Hi @bumble81, There have been formal studies done for patients who have had a laparoscopic cholecystectomy that showed elevated liver enzymes post-op. due to the CO2 pneumoperitoneum (the CO2 air bubble in the abdominal cavity), but it says that the majority of the patients returned to normal levels within a few weeks.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3134700/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15776093
https://www.currentsurgery.org/index.php/jcs/article/view/334/314
@rosemarya @hopeful33250 @bonitav and @jimhd have all mentioned having gallbladder surgery, wondering if they have ever heard of this.

Bumble, was your surgery laparoscopic? Have you had your enzymes tested recently and are they still elevated?

Hello @bumble81

I can understand your concern over the elevated liver enzymes. We all want to have a healthy liver and if we think there is a problem it can certainly cause anxiety. I had my gallbladder removed a number of years ago, however, it was in connection with another surgery to remove carcinoid cancer from a nearby area in the digestive tract. Because it was part of a larger surgery I was never sure what problems were associated with the gallbladder removal and what was attributed to the more extensive cancer surgery. Here is a Connect discussion from Members who have had gall bladder surgery, https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/gallbladder-surgery/

There is another disorder that can follow gallbladder removal. It is rather rare and doctors may not think of it. It is called Sphincter of Oddi dysfunction. According to this information on the NIH website, elevated liver enzymes are typical with SOD. Here is the link with more information, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3096116/.

With that in mind, I wonder, as did Amanda (@amandaburnett), which type of gallbladder surgery you had and when you last had the liver enzymes tested.

Please share as you are comfortable doing so, @bumble81, but I'm wondering, besides the elevated liver enzymes, have you had any other symptoms since your surgery? Do you have any other family members with liver and/or gallbladder problems?

I had my gallbladder laparoscopically 6 days ago. On Friday night, I began to have this uncontrollable itch all over. I went to the ER the next morning and it was discovered my liver enzymes were significantly elevated (see attached picture). They even reached out to my surgeon who ordered an ultrasound because he did not like my numbers. Preliminary results showed nothing was wrong. They gave me two prescriptions to help with the itching until I follow up with the surgeon on Monday. Based upon my liver enzyme numbers, how concerned should I be?

@amandaburnett Thank you! I was given Hydroxyzine & Famotidine.

My surgeon ordered an ultrasound, because he wanted to ensure there wasn't a blockage in the bile ducts. The results were released this morning it stated that the common bile duct was not definitively imaged.

I also have had elevated liver enzymes prior to and after laparoscopic cholecystectomy. In fact one of the reasons my Dr. gave for having a cholecystectomy was elevated liver enzymes. However, it did not cause them to go down but have stayed elevated and even worsened over time. I'm curious about what else could cause this besides alcohol.

I had my Gallbladder removed on October 16th laparoscopically. My liver enzymes have been extremely elevated since. I have alway had my blood work done every 3 months and they have alway been normal. My most recent ALT was 387 and my AST was 109. I have an appt with a gastro/liver doctor on Monday. Is this normal for my levels to be so high because of me having no GB now.

I got my gallbladder removed in 2014 prior to surgery my liver enzymes were completely normal i was healthy aside my gallbladder being “chronically inflamed” according to my Surgeon. I got a repeat of my blood work 6 weeks after my surgery due to still having slight discomfort/ pain on the right side of my abdomen. My liver enzymes were “slightly elevated” my surgeon did tests to make sure no gallstones were left behind, I got multiple endoscopy done with no answer to my elevated enzymes. Fast forward to now it has been 8 years since surgery and I still have elevated enzyme levels 150 points over the normal limit with still no explanation as to why and what the cause is. I was told possible sphincter of oddi dysfunction by one dr got a second opinion and the other dr didn’t think so. I was told possibly a autoimmune disorder but haven’t been diagnosed with one. My liver enzymes never returned to normal after surgery. I’m not a drinker, smoker or use really any medications. My
Next step is a liver biopsy which I’m nervous about, but hopefully whatever issue is going it’s not too late and my
Liver isn’t severely damaged all because I needed my gallbladder removed. I’m worried, scared that I don’t have much time left and I will be leaving my child behind due to whatever issue I have with my liver. It has now taken a toll on my mental health.

