Concerns from a young man

[Moysey83]

Hello all I am 32 , male with a young family , I am a bit of a worrier so pls don't be offended i would just love some advice , ..

Two years ago I had a random blood test which revealed I had raised liver enzymes , this worried me , so I booked an appointment with dr , she said it was hardly anything and I was happy with that , then I started to think I could feel a pain in liver area , and also have 3 small red spots on my hand and arm , they disappear when pressed , so I went back to dr and she said to take another test just to put my mind at rest so I did , that was almost 2 months ago and haven't heard anything from dr , should I assume alls ok ?

I used to binge drink on weekends as everybody else did , but I'm terrified that I have done damage to my liver .

Any replies greatly appreciated

Thanks for listening

[Moysey83]

Sorry for the briefness ,

[AyrshireK]

I think that normally you have to phone in for your results, I know that is what happens in our GP practice. Perhaps you should contact them and explain you've not had the results.

We seem to get a lot of folks on here who know they've perhaps over done the booze a bit and then start to get worried they've done themselves harm and sometimes the anxiety of it all starts to 'create' symptoms. Over the years there have been lots of folks posting very similar messages to yourself.

Before you go half mad thinking you've got severe damage. I would get those blood results from a couple of months ago and see what they said. Your doctor wasn't too concerned about the earlier set which were a bit raised. However, if they were raised at all then perhaps you should give heed to that and take on board that your liver was perhaps complaining a bit and you need to start treating it a little more kindly.

Have you stopped or at least reduced your alcohol intake? Are you generally healthy - normal weight for height, do you eat well with a good balanced diet. Even the government guideline limits for alcohol are too high ......... it's a strong toxin which our liver has to struggle to deal with and some folks get away with it for years whereas others sustain damage.

I wouldn't worry about the spots which disappear, these arn't spider naevi since those don't vanish when depressed.

Get the results, try a period of abstinence and good lifestyle and exercise. Get a retest in a couple of months and see what's what then.

All the best to you.

Katie

[Moysey83 in reply to AyrshireK]

Hi , thanks so much for reply , I have dramatically cut the drink down , normally just 4 pints every two weeks , drink the mild stuff too , low alcohol , I try to eat well and have a very active job , I do however have a big day out twice a year , also prior to my last test I did 8 weeks with no alcohol at all ,

[AyrshireK in reply to Moysey83]

That all sounds good, phone or call in for those results and you may well find all have gone back within range and so treat it as a warning and carry on with the 'new you'. If they are still out of range then it may warrant some further investigation. But before you go reading too much into the situation get the results and see where you go from here.

Good luck.

Katie

[Hidden]

Evening

Its doubtful that weekend drinking would cause Alcohol Cirrhosis at 32. Alcohol is not acutely toxic to the Liver, it usually takes decades of over loading it to cause major damage. having 4 or 5 days a week without makes a huge difference even in massive drinkers. The average age for Alcoholic Cirrhosis is 59 this has come down from 69. Only 10-20% of heavy drinkers have the genes that cause Cirrhosis.

With the above said some people can get much more easily damaged by alcohol, an unlucky few can get into trouble on a couple of beers a day. The governments guide lines say that a glass and half for a woman is a binge, I find this a little ridiculous, most people could drink double the limit without too much of a problem, but obviously I would never advise this, although small the risk would go up, something like 0.2% for 21 units to 0.8% for 42 units

Other things can elevate Liver enzymes, medications, exercising before a test, a viral infection. I dont think there is any reason to hit the panic button just yet, but I would certainly follow up on this and if it continues then perhaps some scans might be an option.

[briccolone]

I agree with the other posters ...at your age I wouldn't think you've done significant damage to anything. Stick to your new regimen and you should be ok.

[jbrking]

I have non alcoholic fatty liver disease so your liver function can be raised because of this, not just alcohol. I don't drink. Definitely ring for your blood results and if you're still feeling a bit funny then make an appointment to speak to doctor. They may need to do further tests - eg a full lipid profile and kidney test. Although I'm sure you'll be fine.

[Moysey83]

Thanks for the replies , everything else on last blood test was good , kidneys etc

[Hidden in reply to Moysey83]

sometimes a good scare can be the best thing that happens to you. 2 of my doctors admitted to binge drinking at the weekend. One was about your age and goes out every Friday and Saturday, the other was in his mid 50s and has 5 or 6 pints watching the football at his local. Both get regular blood tests.

The people who end up in hospital yellow and with other quite frankly terrifying things happening are the people who dont go to their doctors and get Liver tests. I was just watching a documentary about George Best, he was warned years before his Liver failed. To put your drinking into context, George was drinking 4 bottles of wine, then some vodka and then going home with a bottle of wine by his bed, round the clock drinking. I have recently read about a woman who has Cirrhosis at 35, she was on 3 bottles of wine a day, 21 bottles of wine a week, 200 units!

Stick with your current drinking pattern and maybe throw in some 6 month breaks without any, get a yearly set of bloods, not just for alcohol but your overall health and you should have a long and happy life without the fear of Liver failure, which is a horrible way to go.

[Hidden]

did your doc test fot HCV it is not a standard test when i was diagnosed it was by a spcialist looking at another problem. Prior to that my GP had done several blood tests and found nothing exept deranged liver function. I sugest if the tests you had indicate deranged liver function then you ask for an HCV test

good luck

[Abiman]

This is what I do when I go for a blood test. As soon as I had it done, I book an appointment with my GP about TEN days later to make sure that the results have reached the GP. He will analyse the results with you.

[Moysey83]

Hi all , I called doctors for my blood results and all were normal , do you think I should be fine now I mean would something have come up if there were a problem ?

Many thanks for replys

[Jahida in reply to Moysey83]

You're fine because believe me if you had liver issues it would come up in the blood tests. Try not worrying and try to not drink.

Good luck!