Raised ALT, low vit D and very high ESR

Digestive health
1

Hi, I'm new here and wondered if anybody knew if the above could have any links to each other?

For 4 years my vit D has been low, around 20, I've been unable to bring it up despite supplements all of that time, but apparently 20 is not low enough for injections?!! I've suffered with bone pains most of the time due to this too.

I've also had stomach pain and very loose stools for over two years, endoscopy was normal though.

For the past year my ALT results have been between, raised quite high and just above borderline at every test, but never normal and my ESR results for the past year have been between extremely high and very high consistently.

I have also had cortisol test results between severely low and normal, between normal and high thyroid results, but they keep testing and as soon as they get a normal test, they ignore the other results and they say I'm fine now. Then months later I'm quite ill still so they retest and irs abnormal again and so the cycle of tests to get a normal result continues.

Could any of these things be related to each other? Hepatitis has been ruled out, so I'm just being left to be monitored since I don't drink much alcohol!

I'm dizzy a lot, i have recurring joint pains, I'm exhausted all the time, I've got abdominal pain most of the time with bloating and have gained a lot of weight.

I already know that I have a liver hermangioma, which might be significant but might not.

Please, if anybody has had anything similar or could give me some pointers for information, that would be great because my GP just thinks I need Prozac. I'm concerned that my liver tests have not been normal for a year now but they're still leaving me to be monitored, despite all the above. Thanks.

2

Hi Su

I also had vitamin d deficiency. I was prescribed a high dosage vit d supplement for two months. I'd gone to GP complaining of tiredness and a general feeling of being unwell.

The following year my cholesterol levels had shot up after a routine annual check up. My diet had not changed and I'd always had low cholesterol so I was puzzled. This was not followed up as my GP surgery seems to be permanently manned by locums who you see once then never again.

Move on a year. I started getting gallbladder attacks. I did some research and discovered vit d deficiency and cholesterol are both linked to the liver and gallbladder. Coincidence?

I'd also been experiencing night sweats and loss of appetite before the attacks started and had several bouts of diarrhoea which I put down to having eaten something that disagreed, yet nobody else in the household had these. I suffer from joint pain and have done for a number of years. I also get times when I feel dizzy for a second or two. Before I had cholecystectomy I'd also put weight on and the horrible feeling of fullness was almost painful - felt like my stomach could burst.

I've lost some of the weight largely due to eating low fat diet before surgery and being nil by mouth for umpteen procedures. The joint pains are reduced. The pain and bloating have gone.

I don't drink and I've never smoked. I had my gallbladder out by open surgery in February. The labs found a growth in my liver. So I had a liver resection in March. It looks like the cancer was caught in time at the moment and I'm recovering well.

Could your symptoms be due in part to a gallbladder issue? Bloating, pain and weight gain are all symptoms. It's very frustrating when you can't get a diagnosis. If you are in U.K., you are entitled to a second opinion.

Hope you get sorted soon.

3

Thanks so much for your response, I will definitely ask if this could be tested for. There has to be a reason for all of these issues that I am having, so even just to rule something out is progress!

I'm glad to hear that they have caught you just in time, I sincerely hope all goes well and you recover well.

Thank you for taking the time to reply, I am so grateful. Kindest regards, Su.