Hep C Discussion Forum

beautiful_wrath · Veteran Member

RE: Scared by my Labwork

Greg · Guru

Hi Wrath,

Not much more I can add to what others have said, so I'll just greet with you with a very warm welcome and wish you the very best. We'll all here for each other so please feel at ease.

Best wishes,
Greg

Cinnamon Girl · Guru

Hi Wrath, yes as people have already replied it is normal for those liver enzymes to fluctuate, even when you`re on tx, so try not to worry about those results too much. I know that`s easy to say, and when you first start tx, or are about to start, the whole thing seems very scary and hard to understand. It`s good news that your utrasound scan showed no swelling.

You`ll be starting tx next month, so you`re bound to feel anxious but try not to get too stressed, it will prob come as a relief to get started with it. Feel free to ask us any questions that are bothering you, we all understand what it`s like and will do our best to help.

All the best to you, love Jill xxx

-- Edited by Cinnamon Girl on Saturday 28th of May 2011 08:46:05 PM

cheery chatter · Veteran Member

Hi Wrath,

I believe that is very normal and once the treatments begin you will probably see a major difference. Mine fluctuated but no one ever tested me for Hep c for years, they would just tell me no tylenol, no alcohol and I should be fine.

So, please think good thoughts and be sure no matter how busy your doctor is you are just as important as any of his other patients. Continue calling and leaving messages, it is easy to fall between the cracks I know, as I said before my original hep dr. forgot about me for the first 3 months and I called and called and gave up and just kept taking the meds, passing out anemic. Now new dr and in 3 weeks I have had my dosage lowered just a little, a blood transfusion and am on neupogen to rebuild my wbc and procrit shots to rebuild my rbc. This is not only a emotional rollercoaster but can be a health rollercoaster to so just hang on...... Tonight I take shot 19. We will all fight this together.............

love ya, xoxoxoxoxoxo

ty · Guru

Hi wrath,

Sorry I didn't respond sooner, I was away from the house (and computer) all day. The ALT and AST scores do fluctuate. Mine were slightly elevated before tx and then they went up the day before tx began. My doctor even called and asked if I was drinking, but I haven't had a drink in twenty years!

Many people on the forum had their liver scores go down shortly after they started treatment and I worried because mine stayed elevated throughout the 24 weeks. (Some people had scores around 20 and mine went from about 150 to just over 200 through the couse of tx.)

I was told not to worry and that must be normal for me. Sure enough, when I finished they went into the normal range (0-50 on the tests given to me) and now are below 20.

It's interesting because a few people who have joined here have had quick elevations in their scores (acute Hep C). The ones I know about had scores in the thousands and all spontaneously cleared. I guess that's not unusual, but they had all been exposed only weeks before.

I hope this helps. Take care, ty smile

beautiful_wrath · Veteran Member

Hi Ron, Hi Missycat, Hi PJ. Thank you all so much for replying while I was waiting for a phonecall that never came yesterday. I guess my dr had much worse off patients then I that he was busy with but I will see him on Wednesday anyway. It was just shocking to get that bloodwork and see labs that were already high had jumped yet again. Half a year ago, things were just barely elevated and now look. The best advice that helped us last night was the fact that Ron reminded me that this is not a fast mover disease. There will not be a day you wakeup and are ten times worse than yesterday. Its damage is progressive, is what he said. Also took comfort that my ultrasound didn't show any swelling.
It's good also to know that enzymes can and do fluctuate. Maybe I had eaten something too greasy. I quit drinking alcohol almost two years ago. It's just that out of all the labwork, I've never had it go to this level. I notice that all of you are not too focussed on your enzymes it seems, perhaps I shouldn 't be so worried about that number as I should be about other numbers. I will learn as I go on what is important to worry about and what is not. I just appreciate the advice and the encouragement. I had absolutely nowhere else to go yesterday to ask questions and was really scared and was trying not to show it to my son and family and needed a little advice/support. So for that I thank you. I'll try to be here for someone in the future.
Sincerely, ~wrath

PJ · Senior Member

Hi bw,

I don't know a lot about lab work either, but I do know that liver enzymes can and do fluctuate. Before I was diagnosed I'd sometimes have higher readings, etc., and my family doc said she's watch it, but not to worry to much because many things can cause this. If you drink alcohol that certainly can, and I think it can fluctuate based on food intake also. Try not to worry to much!

missycat · Senior Member

Hi again i really dont know much about lab work but i do know that yes they can and flutuate,i asked the same question on here while im doing treatment and was told that yes they do.so pleased try not to worry.

im sure someone will come along with a more detailed explanation on lab work,but from my own experiance they do.

love kaz

xxxx

Ron Gilbert · Senior Member

Hi,

I'm not one to answer ALT / AST questions, Ive heard others talk about them but do not know myself the meaning or possible relevance.

To my understanding our main concern with HCV is the scarring of the liver, Corrosis. and progression into liver diease. All this is detected by ultra sound or biopsy and you may already know the stage to which you have progressed.

To my knowledge this is a slow progressive disease and there is no big explosion that takes place and takes over all at once.

Wish I could be of more help. I'm sure others will be more able to answer your question.

Ron

beautiful_wrath · Veteran Member

Hello everyone. This is only my second time to start a thread. Am awaiting to start treatment in June. Had some labwork done last week and compared it to my labs from 2 months ago and am real scared right now because in a short period of time, the ALT and AST have shot up over 60 more points. Why? Why would they just suddenly shoot up more? The GGT is high now too. I put a call into my doctor to speak with the nurse but have not gotten a call back. Thank goodness I have my monthly appt. next week?

I guess my question is...do the ALT and AST fluctuate? I've cut out an anti inflammatory and another pill I take(per dr's orders) just to see if it was causing the initial elevation increase we noticed a few months back and thought that may have a positive affect on readings. Guess I was wrong. How high is too high? I know these are all questions for my doc and I will most definitely get them answered by him but my mind is just running with questions right now and I'm scared. If anyone knows anything pertaining to this, I'd be interested in your input. I'm just looking for opinions and anyone who has experienced this before too.

Thank you for listening.

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