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Today's ultrasound

Diana, do you have your last few liver function blood tests? If so, what was your ALT figure? This is a fatty liver indicator and should be between 3 and 53.
 
Bluetit1802 said:
@jack412 I took those figures of 3 to 53 from my own blood test results print out, where it gives the normal range.
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this guy teaches pathology in australia and heads a bloods lab..I trust him
yep, I'd have a similar average range on my blood test.., it may show how much fatty liver is out there

edit,,we are 5-40 here and I'm 34
 
Bluetit1802 said:
Diana, do you have your last few liver function blood tests? If so, what was your ALT figure? This is a fatty liver indicator and should be between 3 and 53.
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Yes @Bluetit1802 I've got all these results going back to 2009 but from Feb 2013 the ALT/AST are:

47; 52; 43; 49 then a big jump to 93 in Feb 2014, and back down to..... 37 in October 2014 after starting LCHF in March.

Does this make sense?

EDIT. Going back to 2009 they were 20; 22; 26 then I started on weekly injections of Methotrexate and they started rising. I stopped the injections earlier this year and the ALT/AST's have dropped back to 37.
 
That Methotextrate has an awful lot to answer to in an awful lot of people. It caused a friend's husband to become neutropenic to the extent he is having to have bone marrow tests.
 
Yes, I know. I'm so sorry about your friend's husband.

I've been very concerned about the injections for a while, but to be fair they have kept a very close eye on me and I'vehad fortnightly blood tests to monitor liver function. I'm so pleased to be off it now and just hope I can turn things around.
 
dianagrace said:
Yes @Bluetit1802 I've got all these results going back to 2009 but from Feb 2013 the ALT/AST are:

47; 52; 43; 49 then a big jump to 93 in Feb 2014, and back down to..... 37 in October 2014 after starting LCHF in March.

Does this make sense?

EDIT. Going back to 2009 they were 20; 22; 26 then I started on weekly injections of Methotrexate and they started rising. I stopped the injections earlier this year and the ALT/AST's have dropped back to 37.
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Looks like it could be going in the right direction then. I completely agree about the assessment of Methotrexate. Whilst sometimes a necessary evil, evil is just what is is in my view. Managing to come off that will have done your overall health the power of good. Quite a chicken and egg situation there!

My ALT was 55 at diagnosis, so my statement about never having had any markers was a bit premature (ooops); but since then it has been 16, 15 and 13 most recently.
 
dianagrace said:
Yes, I know. I'm so sorry about your friend's husband.

I've been very concerned about the injections for a while, but to be fair they have kept a very close eye on me and I'vehad fortnightly blood tests to monitor liver function. I'm so pleased to be off it now and just hope I can turn things around.
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Diana - Someone who used to be close to me was on it for a number of years, following a particularly awful mis-diagnosis. They are still considering litigation - more because of the treatment regime than the diagnosis. That one is a real can of worms. His situation was resolved when his wife noticed the physical changes in him when he ate wheat...............
 
AndBreathe said:
Looks like it could be going in the right direction then. I completely agree about the assessment of Methotrexate. Whilst sometimes a necessary evil, evil is just what is is in my view. Managing to come off that will have done your overall health the power of good. Quite a chicken and egg situation there!

My ALT was 55 at diagnosis, so my statement about never having had any markers was a bit premature (ooops); but since then it has been 16, 15 and 13 most recently.
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bloody showoff :) trig .6, alt 13, hdl..i forgot but it was over 1.5..you really have turned yourself around..nice job
 
AndBreathe said:
Diana - Someone who used to be close to me was on it for a number of years, following a particularly awful mis-diagnosis. They are still considering litigation - more because of the treatment regime than the diagnosis. That one is a real can of worms. His situation was resolved when his wife noticed the physical changes in him when he ate wheat...............
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Interesting, @AndBreathe. I'm livid that when I saw the rheumatologist a couple of weeks ago and fessed up to coming off all my meds as I'd changed my diet to LCHF and my joint pain and inflammation had reduced dramatically, she just casually said "Yes, well a change of diet can help too". This was the first time diet had been mentioned, and certainly wasn't mentioned when I went alolng to an RA awareness course to be told about all the medications available and how important it was that we took them to keep the disease at bay.

Even at my last consultation she tried to frighten me by saying that when the diet stopped working, it was highly likely that the methotrexate wouldn't be as effective second time around!

