Elevated liver enzymes. Freaking out

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luckypenny
luckypenny Member Posts: 150
edited June 2014 in Not Diagnosed With a Recurrence or Metastases but Concerned

Hello. Had my three month visit with onc yesterday. Got a message today from onc regarding my liver enzymes. Alt=94. ( in august it was 48). And ast was 68 ( august it was 35). Alp is normal. Onc says to cal him so I have no idea if he wants to scan or repeat test or what. I am someone who wants to bury my head in the sand and don't want to know if I have progressed to stage 4.



Looking for all reasons for this jump- am on Metformin and recently switched from femara to arimidex in September What else can elevated liver enzymes be from?

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  • Timbuktu
    Timbuktu Member Posts: 1,906
    edited October 2012

    Gee, I could have written your post.  My Alt was 73 and I just had the blood chemistries re tested.

    I wasn't too worried because years ago my Alt was 89 and then it went back to normal.  Are you overweight?

    I am and that can cause fatty liver.  Watching what you eat can lower it.  Are you taking a lot of pills?  I am.

    That can also stress the liver.  I'm on metformin too.  I'm trying to think positive until I know more.  I think there are too many things that can cause an elevated Alt to jump to any conclusions.  At east I hope so!  Anyway, one blood test is never enough to go on.

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  • CoolBreeze
    CoolBreeze Member Posts: 4,668
    edited October 2012

    I have liver mets and my enzymes have always been normal.  Abnormal enzymes can be caused by having a glass of wine, taking a tylenol, or something in your diet, or many other things, including chemo.  Chemo can cause fatty liver which can affect your enzymes.  But, many simple things can cause it too.  

    Your doctor is being very careful but it is nothing to worry about.  I know a lot of us with liver mets and very few have odd enzymes and I don't think one person I know was diagnosed because of abnormal liver numbers.  My guess is they will repeat the test and do some watching.  

    If he's a super careful type, he'll do a CT.  But you are almost certainly fine!  Try not to worry.

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  • luckypenny
    luckypenny Member Posts: 150
    edited October 2012

    Yes I am overweight and have gained 15 pounds since august. I take

    Metformin , ,arimidex b6 omega 3 glucosomine 81mg aspirin



    I do take ibuprofen almost daily for joint aches. I just want to bury my head in the sand. I don't want to know.

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  • Blessings2011
    Blessings2011 Member Posts: 4,276
    edited October 2012

    When I went on Optifast last spring, my liver enzymes shot up to not quite alarming levels. A friend who had ovarian cancer asked me if I were worried about mets.

    It never occurred to me! What I was worried about was liver damage, since I had a horrific case of Hep B back in 1982. I've been very protective of my liver ever since then, since absolutely everything you take in the way of meds is metabolized through the liver, and it is affected by so many other things as well.

    I had to have an abdominal ultrasound, which showed a fatty liver and a "sludgey" gallbladder. The jump in enzymes was due to "trauma" to the liver from the severely decreased caloric consumption.

    When I got back on a regular diet, the enzymes returned to normal.

    The good thing is that the liver is the only organ in the body that is able to regenerate itself.

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  • Shrek4
    Shrek4 Member Posts: 1,822
    edited March 2013

    0

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  • luckypenny
    luckypenny Member Posts: 150
    edited October 2012

    I talked to onc today. I have to go off all meds for two weeks including arimidex, then redo bloodwork nov 5. He thinks it's the arimidex. He said he could scan now but is okay waiting two weeks too. I a, going to wait to see if they come down first. Keeping fingers crossed that it's a meds issue or just because aim overweight.

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  • somerset72
    somerset72 Member Posts: 30
    edited November 2012

    I had elevated liver enzymes, alt, ast and alp.  The alt & ast doubled and tripled and the alp was just over the limit.  I was on methotrexate for RA.  My onc was quite sure it was the med so I stopped for 5 weeks, got retested and all was normal.  But I know how you feel.  I was a wreck for those 5 weeks.

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  • luckypenny
    luckypenny Member Posts: 150
    edited November 2012

    So, I got my bloodwork results today.  2 weeks after being off of all medication, including arimidex, my ALT is 108 and AST is 66.  Both are now increasing since 10/22.  We had hoped they would go down .  So now I am off for a CT Scan.    Scared to death.   I am not sure how to handle any bad news.   Praying for a fatty liver

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  • clariceak
    clariceak Member Posts: 752
    edited November 2012

    Fatty livers are quite common after chemo and in women our age.  Hoping your scan is clear, and so sorry you are going through all this stress.

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  • SpecialK
    SpecialK Member Posts: 16,486
    edited November 2012

    Did you stop the glucosamine?  My husband was taking it and had a liver panel done prior to being put on a short-term medicine that is liver filtered.  Numbers were through the roof - doc had him quit the glucosamine (elevated liver numbers are a rare SE) and they went back to normal in three weeks.  Elevation on the labs is also a signal of inflammation which could be coming from someplace besides the liver, maybe taking you off your AI did not give enough time for any joint inflammation to subside.

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  • luckypenny
    luckypenny Member Posts: 150
    edited November 2012

    So yes, CT scan revealed a fatty liver.  I stopped all meds about 2 and 1/2 weeks ago , including glucosimine and other vitamins.   I just was put back on the arimidex on Tuesday .  I also began the metformin again.   I am a little worried about the arimidex still - I still think it is part of the issue.  I think I need to go back on femara- and deal with the lousy side effects.

    I am meeting with nutritionist to go on a diet and lose weight and also meeting with a heptologist to see if there is anything else that needs to occur.   Glad to be dealing with something that is reversible right now.  Felt like I had a gun to my head before I was told the culprit

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  • proudtospin
    proudtospin Member Posts: 5,972
    edited November 2012

    mine were high at one point but it came down nicely when I stopped taking so many tylonel (I was doing tylonel for leg pains that I blamed on my aromsin/femara but it turned out to be side effect of the cholesteral med  zocor.

    stopped zocor then went to lipitor and the levels are fine, no leg pain and not taking tylonel (I am alergic to all NSAIDS but they can do the same thing)

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  • MENA1954
    MENA1954 Member Posts: 194
    edited November 2012

    I have high cholesterol and I take red yeast rice for it.  Unfortunately although my cholesterol went down from 276 to 201, my liver enzymes have gone up!   My onc. is aware of the red yeast rice and was expecting the raised level and did not seem alarmed  when we discussed the possibility.

    Arimidex does also increase cholesterol, so at this point what are my choices?

    Mena

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