But switching brands didn\u2019t help, nor did buying hypoallergenic bedding. In fact, matters got worse.<\/p>\n
\u2018Soon I was bleeding with the scratching,\u2019 says Lisa.<\/p>\n
\u2018My legs, in particular, were bad – they were bruised and bleeding from the relentless itching.<\/p>\n
\u2018Meetings became something I would avoid if possible, as it was noticeable that I would just sit there itching. It was so embarrassing.\u2019<\/p>\n
It would be a year before Lisa went to the doctor who gave her a blood test, the results of which indicated a problem beyond an allergy. Lisa was referred for further checks at hospital where a scan revealed that her misery was not due to an allergy at all – but a problem with her liver.<\/p>\n
Lisa had primary biliary cholangitis (PBC), an autoimmune condition which often goes undetected for years but which, left untreated, can cause irreparable damage and in rare cases may even prove fatal.<\/p>\n
![\"Lisa](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/99537961-14828651-image-m-8_1750345559344.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
Lisa Woodcock had primary biliary cholangitis (PBC), an autoimmune condition which, left untreated, can cause irreparable damage and in rare cases may even prove fatal<\/p>\n
Within a year of her diagnosis Lisa\u2019s liver was so badly damaged by the condition that she needed a liver transplant.<\/p>\n
PBC is caused by the body\u2019s own immune system attacking the bile ducts, the network of tubes in the liver that carry bile – a substance produced by the body to help digest fats, explains Professor Stephen Ryder, a consultant hepatologist and medical advisor to the British Liver Trust.<\/p>\n
As a result the largely acidic bile backs up into the liver and \u2018over time can damage it,\u2019 he adds.<\/p>\n
The itching that Lisa experienced is typical.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s because in those with PBC substances in bile, such as bile acids, which are normally excreted from the body after breaking down food, build up in the liver. They then then travel around the body and lodge under the skin, where they trigger nerve endings which trigger the sensation of itching.<\/p>\n
Aside from itching, other early symptoms include tiredness and abdominal discomfort due to the inflamed liver, says Professor Ryder.<\/p>\n
\u2018In more advanced stages, symptoms may include weight loss, jaundice (yellowing of the skin and eyes) and swelling in the abdomen due to fluid build-up,\u2019 he explains.<\/p>\n
The condition is most common in women and while typically diagnosed in middle age, it can also strike those in their 20s, says Professor Ryder, adding: \u2018But as there are usually no symptoms in the early stages, some people will have had PBC for a few years before they are diagnosed.\u2019<\/p>\n
The condition is most common in women and while typically diagnosed in middle age, it can also strike those in their 20s\u00a0<\/p>\n
As a result, while around 25,000 are diagnosed with the condition according to British Liver Trust figures, that could be an underestimate, he says.<\/p>\n
\u2018Research shows that one in 1,000 women over 40 has PBC,\u2019 says Professor Ryder.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s not known exactly what causes PBC, but there can be a genetic component and it often runs in families \u2013 although it\u2019s thought that other triggers are also involved.<\/p>\n
\u2018The theory is that people who are genetically predisposed can find the disease is triggered by factors such as exposure to infections or environmental chemicals but we have no conclusive proof which points to specific triggers as yet,\u2019 says Professor Ryder.<\/p>\n
It was only thanks to Lisa\u2019s mother, who herself had PBC and knew that itching can be a sign, that Lisa consulted her GP and was diagnosed with PBC following a blood test.<\/p>\n
Lisa was still shocked when she discovered that she too had PBC – she hadn\u2019t realised that there was a genetic link to it and that she too could be at risk of developing it.<\/p>\n
As her mother\u2019s condition had been quickly stabilised with medication, Lisa hoped her terrible itching would soon be resolved.<\/p>\n
\u2018I just thought it would be a case of being given medication and my liver functions would start to stabilise – because apart from the itching, I felt fine,\u2019 says Lisa, who lives with her husband Justin, 53.<\/p>\n
Professor Ryder says: \u2018The main goal in treating PBC is to slow down liver damage and manage symptoms.\u2019<\/p>\n
The first treatment doctors prescribe is often ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA), which helps move bile through the liver more effectively, reducing liver inflammation and damage, he says.<\/p>\n
\u2018If UDCA isn\u2019t effective or isn\u2019t well-tolerated, doctors may add or switch to obeticholic acid or elafibranor, which improve bile flow and reduce liver inflammation, these drugs work differently to UDCA.<\/p>\n
\u2018In advanced cases where the liver is severely damaged, a liver transplant may be necessary.\u2019<\/p>\n
