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I swear they focus on HBA1C's too much...

Caeseji

Well-Known Member
Messages
658
Location
Hull
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Dislikes
Self-fellating idiots that don't at all look at other people's views
Decided to take a look at my ALT levels this morning out of curiosity and MY WHAT A DROP. A lot of my metrics back in December were terrible and yet it was just my HBA1C that took center stage?! Let no one say that a well done LCHF/P diet doesn't reverse fatty liver or at least doesn't help it recover from a massive upset, I was borderline there.

Sorry just wanted to side eye my primary care team a little Lovely people and have helped with a lot but when it comes to diabetes they really have a lot to learn
 
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Utterly agree with your sentiment though but that’s because they simply don’t have the knowledge we do.
 
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For some reason they tend to prioritise: what needs to be treated first? The rest just gets shushed like it doesn't exist, isn't even mentioned... We're a whole person, and metabolic syndrome is a collection of issues, all treatable through the same method. Ah well.... If they have a lot to learn, I hope you'll get to teach them.
 
I agree absolutely, my ALT at it’s worst was 63 (normal range cited as 10 - 45), my most recent result was 20, though it’s never been mentioned by my GP or nurse!
 
Caeseji said:
Sorry just wanted to side eye my primary care team a little Lovely people and have helped with a lot but when it comes to diabetes they really have a lot to learn
Click to expand...


We have opportunities to put them straight though. I dont suppose many read these boards.
 
Which of the following is ALT

ALT Alternative (USENET newsgroup prefix)
ALT Alternate
ALT Altitude
ALT Alto
ALT Alteration
ALT Alternating
ALT Association for Learning Technology
ALT Alanine Aminotransferase
ALT Altimeter
ALT Algorithmic Learning Theory (Conference)
ALT Radar Altimeter (SEASAT, GEOS-3)
ALT Adult Learning and Teaching (degree program)
ALT Assistant Language Teacher
ALT Argon Laser Trabeculoplasty
ALT Alternative
ALT Adaptive Lighting Technology
ALT Analogue Loopback Transfer
ALT Automated Loop Test
ALT Altoona Transportation Center (Amtrak station code; Altoona, PA)
ALT Alanine Amino Transferase (medical)
ALT Advanced Learning Technologies
ALT Acquisition, Logistics, and Technology (US Army)
ALT Accelerated Life Testing
ALT Applied Laser Technology (various locations)
ALT Alternative Lengthening of Telomeres (cells)
ALT Accelerated Life Test
ALT Altus AFB (Altus, OK)
ALT Approach and Landing Test
ALT Assistant Leader Trainer
ALT Acquisition Lead Time
ALT Association for Linguistic Typology
ALT Allocation Logement Temporaire (French: Temporary Housing Allowance)
ALT Aboriginal Lands Trust (Department of Indigenous Affairs)
ALT Alliance for Lobbying Transparency (UK)
ALT Administrative Lead Time
ALT Airsoft Lunel Team (French Airsoft group)
ALT Anarchists, Lunatics and Terrorists (apocryphal origin of newsgrouphierarchy)
ALT Anti Leech Tracker
ALT Achievement Level Test
ALT Approximate Lower Triangular (coding scheme)
ALT Association for Local Telecommunications
ALT Army Liaison Team
ALT Amarillo Little Theatre (Amarillo, TX)
ALT Associazione per la Lotta Alla Trombosi e Alle Malattie Cardiovascolari(Italian: Association to Combat Thrombosis and Cardiovascular Disease;est. 1986)
ALT Automatic Link Transfer
ALT Airborne Laser Tracker
ALT Advanced Lightning Technology
ALT Aer Lingus Teoranta
ALT Automatic Line Testing (Nortel)
ALT Alanina Amminotrasferasi (Italy)
ALT Active Leap Technology
ALT ATM Link Termination
ALT Analog Line Termination
ALT Associazione Italiana per la Lotta Alla Trombosi
ALT All Legal Transitions
ALT Asynchronous Line Test
ALT Alarms and Telemetry (Sprint)
ALT Automatic Line Thresholded
ALT Aljamiado Learning Technologies (est. 2001)


If you intend to use abbreviations please please state what you are abbreviating in full instead of just the abbreviation, we are not all as sharp as we were.
 
Only one ALT is found in blood testing, the eighth on your list.
 
Mr_Pot said:
Only one ALT is found in blood testing, the eighth on your list.
Click to expand...

Sorry yes as @Mr_Pot says it’s ‘Alanine Aminotransferase’, which is an indicator of liver function.
 
The only thing out of standard range on my blood tests are part of the red blood cells. MCH (mean corpuscular haemoglobin). This has always been above range but has never been mentioned by my GP or nurse. If your level is above normal or on the high end, then this is suspicious for B12 deficiency or folate deficiency or both. Not once were my B12 or folate concentrations checked until I read up about all this and asked for the tests. As it happens, both B12 and folate are normal. But ... this goes back to before T2 diagnosis, and yet still no-one has noticed. One reason why I ALWAYS get copies of everything - whether it be blood tests, biopsies, letters, or whatever. We have to take control of our own health these days.

