Confused and Scared reaching out

[shavedgoat]

Hello from Ireland to all you beautiful amazing strong people.

I’d really appreciate it if anyone could take the time to read my story and share any thoughts. Last year, after my mum passed away, I went through a tough time and turned to heavy drinking and fast food to cope. In December 2024, a routine blood test showed ALT levels of 85, cholesterol at 5.76, and ferritin at 580, with everything else being normal, including other liver function markers.

When I repeated the blood test in February, my ALT had dropped to 75, AST was 47, and ferritin was mildly decreased. However, when I tested again yesterday, my ALT had risen significantly to 176, cholesterol was 5.6, and my blood pressure was 156/90. Until Christmas, I was drinking heavily, but I stopped completely on January 1st. However, I had a binge in February, drinking five bottles of wine over a few days, and pretty much ate junk food every day throughout the month.

My BMI is overweight. I’m a 50-year-old male, 6'2", weighing 96 kg. I also had a liver ultrasound in November, which came back clear. I’m hoping that’s a good sign.

My question is: could diet and binge drinking cause my ALT levels to jump to 176 in such a short period of time? And should I be worried about any serious damage or even cirrhosis, even though my abdominal and liver ultrasound in November showed everything clear?

If anyone has advice or similar experiences to share, I’d be really grateful.

Thank you!

P.S. I am not drinking alcohol and have cleaned up my lifestyle

[Fibro2021]

It sounds like you're already making some positive changes. Yes, binge drinking and an unhealthy diet can certainly cause ALT levels to spike like this. Your liver is quite resilient, but it can take a hit from excessive alcohol. Even though your liver ultrasound was clear in November, it’s important to remember that fatty liver (which isn’t always visible on ultrasound in the early stages) or mild inflammation can still cause elevated ALT levels.

In your case, it’s reassuring that you’ve stopped drinking and are focusing on improving your lifestyle. If the ALT levels don't improve after a few months of healthy living, it could be worth investigating further with additional blood tests or even a liver elastography/ FibroScan to assess any potential early liver damage. Regular monitoring is important, but it doesn’t necessarily mean you’re heading toward cirrhosis right now.

Keep up the good work on your lifestyle changes.

[Vicars-wife in reply to Fibro2021]

When I saw a Neurologist she told me, it isn't the amount you drink, but the length of time you have been drinking. So yes binge drinking can cause liver disease. If you have it, I would suggest you see your GP and push for all possible tests including CT scan. If you have FLD there have been such a lot of progress in treatment and success rates. Try not to worry too much, easier said than done, but stress doesn't help. Stopping drinking is not easy, but you are doing amazingly, there are lots of support services about to encourage continued sobriety. Keep up the great work.

[shavedgoat in reply to Vicars-wife]

Thanks so much for your kind words and support. I really appreciate it. Stopping drinking was a big step, but I feel better for it. I was drinking years unfortunately but everything escalated last year. I'm just hopeful that if my ultrasound was all clear in November that it's not very bad. I'm going to retest my bloods in a month or so and might get a ultrasound too. Thanks again for the encouragement!

[shavedgoat in reply to Fibro2021]

Hi Fibro. Thank you, I really appreciate your kind words and encouragement. So far, my lifestyle changes seem to be paying off, I’ve already lost 2 kilos through diet and exercise, and I’m consistently walking 10,000 steps daily and mediating.

To see the numbers jump so quickly has really shaken me. Thankfully, my digestion seems normal, with no discoloration in stool or urine, and no signs of jaundice. Given that my liver ultrasound was clear just four months ago, I’m hopeful that I should be okay? I’ll continue monitoring my health and I'll consider getting an ultrasound in a few weeks but I’m optimistic that these positive changes will help bring my ALT levels down in time. I've cut out all alcohol, sugar, carbs and processed food completely