Question:
HELP elevated liver enzymes?????

I am almost 9 months post op with no complications or pain. I just got back my labs and three of my liver tests were elevated. My regular Dr thinks it is my gallbladder but I do not have any pain. I am waitng for my surgeons opinion. Has anyone had this and not needed to have their gallbladder removed?????    — lovemonterey (posted on June 11, 2003)

June 11, 2003
Make sure you aren't taking any meds that would cause your liver enzymes to elevate. Your liver is very sensitive to alot of things especialy meds. Good Luck
   — Barbara S.

June 11, 2003
hiya! i had the same problem but my liver panel didn't return to normal until my last test a week ago! (i'll be two years post op on saturday) i had my gallbladder removed with wls so it wasn't that for me. elevated liver enzymes can indicate a lot of different problems -- including too much tylenol, using alcohol, even muscle or bone injury. did your enzymes jump from normal to high? i would do some research online about exactly what liver enzymes indicate so you can think if maybe something has happened or you've been ingesting something that could cause them to be elevated. www.labtestsonline.org is a good place to start. good luck! kate
   — jkb

June 11, 2003
elevated liver enzymes is one of the very rare side effects of wls. It was especially prevalent in the old intestinal bypass surgeries that were done in the 70's and 80's.
   — Delores S.

June 11, 2003
I also have elevated liver functions.Had gallbladder ultra sound,C.T. scan.Now I am having a HIDA scan tomorrow.Seen specialist today said it was a fatty liver which is one side effect of wls surgery.Please have it checked further. Brenda
   — Brenda N.

June 11, 2003
I am pre-op but when I switched PCPs she did a blood work up on me and my liver levels were way off, so I waited a couple days and went back in. This time they were normal. At the time of the first work up I had taken medicine to relieve a migrane, a rather large dose. My PCP said that must have thrown them off. She also stated that many things can throw the levels off and never to panic the first time you see them like that. Good luck!
   — TheresaC

June 11, 2003
My surgeon told me this is fairly common. She said that as you lose weight, the liver filters the fat floating through the bloodstream. I am about to have my labs taken and hopefully they will be closer to normal now that I am 13 months post-op.
   — Jennifer A.

June 11, 2003
I had elevated liver enzymes at about 10 months out (but not before), and I have no gallbladder (it was removed at time of RNY). In looking around the library and in the yahoo grads group, I noticed a number of people reported a "bounce" in their liver enzymes as post-ops. This was attributed to all the fat we've been washing through our systems to get rid of it since our surgery. Some folks recommended taking milk thistle supplements to help bring it down. But many found the levels dropped on their own after a few months, after weight loss had stopped or slowed. I will have mine re-tested in another month or so (three months since the last test), and in the meantime, have taken a bit of milk thistle here and there to see if it helps. I don't know how much of this is correct or may be relied upon, but I'm just passing along the info for what it's worth.
   — Suzy C.