Re: KAREN FR Romie - liver enzymes

[Guest guest]

KAREN I LOSE ALL ENERGY AROUND A WEEK OR TWO BEFORE ...... AND I MEAN ZIPP ILL STAY IN BED TILL 11 AND BY 9 PM I AM DEAD TIRED ......... THE DRS. SAID THEY HAVE NEVER HEARD OF IT BUT IT IS WORTH MONITORING.......

ROMIE

Romie,

You are the first person I've heard say you get worse around your monthly. I'm curious to see if everyone has this problem?

I have to say this is the worst time for me. I don't even feel like getting out of bed.

good day to all---

[Guest guest]

Romie,

You are the first person I've heard say you get worse around your monthly. I'm curious to see if everyone has this problem?

I have to say this is the worst time for me. I don't even feel like getting out of bed.

good day to all---

KAREN FR Romie - liver enzymes

KAREN AFTER MANY YEARS OF HIGH ENZYMES THE HEP DR. DID ORDER A BIOPSY ..... I HAVE AUTO IMMUNE DRUG INDUCED HEP. ........ THE CONCLUSION AFTER ALL THE YEARS I WAS ON PRED IT MANAGE TO DAMAGE MY LIVER BEYOUND REPAIR ..... AS LONG AS I WATCH WHAT DRUGS I TAKE IT SHOULDNT GET ANY WORSE ....... NOW I ONLY TAKE MEDS IF I ABSOLUTLY CANT TAKE THE PAIN ........ AND CLOSE TO MY MONTHLY MY SYSTEM TENDS TO GET KNOCKED DOWN A LOT ..... THIS PAST SAT. WHILE AT MY DAUGHTERS' BASKETBALL GAMES MY SIS ASKED ME IF I HAD BEEN PARTYING ......... MY EYES WERE BEYOND YELLOW ..... I KNOW I HADNT BEEN RESTING LIKE I SHOULD BUT I HAD NO IDEA IT SHOWED UP THAT BAD IN MY EYES ....... EVEN SOMETHING AS SIMPLE AS TYLONOL WILL HURT MY LIVER ........ SO I JUST STAY AWAY FROM IT ALL .......

ROMIE

Romie,

you wrote

'MY DOC TOLD ME MY ITCHING IS DUE TO MY LIVER ENZYMES BEING OUT OF WACK ........ROMIE'

Have they told you why they think your liver enzymes are out of wack? Have they done a liver biopsy? Sorry to be butting in, but my liver enzymes were going as high as the 700 range, with normal being around 35 or less. They actually started creeping up in March 2002. When I started back having the pancreatitis attacks, they just got higher and higher. In Aug 02, my internal med doc said I needed a liver biopsy. My old GI insisted nothing was wrong with my liver, it was 'perfectly healthy'. Finally, in Dec 02, he decided to do a liver biopsy, after over 4 months of every other doctor I went to saying I needed one. He did a liver biopsy on Dec 27, 2002. On January 6, 2003, he told me that I have autoimmune liver disease (specifically autoimmune hepatitis-AIH). The biopsy showed that my 'perfectly healthy' liver had already progressed to stage 3 fibrosis (scarring). Damage to the liver is graded on a scale of 0 to 4, with 0 being no damage and 4 being cirrhosis. I was well on my way to cirrhosis. The good news is that AIH typically responds pretty well to treatment, which is prednisone and imuran - to supress the immune system and get rid of the inflammation in the liver. The scary part is that without treatment, AIH has a survival rate of only 10% in 10 years. I began taking prednisone on Jan 8, 2003 and within 2 1/2 weeks, my liver enzymes were down to near normal. I hated the prednisone, but it is absolutely life saving in the case of AIH. Thankfully, I'm down to taking only 2.5 mg of prednisone daily and I hope I never have to increase it again! I started taking 100 mg of Imuran in June and will take it for the rest of my life to keep my immune system suppressed. So far, I've had no problems with the Imuran. It does cause an increased risk of cancer -specifically lymphoma, but without the imuran or some sort of treatment for the AIH, either a transplant or death is pretty certain in the next 10 years. I'm only 42 and I hope to be around for many more than 10 years. I also hope I can be around without the need for a liver transplant!

I may be worrying you needlessly, but often liver disease can be pretty silent.

Take care and let me know how things are going for you.

"The LUPIES Store" Come check out our store...http://www.cafepress.com/thelupies"The LUPIES Web Page"http://www.itzarion.com/lupusgroup.html"The LUPIES online photo albums!" Check out what your fellow Lupies look like...http://www.picturetrail.com/gallery/view?username=lupies

[Guest guest]

Romey... the liver can regenerate itself! Even in lupus patients

and drug induced hep. There is also a natural supplement called

Milk Thistle that can greatly speed the recovery. I've seen it work

where doctors were handing out death sentences. Anyone with liver

problems should definately do some research on their own. The

following is an excerpt from a web site I visited. I'd trust the

brand in my local store before ordering the internet ones, but

Nature's Way is a good inexpensive store brand and I know it is also

available online (naturesway.com)

MILK THISTLE

For liver cleanse & repair

Silybum marianun is a short annual plant grown in dry rocky soils in

Europe and the USA. The whole plant may be harvested for medicinal

purpose. Traditionally, milk thistle is employed for two purposes.

