Just found a letter dated Nov 2018 and it states that my ex has a GGT count of 2037. Naturally I Googled it and that seems crazy high. I’m baffled. What does it mean? Also I found a note where I have written that he has an iron count of 700 and the norm is 100. Dr Google is confusing me I can’t work out what this means
One other thing. This might seem a bit weird. My ex now wets himself. - A colleague of mine pops in to see my ex once a week. This week my ex had wet himself but didn’t seem to even notice that his boxers were wet. I find that very odd. I find it odd that he is happy to sit and chat to my colleague just in his underwear. The other strange thing my colleague (male colleague) said is that my ex is obsessed about sex and wants to talk about sex all the time. My poor colleague is trying to help negotiate a settlement figure.
Is this odd for someone with ESLD? What’s happening to him.
Sorry - quite a lot of questions here.
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Debbie633
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I don't know what measurement the GGT and Iron are in on those reports but both basically confirm his advanced liver disease. Iron can accumulate in a damaged liver or indeed he could possibly have another issue which caused the iron accumulation even before the booze (there is a condition called haemochromatosis which can do this).
As regards him wetting himself he's obviously just loosing control of his functions probably due to the booze but his not realising he's done this could well be symptomatic of having Hepatic Encephalopathy. It's possible he's having kidney issues too.
I don't think any of these things are much of a surprise in someone who you know is already seriously poorly with ESLD.
My ggt is 216. I have no idea why as I don’t drink much and when I had my bloods id not drank for 8 days as I was taking ibuprofen 3 times a day. I have been told it can be due to the ibuprofen but also seen people with gallbladder issues with high ggt
Hi Debbie633. GGT is an inflammation marker related to cirrhosis / liver disease. That score your shares is quite high. Also, I have haemochromatosis as well. With that genetic disease a person must not drink alcohol. I was missed diagnosed and now have cirrhosis. I got educated quickly. I just lost a friend, age 55, to cirrhosis. He was losing his bowel function and kidney function. He blamed it on the meds he was taking.
That’s interesting. Do you know what a normal GGT count is? How high is high? Strange that you mention bowel function. As he always needs to be close to a toilet only gets seconds to get to toilet. Takes Imodium all the time. Everything points to ESLD yet he still believes that if he gives up drinking the liver will mend itself. Not quite ready to give up today - tomorrow maybe. 🤦♀️ Yet he’s cut down on the beer - I fear it’s vodka now but not a bottle a day any more. But who knows 🤷♀️ They are sneaky
On the tests I had a normal GGT was 80 or below. An elevated GGT can be due to heavy drinking and if liver disease is not too bad it will fall if the person quits. It is NOT automatically an indicator for Cirrhosis although the levels you report seem ridiculous.
For example when George Best first went in for liver disease his GGT was 900 plus.
I have Cirrhosis but my GGT was never that high - never above 200. It’s a marker that changes based on behaviour. There are other markers that are much more constant and better in diagnosing liver disease. As always though, the best person to ask is his doctor
Normal GGT is between 9 - 48 U/L. It’s a bio-marker that shows liver damage but doesn’t show the cause. Hence, why you need a number of tests and scans to determine the cause and type of disease. Once the underlying cause is address, in this case stop drinking alcohol, the liver will start to repair itself. Overtime and depending how bad the damage is, GGT levels should come down. All the best.
We usually err on the side of caution when commenting on test result as different labs have different ranges for normal and also none of us are really qualified to interpret what such results could mean. However, having said that a GGT in the 2000's is definitely very high.
From what I understand GGT is quite a sensitive marker when it comes to damage being inflicted on the liver. Its similar to other initial liver tests in that respect. It doesnt necessarilly indicated severity of liver disease, but it can give an indication of what is taking place at that moment in time. Whatever it was he was doing, clearly wasn't agreeing with his body.
Cant really comment on the iron bit, but I see others have already helped with that.
The others issues you mention could be related to his liver condition or if he is still drinking could be related to that. Either way he really does need to get medical help.
My only experience of someone with alcoholic issues was with a lad I met in hospital once. He had come in as I think he was trying to detox. His first couple of nights he was arguing with the wall amongst other very strange behaviours. He was quite a handful to say the least and could not see reason in anything said to him. However, after a few days and the initial affects had worn off, a nicer, more polite person I dont think you could meet. So, even in the extreme there can be some hope if help is sought and taken.
Your ex-partner, clearly has more medical issues with his liver than this lad had. But, it would at least be a start and would be better than him doing nothing. How he can be persuaded to that though is probably just as, if not more, difficult. I hope others on here, who have been through similar, will be able to offer some help on that front.
Sorry that you are being faced with this problem. I send you my best wishes and hope for a positive outcome.
My ex has lost touch with reality. Can’t reason with him at all, he is very confused and it’s impossible to reason with him on any subject. He says that he has never done anything wrong and he’s not ill. 🤦♀️. Thinks he’s going to live for another 10+ years. 🤦♀️
I’ve given up communicating with him. My work colleague pops in once a week as my ex has no one. I’m afraid he’s likely to pass away in a flat on his own and no one will know. 😞
Thank You again 💕
As our fourm members have already mentioned, no one is medically qualified to offer diagnosis on blood test results, and we have to be mindful that different laboratories use different reference ranges., however I can see they are sharing their experiences.
I have included a link to our liver disease tests explained information which may help,
I wonder if he has contact with his GP or hospital doctors who may be able to offer treatment / support for him with regards to his changing personality?
Thank You so much. I’m trying to gather as much information as possible but of cause it really difficult as we stopped communicating back in August and he has never shared his condition with me. Everything has always been fine according to him. He has a fear of going into hospital as in hospital it can’t get alcohol and cigarettes 😞
We had an absolutely fabulous life together once. Until Stella and Vodka turned him against me.
It’s so so sad.😞
Thank you so much for your support 💕
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