Liver (Chaos Thread, LOCKED)

During my routine checkup, I noticed that my AST and ALT levels came back significantly elevated—nearly double the normal range. My doctor mentioned it’s likely related to my liver, 🤷but I’m a bit puzzled. I don't smoke, I only have the occasional glass of wine, I avoid heavy greasy foods, and I’m generally in great shape and feeling healthy. My blood pressure was sitting at 140/80. What could these numbers actually be pointing toward?😕 I’ve already had more bloodwork done and am just waiting on the 👍☕

Jamie Howard3 said:During some routine checkups, I found out my AST and ALT levels are spiked—like, double the normal limit. They’re saying it’s liver-related, 🤷...but I don't smoke, I only have a glass of wine once in a while, I don't eat junk, and I'm in great shape physically. My blood pressure is 140/80 and everything else seems fine. What could these numbers actually mean?? 😕I've already had bloodwork done and am just waiting on the results. 👍☕

That could point toward a Hepatitis infection. You need to get specific markers tested immediately, because honestly, catching Hepatitis these days isn't exactly a rare occurrence. Have you had any unprotected encounters lately?

Elevated levels are always present with hepatitis, but that doesn't mean hepatitis is the most likely culprit here. You could be looking at a random infection, sheer stress, or even just a terrible diet. Generally speaking, if those numbers don't drop on their own, you really ought to get tested for hepatitis and schedule an ultrasound of the liver just to be safe. I’ll say it again: don't go spiraling into a panic thinking you definitely have hepatitis. It isn't some minor, trivial ailment that we can just toss around casually.

Jamie Howard3 said:During my routine checkups, they found elevated levels for AST and ALT—about double the normal range. They mentioned it might be related to my liver, 🤷...but I don't smoke, I only have a glass of wine once in a while, I don't eat heavy meals, and I'm in great shape and generally healthy. My blood pressure is 140/80. What could these results mean??😕 I just had blood work done and am waiting on the full report 👍☕

Oh man, it feels like I’m reading my own story from three years ago! It was a total carbon copy of this situation. I actually stumbled upon the cause by accident when I went to see a dermatologist for some skin issues. She told me I needed to get my AST and ALT checked—basically my liver enzymes. So, I went in for a massive battery of tests: hepatitis panels, HIV, all sorts of STIs, basically everything you can test for. Everything came back perfectly fine except for those two markers.
Then my primary care doctor (she was really young) suggested it could just be a bacterial infection, specifically mentioning strep, and said I needed antibiotics.
I started on Augmentin for two weeks, but nothing changed. Then she switched me back to Augmentin for another two weeks, but it actually had the opposite effect—my AST and ALT levels shot up even higher. After that, the same day I brought her the results, she told me I needed injections instead. If I remember correctly, it was Extencillin. I had to take one injection every three weeks for five doses. That was the only thing that finally started bringing my ALT and AST down. Eventually, my last labs were totally normal. I'm not sure about my status right now, but I assume things are fine since it turned out to be a strep skin infection that was leaving scars all over my body. As soon as I got that first shot, the scarring stopped and I haven't had any issues since.
fadedmarlin402 made a great point that you shouldn't immediately assume it's hepatitis, and that's my advice too...

Thanks, you all really helped put my mind at ease. 🙄

Jamie Howard3 said:Thanks, you guys really helped ease my mind a bit. 🙄

Look, I wasn't trying to scare you; I just wanted to make sure you were aware of the possibility.
You absolutely need to get tested for hepatitis. When it comes to treatment, catching it during the acute stage is everything before it turns into a chronic issue. And definitely get an abdominal ultrasound.

Everything else mentioned could very well be what you're dealing with. You need to go get some tests done.

Angela Wright said:Look, my intention wasn't to scare you—I just wanted to make sure you were aware of that possibility.
You should definitely get tested for hepatitis. When you're managing treatment, catching it during the acute phase is critical before it turns into something chronic. And you absolutely need an ultrasound of the abdomen.

Everything else you mentioned could very well be what's going on with you. You really need to get some tests done.

The ultrasound is done. My doctor at Mayo Clinic said it looks fine. 🙏👍

So my mom just went in for a liver ultrasound and honestly, the results were a total gut punch. Her liver is riddled with cysts, and the biggest one is sitting at about 4.5 cm. Has anyone here dealt with this before? Like, does anyone actually know if there’s a specific med or even some natural remedy—herbs, teas, whatever—that can actually fix this? Weirdly enough, her blood work looks totally fine and all her liver enzymes are normal... so I'm just lost.

Hannah Jones17 said:My mom just had an ultrasound on her liver, and the results were pretty unsettling. It’s full of cysts, with the largest one hitting about 4.5 cm. Has anyone here dealt with this before? Does anyone know if there’s a specific medication or maybe some natural remedies, like certain teas, that could help clear this up? Her liver function tests actually came back normal, so everything seems to be working fine otherwise..

There isn't much you can do at this stage. She just needs to monitor it and try not to stress out too much—you don't want her worrying herself into a state that puts extra strain on her liver.
Silymarin is a really solid option for helping the liver regenerate.👍

Angela Wright said:Look, my intention wasn't to scare you—I just wanted to make sure you were aware of the possibility.
You really need to get tested for hepatitis. When you're managing treatment, catching it in the acute stage before it turns chronic is absolutely critical. And definitely get an abdominal ultrasound done as well.

Everything else you mentioned could certainly be what's going on with you. You need to get some diagnostic testing done.

Results: Hepatitis B. 🤷

says:
The verdict: Exelon is positive. 🤷

There you have it.🙄

I really hope they caught it early while it's still in the acute stage; it's much easier to manage then.
Boost your immune system! Everyone living under your roof and those close to you absolutely need to get tested too—if they come back negative, they should definitely get vaccinated.