Darkening of skin

[howlingcow]

My friends skin has darkened quite dramatically-she looks like she's been abroad even though she's practically bedridden at the moment after being critically ill with a strangulated bowel. She's supposedly on the road to recovery but is making little progress and has just been hospitalized again with the doctors suddenly expressing alarm at the skin darkening. Anyone have any experience or knowledge of this? Her children are only 5 and 8 so its just awful.

Just a thought but how about this:

here

It can cause skin pigment changes. Though I think it is pretty rare, just a cousin's friend had it. Any other problems?

Thanks for that-to be honest(no disrespect to your cousins friend as I'm sure its awful) if it is this it would be a relief. After she's been so close to dying and is still unwell (she has a colostomy bag which keeps malfunctioning and she's lost about 5 stone)-a cosmetic disorder would at least mean she would still be with us.

I'm sure the doctors have a few things in mind. If the liver has been under strain due to the bowel problem i.e. not filtering the toxins from her bloodstream properly, then that can cause skin discolouration.

I agree this may well be jaundice which relates to the liver and bile system. I do hope this is just a temporary blip in her recovery but the symptoms you have described are rather worrying. Best wishes.