My liver enzyme functions (AST and ALT) were elevated last week.
The problem:
This result could be a sign of liver cancer.
OR It could be a side-effect of the antibiotic I was taking at the time, levoquin, as reported in 5% of patients who take levoquin.
OR it could be caused by other unknown factors.
What Dr. Oncologist ordered:
Abdomen CT scan to rule out liver cancer (tomorrow).
What I requested:
A blood test the day before the CT scan (today), which is one week after quitting the levoquin, to see if removing the levoquin from my system allowed my liver functions to return to normal.
The result:
My liver functions are back to normal today! This is strong evidence that my two abnormal liver enzyme results were indeed linked to the levoquin in my system and were not indicative of liver cancer.
The outcome:
No abdomen CT scan tomorrow!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Huzzah huzzah huzzah!
The moral:
Pay attention to your own healthcare, ask questions, and suggest solutions. You have nothing to lose by being wrong. You might even save the time, money, and stress of an abdomen CT scan.
