LiverTracker.com

AI-powered app that helps liver disease patients track labs, trends & MELD score over time. Turning data into defense, so you can fight smarter, live longer, and never lose a report again.

Comment

Inspiration

In 2020, I was told I had advanced liver disease. I’d never even heard the word “cirrhosis” before. My doctor said: “You have maybe 2 years before you need a transplant — if you’re lucky.” I asked, “Why ‘lucky’?” He said: “Because for every liver that becomes available, 15 people are waiting. Every day, hundreds die… not from disease… but from waiting.” I refused to be a statistic. I started tracking every single lab report — manually, with spreadsheets and paper folders. Because I tracked — I caught small changes. I asked better questions. I showed my doctor what was happening. I’m still here today. My numbers are stable. Some are even better. I built LiverTracker so no patient has to go through this alone, scared, or lost in paperwork.

What it does

You take a photo or upload a PDF of your lab report — from any hospital, anywhere in the world. The app reads it for you — pulls out the key numbers: bilirubin, platelets, INR, creatinine, albumin, sodium, and more. It automatically calculates your MELD score — the number that decides your place on the transplant list — using the formula: ( \text{MELD} = 3.78 \times \ln(\text{Bilirubin}) + 11.2 \times \ln(\text{INR}) + 9.57 \times \ln(\text{Creatinine}) + 6.43 ) It shows you simple, clear charts — so you can see how your liver is changing over months or years. It warns you if something is going in the wrong direction: “Your platelets dropped — time to talk to your doctor.” It creates a clean, one-page summary you can share with your doctor — with your trends, scores, and notes. It saves your original report — so you never lose it, even after 10 years.

How we built it

I started by using my own 5 years of lab reports — I knew what I needed because I lived it. I didn’t know how to build an app — so I learned by doing, one small step at a time. My wife (a medical biologist) sat with me for months — she taught me what every number meant, why it mattered, and how doctors use it. We showed early versions to 3 liver specialists — they helped us make sure everything was accurate, safe, and useful. I tested every feature with real patients — people just like me — to make sure it was simple enough to use on your worst day. I designed it around one rule: “If you’re tired, scared, or overwhelmed — you should still be able to understand your health in 30 seconds.” Every button, every alert, every chart was built for the patient — not for the tech.

Challenges we ran into

I had no medical background — learning liver disease felt like learning a new language. Lab reports are messy — handwritten, blurry, sideways, full of stamps and notes — teaching the app to read them was hard. Every country does labs differently — units, ranges, formats — we had to make it work everywhere. Making sure doctors would trust it — and patients would understand it — was the biggest challenge. Balancing simplicity with accuracy — it had to be easy for a 70-year-old, but precise enough for a specialist. Building this while managing my own health — every feature was built between doctor visits and lab tests.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

I built this as a patient — with no team, no funding, no medical degree — and made something real people can use. The app can read messy, real-world lab reports — and pull out the right numbers — with high accuracy. Real patients used it — and caught warning signs early — leading to faster doctor visits and better care. Doctors who saw it said: “This is exactly what my patients need.”

My wife — a scientist — reviewed every detail — so you know it’s not just an app… it’s medically sound. Most of all — I proved that patients can build the best tools for patients — because we live the problem every day.

What we learned

Liver disease is silent — but deadly. ** 2 million people die every year. 15 people die every day just waiting for a liver**. Tracking your labs isn’t just helpful — it’s life-saving. Studies show it can add 5+ years to your life. Your MELD score isn’t just a number — it’s your lifeline. It decides if you get a liver… or not. Technology in healthcare must be simple, kind, and human — not flashy or complicated. Collaboration is everything — my wife’s knowledge + doctors’ guidance + patient feedback made this real. Patients are the most powerful innovators — because our lives depend on getting it right.

What's next for LiverTracker.com

We’re building a mobile app — so you can track your labs from your phone, anywhere. We’ll add daily activity tracking — so you can see how walking, sleeping, or diet affects your liver. We’re creating a recipe section — with liver-friendly meals (like low-sodium Indian dishes) that actually help. We’ll add an “AI Health Coach” — to give you gentle, personalized tips based on your labs and habits. We’ll build a version for doctors and hospitals — so they can follow their patients’ progress easily. We’re going global — with support for Hindi, Spanish, Arabic, and local lab formats. Long-term — we want LiverTracker to be the reason why, in 10 years, fewer people die waiting… and more people live longer, better lives.

Built With

Share this project:

Updates