But he says this is increasingly rare, as treatments have become more effective \u2013 in fact fewer than 5 per cent of patients end up needing a liver transplant.<\/p>\n
However, despite trying multiple different types of medication, Lisa got no relief. Scans showed her liver damage was particularly bad \u2013 her bilirubin (a byproduct of the breakdown of red blood cells levels of which are used to assess liver function) was around 350 whereas a normally it should be below 21.<\/p>\n
\u2018I was still itching constantly,\u2019 says Lisa. \u2018We tried everything \u2013 creams, a drink that helps many other patients with itch, antihistamines and different medications \u2013 but nothing worked.\u2019<\/p>\n
A year after her diagnosis and with her symptoms now worsening to include insomnia, pain in her upper abdomen, brain fog and fatigue alongside the severe itching. It was then she was told she would need a liver transplant, because her liver was functioning so poorly.<\/p>\n
Professor Ryder explains: \u2018A liver transplant is a major procedure and is usually considered when liver damage from PBC becomes life-threatening.<\/p>\n
\u2018However, in some cases, even if the liver is still functioning, a transplant may be recommended for people who have severe itching that significantly impacts their quality of life.\u2019<\/p>\n
Lisa couldn\u2019t believe how quickly her health had deteriorated. \u2018I\u2019d seen my mum manage her autoimmune liver disease for over two decades and I thought I\u2019d be the same,\u2019 she says.<\/p>\n
Lisa was put on a waiting list, but her symptoms continued to deteriorate.<\/p>\n
But she was also keenly aware that what would be a life-saving operation for her would only come as the result of tragedy for another family \u2013 \u2018that\u2019s very hard to get your head around,\u2019 she adds.<\/p>\n
\u2018Every day that passed, I knew my own immune system was destroying my liver to the point of organ failure,\u2019 she recalls.<\/p>\n
After two months, Lisa needed a nasobiliary drain, to drain the bile that her liver could no longer process through a tube, out of her nose and into a bag.<\/p>\n
This relieved her itching for two months, until she finally learned in October 2021 that a matched liver was available for transplant.<\/p>\n
\u2018My husband and I were emotional and so grateful,\u2019 Lisa recalls.<\/p>\n
The transplant operation took a mammoth eight hours and Lisa came to hours later in intensive care.<\/p>\n
Within weeks her symptoms subsided.<\/p>\n
\u2018The itching completely stopped and I felt so well \u2013 better than I had in years,\u2019 she says.<\/p>\n
\u2018My tiredness started to lift, my sleep improved, my skin healed, and I was able to return to work some months later.\u2019<\/p>\n
But a year after her transplant, \u2018the same old incessant itching\u2019 was back again, she recalls.<\/p>\n
Tests showed her autoimmune liver disease was once again attacking her body.<\/p>\n
She says: \u2018I was so upset. I\u2019d been told the new liver could last ten years. I hadn\u2019t managed one year.\u2019<\/p>\n
Liver transplants are usually very successful for PBC, says Professor Ryder. \u2018While PBC can return in the transplanted liver, it typically progresses very slowly and rarely becomes advanced.\u2019<\/p>\n
Lisa had simply been unlucky.<\/p>\n
On Christmas Day 2024, she had her second liver transplant.<\/p>\n
\u2018Having been through it once didn\u2019t make it any easier physically or emotionally,\u2019 she says.<\/p>\n
So far, since the second transplant the liver has settled well again, and her itching has stopped. Lisa is on triple immunosuppression to try and stop her PBC from recurring again \u2013 but these immune-suppressing drugs also mean she picks up ‘all the germs and [I] have to be very careful in public settings,\u2019 says Lisa.<\/p>\n
\u2018But I no longer itch and my other symptoms aren\u2019t as severe, so I am grateful for each day and grateful to the two donors who gave me life.\u2019<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Lisa Woodcock\u2019s initial instinct when she first developed severe itching all over her body was to blame an…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":197857,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[92,105,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-197856","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-health","8":"tag-dailymail","9":"tag-health","10":"tag-uk","11":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/114711559216406102","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/197856","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=197856"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/197856\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/197857"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=197856"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=197856"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=197856"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}