Has anyone taken blood test for the liver?

[trixietrack]

Has anyone taken blood test for the liver?

I just had a bunch of blood tests done for my liver and kidneys. I specifically told the doc that I wanted to make sure that I hadn't caused any serious damage to my liver from wine consumption.
Everything came out good. The doc told me that to cause liver damage it takes a lot. People who don't eat well and drink, are at higher risk of causing their stomach. liver and kidneys damage. He also mentioned that the fact that I exercise, take supplements and take a day or two off between drinking days is giving my liver a chance to heal itself.

[hart]

Has anyone taken blood test for the liver?

I'm helping BB so bump

[wanttostop7]

Has anyone taken blood test for the liver?

Thanks! These replies are very informative aren't they?
And it helps to know we are not alone in these health concerns!

[Determinator]

Has anyone taken blood test for the liver?

well, here's some really good news: cirrhosis may actually be reversible now thanks to some studies in the UK with the experimental use of the drug Sulfasalazine. I posted an article/link in the approprite section on the forums here some time ago.
Cirrhotic scarring is really interesting when you think that it's a healing process that backfires and then causes damage. When the liver suffers damage it heals itself with the protein myoblasts. The problem is they don't go away with repeated injury and that portion of tissue becomes unusable and the condition spreads. Sulfasalazine can actually help the body remove those protein scars...amazing! mind you this probably won't be approved in the US for 35 centuries...arg!
Still...alcohol causes deteriation of so many bodily functions that it's horrifying.
Also as others have pointed out these enzyme tests are not terribly accurate in many cases. There are people with serious liver disease that have nothing show up on the blood tests....scary.

[pansy]

Has anyone taken blood test for the liver?

I have had to take bloodwork for liver enzymes due to a medication I am on. Even though I drank heavily for about 10 years (yeah, that's about right), my enzymes were fine. Oddly though, my "bad" cholesterol was so LOW that my doctor was a bit worried. After googling, I found that excessive alcohol consumption can lead to low cholesterol, which freaked me a bit. So, low cholesterol can be another indicator of poor liver function even if enzymes are okay. Weird.


Pans

[Bashley]

Has anyone taken blood test for the liver?

Pansy

Hi!
You're up late...

Same thing happened to me when I went for a job medical in March. After more than 20 years of heavy drinking, I quit for a couple of days, had another siezure (yeah no fun), spent 5 days in ICU-drips the lot. 2 days at home AF and took the medical.
The results were astonishing just like yours. The liver is an amazing organ which we have all tried to soak too long. Your body chemistry gets so out of whack with the alcohol that it will take an expert in alcohol abuse to recommend treatment for a reversal of the strange blood results.
What they all recommend straight away is 900mg per day of thiamin which is not assimilated by drinkers and the lack of this essential B (and the others in the group) leads to these imbalances

See you later. BFN
Bashley

[eustacia]

Has anyone taken blood test for the liver?

Determinator--

Not to worry. Sulfasalazine (trade name, Azulfidine) is widely used in the US as an anti-inflammatory/immunomodulatory agent. All gastroenterologists (liver docs) are familiar with it because it is used to treat gastric inflammation. Its side effect profile is low, but you'll need to find a think outside the box doc if you want to try it for off-label use.

:heart: E

[eustacia]

Has anyone taken blood test for the liver?

P.S. to Determinator--

I know that NIH recently was soliciting grant applications for the study of sulfasalizine in the treatment of a variety of hepatic problems. My guess is that the awards haven't yet been announced, but if you are really interested in this you can contact NIH and ask to be informed when it is decided who will be involved in the clinical trials.

:heart: :heart: E

[beatle]

Has anyone taken blood test for the liver?

How do you know if you have cirrhosis? I had an ultrasound done and was told the results were compatible with (what does that mean?) fatty liver, which is reversible, especially with eating properly (which I was not). I was not drinking heavily at the time but had previously and have since. Would they have know if it was cirrhosis? Is there a way to tell? I guess a biopsy is the way? Is there any other way? Are there specific symptoms?

[Determinator]

Has anyone taken blood test for the liver?

Eustasia, thanks so much for the info..really looking forward to that study. even though thankfully my liver seems to be ok.

Beatle, that's a great question and as far as my limited knowledge goes, I think a biopsy is the only way to really tell. One thing we should ALL be doing is taking Choline supplements
also known as lecithin in the supplement section of the healthfood store. Strict vegetarians are almost always critically low on it also. It can literally be a life-saver reversing fatty liver. It's also good for the brain and nervous system in general.

[lushy]

Has anyone taken blood test for the liver?

Blood tests will definitely show cirrhosis. My dad was diagnosed with Hepatitis C that went undiagnosed for almost 40 years and that is how they found it; through blood tests. An ultrasound would also discern between fatty liver and cirrhosis.

[memarcie]

Has anyone taken blood test for the liver?

Lushy, blood tests will show you have Hep C but the only way to find out if you have cirrhosis is through a liver biopsy.

Here's a bit more info on cirrhosis: CIRRHOSIS

[lushy]

Has anyone taken blood test for the liver?

I do not remember the exact details but I remember after he got blood tests they told him, without uncertainty, that he had cirrhosis. The biopsy then determined to what extent. Again, he was in very advanced stages so the blood tests were completely off-kilter and could only mean one thing. Not all blood tests, as mentioned here, will show damage. I should have clarified that.

[memarcie]

Has anyone taken blood test for the liver?

Lushy, I'm so sorry he had such sever liver damage when diagnosed.

They do have a couple new blood tests that aren't widely available yet called Fibrosure and Fibroscan which are just a blood test and they can correlate pretty well to a biopsy. I think they have been around maybe since 2005. Of course they didn't have this by me, so I had to have a biopsy to determine damage.

I'm sure they could make a pretty safe assumption that he had cirrhosis if his other blood work was that much off the normal.

[beatle]

Has anyone taken blood test for the liver?

So, from what you are saying, if my blood tests are fairly normal, which they have been for a while, at least I do not have to worry about having cirrhosis???

Thanks everyone for sharing about this. (and I thought I knew a bit. hmph).