GardenLady
Active Member
Preview of bottom line: If you've had Covid recently, blood work might be in order.
Because the Mister and I are vaxxed and boosted, our recent (April) cases of Covid weren't severe. Bad, unpleasant, but never a concern about having to go to a hospital.
Something I was not aware of: Covid can affect your liver. Routine blood work about 4 weeks after I had Covid showed elevated liver enzymes (ALT and AST). I've never had an elevated AST before, and it was more that twice the upper limit of normal. I've had very mildly elevated ALT in recent years (we're talking 2 to 7 points over the normal range) which appeared circa 2018 when I started taking a statin; not uncommon. My ALT after Covid went to more than 3 times the upper limit of normal for a woman. Bilirubin and albumin remain normal.
After freaking out, I turned to Google and found articles on the NIH website about Covid effects on the liver. My doctor said the elevated enzymes are very likely due to Covid and usually drop in a couple of months, but not always--actual liver injury can happen. For now, no Tylenol, no alcohol, no tizanidine (muscle relaxer), very limited diet coke and other artificial sweeteners. Then, repeat bloodwork and a liver scan scheduled for mid-July.
So, if you have had Covid and have not had routine blood work (metabolic panel and liver function), perhaps you might want to consult your care provider about whether s/he thinks it's a good idea.
Because the Mister and I are vaxxed and boosted, our recent (April) cases of Covid weren't severe. Bad, unpleasant, but never a concern about having to go to a hospital.
Something I was not aware of: Covid can affect your liver. Routine blood work about 4 weeks after I had Covid showed elevated liver enzymes (ALT and AST). I've never had an elevated AST before, and it was more that twice the upper limit of normal. I've had very mildly elevated ALT in recent years (we're talking 2 to 7 points over the normal range) which appeared circa 2018 when I started taking a statin; not uncommon. My ALT after Covid went to more than 3 times the upper limit of normal for a woman. Bilirubin and albumin remain normal.
After freaking out, I turned to Google and found articles on the NIH website about Covid effects on the liver. My doctor said the elevated enzymes are very likely due to Covid and usually drop in a couple of months, but not always--actual liver injury can happen. For now, no Tylenol, no alcohol, no tizanidine (muscle relaxer), very limited diet coke and other artificial sweeteners. Then, repeat bloodwork and a liver scan scheduled for mid-July.
So, if you have had Covid and have not had routine blood work (metabolic panel and liver function), perhaps you might want to consult your care provider about whether s/he thinks it's a good idea.