At the start of this year and this alcohol free journey my liver was hurting, and I was concerned. I wrote about it in my blog Stop it now! A message from an overworked liver! . As I mentioned in my blog The weekends are my nemesis. I booked in to go to see the doctor and request a liver function test.
I was apprehensive.
I had the blood test and then just waited for a week for the results. Worryingly it came back with abnormal ALT levels. And they requested that I stay off alcohol, and come back at the end of the month for a retest. Which I did yesterday. Today I got the results.
So the ‘normal’ range is between 5 and 45 U/L (units/litre). On the initial test my ALT was at 58. Which I’m told is only slightly above the ‘normal’ range. I was still concerned. After the month of not drinking my markers were down to 36! Well within the healthy range.
Of course I’m happy with this! It just goes to show that a period of abstaining from alcohol for just 30 days can reduce your liver ‘damage’ by nearly 50%. The livers powers of recovery are remarkable!
Aside from that, it also goes to show, that our bodies really do scream and communicate with us if something is going west. We know intuitively if something is not quite right. We just need to be prepared to listen and get out of our own way.
The liver has done its duty and carried on soldiering away putting out all the fires that my inconsiderate lifestyle had caused. This needs some serious appreciation and gratitude. And going forward, consideration that we DO have a real harmful effect on our bodies when we abuse them.
Lesson learned fortunately without too much damage caused.
Onwards and upwards! 🙂
Just don’t get too cocky about your liver’s ability to recover…. My wife’s cousin said much of what is contained in your post. She died last year. We was 44. Live healthy.
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I certainly don’t intend to get cocky. I think I’ve had my wake up call. Just time to heed it now . Sorry to hear about your wife’s cousin…..
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I used to think I had chronic back pain. Wrong! What was truly happening was much scarier: liver and kidney pain. It’s funny how we think that major organs are no big deal. Like damage to brain cells. Do we really need all those brain cells anyway?
Luckily, I have reformed.
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Yep. Like you say, lucky you have reformed. I feel very lucky also. It seems that it’s the norm to abuse our bodies until they can’t handle it anymore, then complain about the health care system. But that’s a whole other topic!
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So true … it’s part of not appreciating what you have until it’s gone. I am a health nut these days, however. Just have to kick that sugar for good. I have to do the whole Day 1 thing with sugar just like I did with alcohol. I’m on Day 2 today. (Holidays really threw me for a loop.)
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Oh wow, cutting sugar out completely. Kudos to you, I dont know if i could do that, but then saying that, i said that about alcohol. Goodluck on your quest. Keep me updated 🙂
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