Liver Tests :: Reduce Alcohol To Reduce Further Liver Damage
Feb 8, 2015
Just before christmas I received a letter from my hospital saying “ recent blood tests show a slightly abnormal liver function and the scan revealed cirrhosis. It is absolutely crucial that you consider urgently reducing your alcohol intake to avoid further liver damage. I would be grateful if you could see your gp to discuss this further.”
Immediately I phoned my gp and couldn’t get an appointment for 2 weeks, when finally seeing my gp she referred me to a councillor, which took another 2 weeks before I saw them, only to be told they don’t have a clue at what stage my cirrhosis is?
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IiIt was picked up by chance thaI have fatty liver, could have had this for years without knowing about it, how do I find out how much damage has been done already if any? My GP does not seem too concerned about it, all my LFT have come back normal so what can I do about it apart from lifestyle change which I'm doing already?
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My Cholesterol was 7.8 and I was put on Statins 3 years ago. Because they gave me pains in my legs and other areas I stopped them.
A year ago my Cholesterol was still high and I had changed doctors and was prescribed Atorvastatin 10 mg after 2 months my doctor sent me for blood tests and in a phone call when I was at work he told me that Atorvastatin had caused Liver damage. He said I should stop taking the tablets immediately, pity this advice was not put on my notes so that when I phoned for my blood results a week earlier the receptionist could inform me to stop Atorvastatin. She just said Doctor will be in touch via phone call next week
He referred me to a Liver Specialist.
I went to see Liver Specialist after having Liver Ultrasound. Fatty liver was diagnosed and Liver Specialist promptly put me back on Atorvastatin claiming this would help my fatty liver. I couldn't believe it but what could I do?
Local GP had advised me to have bloods done again after being on tablets for 2 months. When my results came back the Locum doctor I saw said "whoa your Liver is not happy" STOP the tablets and have a blood test in 2 weeks.
2 weeks later Liver levels are coming down so thats a good direction. Dilemma is I have to see my Liver Consultant 16 June 2015. Wish me luck!
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I had an abdominal ultrasound done for some abdominal pain and it was noted in the report as an impression that I had an echogenic appearing liver (such as non alcoholic fatty liver). My doctor at that time didn't tell me and just said my report was normal. When I went in for my Colonoscopy that was unrelated, it was mentioned again and when I did some research I realized what fatty liver actually was. I switched doctors.
My new doctor is considering giving me a CT scan but is checking with the GI department to see if they think its needed, etc. etc. But that there is no treatment for it besides diet modification.
Here's the thing. I don't have any of the risk factors. I am not overweight. I'm actually underweight slightly (BMI is 18, I weigh 110 lbs). I don't drink any alcohol, never did. And I don't have diabetes or hepatitis. The only thing I could do and what I have been doing is change my diet. I stopped eating processed foods, watched my sugar/carbs, and eat more vegetables than I ever have.
I'm a very anxious person and I'm not sure I want to know what the scan says. If it's worse than what I thought, I'm going to be so upset and stressed out. And I can't treat it anyway. It's not like they can give me a medication and make it go away. I think knowing the extent of it will just cause me mental anguish and I'm already stressed out about it as is.
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Been feeling lightheaded and brain foggy and a bit sick recently with some stomach grumbling and pain. Went to the doctors who did repeat blood tests over the course of 8 weeks and have said my enzymes are slightly up which could be the result of mild fatty liver. My question is does this sound related? He's also just tested me for celiac, but told me in the beginning that I could be fighting a virus. I'm worried that the 3 diagnoses he's given are so different I don't know what to believe, also does this mean I should be less worried about the tests because they are low enough to be anything?
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I know I suffer from anxiety (and depression and insomnia), which is partly what drove me to drink, am on treatment for same and will review things with my GP asap, but I want to concentrate on my physical health concerns. Please ignore this thread if you ONLY want to talk about anxiety.
Briefly: I was a social drinker for 25 years, occasionally drinking more than I should have (but at things like celebrations and functions).
Two years ago, I began to develop mental health problems, but didn't start drinking more heavily (self-medicating) until about one year ago, when I also started to binge drink occasionally, including twice last October. After a gap, I then restarted drinking heavily in March this year, and this became very heavy at times in the summer (80+ units per week), with occasional even heavier binges, the most recent being last Thursday / Friday (50+ units each day).
