I was diagmosed with cirhosis of the liver about 2 years ago. My doctor had a cat scan done on my liver. It showed that my liver was enlarged, I have portal hypertension and a enlarged spleen. A recent blood test showed that my AST was almost down within the high range. It was two increments above the high range.
I was taking Sam-E for almost two years. I am now taking Milk Thistle.
I would like some advice as to what might be helpful to reverse the liver daage.
Are you taking Omeprazole for the portal hypertension?
Thiamine is good for the brain.
Vitamin B compound strong helps the liver recover(if you've stopped drinking).
Lactulose can help with hepatic encephalopathy.
Spironolactone if you had ascites.
Folic acid, alcohol damage & anemia.
You didn't mention the etiology of your liver disease and this can have a bearing on it. If your Ast is higher than your Alt, then this is typical for alcoholic liver disease patients. Also, unlike the Alt enzyme, the Ast enzyme is produced in other locations within the body other than the liver. So knowing if you have any additional medical issues will provide insight.
I too have ESLD and have seen many hepatolgists. They all think that taking the various supplements that "fix your liver" are at best a waste of money. Simply eating healthy, eliminating red and processed meats, reducing sodium (especially if you have ascites and/ot edema) and of course, no alcohol.
I'm taking Omeprazole for reflux disease but is it good for the portal hypertension? I take Super B complex too. I forgot to mention that. I have stopped drinking for the most part. I haven't had a drink in 1 month and I went 3 months before that. I'm trying to do this without the help of AA.
I have alcoholic liver disease. I drank pretty heavily for a long time. Could my swollen spleen have any effect on my high AST? I was told by my primary care doctor that taking Sam-e was a waste of money. My liver doctor moved his practice and I need to find a new one.
Put in Omeprazole portal hypertension.in to Google and see how many times it comes up together.
The easiest way to stop liver damage and let it try and reverse it, is to stop drinking, full stop. All the healthy eating, exercise, meds and goodwill in the world, will not help you if you are still drinking.
If you have stopped drinking, but still have the craving, because it has happened over so many years, get yourself on an anti-craving drug like acamprosate. This is meant to be taken for about 3 to 12 months after abstinence and helps your mind and body stop craving alcohol. It doesn't suppress other things.
I see you have recently stopped drinking. Wonderful, keep up the new healthy live style! As your liver recovers from the years of stress, you may find that it will become stronger than it is now. Some ALD patients have even reversed their PHT when the liver cells reduce the swelling factors of steatosis and inflammation. Hopefully you can become much healthier as you recover, good luck and hoping the best.
Forgot your other question. No, your spleen will not affect your Ast levels. When you consume alcohol in large amounts and over a long period of time, there are two factors that causes both your Alt to decrease and your Ast to increase. The alcohol affects the mitochondria as a poison which causes a large release of the Ast enzyme. Also, the alcohol causes a form of phosphate deficiency which reduces the amount of Alt. The combined effect on the De Ritis ratio, Ast/Alt, is why most people suffering from alcoholic hepatitis have a ratio greater that 2, and most chronic drinkers have a ratio above 1.
You must first try to stop the casues of cirrhosis, might be drinking or else, this can slow down the damage done to your liver.
Secondly you need to recovery your liver cells, and liver funciton, Milk thistle might be useful.
Other then these, maybe adjusting your diet would also help to slow down the damage and maintain better liver fucniton.
Sould I be on a high protein diet? Would a low fat diet help my cirrhosis?
I am unsure about high protein diet, but a low fat diet can help to reduce the risk of fatty liver and further damaging liver fucntion.
Thanks! I willtry to avaoid high fat foods.
I'm going to see a new liver specialist tomorrow. I am staying sober and hope that he will have good things to say about my liver. I have ascites.
Have you had a drain for your ascites? Do you suffer from oedema (swelling of ankles/feet) as well?
Thanks for the info. I will enquire about draining the fluid from my abdomen. I also have palmerythemia. My palms are pretty red. I have been taking Sam-e for a long time but it doesn't seem to make much difference.