r/LiverDisease

Well after a long bout with blood loss (rectal bleeding during bowel movements), anemia, weight loss and fatigue (which I attributed to the anemia) I went in for labs/exams.

Not good…

Officially got diagnosed via Ultrasound with fatty liver (for now) the doctor said my liver was full of echogenicity. So I’m assuming really bad fat build up?

Also had a colonoscopy and endoscopy - showed mild gastritis and mild diverticulosis. But GI didn’t seem to think it was bad and didn’t detect any source of the bleeding aside from some grade 1 hemorrhoids. and said see you in 10 years 🤷🏻‍♂️ heck at this point I hope I’m here for the next one!

So here is where I’m struggling and want to know if I should start facing reality…

Labs came back a mixed bag.
ALT -16
AST -28
ALP - 66
GGT - 95
Platelets - 358
RBC - 3.9
Hemoglobin -11.8
Albumin - 4.9
Bilirubin total - 0.4
Total cholesterol - 255
HDL -57
Triglycerides - 614

Background - haven’t taken care of myself in years. Stressful job that keeps me sedentary and depressed. Heavy drinker in particular the past few years. Last year in particular a daily drinker. Like half to a pint of liquor daily. Extremely disheartening when I think how I got to this point…I had so much promise and goals and life got out of hand and now I’m seeing the affects of it.

All I can think is fibrosis at best and cirrhosis even a strong possibility. I know everyone is different but looking at all this…I just don’t see how it can’t be worse than just fatty liver (which is bad enough)

Next steps:
Cutting alcohol - already started
Cutting red meat
Eating better - lean protein/fish
Vitamins

Doctor ordered an Elastography I guess to see how bad the scarring is at this point.

I’m already a thin person - underweight even. So between not eating well, when I did it was garbage and all the alcohol…I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised. Just never thought it would catch up to me so soon like this…appreciate any insight or advice at this stage and what to expect or how bad it looks.

In 2021 I had elevated AST, ALT, and alkaline phosphatase over the course of repeated blood tests. My PCP ordered an ultrasound, and I was subsequently diagnosed with MASH. (I also have PCOS, and MASH can occur along with it/resulting from it as best I understand.) I focused on losing weight, and my enzyme levels returned to the normal range and have not been elevated since.

In June of this year I started experiencing severe full-body itching that often disturbs my sleep. It seems to get worse when I get hot or sweat. I do not have a visible rash. I first consulted a dermatologist who sent me to my PCP for bloodwork to rule out systemic issues. All of my bloodwork came back normal without elevated liver enzymes. My PCP told me to consult with my allergist. My allergist ran a food allergy panel that came back negative for food allergies. The allergist has suggested that I return to the dermatologist for skin patch testing, but I have not yet made this appointment. While searching online I learned that liver issues can cause itching, which called to mind my MASH diagnosis. I began combing back through my lab results. Although my bloodwork completed in July did not show elevated enzymes, the urinalysis that the doctor also completed showed a bilirubin level of 1.0 in my urine. The doctor made no mention of this, but could this be significant when combined with the itching I am experiencing? I am considering seeking a second opinion about this.

Additionally, I would love any tips you can provide for itch relief. It is really bothersome and keeps me awake at night. I have tried triamcinolone ointment from the dermatologist which is moisturizing but does not relieve the itch. I also tried hydroxyzine prescribed by my PCP. It doesn’t relieve the itch, but it makes me drowsy enough that I can usually stay asleep. However, I can’t take it during the work week because it makes me so groggy the next day.

i've had a really slow decline in life. and up to here it's probably been. at it's worst.

(M23 167.2 LBS 5'6)

dunno when it all started but it was certainly around.. four years ago when i found out i had fatty liver..

i was tubby and big and had a really bad diet my whole life. and if anything i kinda just ate anything i wanted.. towards HS. i started feeling less hungry.. ate less and had a LOT. of weird stuff happening to me.. (nt all of it could have been the liver or my body) but just.. weird stuff in gen..

i've always had physical issues with working, and even just standing long hours at jobs. my first one.. i remember was at chipotle,, in 2022. was a dishwasher and i remember after my first shift my body was shaking so terribly and i was trembling. couldn't even open my hands and i was hurting so badly.. the pain was the worst i think i've ever felt. fast foreward. after seemingly every test (except a biopsy). and being aware of it.. losing the fat. working out, improving my diet. and being mindful of it ever since 22'. even letting myself loose a bit with back to bad eating and even bulking.. and wanting to gain muscle well.. (protein powder etc).
working a stupidly tough job at ups.. i. which i did a full peak for happily..

