Aa
Elevated Liver Enzymes! Part 2
For those who haven't seen them in another group.
Randy
Randy
Hi Randy Thank you for sharing this I'm so Grateful you stopped drinking !! The symptoms you describe are symptoms I get when I have a flare. I have hep C stage 2 last I checked this was many years ago I checked.. I also have 1 kidney that is at stage 3. You are right how it all ties in together. when my kidney is doing poorly and this can be due to even drinking to many sodas a day !! it throws my liver out of whack further and I get a flare, it is hard to know this is what is happening as my brain is so foggy depressed.. This is not why I'm typing this thou I wanted to share a lil good news of my own. I'm not allowed a transplant due to the hep C and having 1 kidney at stage 3.. 6 months ago my protein count was at 600 my last blood test we bought it down 300 points !! this is the first time I have been able to bring it down this far I have a new med that pushes more blood thru my kidney to help flush it.. I think my kidney, it is getting tired. But quitting drinking saved me and bought me some time. I hope all who read this stop today stop right now One can save themselves before it gets to this point. . I wish you a long and Happy life.. warmly lesa
I like this thread, I think it's good to bring it back up every once in a while. Although I did notice I mentioned the liver produces ammonia to break down "bacteria" this is inaccurate. Ammonia is used to break down protein.
Also I wonder how Narla is doing these days, if she ever stops by anymore.
Randy
Also I wonder how Narla is doing these days, if she ever stops by anymore.
Randy
Thats wonderful. It's feels strange at first doesn't it, actually like a normal person. Did you feel more confident? What happened is something real, a good out of the ordinary and a nice moment to share. Congradulations to you both on your new found sobriety! God bless you!
Randy
Randy
Been out for our first pasta in a restaurant since stopping the wine a week ago. Had soft drinks and water to drink. Now home feeling alert happy and proud !
Do you know what scares me most , I love white wine.. but I dont want to start again . I was drinking approx 35 units a week. Never drunk and always drank lots of water ,exercised by walking, but did not feel right. I do feel guilty for wanting a glass or two, but I know if I do Ill be on the roller coaster again. I definetly feel brighter in mood. Naturally tired and sleep better. Ihave been dry for a week thats all. Has anyone read the Alan Carr book on Alcohol??
This is quiet frighting, I know I had some liver problems and was hospitalized for medical treatment when eventually I asked for help, doctors told me at the time that my liver emzines were off the scale along with low albumin levels. Thankfully this resolved some years ago, I have yearly liver function screening and so far everything has been good
Making a list of questions is a good thing to do. We are part of the Mayo System here and they want you in and out. Makes you feel like a cattle lot.......
Here we have free doctors,they bulk bill and medicare pays,but I know they only allow 10 to 15 minutes per person,so when I make an appointment I make a double booking so I don't feel guilty taking up their time.
I have learned that before I go to see the doctor I make a list of questions I want to ask,and before I leave I make sure I have an answer to them all.
I have learned that before I go to see the doctor I make a list of questions I want to ask,and before I leave I make sure I have an answer to them all.
Two things I like to reccomend to this entire group.
First, every time you go to the doctor for any type of test ask you doctor for a copy of the results if he/she forgets then just ask the receptionists and she will be glad to make on for you. This is normally free. take the results home with you and place them in to a folder or binder. Use it as reference. You never know when something on that peice of paper could really help you down the road. As you begin to learn more and more about it you may someday point out something your doctor has overlooked.
Second, This is most important. Always take your health into your own hands. Do what your doctor tells you but it is your responsibility to learn as much as you can about your health problems so that you your doctor can easily understand each other.
Third, sorry theres more ha ha. It is very important that your are as honest as you can be with your doctor. they just want to help you get feeling way better. It is not their job to judge you. They need you to help them, help you. especially if you dont have time to waste.
Fourth, Never leave the doctors office with out completely understanding your results or just what is wrong. I know doctors are usually in a hurry and try to leave the room quickly. When they do this just say "hey, I need to talk to you. I dont understand" Remember you are paying for them.
