Just wondering.

[cath1917]

Hello there. Recently I had dreadful itching. It was extensive and lead to a rash all over my body. The Dr did bloods and I came up as AMA pos. I've had great advice and information from this site, and as my LFTs are pretty much normal, I understand I don't have PBC. I'm obviously hugely grateful for this, and I hope the gods continue to smile on me, and that this continues. My query though is this, I have incredible tiredness. Is this just me being a lazy cah, or is it an early sign? Can you have the tiredness before liver changes occur, or does it only happen afterwards?

Thank you all in advance and best wishes for the sunny days ahead xx

[Hidden]

I believe that you need to be watched. Start now making life changes. Watch your enzymes. Good luck and I hope that you don't have it. How old are you

[Hidden]

Hi Cath 1917

I also hope you don't have PBC.

To answer your question about fatigue. Yes you can have extreme fatigue before any liver changes, or damage - symptoms of PBC do not correlate with the stages of PBC.

In my case, extreme fatigue was what took me to the doctor. It took two years from that first visit before I was diagnosed with PBC - I am now Stage 4 (cirrhosis). I've been diagnosed for 28 years.

[Wendy29]

I'm sorry to say that my first symptoms were extreme tiredness and then itching all over my body which resulted in a dreadful rash. I was diagnosed early with PBC/auto immune hepatitis simply because my gastro took an early biopsy of my liver as my mum had this disease and found I had early changes.

[GrittyReads]

Yes, as others have said, itching and fatigue are two of the main symptoms of PBC. The damage done to the liver is at the microscopic level, and will not show up on scans, or even make much difference to your liver function tests (lfts) for a while. However, it would be a good idea to go back to your doctor - or consultant if you saw one - for further checks. It may be that they need to monitor you lfts more regularly. It's better to be sure.

Take care.

[badpiglet]

Agree with Gritty - go back to your doctor.

Although it may be connected to your liver, there are many other causes of extreme tiredness which your doctor can investigate and eliminate eg anaemia, under-active thyroid.

[cath1917]

Thank you all for your replies. They were really helpful x