First time blood liver enzymes since 2017 have risen within one year! 11 to 130. What should I do?

[JulianneAngel]

First time getting a blood test results my ast 130 and alt 47 my alk is low 42. Cholesterol levels are high. I had a long winter here in Wisconsin spent a lot of time in bed and eating was not as clean as my normal. Ultrasound ordered for my liver! I am scared, I never drank but have severe depression due to losing my 7 year old son ! Weight went from 130 to 160 in a quick period. I am now trying to get up and move more but depression and severe ptsd is so hard. Eatting, greens most of the time and I am not a meat eatter or soda or sugar person. My glucose is fine! I am turning 46 May 10. Any guidance would be great, I am stressing big time over this.

[nash2 Partner]

Hi Julianne

Gosh, hard time there. Depression and ptsd are soul killers that so often accompany tragedy. We can all identify at some level with the challenge of coping with all of that. We can't really give medical advice but broadly speaking your blood tests are a concern. Those enzyme levels can be high for a variety of reasons but none are good. In simple terms they suggest the death of liver cells at an unusual rate. They are dying all the time but the system generally manages it with no problem. It could be an infection, liver disease, auto immune among others. It isn't necessarily life threatening but those levels are cause for concern and you need to get a doctor to figure out what is happening. Ultrasound is often where they start, but it has limitation for diagnosing liver disease so you may need other tests before it is figured out.

You will probably have other questions as you learn more. Someone here has had every possible problem so don't hesitate to ask. In the short term only a few things happen quickly with liver problems so try not to be too frightened. Depression is probably your worst enemy for now so if you can get some help with that it probably will help you with the rest of it also.

Best Wayne

[JulianneAngel in reply to nash2]

Thank you. I asked for a retest and they came back down to 18. I am so confused. Does this up and down happen often

[NoMoreSun]

Your doctor may have to.order a liver biopsy to get to the most accurate diagnose of your specific problem. Do not be alarmed at this; instead, look at it as an expedition to assess your needs. Wishing you the best. I have been where you are now.

[JulianneAngel in reply to NoMoreSun]

Thank you. They retested at it is back to 18 from 130. I am so confused. They ordered ultrasounds. I am going today so fasting they said 8 hours before. I have been eating greens only and veggies. Lemon and ginger each morning. Do levels go up and down like this all the time. So confused

[nash2 Partner in reply to JulianneAngel]

Hi Julianne

Blood levels respond to a wide variety of things and aren't a great indicator of liver condition. An infection, as an example can make them high, sudden changes in the condition of your blood chemistry can make them shift up and down. They can be a warning of a very acute liver problem but are only a data point. The fact that they went down is good, but you do still want to know the condition of your liver and what caused the big changes.

Wayne