elevated liver enzymes

[tarat792]

I am 22 years old and I have been struggling with liver problems for the past year. I have been to 3 doctors since last October and one said I had alcoholic hepatitis, two months later another doctor said i was healthy and had nothing to worry about, and just recently my new doctor said i was borderline in need for a liver transplant. When i had my blood drawn a few weeks ago my doctor said i had elevated enzymes in my liver. She said a healthy person has around 12 and i had 1,200. Since then i have taken more blood tests and the elevated enzymes have gone down but still need to be watched. She told me to stop drinking alcohol and completely detox. I cant imagine this would be normal for someone my age, i feel like i am too young to be experiencing such serious liver damage. She told me that this is an acute liver disorder and that if i completely stop drinking my liver can recover, is this true?

[mikesimon]

I made a mistake.

With alcohol induced liver damage the AST in often higher than the ALT.
I seem to recall that an AST/ALT ratio of 2 is often associated with alcoholic hepatitis.

Mike

[mikesimon]

If not too severely damaged the liver does have the capacity to regenerate. It can get well.

Do you know what your GGT was?
With alcoholic induced liver damage the GGT is frequently elevated.
With alcoholic induced liver disease the ALT is often higher than the AST.

I agree that you should not consume any alcohol.

I also suggest that you get copies of all of your labs and any tests that you undergo. You have the right to your results and they can come in very handy if, for example,  you ever want to consult with another doctor. It's just smart to have your lab results on hand.

Good luck,
Mike

[LT2011]

It just so happens that your body does not want any alcohol. And you are soo lucky that you spotted this early. Because if you were to cause severe liver damage and causes your body to detorate rapidly. Once the liver causes permante damages there is no way the liver can reqair itself. The liver is soo important to human body because it does more than just digesting foods. It filters out toxins which is naturally made by the body.

Doctors say that my father has Cirrhosis stages 1 and 2. They prescribed him Lactulose to clear out the toxins from this body. They also said that my father has 1 month left to live. He looked like he was going to die within days. As an last chance effort for my father I monitored him 24 hours a day. Symptoms that were showing I would have to research it and I had to make sure I did the right steps nurse him back to health with doctors guidence and research. Now doctors say my father can live up to 4-5 years or longer depending on if my father never drinks alcohol again. He has not taken 1 drop of alcohol for almost 1 year now and is showing signs of recovery.

I am not here to tell you how to live your life. But, what I am trying to tell you is that Cirrohsis is like making life a living hell for yourself. If I was you I would quit drinking. There is nothing wrong with being sober and being healthy. Atleast you are able to live independantly.

Best Wishes,

LT