elevated bilirubin

lynn1950
lynn1950 Member Posts: 2,570
edited March 2014 in Breast Cancer #1
Hello sisters, Had my 6 month check up last week and almost everything looked fine ...except that I have an elevated bilirubin. This is very scary to me. Any one else experience this? Lynn

Comments

  • CR1954
    CR1954 Member Posts: 1,390 Member
    #2
    Hi Lynn...
    I have not experienced that. In fact, I'm not even sure what it means. Can you explain?

    My bloodwork has been ok so far. My next lab work is in May.

    CR
  • Marcia527
    Marcia527 Member Posts: 2,729
    #3
    I didn't know what it was
    I didn't know what it was either so I googled it. Now I can't remember what I read. I guess that means I didn't understand it. Something about jaundice in babies. My son had jaundice when he was born and they put him under a special light. What can they do for you?
  • Moopy23
    Moopy23 Member Posts: 1,751 Member
    #4
    Hi, Lynn
    I am sorry, but I know very little about bilirubin except that it is related to jaundice, and higher levels can be caused by chemo. My onc ordered a liver test as part of routine bloodwork a few weeks back, but I did not hear back about it. You might check chemocare.com for side effects of chemo, although I don't know how long chemo would be expected to have this type of effect. My college boyfriend had jaundice/increased bilirubin, which was diagnosed as a mild form of anemia. I believe he was to take larger doses of folic acid (not sure about which supplement).

    Did your doctor comment on the test, or did he/she want to do any follow-up testing? Did he/she give you any instructions about it? I would take my cue from that.

    I have learned already that one loss we survivors have is the loss of innocence about tests. Remember when you went to your doc for tests and just expected all would be fine? I understand the worry with every test now. I hope this test is nothing for you to worry about. Please keep us posted on what you find out.
  • lynn1950
    lynn1950 Member Posts: 2,570
    #5
    Moopy23 said:

    Hi, Lynn
    I am sorry, but I know very little about bilirubin except that it is related to jaundice, and higher levels can be caused by chemo. My onc ordered a liver test as part of routine bloodwork a few weeks back, but I did not hear back about it. You might check chemocare.com for side effects of chemo, although I don't know how long chemo would be expected to have this type of effect. My college boyfriend had jaundice/increased bilirubin, which was diagnosed as a mild form of anemia. I believe he was to take larger doses of folic acid (not sure about which supplement).

    Did your doctor comment on the test, or did he/she want to do any follow-up testing? Did he/she give you any instructions about it? I would take my cue from that.

    I have learned already that one loss we survivors have is the loss of innocence about tests. Remember when you went to your doc for tests and just expected all would be fine? I understand the worry with every test now. I hope this test is nothing for you to worry about. Please keep us posted on what you find out.

    Loss of innocence
    Moopy, You are so right about that. A weird test result can feel like catastrophe! My onc doesn't know what it means, since it is unusual for it to be up and nothing else. He wants me to retake the test in two weeks. If it is still up, then I will need to have an ultrasound of my abdomen. I so want it all to just stop! Lynn
  • Moopy23
    Moopy23 Member Posts: 1,751 Member
    #6
    lynn1950 said:

    Loss of innocence
    Moopy, You are so right about that. A weird test result can feel like catastrophe! My onc doesn't know what it means, since it is unusual for it to be up and nothing else. He wants me to retake the test in two weeks. If it is still up, then I will need to have an ultrasound of my abdomen. I so want it all to just stop! Lynn

    Tests
    I understand; it is like we are on a mad roller coaster ride. Your onc. sounds like a good one--very thorough and attentive, not dismissing a result just because it does not appear in an expected context. I think I would be reassured by the test result not being typical--Lord knows that experienced oncologists are good at recognizing bad signs. They usually don't have any difficulty explaining them, either.

    Still, I know the next 2 weeks will be anxious ones. I will be thinking of you and hoping for normal test results.
  • lynn1950
    lynn1950 Member Posts: 2,570
    #7
    Marcia527 said:

    I didn't know what it was
    I didn't know what it was either so I googled it. Now I can't remember what I read. I guess that means I didn't understand it. Something about jaundice in babies. My son had jaundice when he was born and they put him under a special light. What can they do for you?

    What can they do
    They need to find out why it's elevated. It could be gall bladder or liver. Of course, my big fear is liver cancer. Do I catastrophize? You bet!

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