My Liver Doesn't Do Drugs

I thought I was doing well on the new medication. Perhaps I wasn't though.

My blood work tests reveal that my ALT (alanine transaminase) and AST (aspartate transaminase) levels are rather high. Almost four times the high end of normal for ALT. What does this mean? According to the Paul T. Giboney, M.D. in his article titled Mildly Elevated Liver Transaminase Levels in the Asymptomatic Patient this means:

Markers of Hepatic Injury and Necrosis

ALT and AST are two of the most reliable markers of hepatocellular injury or necrosis. Their levels can be elevated in a variety of hepatic disorders. Of the two, ALT is thought to be more specific for hepatic injury because it is present mainly in the cytosol of the liver and in low concentrations elsewhere. AST has cytosolic and mitochondrial forms and is present in tissues of the liver, heart, skeletal muscle, kidneys, brain, pancreas, and lungs, and in white and red blood cells.

Here's the nitty-gritty: the figures on my blood work were ALT 189 U/L (normal being <50 U/L) and AST 76 U/L (normal being <35). Common causes, according to Dr Giboney, for elevated levels of ALT and/or AST under five times the normal limit are: alcohol, cirrhosis, chronic hepatitis B, chronic hepatitis C, steatosis/steatohepatitis, medications/toxins, acute viral hepatitis. Man, I really don't care for the company I'm keeping on that list. Now, I wonder, is it reversible?

So, with my glass of water in hand, I'm going to do some more research on how to flush toxins from my liver and get the healing started.

I didn't take Monday's dose of Rebif and thought I'd be starting to feel better by today, day 5 med-free. But in general I steel feel crummy. My lower back is hurting a lot and I don't think the whites of my eyes are as clear as they should be. To top it all off I can't seem to warm up, my hands and feet constantly feel absolutely frozen. For the next little while I'll be avoiding any alcohol, ibuprofen, acetaminophen, carbohydrates, and consuming larger quantities than usual of water. Good ol' water...

Gotta go - nature calls.