Issues post-op

Hey everyone. I would just like to post what's going on for me after the surgery. I have lost a lot of weight. I don't take blood pressure meds anymore..etc. All this is good but it's bittersweet. During surgery, they were supposed to take my gallbladder out because I have a large stone in it. But, when the surgeon got inside, he noticed that my liver didn't look right so he opted to do a liver biopsy instead of removing the gallbladder. (it was a matter of time) It was determined that I have steatohepatitis. This is the next stage after a fatty liver. After surgery, my surgeon said that the surgery was the best thing I could do since there was no medication treatment for steatohepatitis, just diet and exercise. Sounds great right? Well, I am almost 4 months out and my liver tests are now twice as bad as they were at the time of surgery. My surgeon has been having me come in every six weeks to get tests done to make sure it doesn't keep going up. However, it does in fact keep going up. Since I didn't have my gallbladder removed, he thought last week when I was there, that my stone may have moved into the duct. When it does that, the liver function is impaired because it has to work so hard. However, I don't have any pain. He couldn't figure this out. He ordered an ultrasound to see the status of the stone. It's in the same place, in fact, the tech said it was too big to every move into a duct. Yesterday the nurse from the surgeon's office called to say that the Doctor looked everything over several times yesterday and he now thinks it's time that he refers me to a Hepatologist. So, I feel it's just bittersweet. ONe thing that can screw with your liver is loosing weight TOO quickly. I feel like I can't win. SOrry to just vent Rachael

Oh Rachel, I am so sorry you are having to go through this. My prayers are with you that this will all resolve itself quickly. Sending hugs your way! Dar

(((Oh Rachel))) I am so sorry you're going through this. I honestly don't even know what to say ... I wish I had some words of advice or something to offer you! Just don't give up hope ... losing weight is a great thing so don't feel like you aren't winning because you are! I just hope and pray that everything works out for the best. Keep us posted! Deanna

Oh Sweetie, Go right ahead & vent!!!I really don't know what to say!!!Hopefully the Hepatologist will be able to help & when you get to goal & things level out the liver will straighten itself out too!!!Keeping you in my prayers. ~Missy~

Hi Rachael This is scary as I am waiting to see if I need a liver biopsy too. I think we've chatted about it in another post with someone else too. My doctor is giving me til nov to see if my LFT's have come down as they are extreemly high. he is hoping that it has just been caused by the rapid weight loss and nothing more serious which is why the wait til November. Let us know how you get on. What do you think the next step is - surgery to remove the stone, liver transpant or what? I've been looking up liver disorder and it's not nice is it. But you know we are all supporting you as much as we can here. Do you have a support network around you at home? ((((((((((((((((((hugs)))))))))))))))))))))) prayers & blessings Ruth

Ruth, Your elevated liver enzymes might be just fatty liver but only a biopsy can tell if you have moved on to other stages of liver disease. If I was in your shoes, I would totally want the biopsy just you could know what stage you were at. As far as my next step, I don't think they are going to remove the gallbladder and the stone for now because that can make the liver enzymes worse. Liver transplant isn't really talked about until you have reached cirrosis. We are hoping I never get to cirrosis. Rachael

Rachael - That's what friends are for and I am glad you vented to us! My prayers are going up for you and will continue to pray for you! Just keep plugging away at you weight loss. It is the best thing for you overall! When do you see the Heptologist? Love, Hugs and Prayers, Darlene

Rachael and Ruth...I'm the other one who mentioned the high liver enzymes about a month ago. I went to my PCP with my lab results and she wasn't that concerned, she attributed it to rapid weight loss. When I went to my 4 month check up with my surgeon last week, I mentioned it to his nurse, she said elevated liver enzymes are expected following WLS. I had my gallbladder removed during WLS, so I don't have to worry about that. Like both of you I "googled", and found out that there are two types of fatty liver. One is just called fatty liver and the other is called NASH. The best thing we can be doing for either is losing weight. My PCP thinks that as my weight loss slows down, everything will normalize...I sure hope she's right. I couldn't find the article I printed off the internet, but if I remember correctly losing weight will defintely correct the fatty liver syndrome and can even correct NASH. So what I took away from my PCP was I'm doing the very best thing I can do to correct the problem...losing weight!! I'm praying that we see will see normal livers in the next 6 months and normal LFT.

Hi Gail yes I think that's why my Doc is waiting - to see if it is just the rapid weight loss. As you say, we are doing the best thing for our health, so lets keep going and let the liver sort itself out. Here's to normal LFT's soon

As I mentioned on my much earlier post last month, I would be willing to bet that there are a lot of post WLS patients out there with elevated liver function tests (LFT), and don't even know it. I know my surgeon did not run these tests on me before surgery and neither my PCP or my surgeon would have ran them on me after surgery!! Since I'm in the laboratory test business, so to speak, it was one of my customers that insisted they run this whole battery of lab tests on me when I was visiting her one day. That's when I discovered the elevated LFT and called my PCP. My PCP told me we would check them again on my October visit to her and the surgeon's nurse just shrugged and said that's to be expected. So I'm going on that and trying not to worry too much. Mandy mentioned on another post that she will be having LFTs ran, so I hope she let's us know how they turn out. The down side...my PCP said to avoid alcohol and I've been trying, but there have been a few times when I just had to have a couple glasses of wine. I start my vacation today and I plan to have some drinks and enjoy myself...I'm going to do the best I can to put my liver in the back of my mind and try not to think about it while I'm sipping wine!!