elevated liver enzymes

6 months ago, with an episode of exhaustion (I work long hours), I was hospitalized.  I had recently been diagnosed with chronic Epstein Barr and elevated liver enzymes were noted.  In the hospital, cholesterol was found to be way high and also in subsequent blood tests.  I embarked on a major diet, exercise program with a trainer and have lost 19 lbs. Cholesterol is improved but still high, liver enzymes still elevated tho, "not terribly".....I am very peeved that my doctor is not explaining what this all means and am getting more and more upset about it....I've cut saturated fats, stopped drinking coffee....done everything right....never drank, never smoked.....

I would like to know what the possibilities are, what this could mean...what kind of doctor is best for this?  Mine is a family doctor....I need to keep calm for work and family and am finding it very hard.  Any thoughts would be appreciated.

[eveningstar]

Illness can cause elevated liver enzymes.  So can many medications, especially tylenol and antibiotics.  Alcohol too.
An excellent informative book on cholesterol is "The 8 Week Cholesterol Cure" by Robert Kowalski.  I got my cholesterol down by eating a lot of oat bran and less red meant and less carbohydrates.  I understand how stressful it can be when something is not right with your health.  You need to take charge of your healthcare.  You need to know what your numbers are- for cholesterol, and liver enzymes.  Ask for copies of your test results.  It will have your results along with what the normal range is supposed to be.  My doctor's office actually offers me the copies because they know I will ask.  I do a lot of research on the internet on health concerns.  Google.com is an excellent search engine.  So is Webmd.com.  If you feel your doctor is not taking the time to talk with you and explain things then perhaps you would want to find a different doctor.  Make a list of questions to take along to your appointment.  If you are interested I can give you a lot of tips on lowering cholesterol...at least what worked for me.  Good luck with eveything.

[shebee]

Hi there...did your dr. check for Hepatius C?  Hubby went in for routine check up; the only thing wrong was elevated enz.  He had no other symtoms (symptoms) except he was tired.  

Also there is a product called Endur-acin that lowers cholesterol & trig.  Doctors used to use niacin, but it causes uncomfortable flushing of the skin.  This product does not.  


It cost about $13.00...as opposed to chlesterol-lowering drugs (which have sides and cost a small fortune.)  An apple a day...and carrots are also cholesterol reducers...including oat meal & oat bran.  Fiber supplements help also.

   This is an interesting site:
                        http://www.endur.com/lipid.html

...and it looks like you are doing everything right....Good work!
Remember...it took time for cholesterol to build up...and it takes time for it to go down.  
Shebee

[roxnsox]

Did the doctor ever do a scan of your abdomen to see if you had fatty infiltration of the liver?  You might have "Fatty liver" or Non-Alcoholic Steatohepatitis (NASH).  When blood test show elevated liver enzymes that means your liver is inflamed.  The trick is to find out what is causing it to be inflamed.  Tylenol, alcohol, and some antibiotics irritate the liver.  If you have avoided all of these things and you are still having problems the doctor should do more tests or send you to a gastroenterologist.

[tediz]

A related discussion, high trigltcerides was started.