Promoting the health of the liver in healthy and weakened states.

Promoting the production of milk in nursing mothers.

The active principle within milk thistle is known as Silymarin.

Silymarin is one of the most powerful liver protecting substances

known. Mechanism of its action are:

A. Act as liver antioxidant. In the liver cell, silymarin is ten

times more potent than vitamin E.

B. Elevates the detoxification substance content of the liver cells.

It had been demonstrated that milk thistle can protect the liver

against the ingestion of the deadly deathcap mushroom poisons.

C. Stabilizes the cell membranes by preventing any disruption of its

lipid bilayers.

Additionally, Siiymarin stimulates new protein synthesis for new

cell generation. This process provides a restorative effect on the

liver.

Along the biliary tree, Silymarin enhances bile flow. It reduces the

cholesterol content of the bile, thus limiting potential gallstone

formation.

Milk thistle has been used extensively in Europe for a long time and

shown to possess very low toxicity. Truly a herb with efficacy for

the liver state of well being.

>

> KAREN AFTER MANY YEARS OF HIGH ENZYMES THE HEP DR. DID ORDER A

BIOPSY .....

> I HAVE AUTO IMMUNE DRUG INDUCED HEP. ........ THE CONCLUSION

AFTER ALL THE

> YEARS I WAS ON PRED IT MANAGE TO DAMAGE MY LIVER BEYOUND

REPAIR ..... AS LONG

> AS I WATCH WHAT DRUGS I TAKE IT SHOULDNT GET ANY WORSE .......

NOW I ONLY

> TAKE MEDS IF I ABSOLUTLY CANT TAKE THE PAIN ........ AND CLOSE TO

MY MONTHLY MY

> SYSTEM TENDS TO GET KNOCKED DOWN A LOT ..... THIS PAST SAT.

WHILE AT MY

> DAUGHTERS' BASKETBALL GAMES MY SIS ASKED ME IF I HAD BEEN

PARTYING ......... MY

> EYES WERE BEYOND YELLOW ..... I KNOW I HADNT BEEN RESTING LIKE I

SHOULD BUT I

> HAD NO IDEA IT SHOWED UP THAT BAD IN MY EYES ....... EVEN

SOMETHING AS SIMPLE

> AS TYLONOL WILL HURT MY LIVER ........ SO I JUST STAY AWAY FROM

IT ALL

> .......

> ROMIE

> Romie,

> you wrote

> 'MY DOC TOLD ME MY ITCHING IS DUE TO MY LIVER ENZYMES BEING OUT OF

WACK

> ........

> ROMIE'

>

>

> Have they told you why they think your liver enzymes are out of

wack? Have

> they done a liver biopsy? Sorry to be butting in, but my liver

enzymes were

> going as high as the 700 range, with normal being around 35 or

less. They

> actually started creeping up in March 2002. When I started back

having the

> pancreatitis attacks, they just got higher and higher. In Aug 02,

my internal med

> doc said I needed a liver biopsy. My old GI insisted nothing was

wrong with my

> liver, it was 'perfectly healthy'. Finally, in Dec 02, he decided

to do a

> liver biopsy, after over 4 months of every other doctor I went to

saying I

> needed one. He did a liver biopsy on Dec 27, 2002. On January 6,

2003, he told me

> that I have autoimmune liver disease (specifically autoimmune

hepatitis-AIH).

> The biopsy showed that my 'perfectly healthy' liver had already

progressed

> to stage 3 fibrosis (scarring). Damage to the liver is graded on

a scale of 0

> to 4, with 0 being no damage and 4 being cirrhosis. I was well on

my way to

> cirrhosis. The good news is that AIH typically responds pretty

well to

> treatment, which is prednisone and imuran - to supress the immune

system and get rid

> of the inflammation in the liver. The scary part is that without

treatment,

> AIH has a survival rate of only 10% in 10 years. I began taking

prednisone on

> Jan 8, 2003 and within 2 1/2 weeks, my liver enzymes were down to

near normal.

> I hated the prednisone, but it is absolutely life saving in the

case of AIH.

> Thankfully, I'm down to taking only 2.5 mg of prednisone daily

and I hope I

> never have to increase it again! I started taking 100 mg of

Imuran in June

> and will take it for the rest of my life to keep my immune system

suppressed.

> So far, I've had no problems with the Imuran. It does cause an

increased risk

> of cancer -specifically lymphoma, but without the imuran or some

sort of

> treatment for the AIH, either a transplant or death is pretty

certain in the next

> 10 years. I'm only 42 and I hope to be around for many more than

10 years. I

> also hope I can be around without the need for a liver transplant!

>

> I may be worrying you needlessly, but often liver disease can be

pretty

> silent.

>

> Take care and let me know how things are going for you.

>

>