just this beginning of the year, when i working my typical seasonal. i started to notice a decline in my muscles.. and my muscle capacity in one area.. my arm.. and because of that. it wasn't getting better, even with rest. i fell out of a job because of it and was heartbroken,, went to another job and started noticing other weird signs.. appetite, strange backpain that was super heavy on me and interrupted sleep times.. lotta weird stuff.. and i think it was after a workout. and the day after after coming home from work i just.. kinda felt it happen. come out of me, anxiety that was seemingly coming out of nowhere..
it kinda felt like a ghost of the past.. a ghost of being encumbered to my bed.. bed ridden for practically months on end with a dtysfunctioning body.. 4 years prior..
it settled in and.. wasn't getting better.
that week i had already seen my doctor reporting something else weirdly enough and that was, about some super weird headaches and having trouble with my memory.. and sleep in general.. but mostly about the memory thing.
fast foreword and few weeks later. i fell out of that job and i had MANY. symptoms of weird stuff.. throating closing. being barely able to breathe.. stomach hating anything i ate.. being nauseous around the clock.. i mean 24/7 and shredding off weight/muscle.. practically starting to see my bones.. couldn't really function.. but also i.. was having like.. personality problems with my emotions, i was snapping so easily at people. my focus was awful, my vision was getting worse, and for the first time in my life i had take eyedrops.. because of the dryness in what seemed like almost my entire body. i've been tied practically to water and the constant need for it but again.. all of that stuff i endured four years prior which.. i originally was so worried it was my heart. didn't ever end up on finding what it was

it continued and i finally saw my hepto again, did a buncha tests.. noting high bilirubin and even with the lil.. blood test thingy noticing that there was no fat (hooray) but that the liver was injured.. didn't know why. (im really not sure why this test exits if it's accuracy isn't good and can't be trusted) but.. in another section.. due to the sudden constant issue with bloating.. gas and gurlging and even pain in my stomach. did a three way sibo imo.. something test.

found out i was methane dominant.

so i don't rly know what to do with it but maybe also has anyone.. or know anything abt sibo potentially worsening liver issues..?

to put it short.
the conclusion i came too is that.. well four years i was practically od'ing on painkillers for work for a few months and questioned why i was so tired all of the time.. and feeling disgusting.. had a huge freak out mental episode and called the paramedics when i convinced myself i was dead and this was the after life after drinking just a tiny bit and having some edibles (irls stopped to me all tg :(
i had to take abt a full year to get off of.. whatever happened to me. which i never did find out what it was but i had those symptoms.

the second time overworked myself and body at the gym.. having a terrible diet. bulking, and sleeping terribly i had that numbness and pain in my arms and muscles instead of soreness and that lost me about six months of my life and tried to recover again.

and with all of that in mind i tried working at chipotle (prep grill.. i GOTTA give it to those people that do that. that pos is TOUGH.)
keeping myself steady and not expected two weeks in. to waking up to my arm being completely numb and in pain. and even with a weeks work of time off is causing this. being the third time. and even after my arms started feeling better this whole idea of.. damage happens elsewhere. damage happens to my liver. i feel it a month later and it just totals me.

and just now.. aug 18th at 2:39pm.. after one day of working a four hour shift at jersey mikes. i am in disarray. my whole body. hurts. and my arms and even now my legs are numb.. and i'm afraid i'm.. still not fully recovered frm the damage chipotle did to me or whatever the hells happening to me and that.. just lingering on the fear it's getting worse

i don't know what to do. for a week straight. unlike a few months ago i was having terrible. neck vein pain.. as i could describe and well.. it felt like wires directing being pulled on my throat.

either way.. summing up four years (which for two of them i can proudly say i had no issues like this going on at all..) has..

come to be not being able to hold a job. in short i can barely do anything physically. i don't get sore and it's.. been practically the same shit minus just being.. contempt with it.