I see many people come home from the doctor asking on medhelp for an explanaion of their results. I'm sure nobody minds helping you out. For your health it is probably better to hear it strait from your doctor. Make them take the time to tell you everything.
When I go to my specialist, i normally wait for atleast 3 hours and by now he knows he is not going to be leaving that room until I am done. ha ha
Randy
First, every time you go to the doctor for any type of test ask you doctor for a copy of the results if he/she forgets then just ask the receptionists and she will be glad to make on for you. This is normally free. take the results home with you and place them in to a folder or binder. Use it as reference. You never know when something on that peice of paper could really help you down the road. As you begin to learn more and more about it you may someday point out something your doctor has overlooked.
Second, This is most important. Always take your health into your own hands. Do what your doctor tells you but it is your responsibility to learn as much as you can about your health problems so that you your doctor can easily understand each other.
Third, sorry theres more ha ha. It is very important that your are as honest as you can be with your doctor. they just want to help you get feeling way better. It is not their job to judge you. They need you to help them, help you. especially if you dont have time to waste.
Fourth, Never leave the doctors office with out completely understanding your results or just what is wrong. I know doctors are usually in a hurry and try to leave the room quickly. When they do this just say "hey, I need to talk to you. I dont understand" Remember you are paying for them.
I see many people come home from the doctor asking on medhelp for an explanaion of their results. I'm sure nobody minds helping you out. For your health it is probably better to hear it strait from your doctor. Make them take the time to tell you everything.
When I go to my specialist, i normally wait for atleast 3 hours and by now he knows he is not going to be leaving that room until I am done. ha ha
Randy
Thank you for sharing your results and explaining what goes on,
my ALT was 110,I'm going to get a copy of the full work-up and check the other things as well.
My follow up blood test 3 months after I stopped drinking, the ALT was down to 30
my ALT was 110,I'm going to get a copy of the full work-up and check the other things as well.
My follow up blood test 3 months after I stopped drinking, the ALT was down to 30
I think all alcoholics are very selfish people. They may not realize they are and might even try and deny it, but is it not selfish when they throw a fit to buy their alcohol. Take away from other members in the family to afford it? To be so selfish they don't care about living or dying?
I am guilty of all these things and i have the feeling most others are too.
This is hard to admit but the day i was diagnosed my wife was very upset. Crying even. She asked me what am I going to do? I knew what she wanted me to say, so I said it "I guess I am going to have to stop drinking"
I remember feeling pissed off at her because at the time I felt it was all about me so I thought well I'm the one dying and going to have to stop drinking. What does she have to cry about, I'm not. If I choose to quit drinking or not its my choice so maybe she could comfort me instead of the other way around.
That way of thinking lasted about two minutes and I realized how selfish I was being. In her mind she must had been thinking about only being 33 years old and maybe soon to be a widow, losing her husband and being alone for the rest of her life. She was hurting really badly and needed me to be strong for her and tell her everything was going to be alright. From that moment on it has and with every bit of strength i have it always will be!!!
This is the reason I do not drink. It is also the reason NOTHING can tempt me to drink. What will it take for you to stop? Be better than me..
Randy
I am guilty of all these things and i have the feeling most others are too.
This is hard to admit but the day i was diagnosed my wife was very upset. Crying even. She asked me what am I going to do? I knew what she wanted me to say, so I said it "I guess I am going to have to stop drinking"
I remember feeling pissed off at her because at the time I felt it was all about me so I thought well I'm the one dying and going to have to stop drinking. What does she have to cry about, I'm not. If I choose to quit drinking or not its my choice so maybe she could comfort me instead of the other way around.
That way of thinking lasted about two minutes and I realized how selfish I was being. In her mind she must had been thinking about only being 33 years old and maybe soon to be a widow, losing her husband and being alone for the rest of her life. She was hurting really badly and needed me to be strong for her and tell her everything was going to be alright. From that moment on it has and with every bit of strength i have it always will be!!!
