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Elevated ggt, other test are normal

Posted , 10 users are following.

ckmarlon
ckmarlon

Hi,

I just want to ask a question why is that my ggt is elevated while the other test are normal? I am confused. Do I have a liver disease? I only knew this when I apply for a Life insurance. Please see the details below.

                                                            Normal range

Alkaline Phosphatase - 61                              30  - 125          

Total Bilirubin           -   0.6                           0.2 - 1.5  

AST                       -  22                               0 -  33 

ALT                       -   32                              0 -  45

GGT                      -  310           HIGH            0 -   65

Total Protein           -     7.9                          6.1 - 8.2

Albumin                  -   5.2                           3.8 - 5.2

Globulin                  -  2.7                             1.9 - 3.7

Things to consider:

  A. Maintenance Medicine - Levothyroxin 25mcg (Thyroid gland has been treated by a Radiation last 2009. I am not taking my medicine diligently)

  B. I started taking herbal supplements combination of plants and flowers for the last 15 days before the blood works (I don't know if this matters) 

  C. I am not a drinker, Maybe max of 10 bottles of beer in a year.

  D. With Hepatitis A - 1993

I am considering to take Liver Detox herbal supplents (I don't if this will work to get back my ggt to normal)

Please help. I'm afraid to die young.

  

 

1 like, 13 replies

13 Replies

  • hazel14959
    hazel14959 ckmarlon

    Posted

    I was diagnosed  with T2 Diabetes and fatty liver after a blood tests in April 2013.  My GGT was 531.. I didn't have pain or any reason to think there was something wrong.  I got it down to 160 Oct 2014.  I have had major surgery this year and because of meds and not exercising it went up to 260 in May 2015.  I have had a liver scan this week, the operator could not find any lumps of bumps so hopefully this will appear all OK.  I have to see the Doc again in 7 days to hear the report and probably have another blood test.   I don't drink.  I have never smoked.

     

    • frances02122
      frances02122 hazel14959

      Posted

      Hi Hazel, whats the best way to get the GGT down and improve a fatty liver ?  I recently found out due to a routine blood test that my GGT was slightly raised, then after an ultra sound to check my gall bladder i was told i have not got any stones but that i did have slightly fatty liver. My health problems have been indigestion/heartburn, bloating and small amount of discomfort at right side of stomach where gall bladder/liver is.  I am a bit scared as dont know what i should be doing or not eating as doctor did not offer advice other than lose some weight.  I too have never smoked and dont drink so this has been a bit of a shock.
  • frances02122
    frances02122 ckmarlon

    Posted

    Hi please try to calm your fears,  I know how you feel as i have recently found out my GGT is slightly raised after a health check . Unfortunately on the form it said it can be a sign of bile duct obstruction due to gall stones or cancer of the pancreas !! So you can imagine the fear of reading that which is why my gp sent me for an ultrasound of my gall bladder as i had complained of discomfort in that area.  The scan did not find any stones but i was told i had a slightly fatty liver and should try lose a bit of weight .  I also had a bout of hepatitis around 1990, i think it was A the viral one as quite a few people had it at that time. I dont smoke or dring either so this was a shock.  Ask if you can have a ultrasound scan of your gall bladder and pancreas to see if gall stones could be the problem. I also have raised cholesterol so am trying to avoid foods with fats or a lot of sugar due to the increased risk of heart problems. I have looked up fatty liver online and read that its reversable with a change of diet, best wishes.
  • hazel14959
    hazel14959 ckmarlon

    Posted

    I changed my fatty liver because I had to change my diet.   I went low carb and more fat! No sugar.  Watched what I ate and even kept a food diary so I could tell how much I was eating.  I did loose weight, 3 stone in 12 months but unfortunatley just put 1/2 stone back on as I have had total knee replacement surgery and not moving around as much as normal so only just being able to exercise again.   Exercise is a help with fatty liver.  Diet as well.

     for cholesterol I have lots of beetroot, advacado ( full of fat but the good fat)  nuts and only one slice of bread (brown sunflower/pumpkin seeds) per day which is the bain of my life as I love this bread.  Eat lots of veg, some fruit,                          chicken, beef, pork, lamb, but NO rice or PASTA and watch the sauces.