I still have no clue why my MCH is high, but the other haemoglobin bits are also on the higher end, so I must have a lot of big red blood cells.
 

Pretty clear it was related to blood test, i thought.
(HBA1c in the title).

And @Rachox ..i agree mine was up to 65 back in 2011..no one mentioned it.
this time it's 20...but i have to go for a 'Chat' because all my other lipids and ratios are great but cholesterol is 5.5

I think @wiflib is correct, @Caeseji

So much for them to learn, considering how many other illnesses and ailments, they have to keep up with.

And bearing in mind we are at the Coal face every day, so current thinking means better for us,
regardless of how much effort it takes to stay up to date...and it's Personal.
 
Rachox said:
Sorry yes as @Mr_Pot says it’s ‘Alanine Aminotransferase’, which is an indicator of liver function.
Click to expand...
I never get a full breakdown of my LFT and / or PSA any more, I ask and I get "Good" from Doc Sunny.

As for the rest I only bother to get the hba1c, full lipid panel tests, and Digoxin printed out from the pathology shop results, so I can have good look.
 
Mildly elevated wasn't really the half of it with it being around 40 then but it's down to 10 now. Seems a lot of the time we do have to monitor ourselves and our health which does bug me because we need all the info we can get going forwards. I make sure to be on my online patient record now so I can keep an eye on every blood test they do and I am back well within normal parameters now which is nice only my LDL was of any concern but it only mildly concerns me.

In the end any abnormality is something we need to be careful of, especially in this state of being type 2.
 
When they did the (recommended) repeat blood test last year, before telling me I am diabetic, my GP surgery did a full range of blood tests - including liver and kidney function, a full cholesterol set, vit D level, etc. My triglycerides were a little raised, and I already had a fatty liver. At the 3 month test everything apart from my vit D was in the normal range. Had the full battery again at 12 months.
 

That's a good idea. I do the same thing, sometimes doctors may have no interest in certain test results or may not know a thing about certain levels and how much they apply to T2DM. There is also the issue of what is normal range, something that may be considered normal may actually be low or way too high. I'm a believer in knowing about the condition you live with. The more you know you, the more likely you may pick up something that has changed. Something maybe trending down or up, you spot it, doctor doesn't. It all comes back to taking responsibility for your health. You will get good advice from doctors and not so good, but you really do have to be your own specialist, because you know you better then anyone else. And that's just how I look at it personally.

Congrats on how well you have managed things in such a short space of time.
 
40 is within the normal range so not elevated at all.
 
Caeseji said:
Mildly elevated wasn't really the half of it with it being around 40 then but it's down to 10 now.
Click to expand...

According to my lab reports, the standard range is 3 to 53. Therefore 40 is not elevated as far as I can see. Clearly though, 10 is much better. Looking at mine since my records began in 2007, it wavers about in the 20's, and is never constant.
 
In February my liver function tests where fine.

Liver function tests
Serum alanine aminotransferase level 15 u/L [0.0 - 45.0]
Serum bilirubin level 6 umol/L [0.0 - 21.0]
Alkaline phosphatase level 41 u/L [30.0 - 130.0]
Serum albumin level 35 g/L [35.0 - 50.0]

As you can see an ALT of 40 is in the normal range.


Kidneys not quite so good.

Urea and electrolytes
Serum sodium level 141 mmol/L [133.0 - 146.0]
Serum potassium level 5.7 mmol/L [3.5 - 5.3]
Above high reference limit
Serum urea level 7.3 mmol/L [2.5 - 7.8]
Serum creatinine level 125 umol/L [70.0 - 120.0]
Above high reference limit
EGFR BY EPI
eGFR using creatinine (CKD-EPI) per 1.73 square metres 50 mL/min
 
My doc has been really helpful and has been keeping eye on my liver test results. They were abnormal for a while (ALT 93) - I guess he hoped that they would improve over time but they didn't, and he sent me to have an ultrasound done on my liver. I have an early stage liver disease, and nothing can be done for it with medication. So, I'm hoping that with low carb lifestyle and gradual weight loss (lost 12kg since I started low carbing earlier this year), I can reverse some of the damage done to my liver.

He has also referred me to endocrinologist because I asked if hormone blood tests could be done - I was worried because I had absent period for a long time, and the test came back indicating hyperprolactinemia. So, adding another ailment to my list...

I think they will by default focus on HbA1C because of diabetes. I also think that all GP surgeries should make the test results available to view online (my surgery doesn't offer this option, unfortunately) because it helps us - the patients - be proactive and be more involved in our healthcare.
 
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