I had laparoscopic cholecystectomy 11/16/22. Elevated liver enzymes prior to surgery were sudden nearly 500 both AST and ALT. I have a bike duct stent that was inserted day before surgery ERCP procedure. I gave a JP drain that fills up daily , I am getting 300cc see surgeon tomorrow first follow up. But my AFP tumor maker was 39.8 and they think I have cancer in my abdomen somewhere. Any thoughts?? Please

Hi there,

I'm 33, gay, caucasian male. I have been on a bit of a battle with my liver enzymes for the past year and a half. I am going to try to summarise all of this quickly in bullet form:

- End of 2021, my psychiatrist picked up elevated ALT
- April 2022, I went for SADI surgery (gastric surgery) to reduce my weight (I was 150kgs)
- May 2022, I went for preliminary bloods and it showed my ALT was in the normal range (29 U/l)
- June 2022, I had to have my gallbladder removed, it was done laparoscopically
- July 2022, I had bloods done again, and it was slightly elevated but not extremely (38 U/l)
- 3 days ago, I had my bloods tested again and my physician simply said to me "your gamma" is really high (I didn't know that this was liver function - I am used to the term ALT, so I didn't think to ask her what this could be considering my history of ALT, nor did I think to ask her what the actual number is).

She said to me that it may be because of my depression and anxiety medication (I am on sertraline 300mg, lamotrigine 150mg, Voxra 150mg and Seroquel 200mg). I couldn't face her (and I am ashamed now) to tell her that I went off my medication around June 2022. I know, I know... its bad that I did that, and I am seeing my psychiatrist on the 29th Jan and I will talk to him then too about this. My point of admitting this, is that because I have been off of the meds for so long, I think its unlikely that 'the meds' are the reason for the elevation.

Considering my history above, I am now petrified that its liver cancer. I absolutely hate alcohol (never drink) and I do not smoke either (so I am obviously ruling those out as causes of the liver damage... so cancer jumps to mind again). I am a gay male, and I do (heavily) use a stimulant called poppers (I know, I know... this is bad for you. I am going to stop now). Do you think it could be this maybe?

I know that no one here can diagnose me (especially since all I know about the ALT/'gamma' is that it is 'very high' - i.e. no number) and that I need to consult my doctors, and I am in the process of doing this now, but I am quite panicked at the moment. Is there anything anyone can say to reassure me. Please :(. I have terrible health anxiety (hence my psychiatric medication...).

Not sure if this is significant, but I do experience like a slight pain (feels like heaviness) in my right shoulder, especially at night - but this could be posture related as I do work in front of the computer.

Hi
In the beginning of September 2022 my ALT Was 116. In October it went down to 103. After that it very gradually decreased to 29, which is barely above the minimum standard. Another liver enzyme, AST, was 52 during my September 2022 blood tests (it should have been between 13 & 39). It too has come down well below the max. to normal 29 in the past 5 months. I still have 2 Liver enzymes coming down to the normal range but not yet there. One is GGT which came down from 660 to 290 (normal max=64!). Another enzyme, ALP, has come down from 255 to 218 (max. normal is 121).
These enzymes fluctuate so much even doctors sometimes have no explanation. I did two liver biopsies & an MRI. Despite the above significant disparities from the standard, all results came back normal. My hepatologist (i.e liver doctor) did some adjustments on the dosage of the medications I was on & added a new one. I believe these adjustments helped very much.
Please do not worry that much. Liver cancer has its own awful & nasty symptoms & from your post nothing indicates that way. For full disclosure, I am not a doctor nor am I related to medicine in any way. Liver enzymes fluctuate for so many reasons & most are just transient & benign. Just faithfully adhere to whatever your doctor instructs you to do. Do not take the liberty of dropping prescribed medication arbitrarily into your own hands. Because it is not yours. After all that - just leave all your anxiety & worries at our Lord's feet (or whoever you believe in) & walk away. You will be surprised God will find a way out for you. If you trust He will not fail you.
I am a liver transplant recipient.