i don't feel like myself.. my hands. my arms hurt so much.. got the memory of a goldfish, finding myself fucking up my words when i speak to people or even forgetting what i was doing mid. action. surely it's not that.. that bad but i remember (surprisingly) just a few months ago i was forgetting my friends real.. names. which i knew, and funnily enough forgetting again.. my god it's so hard to focus on stuff and things. and the ONE. thing that has been impacted the most has to be multi-tasking. simply even.. playing video games and using my arms just.. let alone hurts.. i am defeated.. and tired. i started worrying about my issues again cause just a few weeks ago my biggest concern was itching.. itching in my hands and feet that still seem to nag on me and was growing.

no i wasn't a heavy drinker, yea i'm young, yes but i was obese from practically me entire childhood. ignoring gerd. stomach acid, and well.. i mean
and i don't know my family history if they have issues or ANY. issues for that matter due to me being adopted..

theres still so much more i'd.. happily like to say or just. yeah i don't even know. i'm just lost. im lost,, id be more than happy to answer anything if anyone see's this,, my scores for tests.. on bloodwork, living stuff. anything,, if anyone see's
. or maybe even unfortunately getting automodded for it being a useless rambling dob story.. which. IM SORRY. as someone who is losing there capability to function and well.. talk speak live feel a bit it's.. scaring me.

thanks,
shiba

Hi all, looking for some perspective on my recovery from acute hepatitis/liver injury.
I was admitted to hospital in early July with jaundice after a period involving heavy alcohol and recreational drug use (coke & MDMA). The working diagnosis was drug-induced liver injury. Viral hepatitis testing was negative and ultrasound showed no obstruction/fibrosis, just a slightly fatty liver. My INR/clotting and albumin remained normal.
My bilirubin peaked around 270 µmol/L and has since fallen significantly:

Bilirubin: 270 → 58 → 38
ALT: peaked ~750, fell to ~323, now 394
AST: now 123
ALP: 293, now 361
Albumin: 42 (stayed consistent at 39 throughout)

Clinically I feel much better and the jaundice/dark urine/pale stools have resolved, but I’m concerned that ALT and ALP are still elevated and have increased somewhat despite bilirubin continuing to fall.
Has anyone recovering from DILI/acute hepatitis experienced this kind of pattern, where bilirubin improves much faster than the enzymes? How long did it take for your ALT/ALP to normalise?
I’m continuing to abstain from alcohol/drugs and have medical follow-up arranged — just interested in others’ experiences while I wait.

Recent blood test results. I am making an effort to scale back and stop any alcohol altogether.

Alt 344 u/l
AST 140 u/l
Ggt 104 u/l
Alp 141 u/l
C reactive protein 7mg/l
Total globulin is low

I had digestive issue then i done all body in which ultrasound was normal but my lft blood report show alt(sgpt) 100 ast 50
Gamma gt 70 i am having some digestive issue my direct billibrum is 0.59 a minor increase my eyes are half yellow i cut off all out side food from 15 days recovery started slowly slowly is there anyone who have same problem

I drink probably 9 or so alcoholic drinks a day minimum, and had a blood test at the doctor and my ferritin went from 500 last month to 2400 this month and my doctor is urging me to go the the ER.

I have not told her about my drinking, as i just got prescribed a benzodiazepine for my horrific constant panic attacks and i know if i tell her im a drinker they will put me on a list of “addicts” or something that will make me ineligible to receive the anxiety meds i need. i have tried everything under the sun and benzos are the only thing that helps.

i only have been heavily drinking for two years, but im worried because i am 19 years old (underage). what do i do? i really dont want to lose my medication and maybe this is just a temporary spike or something. thank you in advance ❤️

Have been dealing with elevated liver enzymes for the last 10 months or so. Multiple rounds of bloodwork, testing, ultrasounds, elastography etc. It looks like I may be referred to a specialist after today's visit with my doctor. Wondering if anyone has ever experienced anything like this?

38 year old male, generally clean diet, hockey/golf a few times weekly. Was never a heavy consumer of alcohol week in/out but would consume in larger quantities for social/work events. To curb headaches I was often taking acetaminophen both during drinking and afterward, along with pantaprazole to curb reflux.

Since the initial lab findings back in November, I've been completely abstinent from alcohol, any medication, and have sharpened up my diet/hydration in hopes things would return back to normal over time. No symptoms other than newly found health anxiety that has taken over mentally.

