Time to call it a day?

I was quite a heavy drinker in periods over the last 15-20 years up until the end of January this year.
Sometimes it was 2-4 times per week, some weeks nothing, sometimes periods of 6-8 weeks or longer without. Generally it was not daily though there were periods of several days in a row.
Essentially well above average, and I want to be clear on that

Some weeks up to 50 pints of beer


I have decided now at maximum to have alcohol no more than once per month if at all.

I think its time to stop which is ok, just concerned I went too far


I ate well, kept myself in good shape, exercised a lot. I am just worried that I did not stop soon enough.
The only symptom I can really pin down is in the last 2 years sometimes when I have a small amount of alcohol my face goes very red or has red patches which vanish after around 30 mins. I am aware of Asian Flush, ( I am not asian) but worry that this could be a sign of liver weakness
I post my blood work below over roughly a 2 year period. These were done in Ireland
My question - although the standard LFTS are still within the normal ranges, is the increase over the two year period a concern? Also would be interested in your opinion on any other measures

I went for a Ultrasound last week as I was feeling a dull pain not very often on my right front side, Liver, Gall Bladder came back fine, - though I am aware that Ultrasound are not 100% accurate, based on your thoughts on the above blood work, could it be possible I have Alcoholic hepatitis or cirrhosis?

Any advice, comments or feedback would be great

Where there is just one result its the latest

Nov 11 Feb 14 Reference

WBC 4.6 4.7 3.5-11
Haemoglogin 15.9 15.6 13-17
Platlets 171 220 150-400
RBC 5.1 5.01 4.5-5.5
haematocrit 0.462 0.447 0.4-0.5
MCV 91 89 80-100
MCH 31.2 31.1 27-32
RDW 12.8 12.9 11-15
neutrophils 3.10 2.7 2-8
lymphocytes 1 1.5 1-4
monocytes 0.40 0.5 0.2-1
eosinphils 0.00 0 0-0.5
basophils 0.00 0 0-0.2
Sodium 141 141 135-145
Potassium 4.1 4.5 3.5-5.0
Chlorides 102 100 95-108
Urea 3.9 3.4 2.1-7.1
Creatine 78 68 62-106
Albumin 45 41 35-50
Bilrublin Total 11 8 1-21
Alk Phosphate (ALP) 47 70 35-129
Gamma GT 44 57 8-61
ALT 20 27 4-50
B12 781 191-663
Vit D 49.4
Folate 14.7 3.5-16.0
Ferritin 263 30-400

Hi Ollie

Welcome to the forum.

I'm one of the moderators. My partner has liver disease as yiu may have read in other posts.

We are not doctors here but have collectively been around the block a vew times,

Your labs don't look awful but you are wise in evaluating whether alcohol has begun to damage your liver.

Most things are okaybfor the healthy in moderation. But the liver is not to be abused...especially if you turned out to be one of those who have a propensity to drink alcoholically or are genetically vulnerable for cirrhosis.

You provided an ALT. Did they do an AST also? There are clues about alcoholic cirrhosis in the ratio between them.

I didnt like that your ALP went up so much.

Will your doc retest in some weeks or months.

Would you consider abstenance for a trial period?

would you consider drinking a glass or two of beer or wine and leaving it at that?

Let us hear from you again.

Hugs,

Hi Mama

Thank you so much for your reply

Yes, I feel its the right time to take a hold of my health. I did drink a lot over the years, a lot in short bursts.

In a couple of hours after work i could drink 8 beers fast then go to sleep

I feel stupid and a little ashamed, especially when i read this forum. I just hope i have not seriously damaged my liver and I can recover

They did not provide as AST, im not sure its standard in Ireland.

My doctor said come back in 6 months and take it in moderation. Though Im not sure he understand how much Guinness I put away also he did not reference my previous results, this is my analysis,

I pushed the ultrasound to get done as i was getting a dull pain in right side. doctor just said Ultrasound was ok, and thats all he said.


I am going to get a new run of blood tests in a week with a new doctor and will ask about AST.

It is also my intention to get an MRI. Any thoughts on that? And also maybe speak to a liver expert?

Yes, an increase in ALT, so this could be a flag? Could it happen for other reasons?

Its now in the middle of the range, is this not optimal, or its changes that have the real information?

im already 2 weeks no beer, yes, i am considering abstenance for trail period, or maybe forever,

I have a big sports occassion in first week of March and was thinking of having about 6 beers then , my worry is that if i have damage i will make it much worse,

My drinking habits now have changed forever , i just want to do right thing and not drink if i have damage. Or very moderation or not at all if i dont have damage

This forum had really opened my eyes and i would like to thank each and every one

Ollie.

The day Mike got the news that he had to quit drinking and put his affairs in order because he had so much damage to his liver he likely had 3 months to say good bye to family and friends was a BIG shock!

Our doc was an Irish guy, as is my man...sort of a personal connection..."our people have to get the word, he said...we are going to kill ourselves!" Brogue and all! That was it...on the wagon forever.

But Mike had been a big drinker and a reformed druggie (the 60s were the time to get yourself sick in a big way)...so he had years to kill himself. And did not.

He is 2.5 years post transplant and doing pretty well.

Hugs,

welcome to the forum Ollie.. sounds like you are turning your life around!! great news!!! Sober would be best!!

Glad you stopped by...

Sandia

I meant stop now. Then go to a liver specialist and have a biopsy. That will tell whether your liver is damaged and if so, how badly.

See what the MRI results show and speak to a liver specialist. A biopsy is not particularly risky. I've had 5 of them. It is the definitive way to determine cirrhosis.

Hi there Ollie

If you're worried, it's almost certainly a sign that you should stop.

You could ask yourself if you've ever felt the need to Cut down, if you've ever become Annoyed when somebody has criticised your drinking, if you've ever felt Guilty after drinking or if you've ever had an Eyeopener (a drink in the morning, or hair of the dog) - the CAGE questionnaire. If you answer yes to two or more (and you've already answered yes to one on this forum), then you should strongly consider abstaining.

As it happens your bloods look fine. I wouldn't worry hugely about your enzymes. Your synthetic function is all there. Your bilirubin is wonderful and your albumin is excellent. Your liver seems happy enough.

Definitely a biopsy is not indicated.

Hope this helps,

Jamie

Hi there!

Thanks for asking

It was good, though could have had more sleep!

I made an effort to have lots of fruit and water, also some fish

You asked me about ALT, i looked at some blood tests from last May 2013 and it was 16 then, dont know why the new clinic did not include it

I am having more bloods done wednesday so will post the results next week when through. I am also going to ask doctor to arrange MRI, hopefully for next week

I hope next week i can put it all behind me and try to enjoy moving on with a clear mind, though i do get very nervous about results.

My intention is to remain sober now for rest of my days, hope it works out

Ollie,
I was never much of a drinker, Hep C is what killed my liver. Having said that, You'd be amazed how much money you'll save by not drinking. Unfortunately it isn't enough to pay for my meds...

ML I meant to say AST not ALT!

I think you're making progress there Ollie!! Good news!!

Sandia

Awesome numbers ... congratulations on quitting drinking. Don't know what your situation is with support, but I just wanted to share the single most important thing I learned from rehab ... replace the drinking "activity" with other activities .... consciously. For me, it was the key.

So happy for you that you've made this choice. It comes too late for so many others. Best to you!