last friday my father went to the er because he was light-headed and his left arm was numb. so went to the er after waiting for hours to be seen they ran several tests and determined everything is good except something funny with his liver. they said it is inflamed. but the papers said it was cirrhosis. they said to go to the doctor within 4 days and check everything out.
his doctor of many years read his medical history and seemed confident that it is not cirrhosis. he believes his liver was inflamed because of my fathers long time alcohol habits along with him taking aleve and indomethacin for his gout. he said to come back in 8 weeks to allow everything to get out of his system so he can run some new tests.
I want to believe our family doctor because the ER took hours before I was helped, then I'd sit in the room for long periods of time and wait for someone to come back. I'm terribly nervous and not sure what to think. My mom is going to make him an appointment for a second opinion with a liver specialist tomorrow.
he has stopped taking the indomethacin and aleve. also he has stopped all consumption of alcohol. he is only taking now cold & flu medicine for he developed a fever last night and has had symptons of a cold today.
so my question is it possible for your liver to become inflamed by a combonation of certain medicines?
Thank so much for your time.
Doxycycline
The liver can certainly be inflammed by medications (or viruses such as hepatitis or alcohol) and this can cause elevation in the liver enzymes (likely the blood tests that were done in the ER) that might mimic cirrhosis.
It's reasonable to take a few weeks off of medicines that might do this and re-test (and perhaps test for hepatitis at that time as well) and see if the liver enzymes are back to normal.
There are other tests that can be done in the ER such as albumin, PT, and PTT that would be expected to be abnormal in cirrhosis. Perhaps your doctor is aware of normal results of these tests and so is more confident that this isn't cirrhosis?
Finally, cirrhosis can be noted on imaging tests such as CT and ultrasound. Is the family doctor perhaps aware of recent imaging tests that the ER was not aware of?
Baa Baa
Yes, your father could have inflammation from alcohol or other medications that can affect the liver. Long time alcohol abuse can cause cirrhosis. I think your father needs to have further testing done to find out what is going on. If it is cirrhosis, then he needs to know the truth. It is good that he is not drinking. That is so important when it comes to problems with the liver. The liver specialist will probably want to do a biopsy which is the best test that will show the true picture of what is happening to his liver and if it is damaged or not.
abijann
When the liver cells become damaged, the
immune system of the body responds to this
and causes inflammation to develop inside
the liver. This inflammation can cause the
liver to enlarge in size. Alcohol consumption
or medication toxifications can cause
this damage.
The doctors do three types of blood testing
to see how the liver is:
(1) The liver enzymes will give the doctor
an idea is the liver cells are damaged.
(2) The liver functions tests will show how
well the cells are functioning to keep the body
well
(3) The liver viral tests are to see if a virus
has entered the body and is using to the liver
cells to replicate itself. (Hepatitis A,B,C,etc)
If the doctor feels that the liver is enlarged,
which he can sometime tell by the blood tests
and an examination where he placed his hand
in the upper right quadrant of the abdomen,
under the ribs...he will then order for an
Ultrasound or Ct scan to be taken to view the
liver.
Inflammation of the liver cells is known as "Hepatitis"
If the liver cells die off and form scar tissue
inside the liver that blocks the flow of blood...
that, is then known as "Cirrhosis" of the liver.
If the cells haven't died off, stopping the
alcohol and treating the inflammations...can
cause the condition to reverse and the liver
cells can heal.
It is best now that he take only the medications
prescribed or approved of by his doctor.
He should not stop any prescription medication
unless the doctor authorizes to do so.
He should also contact the doctor about
the use of any kinds of over the counter
medications, that includes cold and flu
medicines. Medications go through the
liver to be broken down...if there is liver
damage, that medication has to be adjusted
according to how much damage there is.
He should be with either a gastroenterologist
or hepatologist now.
I would try to get a copy of his medical
records and also any records from the hospital
to take to the specialist before he has to be
seen by him. This gives the doctor time
to review them, before he actually has his
first appointment.
If he drinks alcohol and takes it with certain
pain medications, like acetaminophen (tylenol)..
he can cause instant damage to the liver cells.
Here is some links about cirrhosis of the liver...
just click on them:
http://www.medicinenet.com/cirrhosis/article.htm
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/cirrhosis/DS00373
I'm hoping that this has not advanced to
cirrhosis as yet and can be reversed.
Cirrhosis of the liver is not reversable...
the liver cells keep dying off till the whole
liver is gone and a transplant is needed.
Best of wishes to you, your Mom and your
Dad.
Orignal From: possible to misdiagnose cirrhosis of the liver (repost)?
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