Liver history and Symptoms..

[Guest guest]

Hello everyone. I am new to this group, but have some knowledge about

NASH, and I am having some symptoms, but first I would like to

explain my liver history. I am a 29 year old male from Ky who has a

history of elevated ALT enzymes for 3 years and a gall bladder

removal in 2001 due to gall stone blockage. The ALT for the past 3

years has been 100 to about 150 range in that 3 year period, with

alot of fluctuations during that time. So during these years through

2004 to 2007 I have been told that I had 'fatty liver' by various

doctors. They made that diagnosis based on the elevated ALT enzymes.

All dr's I have been to, just made me feel that it was 'more common

to have fatty liver', and that it could eventually turn into

cirrhosis, maybe 20+ years from now. So being told that it may take

20 years for cirrhosis to develop I didn't worry that much about it

as I have should. So through 2004 and most of 2007 to about August of

that year, I had decided to get a ultrasound done on my liver,

because I was getting concerned, specially since through 2007 I have

gained weight rapidly from April to Oct 2007, about 30 pounds during

this time. The weight gain though was due to me over eating from

stress because of what was going on in my life through this period of

time. So in August 2007 the ultrasound showed:

'Mild fatty infiltration of the liver with coarse texture.'

I thought at this time that I am going to really have to do something

about this 'fatty liver' that I was told that I have. Then I left 2

months ago by , and then I am at October 2007, and recent blood tests

show my ALT at 157, which was a new all time high, but only roughly 7

to 10 points higher then before, but now the AST was high as well,

but nothing that was concerning to me since it was in the 50 range.

Then also in October, I noticed I had some problems with both my arms

going numb when I was sleeping at night, they would just go numb

whenever I layed down. This was scaring me because I thought maybe it

was my heart not pumping blood efficiently or possibly from pinched

nerves, and also I was thinking possibly that it could be diabetic

related (even though I have not been diagnosed with diabetes). This

night I noticed my arms being numb I had tested my blood sugar and it

was 240, so that was a clear picture to me that I have and have had

diabetes, and I do not know for how long, but it couldn't have been

longer then a year or 2. After I seen how high my blood sugar was I

decided the next day to start a 1500 calorie a day diet. I was happy

to start this diet, as in addition to this diet, I have finally

stopped drinking soda and coffee as well. I thought this was going to

be great, and I thought that it was going to help reduce my liver

enzymes, and make my liver normal again. In the past I have struggled

with weight loss/gain over the years. I have weighed 315 pounds in

the past and have lost all that weight until I weighed 168 pounds.

That was back in year 2000. Since the year 2002 though I have started

gaining weight slowly back, because of poor eating habits.

