HELP! ALT going up again!

[sillygirl1122]

Hi Everyone,

I went to my PCP for my January blood draw. Since the beginning of November, my ALT has gone from 24 to 56 (still in range according to my lab....but the last number still in the range!) and my AST is up a little to from 21, but nothing like my ALT.

Yesterday, my results came in and that's when I found out about the ALT. I am panicked. It's been down since June/July. I will tell you that I ate a lot of cookies over the holidays, still hate very healthy meals, ate lots of dark chocolate (that I don't usually do) and was much less active that usual. I walked maybe 3 times a week since the beginning of Nobember....a far cry from 6 times a week.

I've laid in the bed a lot because my anxiety was acting up knowing that I was going to have to see my dad for the first time in 3 years over the holidays and that my girls didn't even remember him. I had a mole removed from a very "private and personal" place and told that they thought it might be a melanoma. Luckily, it wasn't. Then, I've been REALLY worried about January's blood draw for my liver enzymes and my mammogram in February.

I ended up having my mammogram early...yesterday....as my doctor drew my blood earlier and found three lumps. They were all fine. When I got home, I had a message from the nurse stating that my ALT was at the very top of the range and that my RBC are at 5.24, with the limit being 5.1. Of course, I did all of the horrible looking and wish that I hadn't. I saw all sorts of scary stuff. I confess that I had to take Ibuprofen for a backache last week. I also took Xanax, my Visteril for my exema, my Effexor for my anxiety, Prevachol for cholesterol and Ambien to sleep. I know this is a lot of medications, but these were the same ones I took two months ago when the levels were so low.

I weighed this morning and I have gone up from 129 to 139 due to my not being so active, taking lots of naps and not walking as much as I should.

I plan on starting the good eating, the walking and the healthy foods (NO COOKIES/CRACKERS) as soon as I finish posting this.

Have I damaged my liver? Is this from all of the things I have mentioned above? Please have mercy on a girl who just was told by a doctor that she had to have a spot removed from her hoo-ha because it might be a melanoma and also, who went for a scary mammogram yesterday as my doctor found three lumps. The specialists, mammograms and sonograms couldn't even find one bump. CRAZY!!!!

Any help? Know why the ALT is high and why the RBC is above range? Everything else is perfect.

Thanks for putting up with me!

Robin (sillygirl)

[Hidden]

The medications you have been taking will elevate your enzymes. If your worried about your liver then stop taking them and stop eating chocolate?

[sillygirl1122 in reply to Hidden]

Okay Ralph.......I am SO stubborn, and I hate to admit that I'm not right about something, but you are definitely onto something here. I looked back at my weight and realized that when my weight is a bit higher, my alt is a little higher and vice-versa. I am getting back on track.....it's a new year and I was so motivated from February to November, when I had some stress and let that get in the way of my healthy eating and my exercise. Thus, I'm 10 pounds heavier from 2 months ago and my alt has gone from 24 to 56. I want to tell you that I just walked on the treadmill for an hour and will do another tonight. I love to exercise and will have a healthy lunch and dinner tonight. Still baffled to the elevated RBC, but I can't find a ton of causes that can cause it that don't scare me to death. ARG! I hate having anxiety! Thanks for your response and I hope you have a wonderful 2015! Robin the Sillygirl

[Hidden in reply to sillygirl1122]

sillygirl don't panic, red bloods tend to drop in cirrhosis, you are marginally OVER the limit. your ALTs etc, I'll say again its most likely the medications you have been taking, which they are a fair few in that list. Looking after your liver means making its life easier, no fat, not too much carbs, no sugar, plenty of water, minimal medications . Obviously consult with your doctor about this.

[sillygirl1122]

Ralph,

You should be a doctor! :o) I talked to my doctor today and since my cholesterol is so good right now and since my lifestyle is so different than it was when it was well into the 200s, she said that she was going to suggest it as well. I'm going to do some reading on ways to naturally lower cholesterol.....two of which I've already done....started exercising and eating right. I'm now down to 174 total cholesterol with my good at 47. I am not totally comfortable doing this for six months with no check-in, so I'm going to get my labs drawn again in 3 months. Okay, and don't laugh....but after reviewing my results over the phone with my doc this afternoon, I found out that my red blood cells are 4/100ths over the top of the limit. AND, it so happens that my lab has a very low limit of 5.1, where many are at 5.4. Also, I found out that I am 2 points below the top limit of ALT, not one. (Big difference, huh???) I ate well today and am looking forward to our family cruise in April when I will have lost my 10 pounds again to get to 130, and can wear some pretty sundresses! I am NOT a bikini girl or a sun girl.....but I sure love to wear pretty sundresses, play bingo in the bar, even though I don't drink, and play penny machines in the casino. I won $1100 on a penny machine on our last cruise (the first one I've ever been on) and I was so excited! Of course I lost it all, but it was like someone handed me $1100 at the beginning of the cruise and said play with this for free....and I did! That time we went to Alaska to celebrate our 15 year wedding anniversary. This time, it's me, my hubby and our two SASSY teenage daughters. YIKES!!!!! Anyways....doing lots of research and may even start to see a nutritionist. I think my insurance might even cover it. We'll see. And just so you know....NO COOKIES OR CHOCOLATE today! :o) I'm also stopping another medication that helps me sleep. I may be up for several weeks straight, but I'll have one healthy liver!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Hahaha! Take care of yourself and thanks again for your honest responses and suggestions. That's a true friend!

Sincerely,

Sillygirl Robin

[CaptM]

From reading your post, my only advice would be to stop worrying about your liver result. You seem to have enough going on without adding to it all. Ask yourself the question, if I didn't know about the results would I be worrying about it? Deal with the issues you know are affecting you and try to worry less about the things which are caused probably by the meds you're taking.

I take no meds and my liver results are way worse than yours and that's being alcohol free too. I can't do much about it so I try not to let it ruin my life. I hope you take this as a positive post and not a negative. You're doing the right things by exercising, eating clean. Lifestyle changes can make a massive difference when it comes to health. Good luck.

[sillygirl1122 in reply to CaptM]

Thank you CaptM,

I did not take it as a negative post at all. In fact, my doctor and I spoke yesterday, as my cholesterol is doing so well, to go ahead and try going 6 months without it. I've also gone off of my antihistamine and am going to use oatmeal baths and topical lotions for my excema. Last night, I slept with two separate medications, and low and behold, I fell asleep earlier than usual and slept through the night. That brings me down to 3 medications, and I am hoping to get off of at least one more over the next month or so. You are so right....I do a lot of worrying about the "what ifs." I heard someone once say, "The worst thing that I knew was going to happen to me, never did." That's me to a tee! For me, the more I am involved in feeling like I am actively working towards my goal of something....here being getting these numbers down and putting myself first when it comes to eating and exercising, I feel much more in control and less anxious. Thanks for the encouraging words. I am glad you are living your life to the fullest. You are a wonderful example to me!

Robin (sillygirl)

[sillygirl1122 in reply to sillygirl1122]

One more quick question.....the meds I was taking a couple of weeks ago when my ALT had gone up, are the exact same meds I was taking in November when it was so low. Is it possible for the medications to still be the culprit?

[justme321 in reply to sillygirl1122]

Yes it looks like it's most prob the meds that are raising the levels.

[sillygirl1122 in reply to justme321]

even the exact same doses of the ones that I was taking when it was so low in November? Just making sure.....

[justme321]

I'm only have a fair amount of knowledge on this topic. I personally think so. Have u cleaned up your diet?