According to the reports, do I need an immediate liver CT scan?
Hi doctor,
I am a 46 year old male. I had gastric bypass surgery 7 years ago. Earlier, I was 540 lbs and now, my weight is 300 lbs. About 5 years ago, I started drinking hard alcohol (Vodka) weekly. As of three weeks ago, I started getting a tight, bloated, tingly sensation from my chest down to my pelvic area. There is no real pain. It just feels as if there is a wide band wrapped around me and numbness. It almost feels as I may be collecting fluid in my abdomen and thighs. I also have burning and tingling sensation that runs down my inner legs from my thighs to my ankles. Some days, it is better than others. I feel fatigue and it is a bit hard for me to get out of a chair due to being weak at times. I do have energy though to perform daily activities once I am up.
I stopped drinking two weeks ago. I eat daily. There is no nausea, vomiting, bleeding, spider veins or yellowing of skin and eyes, I have normal bowel movements and there is no blood in stool. The stool color is normal. I do not feel hallucinations or loss of memory. My urine is dark yellow or brown and cloudy at times. I am a bit pale, but I have always been that way. I sleep regularly and have not lost any weight on the scale. But, I feel my muscle may have been replaced with fat.
I went to a GI specialist and he just thinks it is malnutrition issues due to my gastric bypass. My GI specialist ordered blood work and it indicates that I have some liver issues based on my research. Is there a way to determine the stage my liver health based on the laboratory reports below and the symptoms? Is it an emergency that I go to the hospital right away? Do I need to get a CT scan of liver immediately? The flags on my laboratory reports are, RBC 3.64 (low - ref 4.14 - 5.80), MCV 108 (high - ref 79 - 97), MCH 38.2 (high - ref 26.6 - 33.0), RDW 16.3 (high - ref 12.3 - 15.4), serum creatinine 0.56 (low - ref 0.76 - 1.27), serum chloride 94 (low - ref 97 - 106) serum calcium 8.4 (low - ref 8.7 - 10.2), total bilirubin 9.5 (high - ref 0 - 1.2), serum alkaline phosphatase 241 (high - ref 39 - 117), AST 196 (high - ref 0 - 40), ALT 61 (high - ref 0 - 44) and vitamin D, 25-Hydroxy 4.4 (low - ref 30.0 - 100.00). I also attached the full laboratory report. I started Vitamin B12 injections last week, Vitamin D3 drops, B1 and B complex supplements to hopefully help raise my low D3. Thank you.
26 Feb 2024 - 1 min read
I want to know whether my liver is in bad condition.
Hi doctor,
I am a 33 year old male. My body weight is 141 lbs and height is 5 foot 3 inches. My USG report shows that the liver is mildly enlarged in size (liver span is 123 mm), but has normal shape and outline. There is a mild diffuse homogenous increase of hepatic parenchymal echogenicity suggesting mild fatty liver. No focal area of altered echogenicity is seen. The intrahepatic tubular structures are normal. The porta hepatis is normal. Portal vein measures 7 mm. The biliary tree is not dilated. The common duct at porta hepatis measures 3 mm in diameter. The gallbladder is normally distended. The gallbladder wall is normal. No calculus or mass is seen in the gall bladder. All other organs are normal in shape and size. The overall impression is mild fatty liver. My SGOT is 43 u/L and SGPT is 35 u/L. I was a social drinker, but I gave up before five years. I want to know whether my liver is in bad condition.
23 Feb 2024 - 1 min read
Am I suffering from achalasia or GERD?
Hi doctor,
I am a 31 year old male. I recently had a severe chest pain like heartburn and visited a gastroenterologist doctor. I am also suffering from swallowing disorder for the past seven to eight months, especially solid foods and sometime liquids too. It feels that whenever I eat food it stuck somewhere in the chest at the level of the lower esophagus. I need to drink water to take down that food in the stomach. My doctor told me that I am suffering from mild antral gastritis and esophageal candidiasis as per endoscopy. Also, the endoscopy finding says that esophagus shows white curdy precipitate with erythema at GE junction and large dilated esophagus. Now, he has suggested for manometry test. I want to know the actual problem with me. Am I suffering from achalasia with GERD? What are the treatment options? The medication I am going through is Nexpro-L, Nexpro 40 and Torfix 400 mg. Can it be treated with medication or require surgery?
21 Feb 2024 - 1 min read
Could bleeding ulcer be the reason for anal bleeding?
Hi doctor,
I have pain in the left side just below my breast all that way to the back. When I go to the bathroom, my stool has blood. It has been bleeding for two days, even without a bowel movement. The bleeding is in my anus. If I drink oregano team, then it will stop. But, will start bleeding after some time. What could it be? Can it be due to a bleeding ulcer? I have a previous history of gastritis. My regular medicines include Metformin ER 500 mg and Fluoxetine 20 mg.
19 Feb 2024 - 1 min read
Why did my stomach pain end up in hospital admission?
Hi doctor,
I have been admitted in a hospital for three times in a year with a complaint of constipation. I did not poop for four weeks. There was no fecal impaction, but my intestines were not moving. They gave me an NG tube to clean me out. My GI doctor prescribed me so many laxatives, but nothing worked. I had an endoscopy and colonoscopy. They showed nothing, but a very stretched out colon and intestines. My doctor advised me that I can make my colon and intestine, normal with strict diet and laxatives. But still, I cannot produce a bowel movement without laxatives. If I do not take laxatives, then it will result in constipation. I have been diagnosed with IBS-C. I also get random vomiting. I have been on anti-reflux and nausea pills. I am scheduled for small bowel manometry, antroduodenal manometry, motility testing along with an endoscopy and colonoscopy. How long will this testing be? Do you think that another endoscopy and colonoscopy will help my condition? Though I had stomach pain for many years, why it ends up in hospital admission nowadays? Currently, I am on Ondansetron 8 mg, Metronidazole 500 mg, Dicyclomine 20 mg, Promethazine 25 mg and Lansoprazole.
19 Feb 2024 - 1 min read
Medical Gastroenterology