I need some input here. A few nights ago, I got hit with these nasty, sharp pains right around my right kidney area and the right side of my stomach—kind of shaped like a horseshoe... plus nausea. It all cleared up by 11 AM the next morning, though I can't rule out that my back was aching at the same time too.
Today I went and got my liver enzyme levels checked—ALT, AST, Bilirubin, and GGT—because besides that episode I mentioned, I've been dealing with this intermittent discomfort and these dull aches on my right side.
Here’s what came back:
AST - 40
ALT - 95
GGT - 96
Bilirubin - 20.8
So, looking at this, AST is just slightly over the limit, but the other two are nearly doubled, even though Bilirubin is sitting within the normal range. I haven't seen a doctor yet or gone in for an ultrasound, which I definitely need to do pretty soon.
Now, full disclosure... I'm a drinker. For the last 3 or 4 years, I've been averaging about 4 large beers OR 0.3L of hard liquor every single day, maybe taking a break for half a week or a full week once a month.
Leading up to these tests, I hadn't touched alcohol for about 10 days, maybe just had 1 or 2 beers, and I ate about 7 and a half hours before the blood draw (not sure if that matters...).
My test for Helicobacter pylori came back positive, which probably explains the stomach discomfort and the nausea.
I was wondering if anyone could help me make sense of this. What could be driving these high numbers? Is it just the booze catching up to me, or something else? And what should my next move be?
Today I went and got my liver enzyme levels checked—ALT, AST, Bilirubin, and GGT—because besides that episode I mentioned, I've been dealing with this intermittent discomfort and these dull aches on my right side.
Here’s what came back:
AST - 40
ALT - 95
GGT - 96
Bilirubin - 20.8
So, looking at this, AST is just slightly over the limit, but the other two are nearly doubled, even though Bilirubin is sitting within the normal range. I haven't seen a doctor yet or gone in for an ultrasound, which I definitely need to do pretty soon.
Now, full disclosure... I'm a drinker. For the last 3 or 4 years, I've been averaging about 4 large beers OR 0.3L of hard liquor every single day, maybe taking a break for half a week or a full week once a month.
Leading up to these tests, I hadn't touched alcohol for about 10 days, maybe just had 1 or 2 beers, and I ate about 7 and a half hours before the blood draw (not sure if that matters...).
My test for Helicobacter pylori came back positive, which probably explains the stomach discomfort and the nausea.
I was wondering if anyone could help me make sense of this. What could be driving these high numbers? Is it just the booze catching up to me, or something else? And what should my next move be?