PBC. Does anyone have primary biliary cirrhosis

Thank you so much for your reply Wilma. I do have the itchy skin.  This was how it was picked up... by dermatology blood tests. Cab I ask what stage your at and what medication your on and how they confirmed your diagnoses please.  Clare

Hi Clare. The main medication is Ursofalk 250 mg. it get prescribed according to weight.  I take 6 per day. 

I have been told i am stage two. There are 4 stages. 

Diagnosis was by blood tests and biopsies of yhe liver. 

The first was via the jugular vein due to being too over weight. Since then i have had two or three more when i had laparoscopic surgeries for banding and later a gastric bypass. 

Since i have been on my meds i have progressed one stage in 14 plus years. Stacey is right as the only cure is a new liver but in saying that i live quite well other than the fact i cannot drink alcohol. 

The ursofalk settled most of my itchy problems but the main thing i was diagnosed for was the pain i was in in my joints etc does still bother me a fair bit. 

As i am allergic to most pain relievers and have been warned off panadol i am struggling. 

Not sure if other PBC sufferes have this pain and would like to hear how other people cope with it. 

Wilma. 

Hello im sorry to bother you I have pbc and im so panicing myself so much I was diagnosed 1 year ago im terrified I keep reading things on the net and on one it said your life expectancy is 7 to 15 years im 14 stone im trying hard to loose weight iv stopped drinking and I use a electric cig can you talk to me about it please im so scared thanks carol x

Hi Stacey

I am sorry to hear you have also just been diagnosed. ...... and so young. I am 44.  They have told me have this terrible thing but yet to put me on medication.   I feel I have been passed pillar to post through sheer stupidly and lack of knowledge. I originally went to the doctors with excessive fatigue a couple of years ago.  Found to be low on iron and then a heart murmur and then referred to rheumatology.    Then came up in a really itchy rash so referred to dermatology. Did not wait for appointment as was not sleeping and ripping my body apart do took myself of to a and e.    Saw a dermatologist who did blood tests and found the PBC.  Now waiting to see a hepatologist but they don't appear in any great hurry!!! Anyway I accessed my noted at my GP Surgery yesterday and found four blood tests going back two and a half years with increased levels of things highlighting liver disease and mentions of PBC on the phlebotomy notes but never followed up by hospital or GP. Suffice to say I am very angry and will be putting in a complain as my understanding is the quicker your on medication the better. 

I have found a good forum and information website called healthunlocked . com.  Worth looking at

Hi, I was diagnosed with pbc in April & like you guys no1 knows or understands what your going through! Can i ask how did you get access to you medical records?

I know I had high levels a few years ago & was told it was nothing! I have no idea what stage I'm at! I'm 33 years old.

Thanks

The sleep problem affects me terribly too and my husband recently purchased some CBD oil for me to use at night. I went for about 10 years with little sleep but now i am allergic to many meds find there is little else to help. 

Sorry to hear you are bed ridden. Can i ask you why?  Some days i just dont want to get off my bed because i know when i do i will be in more pain. 

Oh dear.  Sounds like you are having it really rough...I am so sorry. What stage PBC are you at and are all your side effects due to PBC or graves disease?    Has the Usodiol medication helped your liver function then? .....I don't understand the numbers your mentioning.  Are you bed bound due to joint pain.  Hoping you have a good day today and less pain. X

Hello Wilma. Sorry for the delay in my reply, I'm having problems with my charger. I am in pain from abdominal adhesions that are attached to my liver. I find that it is severely aggravated by bending, squatting and sitting. Standing and lying down reduce the pain to colicky. I also need to keep a bucket next to my bedside because for almost 10 years I have been woken up by needing to vomit. The last time that I went out to lunch with my mum, (4years ago) I had to discreetly look under the table and use one of my handy airsick bags and walk through the restaurant to the ladies room. Even though my mum tried to reassure me that no one noticed I was mortified and decided that going out was a waste of money for me. Even going to the Dr's appointment, I need to carry a sick bag. Unfortunately the vomiting doesn't stop sometimes and the cyclical vomiting can last for more than 8 hours and the complications set in, dehydration, shock, and even chest pain from the convulsing. I have had a lot of medical problems and a few things removed or destroyed by radiation treatment, like my thyroid. I am a red head and the problems are real; waking up during anesthesia, increased tolerance of pain meds and anesthesia, blood problems like anemia and clotting. When I had my tonsils out, I was in hospital for 8 days. I also had my 1st operation @ 10 for a urethal repair. ( No one asked questions about sexual abus

