Anyone have problems with liver function tests?

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lovinmamaxo
lovinmamaxo Posts: 368 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I weight 344 now but used to be 401. My AST and ALT are both elevated. Last May i had my gallbladder out. Now over a year later my AST is 58 and my ALT is 119. Not sure why.. other labs have been coming back normal like ferritin, bilirubin, etc...

My protein was also 8.2 normal is up to 8. Does this mean i should stop protein drinks and bars?? I eat a lot of chicken too as part of my lifestyle now. Anyone ever have any experience with this?

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  • lovinmamaxo
    lovinmamaxo Posts: 368 Member
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    no one has had these problems before?
  • mawray2
    mawray2 Posts: 13
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    To be honest I don't understand fully and I don't get the lab test results...but, I had my gallbladder out as well and I have a feeling I am not digesting properly. I used to be able to lose weight easily and now I can barely seem to budge one pound. I have an appointment later this week with a doctor that specializes in metabolic issues. Hopefully I will get some answers. Have you talked to the doctor to find out what the lab results mean in relation to weight loss?
  • cmp_denver
    cmp_denver Posts: 44 Member
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    Wow, congrats on your weight loss - awesome!

    I had elevated ALT and AST enzymes as well, levels outside the normal range but not high enough for my doctor to be overly concerned (oh, and I still have my gall bladder). To be on the safe side, my doctor ordered an abdominal ultra-sound. I had/have what's called a "fatty liver." The liver stores some excess fat, called glycogen, to use when your body needs an extra energy source. When someone is obese, like me, more fat than is healthy can be stored in the liver which reduces it's function (cleaning the blood) and causing slight damage (hence the elevated ALT/AST). My doctor told me that as I lose weight, the excess fat will be used up and my LFT's should return to normal.

    Hope this helps. (Feel free to add me as a friend, by-the-way, if you want).
  • vbruhn009
    vbruhn009 Posts: 4
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    My liver function blood work has been elevated for a year now almost doubled.. 6 months ago my doctor sent me to a gastroenterologist who basically told me to work on eating less fatty food and maybe to lose a few pounds. I tested negative for all the other blood work including hepatitis and the other ones they test. This past week my 6 months was up and a recheck was due and they had gone up again so now he has ordered a liver ultrasound that I have tomorrow. I hope its nothing serious. I am 26 years old and weight around 190, so yes I am over weight by about 40 pounds or so, but I didn't think it was much of a concern, but apparently he does.
  • cmp_denver
    cmp_denver Posts: 44 Member
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    My liver function blood work has been elevated for a year now almost doubled.. 6 months ago my doctor sent me to a gastroenterologist who basically told me to work on eating less fatty food and maybe to lose a few pounds. I tested negative for all the other blood work including hepatitis and the other ones they test. This past week my 6 months was up and a recheck was due and they had gone up again so now he has ordered a liver ultrasound that I have tomorrow. I hope its nothing serious. I am 26 years old and weight around 190, so yes I am over weight by about 40 pounds or so, but I didn't think it was much of a concern, but apparently he does.

    I hope all goes well for you. Please let us know how things turn out.
  • BrianSharpe
    BrianSharpe Posts: 9,248 Member
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    The elevated enzymes are symptomatic of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease which, if left untreated, may result in cirrhosis of the liver. It may also be related to consumption of acetaminophen (tylenol)

    Losing weight and exercise are what my doctor recommended and my numbers came back down.

    I had elevated enzymes a few years back but no other symptoms. An ultrasound suggested I had a fatty liver, a CT scan was perfectly normal - go figure.
  • lovinmamaxo
    lovinmamaxo Posts: 368 Member
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    The elevated enzymes are symptomatic of non-alcoh'veolic fatty liver disease which, if left untreated, may result in cirrhosis of the liver. It may also be related to consumption of acetaminophen (tylenol)

    Losing weight and exercise are what my doctor recommended and my numbers came back down.

    I had elevated enzymes a few years back but no other symptoms. An ultrasound suggested I had a fatty liver, a CT scan was perfectly normal - go figure.

    Yeah i've been losing weight which i thought would bring these numbers down not up =(
  • Kathy53925
    Kathy53925 Posts: 241 Member
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    Do you take any meds regularly? I have RA (Rheumitoid Arthritis) so I have to have liver tests monthly to make sure my enzymes stay in check. Certain meds shoot it way up. I also have a fatty liver, which I am trying to work on.
  • vbruhn009
    vbruhn009 Posts: 4
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    My ultrasound came back normal, but now the doctor wants to do a liver biopsy to test for other things. I feel that its just going to be a waste of money when I bet if I could lose 20 pounds my blood work would go down. He still thinks that since they keep rising that it might be something else. I have read that most people just have "fatty liver" and by eating better and working out, the liver function test seem to go down. I need advice whether or not to listen to the doctor and do the 2000 dollar test or not????? I know he is just being cautious, but its a lot of money to probably not find anything.
  • noojim
    noojim Posts: 49 Member
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    My LFTs have gone up mysteriously. I used to have them tested occasionally because of a medication I was on, and they always used to be within normal. I came off the medication, lost 2 stones, and drank a lot less alcohol too since I'm trying to lose more weight (not that I've ever been a heavy drinker), but still within 6 months my ALT and GGT have gone up by a lot! I really can't think of a reason, and neither could my doctor. All my other bloods are better than fine.

    Obviously I'm gonna have more tests done, but I've no idea when... In the meantime I'm not drinking at all and ditching all my painkillers, but otherwise don't really know what to do, except wait around.
  • CINDYRN33
    CINDYRN33 Posts: 148 Member
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    Eat less fat and no do not decrease your protein. Give it some time just because you are losing weight now does not mean the LFT's will correct right away.
  • EBFNP
    EBFNP Posts: 529 Member
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    The elevated enzymes are symptomatic of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease which, if left untreated, may result in cirrhosis of the liver. It may also be related to consumption of acetaminophen (tylenol)

    Losing weight and exercise are what my doctor recommended and my numbers came back down.

    I had elevated enzymes a few years back but no other symptoms. An ultrasound suggested I had a fatty liver, a CT scan was perfectly normal - go figure.

    This is INCORRECT! Elevated LFTs can be caused by many things including medications, alcohol, cancer, gallstones, and get this EXERCISE!!! I have had elevated liver enzymes for at least 5 years, and I don't have a non-alcohol fatty liver disease. I had normal ultrasound other than gallstones present in my gallbladder. My biopsy was somewhat abnormal, but not clinically significant. They fluctuate all the time, but they are being monitored closely by my GI/Hepatologist .
  • noojim
    noojim Posts: 49 Member
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    Eat less fat and no do not decrease your protein. Give it some time just because you are losing weight now does not mean the LFT's will correct right away.

    Yea, I know of course. It's just odd that the LFTs were always perfectly fine while I was fatter and have got high only now I've lost weight. (not that I'm blaming the rise on losing weight, heh) - It just doesn't compute.

    And yea, EBFNP is right, fatty liver is by no means the only reason for elevated enzymes.

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