Scared - high ALT and GGT

[Bobs2222]

Hi

I am worried, my nurse called me to say my ALT is 67 and GGT 63. My ALT has always been around 45 so it's always been a little high, but never GGT (I assume they tested for that in the past??).

I dont think I'm overweight, perhaps a little stomach flab by my bmi is only 24. I never drink. The only changes I have done in the last couple of weeks is lifting some weight and increasing my dose of my anti-depressant.

The doc wants to see me next week, what can i expect? (I'm 38)

[jojokarak]

Hi I can understand your concern but they will probably ask you about lifestyle choices at moment and advise you to cut alcohol out if you drink and ask about diet and exercise make suggestions on what to charge and they will most certainly keep a regular check on your bloods just to see if they going in the right direction. I understand they seem high to you but all the time and even after I had a transplant I would of been happy with them results. But obviously you need to take notice and do what you can to reverse them x

[Hidden]

As jojokarak has said whilst these results may seem high, they are in reality not too far out of the normal range and so at the moment should not make you anxious. They are being, quite rightly, cautious about a change in your blood results and will want to try and find out whether this is a temporary blip or indicative that there are changes going on in your body.

Please try to take reassurance from the fact that they actually give a stuff (!) about your increasing bloods and want to resolve this sooner rather than later. All the very best

[Bobs2222]

Thanks for the kind words and advice. Sorry if I come across a little overly anxious, I just cannot afford to get sick at this point of time with young kids.

I am reading about milk thistle helping, has anyone had any success with that? Also should i tone down the weight lifting?

[AyrshireK in reply to Bobs2222]

The British Liver Trust do not advocate the use of Milk Thistle or any other non-medically regulatated supplements etc. We have members on here who have been advised NOT to take milk thistle by hepatologists as it can actually be hazardous to the liver & skew Liver Function Tests. Whilst doctors are trying to establish what is going on with your body and bloods just now you shouldn't add a supplement or any over the counter 'remedies' as they might skew test results and potentially lead to inaccurate diagnosis. Instead you should follow the advice on the British Liver Trust site on looking after your liver britishlivertrust.org.uk/li... - less salt, less sugar, less fat, less processed foods, adequate exercise, less/zero alcohol and see how you go then. Your results arn't massively out of range but its good that your doctors are following it up anyway to hopefully tackle what is going on now.

Hope all works out ok,

Katie

[Bobs2222 in reply to AyrshireK]

Thanks for the reply. That is interesting about Milk Thistle, I had taken it before when i had a slightly high ALT reading a couple of years back. Good to know that and I will not buy it again.

I don't drink alcohol, not because I'm a saint but simply because I hate the taste (lucky i guess). I have too much sugar though, I will mention that to my doctor and see what she thinks.

Can you still get a fatty liver if your BMI is under 25? (mine is 24). I do have a 37.5cm waist though.

[AyrshireK in reply to Bobs2222]

When my hubby was rushed into hospital with a massive upper GI bleed (due to cirrhosis) he was 8 1/2 stone (soaking wet) and 5ft 5 frame (skeletal) - he'd been an extremely active long distance walker & tea total for life. When trying to establish the cause of his liver disease fatty liver was one thing they examined him for and consultant said 'even though you are built like a racing snake you can still get a fatty liver'. In the end hubby got a diagnosis of Auto-Immune Hepatitis and no fatty liver but in short yes you can still get fatty liver.

Katie

[Bobs2222]

Thanks for all the replies. I saw the doctor today and she said she wasn't too concerned but wanted to be certain it wasn't anything untoward. So she is asking me to repeat the test in a couple of months and has also included a few more tests (hep b and hep c, copper, proteins).

I feel my doctor is on to it and that's the main thing. I know many doctors would just blow it off as a small blip.