Help with Labs? High AST results

My doc still hasn't called me about my labs...but I've been having vitamin problems since about year 3 1/2-4....I've done so much vitamin/nutrition research and have managed to get myself back in order most of the time...My problem is learning how to MAINTAIN those good levels...I get them nice and high or mid ranges (on super high doses) and I cut back/try different vitamins/experiment with doses... etc... and within 6 mos to a year, my labs come back fallen again...

The AST was something all new and unfamiliar with me...So I panicked....There's hardly enough info online to read about it...I did begin to take milk thistle the day I got my labs back...I read about it!  LOL  AND Vitalady recommended it as well...so I knew I was on the right track with that...I'm still worried though about the level being so close to 100...I rarely take tylenol and haven't had any alcohol in a very long time...Didn't even drink on New years...Not even a drop! I still want my doc to look into the high AST levels...Hopefully they have dropped by next labs.

I guess I have more to read about potassium...I knew it was a dangerous vit/min...But it didn't really occur to me to look into it with all the OTHER stuff going on....I will though!  My Vit A is 51 up from 35....I take 25,000 iu's 3 times a week since it was low and it's slowly raising...Had trouble with that one for a while....Just got my order from Vitalady for the 50,000iu's D3....I've raised it before up to 98 and then went on 5000 ius to try to maintain it...In a year it was back down to 25...so I'm back on 50,000 iu's....I know now that I need MUCH more than 5000 ius daily and less than 50,000 ius....LOL  Somewhere in there I will find the magic dose! 

I also take selenium as it has been low before too...and zinc!  My calcium is always good for some reason...But rarely is my Vit D great except once when I was on 50,000ius for a month daily.  My iron and ferritin are low as well....but  I am not anemic again...yet...Since my grandson was born and I take care of him, I've slacked on my vitamins/sleep/self  too much....I really need to focus a lot more on getting those vits into an already full schedule....It's very clear that I cannot let myself slack... 

Thank you so much for your post!  I am going to ask my PCP for B-12 shots, because it is clear that sublinguals are no longer working for me...My folate is one number in the high for over two years...can't seem to drop it...but the other B vits have been good....I'm also requesting a full set of labs for next month...I want to see how my attempt to fix my levels myself is working....before I just run in there without giving it a try first...(my PCP is CLUELESS in how to help me) I have no one but you all to help me most of the time...and I do get MUCH better advice from you all than my PCP!  

I do have to say though...When I was on Bariatric Advantage vitamins, my levels were good...I stopped taking them when I ran out and opted for a cheaper brand at Trader Joes....That didn't work for me at all...I'm also back on BA with high Vit A,D,E,K as of 4 days ago!  That'll learn me! 

Here is your main problem, when you get your levels up you drop your dosage.  You need to continue on the high dosages to maintain.  I had a vitamin D level of 16 pre op and was on 50,000 units twice a month via prescription and then I went up to weekly and finally got it up to 36.  Thought that was great.  This was all preop and didnt know anything about D3 or that we needed levels up to 80 or 100.  So, after my surgery and I started learning about vitamins here I bought some 50,000 units Dry D3 from vitalady.com and started taking it twice a week and amazingly my level went up to 97 in 2 months.  The key is that I continued on that level - I didn't cut it back even though it went up so quickly.  Believe it or not, my level then dropped back to 79 after 2 more months, so I now take it 3 times per week and will continue to take that level.  We severely malabsorb vitamin D and need these high levels.  5,000 units will do nothing for you - that is a dose for a person that didn't have surgery and has a great level.  You need to stick with the 50,000 units of Dry D3 and take it atleast 3 times per week to get your levels back up and continue to take it.  If you find your level goes over 100, then you can drop it down to 2 times per week but never get rid of the 50,000 unit dose.

As far as your high folic acid level - that is great.  You want it to be greater than 24.

Your vitamin A is good at 51  but could be higher.  It is usually taken daily.  I actually take 50,000 units of dry vitamin A daily and have a level of 79 which is great but I continue on that level to maintain it.  Once I cut it back a little and it plummited and I learned my lesson.

I am not very experienced on the iron front, that you need to speak to Andrea or Vitalady about.

I am glad that you are going to look into the B12 shots, that is very important.

I guess I have been too cautious about those fat soluble vits...I assumed that if you take super high doses and raise your levels that you must cut back to level it out or it will keep rising and become toxic. (That's just what my common sense told me)....Plus my PCP's answer is "just stop taking the vitamin when it gets high"...(I knew that I needed to continue, but the doses elluded me!)  It took me a while to wrap my mind around taking 50,000 ius of Vit D after taking 400-800 ius for several years!  You , know what I mean?!  LOL  So I never thought that I would need to stay that high, but to cut back how many times a week I took that much!  It drops so fast!  AMAZING!  You cannot even buy 5000 ius of Vit D in the stores.  The highest I  have found is 2000 iu's....I cannot imagine how many long term PO that stop getting labs and have NO clue how low their vitamin levels might be, especially if they've slacked off taking vitamins or still take childrens vitamins...etc! Scary!   

Quick question about B-12 shots...Dosage?  How often and how much do we take once we cannot absorb sublinguals sufficiently?  I'd hate to take shots (DO NOT LIKE NEEDLES)  and learn that my PCP gave me too low a dosage to start...That would tick me off!  LOL  I'll do what I have to do...but I'm really not very thrilled about the shots and want to get it right the first 6 mos and not a year later! I need to feel better now! 

As for iron, I know what I have to do...it's that common sense thing that confused me...I cut back the dosage too much!  I need to keep it up in the super high dosages and not cut it back as much as I do...My period really sucks my iron/ferritin dry and I'll probably have this problem til menopause. 

Sorry I didn't write back but I was on vacation.  I just got back.  As far as the B12 injections, get insulin needles, and you take 1 cc, which is the entire insulin needle probably weekly at first to get your levels up quickly and do this for a month or 2 months and get your levels rechecked.  You want your level to be around 1200 - 1500.

I am lucky with my ferritin, I started menopause the day of surgery and took iron for six month and got my ferritin too high, so I don't take any iron any more and don't need to.

As far as the vitamin A and D, dont' listen to your PCP, they all get scared at the doses we take.  They dont' understand our malabsorbtion and think we all take too much but we need it and our levels would all stink if we listened to them.  My Endo is great with all this and recently even she was freaked when she heard I increased my vitamin D3, 50,000 units to 3 times per week but my levels dropped on 2 times per week, so I increased it and if they get too high, I will drop it again.