Ultrasound done in January came back negative with 6.37 KPA score for elastography.

GGT has fluctuated from 282-226-222-223
ALT has fluctuated from 56-92-60-86
AST has fluctuated from 39-38-56
ALP has fluctuated from 106-97-106

All other labs have continued to show as normal (bilirubin, platelets, blood cell counts etc). Have also tested for various autoimmune, celiac, EBV, iron, ANA and other viruses which too have come back negative.

Not sure what's going on and wondering if anyone has been down a path like this before? Outside of sports injuries I've never had something like this happen before medically and it has sent me into quite a spiral. Have since reached out for professional help for the mental health side of things.

Any insight or suggestions from experiences would be appreciated as I await next steps.

I (27F) was admitted to the hospital two days ago for ascites. I had noticed the bloating but thought maybe i was having kidney issues. After two rounds of bactrim for UTI/kidney infection, I decided to come to the ER. Thinking it would be quick visit and some meds. Instead - my entire world was flipped upside down. I was asked about my drinking habits, drug use, etc. Of course being honest - i’ve had my fair share of drinks and overdoing it. I’ve spent the last two years definitely overindulging but have been sober for about a month (when all this started). I feel like I handed them this easy label and answer on a platter to be labeled an alcoholic with cirrhosis. However, the main doctor is adamant that narrative doesn’t add up. He feels like there’s something deeper that is causing my liver to not function properly but is at a loss.

Where i’m angry…. for the last day everyone has told me after they drained it and tested it Id get to go home… id monitor my salt, not drink, and be active and work on finding a new normal. Then, as they’re getting ready to discharge me, the main doctor let me know he thinks i’ve been slipping through the cracks for years with a poor liver and that the damage to my liver is severe enough to need to immediately get on the transplant list.

I’m scared. I feel alone. I feel uncertain about where life goes from here. I feel like I’m grieving the life I had two days ago. I can’t stop crying.

Idk what i’m looking for here - maybe words of encouragement, similar stories, to feel seen.

I’ve never had elevated liver labs and I recently had a ALT 78 and AST 46, the rest of labs were normal. I’m in panic its cancer or liver failure. My hope is that is was the Crestor but that was only 5mg.

41 year old female

(24F)

My doctors believe 8~ years of estrogen birth control gave me a benign liver tumor and, thus, elevated liver labs. We stopped the pill back in March and wanted to see where I was at in a few months.

My AST (54) and ALT (98) are getting worse. (Thsi may sound low to some but i dont drink, smoke, eat fatty or unhealthy foods, I’m not fat, and it is STILL increasing in the abnormal range for a female of my age.

My alk phos is now high, my anion and bun are high, and my co2 is low. I have never had any lab issues other than low ferritin.

I dont get it. I stopped the estrogen and they said “maybe” it would help. They said i should be fine. y My tumor was close to 5cm and was diagnosed just this past year. Im scared and confused and my hepatologist was very dismissive so i hope she has answers. I think its starting to throb and hurt now. (My estrogen also likely caused gallstone issues so dk if that affects these results too)

Sorry this is mainly a panicked rant I guess. I just dont see anyone anywhere with this issue. Even my doctors are kinda stumped but at least tumor removal would be possible I think….

This is my first time posting here. I am a late 40s male with stage 4 alcoholic cirrhosis. I am now 7 months alcohol free. It's has been a pretty rough 18 months. After the cirrhosis diagnosis I had esophageal problems and was having an extremely difficult time swallowing. Therefore nutrition was an a problem. With my poor nutrition my potassium and sodium levels were frequently sending me to the ED. This also affected me taking diuretics. I am having my esophagus stretched and injected to increase diameter. Nutrition has been getting better the last few months. Throughout all of this I went from 210 to 138. Btw I'm 6ft. No I'm back up to 150lbs and trying to put weight on. My arms are full of broken blood vessels and I have ascite. At the most they were pulling off 8 or so liters a visit. At the most hey did 14 liters in one visit. I am down to 6 liters every 2 weeks now. I had another visit with my doctor at Anschutz today and he wants to see me in 6 months again to see if we need to move towards a transplant or not. Not giving up! I'm still trying to have as much quality of life as I can. Staying as positive as I can. 7 months with no alcohol. I still smoke a little cannabis.sorry for the lengthy post for those of you who read it. Confused, scared, sick, tired and weak.

