The doc was happy to sign the form and talked to him a little bit - she initially recommended that for his height he should lose 50kg (his BMI was off the chart), however taking into account his muscle structure, she thought that a minimum of 30 would be good enough, though 40 would be better - and talked to him about breaking it down into smaller goals.
Middle Bro then brought up with the doc that he'd had some blood tests done that he'd never got the results from - seems he got some tests done in 2005. Turns out that everything was all good... with the exception of his liver tests - the figures were lit up in red. She had a bit of a chat to him about safe amounts of alchohol - she said that 6 drinks was the most, drinking a full 7ooml bottle of turkey was a lot over the safe limit, and contributing to his weight - we went into the blood place and a couple of vials were taken for more tests for his liver, as well as iron and hemochromotosis (which we have a family history of).
When we got home I spoke to mumsy and dadsy about it - recommend that he gets back on those home delivered meals - he did good when he was on it before, but thay stopped ordering them and he went back to old habits. He also really needs to curb the alchohol - he can't keep doing what he's doing, in the quantities he's doing it. And I know that we do have a bit of fam history of the social drink (moreso in summer) I don't think it's a good idea he emulates my parents patterns. Not that I think there's a serious problem there, but he's only 21.
In a way, having 50kg to lose could be a bit of an advantage - he will get results quickly and has time to 'learn' how to look after himself. Plus he could do that within a year - how nice would it be to be like a third of the weight you were the same time last year?
And I'm sure that under his 'yep, yep, I know, yep' he has got some idea that this is a big deal (he's walking poor Max every day and is all hyped for a New Year exercise plan), I thought I'd chuck up some info I found....
From here:
If you drink at more than moderate levels, you may be putting yourself at risk for serious problems with your health as well as problems with family, friends, and coworkers...
From here:
- Drinking and Driving;
- Interactions With Medications;
- Social and Legal Problems;
- Long-Term Health Problems;
- Alcohol-related liver disease:
- - Alcoholic hepatitis
- - Alcoholic cirrhosis
- - Hepatitis C virus (HCV)
- - Heart disease
- - Cancer
- - Pancreatitis.
ALT and AST are enzymes made in the liver. They are also known as transaminases. The liver uses these enzymes to metabolize amino acids and to make proteins. When liver cells are damaged or dying, ALT and AST leak into the bloodstream. Many different things can cause liver enzymes to rise above normal levels, including:From here:
* Viral hepatitis
* Excessive alcohol intake/Alcoholic liver disease
* Liver inflammation from medications and certain herbs,
* Auto-immune hepatitis - a condition where a person's immune system mistakes the liver for an invader and attacks it,
* Fatty liver- fat build -up in liver cells, called steatohepatitis when the fatty liver is inflamed
* Inherited liver diseases
* Liver tumors
* Heart failure
GGT and ALP are also called cholestatic liver enzymes. Chloestasis is a term used for partial or full blockage of the bile ducts. Bile ducts bring bile from the liver into the gallbladder and the intestines. Bile is a green fluid produced in liver cells. Bile helps the body to break down fat, process cholesterol and get rid of toxins. If the bile duct is inflamed or damaged, GGT and ALP can get backed up and spill out from the liver into the bloodstream.
ALP metabolizes phosphorus and brings energy to the body. GGT brings oxygen to tissues.
Causes of elevated ALP and GGT levels include:
* Scarring of the bile ducts (called primary biliary cirrhosis),
* Fatty liver (steatosis),
* Alcoholic liver disease,
* Liver inflammation from medications and certain herbs,
* Liver tumors,
* Gallstones or gall bladder problems.
Bilirubin is a yellow fluid produced in the liver when worn-out red blood cells are broken down. Bilirubin can leak out from the liver into the bloodstream if the liver is damaged. When bilirubin builds up, it can cause jaundice - a yellowing of the eyes and skin, dark urine and light colored feces. The causes of abnormal bilirubin levels include:
* Viral hepatitis,
* Blocked bile ducts,
* Other liver diseases,
* Liver scarring (cirrhosis)
From here:
- Alcohol abuse damages the nervous system and destroys brain cells: Different parts of the brain are more sensitive to alcohol than others. Alcohol is a toxin that damages the transmission of nerve impulses in the brain and nervous system. Chronic alcohol abuse causes organic damage that manifests itself both physically, psychologically and in the behavior of people affected. Physically it is manifested through loss of balance, impotence, numbness of the feet and hands, tremor and in blindness. Psychologically and behaviorally by loss of intellectual abilities, impaired ability to learn and in mental confusion. Alcohol abuse causes a condition called delirium tremens in which the person experiences mental confusion, extreme excitement, anxiety, trembling, rapid pulse and hallucinations.
