Question:
My Liver enzymes were normal until WLS, now they are elevated, why?

   — margaret M. (posted on September 23, 2004)

September 23, 2004
I can't tell you WHY, but I can tell you that it's not rare. Ours were pretty high in the beginning. As time has gone on, ours were just a bit high, and then we started taking milk thistle and they now remain in normal ranges. That is not medical advice, just what we do. The docs seem pleased with the consistently normal readings we get now.
   — vitalady

September 23, 2004
I can't tell you why either but my sister has the same problem and she hasn't had the surgery. Her doctor said her's could be from medication she was taking for psoraisis but research shows it can be from a number of reasons such as acetomenophen, gall bladder disease, etc. and that sometimes it is impossible to find the reason. So, that might not help at all but just shows it might not be linked to your WLS at all. Good luck in finding the answer.
   — scbabe

September 24, 2004

   — kultgirl

September 24, 2004
My liver enzymes were elevated, starting at about 7 months post-op. I read here (and in other places) that this is not unusual for some WLS post-ops, for a time. Mine eventually dropped back into a normal range, but it took over a year (with sporadic use of milk thistle along the way -- maybe with consistent use I'd have done better).
   — Suzy C.

September 25, 2004
Thanks for the replies. I am not on any medications other than the vitamins and calcium and B-12. I do not have diabeties. I am glad to hear about the Milk Thistle because I did read about it on the internet and I just bought some the other day. I sure hope that my numbers go back to normal because now that I've gone thru the wls, I've read on the internet that the liver failure after the wls can be as high as 30% and that really has me worried. With numbers that high you would think that the surgeons would at least mention it prior to the surgery. My doctor said that if the numbers stay high he will want to do a liver biopsy and I don't know if I want to do that just yet. Marg Miller
   — margaret M.