Liver Problems

Hello Everyone, I just went for my 9 month check up with my surgeon and he told me that I need to see a liver specialist ASAP as my liver function labs came back very high.  They have been normal since before my surgery and all of a sudden something has caused them to elevate greatly.  Dr. Moazzez asked if I am taking Tylenol or drinking alcohol which I am not and have not.  I was researching liver problems and one of the first things I saw was that it can be caused by malnutrition.  I think this is my problem as I told my doctor that I don't think I am eating enough.  Plus, I only lost 4 pounds in 2 months which is very discouraging to me.  I have most of the symptoms they list under liver disease.  I was able to get an appt with the specialist for 02/23 and hopefully I will find out what is going on.

Has anyone else had this problem and if so what were your results.  Thank you all for any assistance you can give me.

Sherry

Sherry,

I am so sorry to hear this. Keep me up to date. I will be thinking of you .

Good Luck,

Rita

Thanks Rita, I will definitely let you know once I get some results.

I have not had this problem. I am glad they found out so now they can fix it. I want to let you know I will be praying for you. I know you will let us know whats going on as soon as you know. Good luck!

Hi Brooke, thank you for your prayers.  I will update everyone as soon as I get the results.

Sherry - so sorry things are messed up with your liver.  glad you are getting seen soon.  i'll keep you in my prayers.  lys

Thank you, I appreciate your prayers

I can't help as I don't know about liver problems.  But I'm keeping you in my thughts and hope you and the doctors can get to the bottom of this!  BTW - why would taking tylenol be a problem?  I'm switched to Tylenol after surgery since we can't take ibuprofen.

Hey Lauren. When I read this, I myself wanted to know the effects and went looking. I take tylenol or the generic of this as well after WLS.

I had always heard that acetaminophen was a cause of liver failure but had always believed it was in LARGE quantities, over a long period of time. I found one article, although it is older. Maybe you can read it and find more up to date information. Below is the link.

http://cme.medscape.com/viewarticle/518380

If you find out anything else, please let me know. Hope you're doing well!

Interesting article.

Here's a quote from http://www.medicinenet.com/tylenol_liver_damage/page3.htm:

For the average healthy adult, the recommended maximum dose of acetaminophen over a 24 hour period is four grams (4000 mg) or eight extra-strength pills. (Each extra-strength pill contains 500 mg and each regular strength pill contains 325 mg.) A person who drinks more than two alcoholic beverages per day, however, should not take more than two grams of acetaminophen over 24 hours, as discussed below. For children, the dose is based on their weight and age, and explicit instructions are given in the package insert. If these guidelines for adults and children are followed, acetaminophen is safe and carries essentially no risk of liver injury.

On the other hand, a single dose of 7 to 10 grams of acetaminophen (14 to 20 extra-strength tablets) can cause liver injury in the average healthy adult. Note that this amount is about twice the recommended maximum dose for a 24 hour period. In children, a single dose of 140 mg/kg (body weight) of acetaminophen can result in liver injury. Amounts of acetaminophen, however, as low as 3 to 4 grams in a single dose or 4 to 6 grams over 24 hours have been reported to cause severe liver injury in some people, sometimes even resulting in death. It seems that certain individuals, for example, those who regularly drink alcohol, are more prone than others to developing acetaminophen-induced liver damage. To understand this increased susceptibility in some people, it is useful to know how acetaminophen is processed (metabolized) in the liver and how the drug causes liver injury.

With the dosages mentioned above for safe dosing, I am coming NO WHERE close to a toxic level.  But wow, I always thought Aceetaminophen was so safe since hospitals use it.  I guess nothing is good in excess!  Thanks for the link.