Thanks for reading,

Joe

Posted yesterday and wanted to give an update on visit with new GI.

After 5 years with previous GI team was referred elsewhere given ongoing issues and the recent fatty liver dx.

I have to say I’m not sure what to make of it and kind of feel this may not be the right fit.

For context I’ve been struggling with iron deficiency anemia for years. Source has still to be uncovered. Several colonoscopies and an endoscopy didn’t find much. Was basically told “a small percentage, we simply can’t figure out” so I’ve basically been on maintenance for years. Just tracking iron, ferritin and hemoglobin and getting infusions as needed. No way to live long term in my opinion…something has to give.

After GI reviewed my recent labs we discussed both issues (iron anemia and fatty liver)

Guidance on first issue is yet another colonoscopy and endoscopy….even tho just had them 2 years ago. But I get it. It’s a new doctor and I suppose things can change in 2 years. But just so frustrating going through it again and feel it’ll be the same outcome.

As for the fatty liver…which has now become my bigger concern…I don’t know how I feel about the approach.

Basically in real time he used a calculator model and entered lab numbers and my age and said based on the model “I’m low for liver disease”

I don’t want to say he brushed it off. He did acknowledge but said labs look good and despite the US findings he said those and CT don’t really tell you much of anything.

Then mentioned that fatty liver could or could not be cause for concern. Said only if it’s causing inflammation rather than just storing fat which I can change.

Initially recommended just getting labs yearly but no mention of any other changes etc.

He noticed my hesitation and asked if I wanted to proceed with an elastography of the liver “for piece of mind”

Of course I agreed. But just the tone made me feel it’s not taken serious and while some comfort, that worried me as well. This isn’t the best regarded medical network either but it’s the one with earliest availability. But boy oh boy I see the difference.

I mean isn’t fatty liver itself already a big red flag?

I’m wondering if I should go through with all this or run now maybe see a hematologist.

I don’t usually post personal stuff, but I need to vent.
A little over two weeks ago I got really sick and it scared the hell out of me. Right after a big tattoo session I developed a bad headache. A few days later it felt like the flu — fever of 102, body shakes, chills, and a massive headache that wouldn’t quit. I kept taking Tylenol for it.
I went to urgent care. Labs looked okay so the doctor offered a Toradol shot for the pain. I said yes. The headache went away, but as soon as I got home I started sweating hard and passed out. The next day I woke up drenched, my whole body felt like it was on fire, a rash was spreading everywhere, I was severely dehydrated, and my skin started looking yellow.
I went straight to the ER. My liver enzymes were through the roof. They said I was dealing with acute drug-induced liver injury (mainly linked to the Toradol, with other factors possibly contributing). I was admitted for a week. Three GI specialists looked at me. They treated the reaction aggressively, got the jaundice under control, brought my bilirubin down from 8, and protected my liver from worse damage. A biopsy showed only mild inflammation with no fibrosis or cirrhosis. My liver was still doing its job and they factored out anything that could of been malicious, so they discharged me even though the enzymes were still elevated.
I got lucky. Recovery is still ongoing.
I spoke with my primary care doctor two days ago. He said the Toradol is a strong suspicion, but it’s still odd that it caused this much damage. He also said they still don’t fully know the exact cause because there were so many variables at the time. I’m currently waiting to see a GI specialist for more tests and follow-up.
Lab levels at discharge:
• ALT: 916
• AST: 333
• Alkaline phosphatase: 316
• Bilirubin: 1.3
My labs from yesterday:
• ALT: 192
• AST: 39
• Alkaline phosphatase: 170
• Bilirubin: 0.7
Grateful I caught it when I did. Shoutout to Renown Regional and to my girl for staying by my side the whole time. Still nervous but I’m glad my numbers are settling.

Finally have a follow up with a new GI specialist tomorrow and am having extreme anxiety over it. Recent Ultrasound showing fatty liver prompted the visit and I’m unsure what to ask for.

I’ve struggled with alcohol for years and moreso to crazy levels daily the past year and a half. My doctor knows I drink but as many I downplayed just how much. But consequences do not lie.

I guess going into this appointment not sure what to expect or ask for. I know I want a fibroscan/biopsy? I’m confused as to why the Ultrasound showered fatty liver but the CT scan did not. Furthermore the US just stated echogenic liver consistent with hepatic steatosis. But no other info.

