhosis. The fact you’ve stopped drinking already for a few weeks is good news, but you must remain abstinent even when it disappears as it will quickly return. I check my eyes and skin every day just out of some irrational fear it may return and yet I get commented on how well my skin looks and how white the whites of my eyes are and how blue my eyes are by people who don’t even know I was once yellow with jaundice. Alcohol really does a number on not just your body and mind, but all your organs too including your skin. I was yellow, but aside from having jaundice on my medical records my doctors also noted my skin was also greyish when I was admitted, which is a sign that I was slowly dying.

[SirRobert in reply to Grassroots112]

I check my eyes too! Don’t drink anymore and diet pretty good. Is the fear of it happening again, isn’t it! I also have neuropathy which seems worse if anything.

Kath5050 absolutely I would get some bloods done. Better to know one way or the other rather than the worry I think. I used to be very much in the ignorance is bliss camp, however realised doesn’t really work and best to deal with whatever it is with the specific info for that. Take good care

[Grassroots112 in reply to SirRobert]

It is that fear, it’s the first time I realised my drinking was killing me and if I didn’t stop, I’d die. The jaundice was so awful an experience as I didn’t notice it at first, my wife did, and then you kind of become deluded and think ah, it will go away, it wasn’t until I turned totally yellow all over did I start panicking and went to my GP who arranged follow up tests. I wouldn’t say it saved my life as I continued to drink, but I was weening myself off and I become so ill I eventually dragged myself to A&E and I’ve never looked back since. I would wear my wife’s makeup to try and mask the yellow, I was so ashamed of myself. I echo other people’s posts OP, get yourself to a doctor for more tests. Good luck and take care.

[ok5677 in reply to Grassroots112]

I have neuropathy and ascites and chrosis

[Readlots]

Hi Kath, I’m sensing a reluctance to go to the doctor, possibly because you are worried about another hospital stay. Jaundice, dark wee and pale stools are all signs of a liver problem. It’s great that you’ve stopped drinking but please do go to your GP to get the checks others have suggested

[lonmallin50]

I woke up jaundice sent to hospital in for 2 weeks it did fade away l thought l was alright felt find sleeping well everything. when l got out l started drinking again big mistake went yellow again my billrubin was 500 they thought l would not make it but 3 weeks later i was out of hospital the yellow never went for 4 years until i had my transplant so i would def leave the drink alone just in case that was just me but going yellow is worrying sign your liver is struggling Good Luck Lon