I don't plan on testing her theory........
 
dianagrace said:
Interesting, @AndBreathe. I'm livid that when I saw the rheumatologist a couple of weeks ago and fessed up to coming off all my meds as I'd changed my diet to LCHF and my joint pain and inflammation had reduced dramatically, she just casually said "Yes, well a change of diet can help too". This was the first time diet had been mentioned, and certainly wasn't mentioned when I went alolng to an RA awareness course to be told about all the medications available and how important it was that we took them to keep the disease at bay.

Even at my last consultation she tried to frighten me by saying that when the diet stopped working, it was highly likely that the methotrexate wouldn't be as effective second time around!

I don't plan on testing her theory........
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Personally? I'd want to kill her, but I'm just not a nice person sometimes. :mad:
 
jack412 said:
bloody showoff :) trig .6, alt 13, hdl..i forgot but it was over 1.5..you really have turned yourself around..nice job
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I think it's fair to say I'm reaping the rewards for my efforts. Mr B says I was scarily focused. :D (He mentions this like I didn't know. ;). I'm very lucky to have had him on-side, for sure.)
 
Glad to hear that the RA drugs don't appear to have caused damage. I seem to recall that Prof Taylor talked about the Newcastle diet lowering fatty liver deposits to about 2% which was lower than the average in non diabetics so obviously some degree of fatty liver is normal.
 
dianagrace said:
This morning's ultra sound scan done under the NHS but at my local Nuffield Hospital was a real experience.

By 10.30am I had fasted for 16+ hours, had an hours brisk walk and had an engaged conversation with a senior (male) radiographer who was happy to talk me through everything he was seeing.

My appointment was at 10am and there was no time to open the pristine copy of the Telegraph on my chair in the waiting room before I was called through to the examination room. Everywhere was ultra clean and shiny bright white. Once I had been prepared for my examination, a phone call was made to the radiographer who must have been waiting outside the door as he arrived so quickly!

After a discussion about male staff no longer wearing ties because of the risk of cross infection (and the irony of them still wearing name badges which also dangle from their necks and are able to touch open wounds and infected places), plus a discussion about the importance of hand drying after hand washing, at @AndBreathe's suggestion I asked about visceral fat.

I was told he couldn't see any around my organs but could see some "fatty dispositions in my liver probably due to my diabetes". He also asked if I had upper stomach pain and when I said no, and asked why the question, he said he could see I had gall stones, but as I had a "scrunched gall bladder" he saw no risk of these being able to escape into a duct and cause me any pain and he recommended leaving them alone.

He then checked the blood vessels to my liver while I listened to the whooshing sound they made! He said these also seem clear and healthy and he had no concerns, but will be writing to my GP to explain everything.

So, my day is somewhat back to front. By 11am I taken my daily brisk walk (which since I cannot even lower myself into the bath or into a seat without moaning in agony after 60 repetitive squats, push-ups and kettle bell lifting on Saturday, I didn’t think I’d be able to do!) had brunch after a long fast which will save me stopping to make lunch, leaving me plenty of time to research fatty liver to see if this is the missing link to my slow weight loss and slow-to-respond fasting blood sugars. Oh and scrunched up gall bladders and what casues them...

Thank you to everyone for your good wishes on the other thread and for all your support and advice so far.
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Excellent news Diana, if you need to read anything you should read up about Non alcoholic fatty liver disease - this I believe is totally reversible and most people never progress to real liver disease.
 
Kezzer4321 said:
Excellent news Diana, if you need to read anything you should read up about Non alcoholic fatty liver disease - this I believe is totally reversible and most people never progress to real liver disease.
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Thank you @Kezzer. That's encouraging!

You've all been so lovely here today. Such a wealth of information, care and support.

Thanks everyone
 
My ALT was ridiculously high at diagnosis - got the third degree about alcohol intake too!

Then I went LCHF.

On my next appointment my hba1c was at non diabetic levels and ALT was reduced four fold.

He couldn't believe it. Neither could I really lol...
 
AndBreathe said:
Diana - @Southport GP commented on how much improvement he saw to patients' liver scores, on a low carb diet, to the extent he could tell from blood panel results those who were adopting the regime (if I recall accurately). I'm hoping at some point he may be able to write up this aspect.


Hi yes i'm writing something on improvements in liver function and fatty liver in non-drinkers who try the low carb diet at this very moment !! The work has taken nearly two years and I hope to share it just as soon as I get it published - can't share details but it seems good news for low-carbers !!
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