Posts by Robert Adams88

Nicholas Myers - So, if my total bilirubin levels are all over the place and my liver is actually enlarged, what kind of illnesses or disorders am I looking at here? My doctor was leaning towards Gilbert's syndrome—though, I guess she didn't realize my liver was enlarged at the time—but nothing has been officially diagnosed yet.

My Gastroenterologist told me to stay away from any physical activity for about a month and suggested I take some Silymarin, then we’ll re-run the labs. He even brought up the possibility of a liver biopsy as a potential next step.

What exactly causes bilirubin levels to swing around like this? Two months ago, I was sitting at 93, and now I’m back down to a totally normal 25—assuming the standard range is roughly 10 to 30.
Does that mean I can pretty much rule out Gilbert's syndrome?

On top of all that, my liver is actually enlarged.

And why exactly would that be a bad thing?

So, is Gilbert syndrome actually treated like a disease—as in, do you actually medicate for it, or do you just sort of live your life and deal with it?

EDIT: And what specific test should I be looking for to know for sure if that's actually what we're dealing with?

I’m honestly not quite sure what Dr. Harvey wants me to say, exactly. But, whatever... it doesn't really matter 🙂

Anyway, I went back for more blood work, and my bilirubin levels have dropped significantly (down to 36). I should probably mention—just in case it matters—that I stayed pretty sedentary for about two days before the draw, so I was wondering if physical activity actually has an impact on bilirubin levels?

Dr. Harvey, everything else seems to be looking okay—except for my uric acid being slightly elevated and, of course, that total bilirubin which is absolutely going wild right now.

So, my first bilirubin reading was 93, then it dropped to 48, and now it’s back up at 70.

Now I’m heading in for an abdominal ultrasound. What on earth could be going on here?

So, the follow-up results came back at 48, which is a huge jump from that initial 93 I saw before. I’m heading back in a week to run the tests again just to be sure...

Do you guys think there's any chance this is actually linked to those gallstones?

So, what exactly are liver enzymes? I'm assuming we're talking about ALT and AST?

If those are the ones, then everything looks pretty normal.

ALT-13
AST-17

Everything seems fine, except for that total bilirubin level—that one's a bit off. Also, the uric acid and hematocrit are drifting slightly away from the normal range, I guess.

Angela Wright said:Why even bother searching for this in the first place?
What do your eyes actually look like? If they’re looking yellow, then obviously you’ve got jaundice, and we really need to figure out why. It could be anything from hepatitis to gallstones, or even some kind of tumor. How are your liver enzymes looking? Either way, you're definitely going to need some follow-up testing.

I was just looking up my CBC—nothing major, honestly, just wanted to see how everything was holding up.
I went back for more blood work today, so I should have the results by tomorrow...

I haven't a clue what my eyes are supposed to look like. Is it possible things are acting up because I've been popping allergy meds for years?

So, according to my lab results, a normal bilirubin level should be somewhere between 7 and 30. Meanwhile, I'm sitting here with a reading north of 90.

What on earth am I looking at here?
My hematocrit and uric acid are also slightly elevated—nothing crazy, just a tiny bit over the line—but everything else seems to be perfectly fine.
Help!

Heart issues are pretty rare, if I recall correctly...

I’d also throw this out there—please, for the love of everything holy, stop grouping dietary supplements like whey protein, creatine, glutamine, or BCAAs in the same conversation as the actual anabolic steroids we’re discussing.

So, I’ve got a full blood panel coming up soon—which, let's face it, is always a little nerve-wracking—and I was wondering how I can make sure the results actually reflect my real health status. Like, am I allowed to eat breakfast that morning? Or should I be cutting back on all the greasy stuff for a few days leading up to it? Any advice would be huge...

Jesse Kern5 said:So, I went to see a specialist for about two weeks—or maybe it was just one long appointment, I don't even know—and honestly? I still haven't quite wrapped my head around whether this whole thing is actually hemorrhoids or something else entirely. I guess I'm still sitting here in total limbo. 😁 I mean, I’m thinking about getting back into it—but I definitely won't be chasing max PRs right away. My plan is to pivot toward higher volume and more repetitions instead of just grinding out heavy sets. Honestly, I don't think it's worth pushing those massive weights again just yet—I mean, those veins in my lower legs are already acting up enough as it is, and I really don't need to add extra strain to the mix. 😂

From a bodybuilding standpoint, that approach isn't exactly ideal—you know, lower weight, higher rep counts and all that—but I guess we’re getting off track here. Personally? I always go all out during my workouts. No half-measures.

Jesse Kern5 said:So, I've had this lump for a little while now—honestly, I figured it was nothing big of a deal, so I just went about my life like everything was fine. But now I'm starting to think maybe I should actually do something about it, you know? Like, change up my diet or start using some of those creams people mentioned... but the real question is, can I keep hitting the gym even with this lump down 😁th
er side?

Ugh, honestly? I’d probably keep going to the gym regardless of what was going on. I mean, I really don't want to miss my workouts just because of something like that. 🙂

Some people swear by it for strengthening enamel, while others claim it’s basically toxic. I can't quite make sense of all the conflicting noise—what's your take on the whole debate? And more importantly, what are you actually using? Personally, I've been sticking with Sensodyne Pronamel twice a day, and honestly, it seems to be doing the job just fine for me.