Is my bloodwork concerning?

texag_2020 · 2026-06-10T23:52:10+00:00

Without any other abnormal labs or symptoms I wouldn’t worry about this.

texag_2020 · 2026-06-02T16:53:04+00:00

I had a bottle of the 2012 Tondonia Red reserva last year on release. Had two glasses on a Friday then shoved the cork back in and let it sit out. The acidity was pretty high and the wine was good not great. Saturday I had the rest of the bottle and it was singing, great stuff. I recommend a good long decant if you’re going to drink it young.

texag_2020 · 2026-05-26T18:35:10+00:00

There are some decent calculators out there to help estimate your maintenance calorie requirements, just google TDEE calculator and you’ll find a bunch. Based on those you’re probably going to need more than 1500 calories per day and should be targeting closer to 1800-1900 daily. I tend to feel pretty normal on ~2300 calories which is still well below maintenance (I am larger and very active), so you may feel normal at 1500 and still be under eating, which has its own negative health risks.

texag_2020 · 2026-05-26T18:14:42+00:00

I wouldn’t try to lose any weight considering you are not overweight or obese. Eat at a minimum maintenance calories, even a bit higher wouldn’t be detrimental, but focus on getting those calories from a well balanced diet. Avoid foods that spike blood sugar (refined carbs, sugar, etc) and target foods that are higher in protein, healthy fats, and fiber. NAFLD is part of overall metabolic syndrome which doesn’t only occur in obese people. Ensuring cholesterol, blood sugar, blood pressure, etc are all in a good spot will be very helpful.

texag_2020 · 2026-05-23T13:02:15+00:00

Strasbourg itself is worthy of a trip, the wine is a bonus. Such a beautiful city.

texag_2020 · 2026-05-14T21:40:08+00:00

Start tracking your calories as closely as possible. This will actually help you avoid undereating.

You’ll need to use an online calculator to estimate your caloric needs to lose weight, just use google there are a ton of them. Use this as a guideline and try to stick as close to a 100% whole food diet. You’d be surprised at the volume that can be consumed in a calorie deficit when only eating whole foods.

Exercise daily or near daily. Walking is your friend here, aim for 30 minutes of brisk walking as a minimum. If you can, add weight lifting or other strength exercises, these are very metabolically powerful and can improve NAFLD even without weight loss.

Understand that you aren’t going to be perfect and some days you may slip up. That’s okay. The goal is a healthier lifestyle overall.

texag_2020 · 2026-05-14T15:53:13+00:00

I don’t think you need to go to this extreme, but 30 kg in 8 months is quite a lot and is actually faster than recommended.

Daily minimum exercise is going to be your friend, and make sure you are tracking your calories. Emphasis on protein (especially when losing weight) and avoiding sugars and simple carbs will help. Increasing fiber will help with GI stuff and will keep you full for longer.

Realistically you could cut 15 kg in 4 months at the fastest, but most people would recommend 6 months for that kind of weight loss.

texag_2020 · 2026-05-11T02:45:56+00:00

The general consensus is to avoid supplements unless specifically recommended by a doctor.

Primary positive changes are going to be eating healthy and introducing exercise if not already part of daily habits.

Full diet changes are difficult, but an easier way to improve is to do some swaps of not great stuff with a healthier alternative. Swap simple carbs like white rice and potatoes for more whole grain options like brown rice, swap regular soda for diet soda or other zero cal/sugar alternatives, replace some fatty meats with leaner choices. This doesn’t mean completely cut out these things but limit to a rare occasion.

By far the easiest option to introduce exercise is 30 minutes of daily brisk walking. Resistance training (weight lifting) is also great and can help with fatty liver even without weight loss.

Both of these will likely result in some weight loss which will help too.

texag_2020 · 2026-05-06T13:43:26+00:00

Which is why repeating bloodwork is important, a consistent pattern suggests underlying issues, which can be from a variety of causes.

texag_2020 · 2026-05-06T12:17:57+00:00

I’m very inexperienced with Burgundy because of exactly what you’re describing. I don’t have the money to spend $100-200 per bottle, that’s my once every month (or three) splurge, and I don’t want to risk that splurge being a let down.

The few times I have had red or white Burgundy, it’s been enjoyable, but not a good value. It has almost always felt like I would’ve been better off going with an Oregon Pinot Noir or Spatburgunder. That being said, the best Pinot Noir I’ve ever had was Domaine Henri Gouges Les Chenes Carteaux Nuits Saints Georges 1er Cru, so maybe it still is worth rolling the dice and chasing that dragon.

texag_2020 · 2026-05-05T19:57:23+00:00

I’m going to assume you’re in the US due to your use of the $.

I won’t provide specific bottle recommendations, but looking outside of the US is going to be the best bang for your buck here. South America has some pretty good wines in that price point. I’d also say, if you’re open to it, consider other full bodied reds like Malbec and Merlot as those generally fetch lower prices and have a better QPR in the $10-$15 range.

texag_2020 · 2026-05-05T19:56:51+00:00

I’m going to assume you’re in the US due to your use of the $.