This is the reason I do not drink. It is also the reason NOTHING can tempt me to drink. What will it take for you to stop? Be better than me..
Randy
I really hope that everyone who comes to this forum sees this. This is the cold hard facts of what can and does happen.
I am extremely grateful that you have quit drinking and are taking care of yourself now. I am also grateful that you are a part of my recovery~~sara
I am extremely grateful that you have quit drinking and are taking care of yourself now. I am also grateful that you are a part of my recovery~~sara
Sarah the liver doesn't stop working but it continues to function less and less. This leads to more toxins flowing through the blood stream causing extreame damage through out the body. A patient could die of something else entirely but the direct cause will be liver failure.
Many cirrhotic patients also subside to HE by way of coma this is due to the amount of ammonia and/or manganese reaching the brain.. Again the liver is the direct cause.
You may have noticed my lab results from this year are way better than those taken in 2006. Now i have a cirrhotic liver and back then I did not. The lab test not only show the amount of irritation to the liver but also the livers function. The part of my liver that is still working is functioning well but the problem is wether or not I have enough of a functioning liver left to ensure my survival. Time will tell.
Many cirrhotic patients also subside to HE by way of coma this is due to the amount of ammonia and/or manganese reaching the brain.. Again the liver is the direct cause.
You may have noticed my lab results from this year are way better than those taken in 2006. Now i have a cirrhotic liver and back then I did not. The lab test not only show the amount of irritation to the liver but also the livers function. The part of my liver that is still working is functioning well but the problem is wether or not I have enough of a functioning liver left to ensure my survival. Time will tell.
Thank you for explaining this. Our body is a very complex system and when one part doesnt work it throws the rest off. Are there things you cant eat or take such as vitamins?
Narla The blood test cannot tell if you have cirrhosis, That is done with a CT Scan. The blood test measures your liver enzymes and from the results depending on how high they are your doctor will decide if it is necessary to have a CT Scan done to check for cirrhosis.
Randy
Randy
It is impossible for a doctor to give a life expectancy and he/she might even run the risk of losing his /her license if doing so. Everyone is different that is why it’s impossible to know this. Not only is our body chemistry different but how well we stick to our vitamins-medication and how much fluid we drink, exercise, largely sticking to not drinking any alcohol. These are all large factors that play a vital role and can make the difference of living only 6 months to another 30 years. How far your liver is advanced in to the final stage and healing time you have had. Remember also the ammonia reaching the other organs can also cause failure as well.
Randy
Randy
I dont mind any of the questions at all. That is my main reason for posting these results so that others might learn and have a better understanding of their own Lab Results. It is very critical to understand them. Especially if your not going to listen to your doctors advice and warnings.
Low Platelets when having cirrhosis is very common. The group of veins that feed the liver are called portal veins. When the liver no longer functions correctly due to cirrhosis the blood can't flow through the liver as quickly as it needs to. It becomes more like a really dirty sponuge. At this point the blood pressure builds higher in the portal veins causing Portal Hypertension. (high blood pressure in this group of veins) The liver has a seperate blood pressure than the rest of your body.
When a patient has bad enough portal hypertension the extra blood will deposit into the spleen causing it to enlarge. The spleen have the ability to tripple itself in size so it is very rare the it will ever burst. As the blood flows through the spleen the platelets will not all make it. many will drop into the bottom of the spleen and lay there. Giving the patient a low platelet count which makes it difficult for your blood to clot when you hurt yourself.
