I have to stop treatment!

I am sitting here confused. What next? Seriously. My bloodwork came back with a high WBC count and elevated liver enzymes. My liver enzymes have been elevated for a few years now but it was only slightly elevated. Now one of them is in the 100's. They have never been that high. My WBC have been elevated as well but now they are 12,000 and they're not supposed to be over 10,000. So, doctor wants me to stop Levaquin and get an ultra sound.

The only thing I have changed recently is I am now doing Methyl B-12 injections and I'm on pain pills. I can stop the injections but there is no way I can get off of the pain meds. My pain level has been too high.

Could the B-12 be making my enzymes higher?

I am so dissapointed right now. I had finally gotten serious about getting better and was going to do whatever I could to get better.

Hey Dowa,

I've had elevated liver enzymes for some time now. I was wondering if the B-12 could have caused it to go even higher. A doctor I saw a few years ago, thought I had fatty liver and sometimes certain medicines will make my enzymes go higher. A stomach medicine I was on did this to me as well.

I just thought of something else I was on before I did the blood work. I was taking diflucan for yeast. Diflucan can be very hard on the liver.

CG, I'm sorry to hear you are having an adverse reaction to something. If you stop treatment for awhile does that allow your liver to heal enough for you to restart? Do you know if the pain pills you are taking have as a side effect liver enzyme symptoms? Could it be that other things you've been taking that caused the slightly elevated counts have over time created more of a problem? I hope your ultrasound reveals good news. Maybe just a change in meds will do the trick. You are in my prayers.

Rose

Hey Hol,

Yes, I know how bad Levaquin can be on the liver. The bad part about all of this is that I wasn't on Levaquin when I took the bloodwork so no telling what my numbers are now since I've started it.

It's sad because I usually do good on Levaquin. I've been on it many times. Oh well.

I wonder if Diflucan raised my enzymes? I've read alot about Diflucan and how harsh it is on the liver. I had forgotten I was on that right before I did my bloodwork.

Thanks Dowa. I'm sure the Diflucan didn't help. I should have taken nystatin like my gut was telling me to do. Nystatin doesn't pass through the liver.

I guess my next step is a detox/cleanse. I really hate putting this off because I'm so ready to get better. The pain gets so bad sometimes. I'm just ready for this to be over with. I feel like my energy is running low in dealing with everything. You know, a person can only take so much.

Thanks Hol. I stay very far away from Tylenol, lol. I know how bad it can be. You know, all of this upsets me because I am not a drinker. I mean, I drank when I was young, but not enough to damage my liver. I've done all the hepatitis tests and they were all negative. Maybe I should redo them? I don't know. This is scary because my daddy just passed away from cirrhosis of the liver.

Hi CG,

Gosh, I hope you figure out what is wrong, and can get back on treatment. But I do know that many people with Lyme disease have liver problems- I think most of them say it is because of the antibiotics. Hopefully, you just have to stop one antibiotic, or switch a medication.

Nicole

Do you think the internist scared you too much? Did your current doctor seem overly concerned with the enzymes, or just concerned the normal amount?

I was just asking the age thing because it was from what I read, older people who more often than young people with those issues (liver, drugs, etc.)...I know it's not always the case, but I was just curious, but you're still pretty young, so that's not the case here obviously.

I don't take Diflucan too often, even though my yeast could stand to have me take it every day, but when I do take the Diflucan, I cut it in half. I just do not trust it enough to take the whole, I get a little nervous. Maybe I'll consider asking my LLMD for Nystatin next time I see him.....

My first LLMD didn't seem that concerned either. He said that I had to overcome my fear of medications. To be careful but not be scared of everything. But again, my levels weren't this high.

cajungrl, so sorry about your dissappointing news- if you are thinking about cleansing the liver i know a good recipe which i handled very well- its an old one that is commonly used- grapefruit juice,epsom salt and olive oil...if you are interested at all let me know and i will email you the directions. It is important to do what you feel is best for your body- and in my opinion a liver flush or cleanse is always helpful if you can tolerate it and it really isn't all that bad in my experience- actually easier than prepping for a colonoscopy b/c you aren't going to the bathroom ALL day long. You can research on other recipes too to find the one you are most comfortable with. my only observation on the one i did is that is highly important to eat well before the cut off time for eating or you will be very fatigued/weak. My appetite was poor that day and i didn't eat nearly enough and felt quite weak but it still worked- i actually got a gall stone out! :)

I just got off the phone with the lady that supplies my supplements and she is going to get me everything I need for a kidney/liver cleanse. She wants me to get back on some other supplements too. I've felt better before on these supplements so I will give it another shot.

I will just take it one day at a time and see what happens.

Thanks for the info finding.

Sorry to hear about this latest snafu.

I never had any issues with my liver, even when I was on all the strong drugs together, as well as 200MG Diflucan every day for 60 days.

What a bummer.

Also, I had high WBC in the 18,000 - 19,000 for 2+ years and they could not figure it out. Finally in April this year it was "normal". I get it done again this month, and after being off all Lyme drugs and only on Anti virals, I will be most interested to see what it is. Yours is only slightly high and ALOT of things could cause that. Stress certainly can cause an elevation in your WBC, as well as any type of small infection such as a cold, sinus etc.

I would not be too worried over your WBC...

Keep me posted. I am glad Dr. C is on top of this.

Vitamin B12 can elevate the WBC count in some cases, but not by a lot. The liver thing is not likely to be from the B12 - I'd say the B12 is more likely helping your liver than harming it...

You may not be getting enough Milk Thistle, or maybe you need to find a different supplement (different brands may have different concentrations of the herb or may use different extraction methods)...

I've had elevated liver enzymes for a long time from fatty liver secondary to IV nutrition as sole source of nutrition (this is a known side-effect of long-term IV nutrition when one is not able to eat the regular way). Milk thistle compounded specially for IV use brings down my liver enzyme levels pretty rapidly; the oral version is not as effective for me (probably due to absorption issues, and who knows what else).

Have you been checked for Ehrlichia/Anaplasma? I know this is one coinfection that can elevate liver enzymes also...

Good luck,