    • frances02122
      frances02122 hazel14959

      Posted

      Thanks Hazel, i love bread pasta and rice so this would be hard.  I too struggle with exercise as have joint muscle pains sometimes but will have to try get healthy as dont want liver to get worse. Good luck with getting mobile after your surgery. Frances
    • lisa_1616
      lisa_1616 hazel14959

      Posted

      If you like such a healthy food as brown sunflower/pumpkin then don't deprive yourself. In fact I think the sunflower and pumpkin would be beneficial. It's not like you're eating that sugary white toxic stuff. I would stay away from pasta though. 

  • amy16031
    amy16031 ckmarlon

    Posted

    Hi,

    The most common cause of a raised GGT with all other liver function test normal is high alcohol intake. Obviously I do not know if this is true in your case but gall stones are likely to change the other tests as well while pancreatic cancer is much less common!

    All the best

    • WedgreD5
      WedgreD5 amy16031

      Posted

      Hi All,  Don't forget, some medications like Phenytion and Phenobarbital can also raise your GGT. As part of. the liver profile your AST, ALT and others may also be elevated as is mine. This is secondary to the medications I take. Hope that helps. God Bless. Do your research, it will help you understand your bloodwork better. Take Care, be well.

    • lisa_1616
      lisa_1616 amy16031

      Posted

      Not necessarily. Some medications such as carbomazapine can shoot your ggt through roof in an extremely short period of time. This old preconception that alcohol is the cause should be written down as a myth because if a doctor chocks it off that the patient is lying about her alcohol intake, then really serious conditions can be overlooked. 
  • ckmarlon
    ckmarlon

    Posted

    Thanks to all of you guys. From now on. It's a wait and see. I'll do everything to make my ggt,Triglycirytes and cholasterol (due to frequent buffet) back to normal then after 45 days do a check again.
  • hazel14959
    hazel14959 ckmarlon

    Posted

    Rang the surgery this morning and my results are back from my scan.  Rec...said it was 'normal' but I don't think she should have told me that so made an appointment to see the doc, can't get one until 27th of this month.  At least if there had been a problem the surgery would have rung for me to see a doc...   I just want to know what 'normal' means?
    • vickylou
      vickylou hazel14959

      Posted

      To help put your mind at rest, as a former assistant practice manager of a gp surgery, the receptionist was doing her job, no question about she shouldn't have told you.

      When test results come back to the surgery, they are automatically scanned onto the patients medical records. The original results letter is then passed to the gp who ordered the test.

      The gp at some point, usually after surgery, will go through all test results. He/she will write on the results letter, 'tell patient results normal, NAD (nothing abnormal discovered)"

      Should something have been abnormal the gp would write 'tell patient to make appointment to discuss' or 'gp to phone patient to make urgent appointment, add to emergency appointment today, tomorrow at latest'.

  • lisa_1616
    lisa_1616 ckmarlon

    Posted

    I had a blood test a few months back and everything was normal except my ggt which was 227. I told a friend of mine and she had the same problem.but hers was around 300 too. We are racking our brains to figure what it could be since neither of us drink. She told me she started a hair and nail supplement recently and her doctor told her it could be the biotin in it. We were even wondering if hand sanitizer or facial astringent were the culprits. Doctors use a high ggt to measure if someone's lying about a high alcohol intake. it's a shame they have that tunnel vision since other factors in a healthy patient could be at play. And to not even consider anything else is really dangerous for the patient as well as distrustful of them. It serves no purpose.i kept having to stress 'I don't' drink!'. 

    I, too, have always taken supplements. I take numerous, so my situation would be even harder to figure out. I stopped all supplements except for a really good liver detox with burdock, milk thistle, and a couple other things. My friend didn't do that.  Just the other day she told me she was still at 77. She did quit the biotin stuff but didn't take detox. I've gotten mine down to 47 in just a few months. I had no idea it would take this long. It just goes to show how toxic some things we ingest these days are. 

    If anyone has had a good experience with a liver detox supplement, please share.

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