My doctor didn’t even say much other than fatty liver but noted enzymes were normal.

But in doing research I now know it can be much worse. From fibrosis to even cirrhosis. So I know I need to test further.

ALT -14 AST-26 platelets-360

While within range, I know that doesn’t mean much. And what is telling is AST/ALT ratio is consistent with alcohol consumption.

I’m freaking out at many symptoms from RUQ dull pain, constant diarrhea, fatigue, anemic, iron deficient and most recently random and easy yellow bruises.

I fear I’m worse than thought. So I want to be honest with the GI about my worries but also don’t want to overreact if they feel it’s still just at fatty liver stage.

I admittedly had a few drinks last night and today in a sober state felt some soreness on my leg and abdomen and sure enough…some yellow bruises. While I do recall the causes (slight bumps) it doesn’t make sense something minor can cause the level of bruising.

Just overall worried and I’m taking notes of the symptoms.

I went to my yearly physical yesterday and my labs were as follows: AST 108, ALT 39, Alkphos 109, bilirubin 0.4, albumin 4.5, cholesterol 233, HDL 95. All other labs normal including CBC. Last year AST was 35 and ALT was 47 and alkphos was normal and prior to that everything has always been normal. I am having some dull RUQ and right flank ache that just started. I’ve been drinking quite a bit this summer (about 1/2-1 bottle of wine per day on average since May). Prior to that was about a glass of wine a day for a 5-7 years. I’ve been sober a week now and plan to never drink again. I really never considered my drinking problematic (clearly it was) and I’m a bit in shock. Pretty much socially drank this summer even tho it’s a high amount with my husband and friends. My question is, what are my chances looking like? Am I doomed for cirrhosis fibrosis with this? If I quit and stay quitting will I fully reverse this? How likely is it reversible steatosis or fatty liver? I am obviously frustrated with my self and embarrassed. I’m repeating a hepatic function panel in 7 weeks to reassess and then plan to ask for imaging at that time.

A year ago my Fibroscan showed a CAP of 275 and a kPa of 4.8.

This year my Fibroscan shows a CAP of 375 and a kPa of 4.9.

I haven't drank any alcohol AT ALL for the last year. None.

Im not in as good of shape now as last year but my weight is within 10 pounds of last year. I'm not obese.

Can gaining 10 pounds really make your CAP score go up that much? I'm an average weight person. I'm not obese and I don't have a high BMI.

Does abstaining from alcohol really do a whole bunch of nothing? I have nonalcoholic fatty liver but I figured giving up the alcohol entirely would at least help?

Hello guys a little history I've had a liver transplant for the past 15 years everything's been going okay until 10 years ago when my liver enzyme started getting elevated I had biopsies done in the past but it didn't show anything regarding why my enzymes are elevated and it didn't show my liver had any damage but I now have another little biopsy about a month ago and it's showing grade two fibrosis. But again it doesn't show any specific cars like chronic rejection acute rejection virus autoimmune disorder maybe some minor things. But I just wanted to post this to see if anybody's been in my situation.

Are you kind of wish it was rejection or chronic rejection cuz I know there's a treatment. But in this case there's no treatment because there's no known cause yet. I'm going to see my hepatologist in about 10 days hopefully he'll try something like immunosuppression or something else just to give it a shot.

Thank you in advance.

Hi everyone. I'm new to this community and just looking for some real life experience and thoughts because Google is a very scary place. My closest cousin who is like a sister to me has been in the hospital for about a month with complete liver failure (chronic alcohol related). She was in the ICU with ascites, jaundice, kidneys failing, etc. They gave her the option to enter hospice and she refused. I went to visit her (she's out of state) and she was slightly out of it but surprisingly able to hold conversations and seemed to have a decent awareness of what was going on. She was also eating and drinking well. This seemed promising. In the week that followed she was released from icu after showing signs of improvement. Her swelling started to go down, billiruben levels improved, kidneys improved. I've been very optimistic until hearing today that she's not looking good. All I know is she has been sleeping for 2 days, no food or water, and they now have her on oxygen. I apologize for my lack of knowledge on this but I just want to know if anyone has been here or known anyone in this situation. Is this something she can come back from? I am trying to stay so positive for her but I don't want to be naive.