I finally ended-up in hospital last weekend with tachycardia, low blood pressure and probably alcohol poisoning. While there, I first developed a painful red/purple rash on my chest. I was put on antibiotics for this, and it seems to be clearing-up.
However, then, I quickly developed various other strange and unpleasant physical symptoms:
- numerous bruises;
- numerous pimples and red/purple dots under the skin;
- some hair loss and extensive hair-thinning;
- a spider naevus;
- red palms;
- itchy skin- skin darkening affecting the backs of my hands and genitals;
- regular, profuse sweating;
- whites of eyes turned lemon;
- brain "fog".
Some of these symptoms have reduced or resolved (eg. red palms and itchy skin), but the others have persisted.
I am eating OK, but making an effort to do so. In spite of this, I have lost about a stone in weight in the past 3 weeks. I'm also lacking in energy.
Since June, I have had regular liver function tests and other blood tests, too.
These have shown elevated enzymes, more or less in line with the extent of my drinking. In early August, after a serious binge, the AST was 96 and GGT was 121. In mid-August, AST had reduced to 25 and GGT 72. But they were higher again (though both under 100) on my admission to hospital last weekend, but had started to fall again after I was there for a few days. I have been advised that, in all of the tests, the values for other important measures were consistently normal. The junior doctor in hospital said the LFTs indicated no cirrhosis or hepatitis.
I also had a physical exam (just manual) from a GP in mid-August, and she said my liver / abdomen felt soft and suple with no sign of inflammation, enlargement or hardness.
However, given the strange and unpleasant physical symptoms that quickly developed in hospital last weekend, I fear that my last serious binge a week ago finally tipped me over the edge and into serious liver disease. Too many of the symptoms are those of cirrhosis for me to think anything else. (I've checked on the NHS website.)
I am absolutely terrified that, despite good advice and warnings, I did not take heed and my body, especially the liver, has finally been permanently damaged by the alcohol.
My main question is: can I turn things around? I have not had anything to drink since last Friday, and have no inclination to do so. I am drinking a lot of water, fruit and vegetable juices, and eating healthily. I will try to get some exercise, though I don't have much energy.
I'll see my regular GP next week, but could do with some advice and, if it's appropriate, some reassurance before then.
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I've been prescribed the orlistat pills today and I was wondering if it's true about the rumours about the liver damage
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Does liver damage cause terrible leg cramps, swollen feet and ankles? I also can't sleep at night but I'm always tired and sleepy in the day time.
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Can someone explain why the chronic Hepa B patient has a normal ALT/AST, but the liver damage still progress ...?
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I suffer from sarcoidosis for nearly 16 years now and have been on prednisolone all these years an a varied level of dosage. at the moment i am in hospital as i have just been diagnosed with TB and Hepatitis B. I have been put on anti TB treatment last week and now stopped because it is not working. my blood cells are getting worst with TB treatment. Now they will try to put me on Hep B treatment to see how it goes and then gradually re-start TB treatment. Saying so as i have a check up every 3 months for my sarcoid, Hep b appears in my blood test in 2014 and was not told about this. Now i have a chronic hep b. Has anyone had the same experience as me and also can taking prednisone for that long damage the liver.
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I have just been found to have liver and kidney damage through taking Quinine for leg cramps. It is banned in the US for treating this condition.
I am now on a repair diet, to aid good health again.
I had a call from my Dr, to say STOP taking them asap, they are creating many problems for your health.
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My mother is a 65 year old female, 136 lbs, and on peritoneal dialysis for 3 years due to End Stage Renal Disease. Last week, she began experiencing severe abdominal pain that was a burning/gnawing pain. She went to the hospital and a CT Abdomen was taken without contrast. All was normal.
Over the next four (4) days, the pain persisted, particularly during dialysis exchanges at home. She returned to the hospital who admitted her. Another CT Abdomen was taken at this time which showed "nodular contour on the liver", free air in transverse colon which appeared to be dilated. She was also constipated for several days during this period. The CT impression suggested clinical evaluation for chronic liver disease.