- Alcohol abuse causes cirrhosis of the liver: If the damage is severe it is known as cirrhosis. Cirrhosis can lead to liver failure, liver cancer and death.
- Alcohol abuse causes infection and chronic inflammation: Inflammation of the stomach (gastritis) and digestive system leads to ulceration. Perforation of the stomach and intestines is life threatening. Inflammation of the digestive system means that food is not digested or absorbed properly. Inflammation and infections are associated with poor diet, malnutrition, lifestyle changes, accidents and self neglect. Diseases include pneumonia, kidney and urinary tract infections, kidney failure and pancreatitis.
- Alcohol abuse causes malnutrition: Vitamin deficiency is due to an inability to absorb or a lack of various vitamins. Wernicke's disease and Korsakoff's syndrome are characterized as a memory disorders caused by a deficiency of vitamin B1, also called thiamine.
- Alcohol abuse causes Cardiovascular problems: Excessive drinking can lead to high blood pressure, it can damage your heart muscle (cardiomyopathy). Damage to the cardiovascular system can put you at increased risk of heart failure or stroke.
- Alcohol abuse causes sexual problems: Erectile dysfunction is common in men with alcohol problems
- Alcohol abuse can cause Cancer: Alcoholism has been linked to a higher risk of cancer of the esophagus, larynx, colon and the liver.
- Alcohol abuse is linked with diabetes
...Made a new years resolution yet?
The more obese a person is, the more likely he or she is to develop health problems...
- Increased Health Risk of Premature Death
- Increased Health Risk of Heart Disease
- Increased Health Risk of Type 2 Diabetes
- Increased Health Risk of Cancers
- Increased Health Risk of Fatty Liver Disease
- Increased Health Risk of Gallbladder Disease
- Deep Vein Thrombosis
- Increased Health Risk of Arthritis.
9 comments:
D'Jen said..
"I've lost 50kg" would be such an awesome thing to say, what a massive achievement. Good luck to him.
Those meal delivery things sound so good, I am pretty lazy I'd love someone to deliver my food to me, I don't even mind if I don't get a choice in what I eat. I suppose I need a job to have the luxury of home delivered meals though :P
Drinking any whole bottle of spirits has to be bad for you, if I attempted that I would be in hospital. Maybe if MiddleBro stopped drinking all together for a while it would give his liver a chance to heal a bit, and when he starts again he won't have such a high tolerance for alcohol so he'll probably drink less as well.
I hope it goes well for him!
This really convinced me to think seriously about a new years resolution... from the 1st of Jan 2007 I'm going to stop reading scary stuff on the internet.
hahaha, but seriously now. MB might stuggle to give up drinking all together if that's the way his life works, but it really would make a massive difference to him. I've got a few mates who don't drink at all and no one bats an eyelid anymore - some ever say 'in training' and peer pressure just doesn't exist.
I'm heaps glad your MB is excited! That's awesome!
D'jen - it would, wouldn't it? The meal delivery thing is pretty good - I can't remember how much it costs, but it's all your meals and snacks for a whole week, they work it out depending on your weight at exercise and stuff, so it's all done for you! That means less time worrying about what to buy/cook/eat, and more time to think about mebbe getting a lil more exercise in there. I think the drinking is a bit of circle thing - he drinks a lot coz of his size, and his size could be partially related to how much he drinks... even if he cut it back a bit or had a month off and was positive about it I'm sure it'd make a bit of a difference!
adam - noice. I guess when you think back to being like 21 there was a LOT of drinking featured in there, but I can def say in my case that it never involved a full bottle (especially one every week or two) but it might be diff for boys. I think it needs to be looked at as an occassional thing, as apposed to 'today's the day to get hammered' - recognising you can have one or two or six or eight and leave it there. And yeah, is gonna be a good year =o)
hee, I'm with D'Jen - how great would home delivered meals be? I mean sure, they can't taste that nice but at the same time half the problem is deciding what to eat/how much? etc.
m - if they were vegan and not too much more than what I spend on groceries I'd be in!
One of the fellas I work with does the Lite'n'Easy thing, and reckons they taste pretty good. I know they smell fantastic.
Here's hoping that Middle Bro can do it. I've got to dump 30kg (as I said, more overt than cover), and have already moved 1.2kg.
Mr B'b'ryy - He liked it when he did it last time (unsure if mumsy and dadsy have set it up already) - even if he went to Maccas with friends and they'd try to make him eat, he wouldn't do it - he really stuck to it. You've made a good start on it - congratulations! Plus I imagine your fitness is improving too, which always makes you feel awesome.
...thanks for that fantastic infomation enny.
*dies*
mars - HAPPY NEW YEAR! ;o)
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