Sorry for the medical question, I know it's a can of worms and I think what I'm looking for is a brilliant doctor thinking outside the box, but here goes;
DH had a weird episode almost exactly three years ago, 2020 just after lockdown. Very itchy and yellow skin, yellow eyes, dark urine, exhaustion, pain like indigestion, vomiting. Went to GP on day 3, took blood and sent immediately to the local hospital for tests, which showed very abnormal liver function. The ultrasound showed some mild inflammation but no known hepatitis was found in blood results nor anything else. It settled and he returned to normal.
It flared again six months later, and six months after that, albeit more mildly. He was back in hospital the second time and not the third, but summoned to the liver clinic all the same who suggested they monitor blood every 3 months via GP. Then there was a year of almost no symptomatic flares and the blood showed readings returning to normal but never actually within normal bounds.
Six months ago he had another flare and they wrote him up for a biopsy. It flared again almost every month until the biopsy two weeks ago, then immediately after the biopsy (evening of, no surprise), last week and now again this week.
He experiences a feeling of fulness after eating that becomes like indigestion pain but severe, apparently completely stops digesting and vomits several hours later, the pain lasts another 6-12 hours, wee goes dark, skin goes a bit yellow and he's tired for 48h, then back to normal.
The biopsy shows nothing at all - a very mild degree of fatty liver and "some sludge", no inflammation and no scarring. They have referred back to the GP to start from the drawing board with what else it might be, but that appt is in a month, he appears now to have these flare ups almost half the working week (he is a young man with a young family and being unable to function for a day or two weekly isn't really an option) and the last time he saw the GP they had absolutely no ideas so I am a bit nervous about how we get to the bottom of this.
Is anyone mega mega bright or with experience of this (or both!) able to shed any light? Any guesses? I wondered if it could be hormonal; linked to pancreas or gall bladder (bile seems to be implicated) - but I know nothing at all.
I would be SO grateful for any thoughts. MN was massively helpful to me when TTC 5 years ago and as a new mum and I can't think of any other unexhausted leads here. The worry of it is starting to mount. Post is a bit / very outing but I don't think it matters in this case!
TIA x