Sorry, my tremors cause me to hit the wrong button all the time. I will just finish up with just a few of the issues that I am struggling with; I had meningitis in 1987 and due to a CSF leak and delay in diagnosis of the leak I spent more than 3 months in hospital, I was given an accidental overdose after the repair and suffered an acute dystonic reaction, CNS complications, PTSD and postpartum depression along with becoming bipolar 16 years ago, I tested positive for cmv (cytomegalovirus)& mono after my last vacation in 1997(Mexico), immediately followed by the diagnosis of systemic lupus erythematosis. Now I have multiple organ involvement, IBS-c , interstitial cystitis (bladder lining destroyed), of course I have the skin problems of rashes and itching. I had to go by ambulance 3 times this year, and twice the er Dr recommended our famous BC Bud for the nausea and vomiting. Unfortunately the meds like domperidone and metacloprimide that I had been taking to increase gastric emptying and to reduce vomiting have a nasty side effect of involuntary muscle movement of the face. Just another reason to stay home. I did not intend to write so much but unfortunately the laundry list above is just part of my problem. I know that I have probably given TMI but I am being honest. I hope that I was able to answer your question about being bedridden. I am trying to stay away from the hospital and I am speaking with my gp next appointment about the treatment for the adhesions since my specialist finally felt them and diagnosed the problem I knew that I had. Also (besides memory problems) I am unable to be at a comfortable temperature and spend day and night dressing and undressing, boiling then shivering. Good luck with your health Wilma and thanks for the interest. Bless you. X

Hi Clare, you sound like a really caring lady and I am sorry for your diagnosis of PBC. I was stage 1 grade 2 in 2008 but the follow up biopsy was not done in 2011 or since. My new GP looked into it and my specialist told him that she did not want to touch me with a 10' pole after the incident that I woke up during a procedure, so she is keeping a close eye on my liver function numbers and I am going to have to ask for a second opinion. The numbers were very high before the ursodiol was prescribed but did a good job of bringing them close to normal but my last test showed an increase in a few of them. I was feeling worse than the last appointment so I was expecting something to show up. The sudden weight loss and the spider veins appearing around my mouth and lower cheeks and chest, along with the itching and swollen belly has me wanting to know what stage I am at now. The joint pain from the lupus is debilitating and the soft tissue pain from the fibromyalgia can be also, but the main thing is the abdominal adhesions that are sticking my liver to my abdominal wall make movement painful to the point where taking a deep breath is something that I try to avoid. I am scared of the progression but I know that I had the disease years before I was removeded. I had my gallbladder removed by my mum's Dr's referral after listening to my symptoms back in 2007. Unfortunately it was completely normal and not necessary. It has added to the adhesions. Sorry, I must end here as my eyes are going out of focus, Grave's I think. I have not done my Christmas cards because my eyes won't cooperate, and I have not gone to the shop's myself for a few years. (I write list's and I order online). I hope you have a good holiday season and good luck with your health Clare. This site is one of the best I have come across and I firmly believe that you have to do research on the health issues that you are dealing with. Bless you. X

Hi Mojoanne. I apologise for asking and opening up your past wounds. I am thoughtless sometimes. I am so sorry for your pain and sincerely hope i did not add to them. I can't imagine living as you do. 

I do know we have much in common though. The intollerance to pain meds, the wakefulness during surgery and the sexusl abuse. I too have had too many abdominal and ofher surgeries and am currently facing two more. 

Like i shared on fb i feel life has handed me a lemon and i am so sick of pain too. 

Hope your adhesions can be released and that you will be more comfortable soon. 

Thank you for taking the time to tell me your story. 

Wilma. 

Hi there,

I know your post is from 3 years ago but I was wondering if you ever had an explanation for your inability to sleep at night? Did you sleep during the day? That's what I do.

Also regarding your vomiting. I've had 2 unexplained bouts in the last month and am wondering if this is something that happens with PBC.

I hope you are faring better these days??

Thanks a lot for any info you can share.

hello

Hope your well 

Sleep is an issue try and catch 40 winks whenever you can it does help but with busy lives it can be hard 

Vomitting is not something i have to suffer i hope you find something to help

Julie

I have pbc and crohns disease. I am on ursodiol for the pbc. Did the CBD oil mix well with your other medications?

Hello, did the CBD help?? studies show CBD to reduce inflamation and possibly protect the liver. My mom has PBC and is on a bunch of medication and blood thinners. I want to know if CBD will help.

If there is any doctors or physicians here can you please look into CBD. I recently purchased some CBD oil in hopes for her to try it and hope it would work but she is cautious to try it plus being on other medications wasn't sure of the reactions.

Can someone please help?