elevated liver enzymes post-DS anyone?

The rest of my labs are spot-on perfect. 

I'm not anemic for anything.

I had my gallbladder removed when my WLS was done.

I don't THINK I have fatty liver.  I know that's a sort of "nothing-else-fits" diagnose for many, but I don't think that's it in my case.  I mean, if my liver enzymes had been elevated when I was a size 24, I'd have believed that.  But at a size 4, it just doesn't make sense to me that it would be fatty NOW?  But I've just started my research on this, so maybe it would get fattier as I got skinnier?

I am just now exploring low TIBC, normal other iron studies.  I'm wondering if "anemia from chronic disease"  Is from taking oral iron.  Too much iron can raise the  LFT's as they have to filter out the iron.

I know it doesn't make much sense, it's just a theory I have.

Pup

hum, i dk. 

i was anemic for a little while post-op & was put on iron (tandem).

i took it for a few months before i started getting more & more lethargic - finally to the point of not hardly being able to wake up in the morning (seriously like i had taken a sleeping pill) & to falling asleep while driving.  i researched what could be the cause & read that iron supplements could do it. 

i got permission from y surgeon to go off the iron & get my levels rechecked after a month or 2 off it.  i went off the iron supplement immediately & had COMPLETE resolution of the lethargy.  it was literally life-changing.  since the lethargy & constant sleepiness had come on gradually, i hadn't realized just HOW bad it was until I went off the iron.  it was almost immediately like going off some sort of long-term tranqualizers or sleeping pills or something.

i had my iron levels checked after a month or 2 & they were fine (and still are to this day) - so thankfully i've never had to go on iron supplements again.

Thanks for this perspective...I do take a lot of iron.  Not as much now as I used to, but I used to take more than anyone post op that i know.

Your AST and ALT are not that highly elevated. If it was serious liver problems (ie: cirrhosis and hepatitis) , as another poster stated, your liver enzymes would be in the 1,000's if not ten's of 1,000's. Too much vitamin E, tylenol, aspirin, Vitamin B2 (often found in B-complex), etc, can cause liver problems. Double check your supplements and protein powder and make adjustments as necessary, because you may be unintentionally over-dosing yourself...as well as talk to your doctor or nutritionist. I'm not a doctor, just sharing a little knowledge from personal experience.

I've already double checked my supplements (before I even went off the Lexapro and Splenda) so I know that's not the problem (unless I have some sort of sensitivity to some particular vitamin/mineral or something that is not typical in other people). 

And although I definately KNOW you can get too MUCH protein (especially animal protein) in your diet, I have thought about decreasing my protein.  But then I'd have to decrease my overall calories which would probably make me start losing again.  Either that or change those protein calories to fat or carbs or something in which case I worry I'd start GAINING!  (I know, maybe not, but still the fear is there.)

I'm going to definately see what the GI specialist has to say. 

 Mine were up right after surgery actually they were the highest they have ever been. I was really worried and there is a post I made somewhere on here and in my blog posts as well but I was told it was fairly common. I DID (and possibly do still have) fatty enlarged liver and NASH. My liver enzymes have been coming down and as of the last blood draw are finally normal. Obviously we are still watching them closely and I see the liver specialist in May and will most likely need another biopsy.

I also take Thisilyn for my liver (milk thistle) and have been taking it on and off for a while. My labs always seem to improve when I take it. 

I have actually seen research on liver enzymes being elevated in the immediate post-op stage.  It's actually fairly common to have elevated liver enzymes right after any abdominal surgery where there was a retractor (which is sort of like a clamp) used on the liver during surgery - which it is during most WLS since they have to get it out of the way to do what they need to do.  The longer the clamp/retractor is used, the higher the enzymes seem to be.  (That undoubtedly pushed them on up there in your immediate post-op phase.  But the effects of that would have worn off by now, so you probably still have the fatty liver, etc going on.  But since you're losing, hopefully that will get better too.) 

Unfortunately, the immediate post-op elevation is not my problem.  Mine were fine before and after surgery.  They have just steadily gone up SINCE then!

Good luck!

Wen