The "Ammonia" level. The body makes ammonia to help break down the bateria in the intestines. This ammonia is normally ejected from the body in the urine after the liver has filtered it from the blood stream. When the liver is cirrhotic it can no longer effectivly do this allowing the ammonia to tthen pass through every organ in the patients body. Causeing very small amounts of damage to every organ it goes through. This also goes to the brain causing another disease which is called Hepatic Encephalopathy (HE). Many cirrhotic patients are effected by this but strangly not all. It is unclear why everyone isn't. More research is needed. Here are some side effects of HE:
Breath with a musty or sweet odor
Change in sleep patterns
Changes in thinking
Confusion that is mild
Forgetfulness
Mental fogginess
Personality or mood changes
Poor concentration
Poor judgment
Worsening of handwriting or loss of other small hand movements
More severe symptoms may include:
Abnormal movements or shaking of hands or arms
Agitation, excitement, or seizures (occur rarely)
Disorientation
Drowsiness or confusion
Inappropriate behavior or severe personality changes
Slurred speech
Slowed or sluggish movement
Patients with hepatic encephalopathy can become unconscious, unresponsive, and possibly enter a coma.
Patients with hepatic encephalopathy are often not able to care for themselves because of these symptoms.
Randy
Low Platelets when having cirrhosis is very common. The group of veins that feed the liver are called portal veins. When the liver no longer functions correctly due to cirrhosis the blood can't flow through the liver as quickly as it needs to. It becomes more like a really dirty sponuge. At this point the blood pressure builds higher in the portal veins causing Portal Hypertension. (high blood pressure in this group of veins) The liver has a seperate blood pressure than the rest of your body.
When a patient has bad enough portal hypertension the extra blood will deposit into the spleen causing it to enlarge. The spleen have the ability to tripple itself in size so it is very rare the it will ever burst. As the blood flows through the spleen the platelets will not all make it. many will drop into the bottom of the spleen and lay there. Giving the patient a low platelet count which makes it difficult for your blood to clot when you hurt yourself.
The "Ammonia" level. The body makes ammonia to help break down the bateria in the intestines. This ammonia is normally ejected from the body in the urine after the liver has filtered it from the blood stream. When the liver is cirrhotic it can no longer effectivly do this allowing the ammonia to tthen pass through every organ in the patients body. Causeing very small amounts of damage to every organ it goes through. This also goes to the brain causing another disease which is called Hepatic Encephalopathy (HE). Many cirrhotic patients are effected by this but strangly not all. It is unclear why everyone isn't. More research is needed. Here are some side effects of HE:
Breath with a musty or sweet odor
Change in sleep patterns
Changes in thinking
Confusion that is mild
Forgetfulness
Mental fogginess
Personality or mood changes
Poor concentration
Poor judgment
Worsening of handwriting or loss of other small hand movements
More severe symptoms may include:
Abnormal movements or shaking of hands or arms
Agitation, excitement, or seizures (occur rarely)
Disorientation
Drowsiness or confusion
Inappropriate behavior or severe personality changes
Slurred speech
Slowed or sluggish movement
Patients with hepatic encephalopathy can become unconscious, unresponsive, and possibly enter a coma.
Patients with hepatic encephalopathy are often not able to care for themselves because of these symptoms.
Randy
Good question Narla. I had wondered that myself. Thanks PB for sharing this with us.
I hope you don't mind the questions?but I was wondering which readings determined you had cirrhosis?
I see you have low platelets. Is that part of this too? Your Ammorea or whatever it is is way off to? what is that?
I dont really understand end stage Cirrohsis, nor can i spell it, so bare with me here.....Will your liver just quit working all together? The word end stage is scary to me. How does this affect your daily living knowing this? Do you they give you a life expectancy number with this? I know i can goggle this and all but decided to come right out and ask you these questions.......I dont understand why you have this and i dont. By rights my organs should have gotten up and walked out on me.
I dont really understand end stage Cirrohsis, nor can i spell it, so bare with me here.....Will your liver just quit working all together? The word end stage is scary to me. How does this affect your daily living knowing this? Do you they give you a life expectancy number with this? I know i can goggle this and all but decided to come right out and ask you these questions.......I dont understand why you have this and i dont. By rights my organs should have gotten up and walked out on me.
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