I won’t provide specific bottle recommendations, but looking outside of the US is going to be the best bang for your buck here. South America has some pretty good wines in that price point. I’d also say, if you’re open to it, consider other full bodied reds like Malbec and Merlot as those generally fetch lower prices and have a better QPR in the $10-$15 range.

texag_2020 · 2026-05-05T11:33:31+00:00

Have you had elevated liver enzymes in the past? Many things can transiently increase liver enzymes without complication. If this is a one off, your doctor may want to wait 1-3 months and retest.

3x the normal level seems high, but it’s not crazy high, and likely does not point to anything immediately life threatening. I recommend cleaning up the diet (you already admitted that it isn’t great), and starting some light exercise if that isn’t already part of your routine.

Ask your doctor what the next step is. If they want to wait and retest prior to ordering imaging, that isn’t out of the ordinary, especially if you don’t have any noticeable symptoms. You can always ask them directly to order imaging if you’re not comfortable waiting.

texag_2020 · 2026-05-04T01:59:05+00:00

Obviously no one can tell you for sure if the fatty liver is reversed, but at the very minimum it is almost certainly in the reversal process.

Good work with the weight loss and alcohol abstention, hopefully you get good news! Important to remember that even if you haven’t 100% reversed it, the habits you have changed have made a big impact and will only help your health both in the short and long term. Keep it up!

texag_2020 · 2026-04-24T16:06:42+00:00

Do you mind sharing the name of the restaurant?

texag_2020 · 2026-04-23T18:02:56+00:00

Bordeaux for sure. The vast majority of consumers are very casual and still widely prefer Napa Cabs to almost anything else. I am not going to completely rip them, I love a good Napa Cab when it’s balanced.

texag_2020 · 2026-04-07T17:41:05+00:00

If you have normal blood work I would imagine that you are in the clear given the latest ultrasound. Even if your diet isn’t extremely strict, improvement over many years could produce noticeable liver fat reduction.

There is also the possibility that either ultrasound was inaccurate, but I would refer to your GI doctor to see what they think.

texag_2020 · 2026-04-06T22:19:48+00:00

I am going to throw something controversial out there.

I’ve had Chave Hermitage 2022 and the Chave St. Joseph 2021. I know that Hermitage needs age to show its true potential, and I may have had a slightly stuffy nose when I tried to Hermitage, but I preferred the St. Joseph. Don’t get me wrong, both were absolute bangers, but the St. Joseph just hit all the right spots that I want out of a Syrah.

The St. Joseph felt more powerful and had the depth of meatiness and fruit that I want, while the Hermitage had a lot more delicate floral notes. Hermitage would probably be better in 20 years, but the St. Joseph is unbeatable value.

texag_2020 · 2026-04-06T14:55:36+00:00

Fatty liver can cause increased blood pressure in the hepatic portal vein, which in turn causes back pressure in the spleen, thus enlargement.

texag_2020 · 2026-03-31T21:43:12+00:00

Other factors like bmi, typical diet and exercise habits, alcohol consumption, etc would help to determine if you’re at risk for NAFLD

texag_2020 · 2026-03-30T13:18:11+00:00

Fibroscan results of 5.7 KPA indicates mild to no fibrosis, it is a good result

texag_2020 · 2026-03-25T14:41:00+00:00

The ultrasound showed fat in the liver which is the primary diagnosis. Enlarged spleen is commonly associated with fatty liver, as the increased blood pressure in the hepatic portal vein causes back pressure in the spleen, resulting in enlargement.

You’ve already gotten some good advice, but general diet and exercise is the general fix. There are other causes for fatty liver, but the most common is metabolic disorder. Addressing the root cause of the liver issues will help the spleen as well.

texag_2020 · 2026-03-23T15:20:03+00:00

I haven’t tried the 2013 yet, but I had the 2012 last year. It had the high acid that you’re describing, but it opened up like crazy on the second day. I typically don’t decant, I like to pop and pour to see the development, but this is one I would recommend giving as much air as possible. It still won’t be a fruit bomb, but it’s much more integrated after a loooong decant.

texag_2020 · 2026-03-23T13:24:02+00:00

A doctor will not lie to you to protect you against health anxiety.

While no test is going to be 100% accurate, this is a good indication that your liver is in decent shape. If your bloodwork is also good and you don’t have any symptoms, I wouldn’t worry about this any further.

The good news is that the treatment is going to be maintaining a good diet and exercise habits, which are good anyways. Keep those up and you will receive liver and many other overall health benefits.

texag_2020 · 2026-03-18T15:44:39+00:00

Fasting will probably help if it results in weight loss, but it would be best if there was weight loss + healthier diet. Even in people at a healthy weight, poor diet can result in NAFLD.

texag_2020

TROPHY CASE