Well back to the 1500 calorie diet.. On this diet I have made extra

effort to consume alot of high nutritious foods, mostly fruits and

vegetables, with some meat here and there. Now at the time I started

this 1500 calorie diet, I weighed 365 pounds (the highest weight I

have ever been). I felt great the first 10 days of this diet and

weight loss was occurring very fast. Well in around the 10th day or

so, I started to have various symptoms appear: dull pain and

tenderness in my right side and along the front of my stomach (which

I strongly feel is my liver hurting), consistent yellow colored

stools, fatigue, and just something wrong with my thinking that I

just could not describe properly to my Dr. My Dr decided to get a

stool sample from me, get a CAT scan of my liver, and take a liver

panel to see if anything improved since I started dieting. I thought

my ALT would be lower, but now it was in the 230 range, and I was

devastated, because its nearly double of what it use to be for the

past years! At this time I am getting severely worried that the

enzymes were this high and that I am experiencing symptoms from

something that appears to be liver related and then some symptoms

that I do not know origin of. Well I just kept on the 1500 calorie a

day diet another 5 days, then I decided to go to the emergency room

because of how I been feeling, specially the liver pain and

this 'mental thing' that I still have been having consistently. I was

in the emergency room for 8 hours, the Dr done cat scan of the head

and abdomen. He ruled out anything in the brain and didn't have any

answer for my 'mental feeling'. But on the CT scan he noted that he

seen infiltrated fatty liver. He done a liver panel, and it revealed

now that my ALT was 330 and now my AST has hit 95! So now I am

thinking that there is something very wrong! From what I said in the

past I use to have ALT 100 to 150 consistently for years, now it

jumps from 157 to 330 in roughly 3 weeks! I left the ER eventually

and he diagnosed me with 'hepatitis; etiology unknown'. Also I had

forgot to mention another symptom that I have been having during

these past days that I started this diet, was alot of bloating, gas,

and just plain alot of noise from my stomach after I ate. No matter

what I ate the noise would last for 2 to 3 hours!

I decided to make an appointment to see my gastrologist. He tested me

for just about everything liver related. Everything came back

negative or normal except, my ALT 337 and AST 95. This is roughly 5

days since the other liver panel I had, and the ALT seems to have

plateued at 330 range. This was on 11-28. I asked him that I want to

get a liver biopsy done, and that I just am at the end of my rope and

I do not care about the risk involved. I am freaking out at this

time, because I am thinking that I have cirrhosis. I get the liver

biopsy done 2 days later, results took another 3 days. During this

time same symptoms present, but I have decided to eat more calories,

around 3000 a day. Since I started eating more the symptoms started

to seem a bit tapered off, specially the 'mental symptoms', I still

have the 'mental symptoms' still though.

Well my biopsy report came back, and it says the following:

A: Moderate steatosis.

B: Mild chronic inflammation within portal tracts without piecemeal

necrosis (Scheuer grade 1)

C: Slight portal fibrosis with no bridging fibrosis (Scheuer stage 1)

D: Trace amounts of stainable iron.

I was glad I didn't have cirrhosis, but I still felt ill. I was upset

though at B, C, and D as it was something new I had to worry about. I

am concerned about all of this, but the 'stainable iron' bothers me,

as I cannot seem to find much about this on the internet. Even in a

study that I found of 50 liver biopsies done on NASH patients, and

none show stainable iron. My gastrologist told me not to worry about

it, well I do worry about it, and I worry about this whole issue, as

I have found out I have NASH and the recent finding that I have found

is that a fast weight loss can make it progress much worse! Which I

feel is what started this whole thing in the first place, the rapid

weight loss. My gastrologist seems to not be knowledgeable with this,

because he tells me there is nothing to worry about and that weight

loss can reverse it. I have stated that I am extremely worried, and

that there is something wrong with my liver beyond what the liver

biopsy says, I told him I don't believe my liver is functioning

properly. (I base this on the mental symptoms I have been having)

He says on the blood tests nothing shows him that this is happening,

because the blood tests are normal, even the Ammonia checked on 3

different times have been in normal ranges, 100 UG/DL being the

highest, and his lab chart shows 27 to 102 UG/DL to be within normal

ranges. So still the only thing showing on the blood tests is the ALT

330 - AST 95. I know at this point that I should be seeing a

hepatologist, but I don't know what to do, because it is a month

waiting period to see one! In the meantime I feel that I am dying. I

tell my wife this, this makes her upset. My wife and family said I

appear normal to them, but I tell them my brain just does not feel

right. I am so very worried, and yet at the same time I want to think

positive, but its so hard!

Gastrologist mentions maybe I have depression! That downright made me

upset! I know how I feel and this is not depression I told him. I am

through with the gastrologist because they say there is nothing more

they can do specially since everything is normal, but just to come

back in a month to check liver panel again. They did mention for me

to see a hepatologist though since they cannot do anything more. So

here I am, I have all these symptoms, and I cannot get into a

hepatologist for a month! What I ask of anybody that reads this, is

if they have had or have any of the symptoms that I am having, and I

would like any input/opinions/recommendations from anybody concerning

all of this.

I so much appreciate it!!

-