A standard liver panel was taken and all results were normal. Nothing even close to elevated. She has never had a history of any liver issues and never had anything show on a CT for liver. After a day in the hospital, all stomach pain disappeared, she was able to use the restroom, and all stool samples/GI tests were normal without blood. She is naturally anemic due to ESRD with low iron/protein. Her last ANA/autoimmune panel was in December, all clear. No history of any hepatitis.
An Ultrasound Right Upper Quadrant was performed and the impression was no biliary obstruction, moderate ascites (tends to be normal due to peritoneal dialysis fluid), and "heterogeneous liver." The impression suggested referral for cirrhosis evaluation.
She began taking Hydralazine (25mg/3 times daily) in the last 3-4 months. She also takes a host of other blood pressure medicines.
QUESTION: She is currently awaiting a kidney transplant and very worried about this. A blood test will be taken in a couple weeks by a specialist that is supposed to diagnose Cirrhosis. Given this presentation alone, what other causes could explain this imaging results? Should we fear the worst?
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this isn't about me but is about my girlfriend who is about to have gastric sleeve surgery.
She is a 40 year old women that has had a full hysterectomy and has type 2 diabetes. she has had a history of thyroid and weight issues. she is 5,7 weighs 225 LBS. she has an enlarged fatty liver of 27cm and the Doctor said that she needs "emergent" gastric sleeve surgery to bring down her enlarged liver. this was claimed on this past thursday. I have been looking high and low for documentation and statistics on using the surgery for reducing fatty livers but can't find any information. Does this sound right? has there been a history of using this procedure for such cases, I'm worried and scared for her.
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I've recently had 2 LFT that both showed raised enzymes, I've had a scan and it shows I have gallstones, however I am currently undergoing investigation into whether I have Reactive Hypoglycaemia, my question is that if I do have RH, would this cause my liver enzymes to elevate?
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my dad is in hospital at the moment. he has liver cirrhosis and he's in a bad way. i'm trying to find out whether he has a chance of getting back to his old self. he has jaundice his arms have gone really thin. he has had GI tract bleed. a stomach ulcer, swollen stomach and his toxics from his waste are going to his brain. when i've seen him he is just confused or sleeping with his eyes rolled back in his head. any ideas on whether his body could recover for a while or whether this is game over.
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I am so disappointed in myself I detoxed as a inpatient in the middle of June it was a two week detox which I was really ill I fitted and was taken in a serious Condition to a general hospital I was in intensive care and my organs were shutting down as my liver is seriously damaged but I am still here Thank god telling you guys my story I have posted in the past on this forum so some of you might know my story but after all of what I have gone through and even been told not to drink alcohol ever in my life I slipped up on sat and been on a bender for three days it was the anniversary of my father's death and now I can't stay of it I drink a couple litres of cider and a bottle wine a day I don't know what to do I know I should not drink but I just can't stop.
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I am 42 years old male.
2 1/2 years ago I had a really bad viral gastro problems. I was admitted to the hospital where they found my liver enzymes and pancreas enzymes were elevated. These went down a day later, and I recovered. I had IBS after this, and started to develop a pain under my right rib and middle back pain. I have had two ultrasounds on my abdomen in the last 2 years, and both were normal.
They tested my gallbladder and found it was only had a 4% EF, so I had surgery and removed this. This was about 8 months ago.
Now 2 1/2 years later, the middle back pain, which also goes up my traps into my neck hurt and a lot of times I get this dull ache under my right rib area, if I bend over and breath deep it hurts. If I push lightly on my rib cage it causes the pain as well.
All my blood work has been good for the last 2 years, other than some slight cholesterol issues. I had my lipase and amylase tested in late 2012 and both were very good.
I went to the doctor and he told me it sounded musculoskeletal and to go try a chiropractor or a physical medicine doctor.
I asked him if he thought it could be my liver and he said he highly doubted it, all he said was "you have some fat in your liver and that was in 2013 when you had an ultrasound done". He never said you have fatty liver disease. He brushed it off as very unlikely.
I just think it's weird all this started right after this viral stomach issues and gallbladder issues and this strange middle back pain and pain under my front rib.
I forgot to mention, I drink alcohol 1-2 times a week, and usually between 7-8 beers but over a 6-7 hour period on weekend.
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I have a fatty liver with inflammation due to alcohol .. Although I have not felt any obvious symptoms! The doctor wrote me ursodeoxycholic acid Twice a day for two months While following a diet free of carbohydrates.
