Elevated Liver Enzymes - 1 year 4 months post op

[lynmar 23]

Hi everyone!

I am doing some of my own research on this and will also go back to my doctors with the same questions, but wanted to throw it out here as well. I have always had slightly elevated liver enzymes, but the last 4-6 months, they keep elevating every time they do labs. I am now seeing a hepatologist and she is testing liver enzymes every 2 weeks to keep a close eye on them and may end up doing a liver biopsy if this continues.

Has anyone else here experienced this over a year after surgery? I don't even know if it has anything to do with surgery as I also have some autoimmune issues going on. Could it have something to do with increased Protein intake after surgery? I use a lot of Protein Shakes and mixes as I do not eat meat and try to make sure I am supplementing my diet with enough protein, but don't use more than has been recommended by my doctor, so I'm not overdosing on Proteins. Does using soy or whey protein make a difference? Any input from any of your experience would sure be appreciated.

[jmabry 11]

I am having same problem. I am 4 years out and my levels recently have been high. I am having an ultrasound this morning at 10;30.

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[Frustr8 7,886]

I wonder what ever happened to one of our Former Posters, I think his pen name was @ The Coach, he was fighting an liver issue, NASH or something worse. I worry about people when they don't post for a while, did they get their "issue" settled or not?

[lynmar 23]

3 hours ago, jmabry said:

I am having same problem. I am 4 years out and my levels recently have been high. I am having an ultrasound this morning at 10;30.

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Good luck on your ultrasound today....I had one done and it looked fine. Please keep in touch and let us know how it went or if you get any answers and I will do the same.

3 hours ago, jmabry said:

I am having same problem. I am 4 years out and my levels recently have been high. I am having an ultrasound this morning at 10;30.

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[jmabry 11]

I will let you know what happens. I hope I can get some results today. I hate waiting.

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[FluffyChix 17,410]

I think losing weight, and losing weight QUICKLY is hard on the liver. It is not uncommon for liver enzymes to elevate in the first year(s) after WLS.

I also think there are highly processed foods in our lives that pose a liver challenge on top of the extreme diet we follow. By extreme I mean, most of us are on a VLC (very low calorie) diet in the early days. These highly processed foods in my opinion are:

1. Anything prepared/pre-packaged (most soy-based food products that resemble something else fit into this category). So does why Protein isolate/concentrate and any veg protein.

2. Whey or veg protein bars/snacks/desserts

3. Eating more protein than we need to be protein adequate can present a liver stress, especially if you have other things going on in your body that make your liver and kidneys vulnerable, or any drugs that you might take.

4. Some Vitamins may add a liver insult on top of all the other stress.

5. High carbohydrate/high insulin diets add extra stress to the hepato-pancreatic system

***

If it were me, I would ask your liver doc for his protein recommendations and protein sources and follow that. I honestly would only eat my protein adequate (or whatever the doc told me), using the cleanest, most close to nature, organic, non-GMO protein sources I could find and afford in my neighborhood.

I would eat the plants (especially leafy greens) and healthy fats that the doc recommend, and I'd probably avoid fruits or anything high fructose (especially hard on the liver) with the exception of small servings of berries now and then.

I'd probably avoid dairy. And seek out things that are healthy to the liver.

Good luck! Sorry for your struggles. Glad your U/S went well!

[jmabry 11]

I will let you know what happens. I hope I can get some results today. I hate waiting.

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Just had the scan of my liver. She also scanned my gallbladder. They said I should get results early next week since it is a holiday.

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[lynmar 23]

jmabry...I understand what you are saying about waiting for test/lab results....I'm impatient when it comes to that....lol. Hope you get good results and some answers!

[Savagegirl 97]

I had elevated liver enzymes and in fact, I’m 18 months out from surgery and they may still fluctuate. My oncologist was concerned and made me get a Petscan last November and all was clear. I just had an MRI of my abdomen and all was clear. So sometimes they fluctuate a lot but it may not mean anything bad.