Do refrained from drinking completely? After reversing fatty liver Or I can drink again moderate?
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He recently was in hospital due to his drinking problem. He almost died literally, he has fatty liver, swelling of leg and hepatitis too. He was a binge drinker and has been developing a bleeding nose now. He says about headache always , but never been ready to leave this drinking. What should we do? Will admitting at an alcohol addiction recovery centre help him? Any suggestions?
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It has been suggested to me to drink cranberry juice to help my liver detox in hopes of having a negative alcohol screening next week.
It tastes horrible and all I could think that would make it taste better is some vodka or something....but NO...I'm going to nurse this jug I bought all day...straight cranberry juice!
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I'm currently suffering from chickenpox. I am 19 years old, living in a tropical country. I worked with kids, and I noticed this wound thing a few days ago. I had a bad case of acne growing up, but my face was clearing up so I popped. It would scab and itch for the whole day and all.
THE SITUATION
basically, I was diagnosed with chickenpox. I'm a little of a workaholic, so this was really devastating. That, and my dad is 51 and my mom is 46. As far as I know, both cannot recall if they have chicken pox. We lived in a pretty small house, and it was hard to avoid them. But I did it anyway.
So anyway, I had a bad case of chickenpox. It was easy to resist scratching bc nothing itched. Except for that damned pox on my face. It itches really badly, like my whole face is filled with scab and redness and it was horrifying and painful to look at. Because I didn't have the best hygiene growing up and I'm starting to take better care of my skin.
So anyway this should be day 3. I really don't know how the chicken pox days work, but today would either be day 3 or 4. Blisters spread everywhere - but it was somewhat slow. And anyway, my back is starting to itch a lot from all the chicken pox. I read online that when itching gets bad, you should use oatmeal bath, and ketamine. I would want to get the lotion, but I can't walk out looking like this. So I would get my mom/my sis. While my sister is generally supportive, and my dad listened to me - he didn't come near me and stuff. My mom on the other hand, was constantly butting heads with me over the best way to treat chickenpox. she told me to endure the itching ( which had kept me up for 2 nights ) and even told me that chicken pox wasn't that big of a deal. one of the nights, what felt like my nymph nodes were swollen and I had a fever. I wear specs and every time I wore specs, that pox under my eye would burn and sear in pain. It was really painful, and to think that I thought I had a minor case.
QUESTIONS
sorry for boring you with my long story and all, i also lastly have some questions.
- To soothe the itchiness on my face, I first decided to wash my face every 30-40 minutes. It stung, but the scabbing got a lot better. When I first took a shower, I decided to spam baby powder all my body, including that open sore. I felt less dirty, and it was easier to sleep. but I took a shower just now and the pox under my eye had grown to this grotesque size (it was smaller than when I did nothing with it and it was all scanning and all) . It doesn't itch, doesn't hurt. But I saw there was a bit of liquid coming out. Is it infected, or am I overreacting? Also, if it is infected, are there any home remedies to get rid of the swelling?
- as I said, I've read that talcum/baby powder has drying effect and helps to reduce itching. While that is true, I still itch. Doesn't matter how much I apply on myself, it itches or stings? It really affects my sleep because even though it is bearable that I don't scratch myself every 5 seconds, it is bad enough that I end up twitching in my sleep and waking up.
- other than that, can chicken pox spread through toys and all? Do I have to disinfect them? I know this is very childish of me, but I have a lot of toys on my bed that I sleep with. I'm not sleeping with my favorite one, but do I have to disinfect everything or does the virus die without a human host?
- lastly, my sister sleeps in the same room as me. She's adamant about not leaving the room, so she sleeps above me. I don't cough, I don't sneeze and we make no physical contact. Can the virus still be spread that way? Similar to my mother and my father as well, I hardly talk to my father anymore and when he is in the room, i talk through a blanket. Can the virus spread that way, or will it die? Similarly with my mom, my mom looks after my meals and all and she washes it. What are her chances of getting chickenpox? My dad is 51, my mother is 46, my sister is 17. They are all coughing and all, but they insist that they don't have any pox. I think my dad is vaccinated in the army but none of them know for sure. I am worried bc I have read about all kinds of complications when chickenpox hits adults, and I just want to make sure I don't end up spreading chicken pox to my parents.
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