i think i need a pithy qoute for here.
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at my last physical, at the end of march, my doctor wanted to check my thyroid. i guess my glands were swollen or something. i thought that i would have her order the works (cholesterol, sugar, etc.) while she was at it. so i went to the lab the next morning to have blood drawn. the tests came back showing an elevation in my liver enzyme levels. i went for another blood draw a month later and those results were the same. i was tested for hepatitis c. i didn't know anything about hep c, so it looked it up on the good ol' web. hepatitis c is pretty scary. it is a disease that can kill you without you having any symptoms other than, maybe fatigue. i was understandably a little freaked. thankfully, the test came back negative. the next step was an ultrasound of my liver (and innards in general). i was told to call in a week, so i did. the nurse i talked to informed me that i didn't have cancer and everything else looked OK. well, how'd ya like them apples? i didn't even know i might have cancer. i made an appointment with my doctor. she told me the nurse must be an idiot because that's not what they were looking for, but my liver was enlarged. i needed to be referred to a specialist, a gastroenterologist.
today was my appointment with the gastroenterologist. it went really well. i feel very omfortable with dr. gjersoe. (the intern with her is another story.) i went in and filled out the paperwork and waited for the doctor in a little room. in comes dr. g and hottie intern-boy. we went through my chart and the tests that were already done, as much for intern-boy's benefit as mine. my lipids were high and my liver tissue was dense. we went through the whole questionnaire about my life. any family history, my drinking habits, my sexual habits.... we pretty much figured that i don't really have any family history of fatty liver (that i know of) and i don't drink a lot (in the last 4 - or more - months, i have had 3 small glasses of wine). i have been married for 6 years (together for a total of 9 years) so it's probably not std-related. she ordered tons more blood tests and put me on a low-fat diet. i have another appointment in 2 months. if there seems to be improvement, we will continue with the diet/exercise route. if not, we'll look into our options then. i may have to have a liver biopsy. right now, it's all "wait and see". it might (or might not) be related to my weight (way too high - but i carry it well) and dieting may "fix" things. the official diagnosis was "non-viral hepatitis". that really just means that there's something wrong with my liver that isn't caused by a virus (duh). i guess my liver is as fatty as the rest of me :^) . it's not related to my almost addictive intake of immoduim or allergy season sudafed. my irritable bowel syndrome is not related. she did ask about my periods, but felt that issue should be left to an OB/GYN. during the appointment, dr. g asked me if i had been worried about the appointment. of course, i was. she told me i didn't have anything to be too worried about, lots of people have fatty liver and, basically, not to stress over it. i feel a lot more relaxed now. i have some answers. we still aren't sure what's going on, but we are a little closer. after these next tests, many more things will be ruled out. i'm hoping that eating better will "fix" things. be sure to leave an offering to Goodhealthstra for me :^) . as a funny aside, i have to tell you about my embarrassment at the appointment. like i said, there was a hottie intern-boy with dr. g. we sat and went over everything. she was quizzing him on "what might this indicate" or "what tests would you do" (he had some good suggestions - including wilson's disease, a little-known disease that a friend of mine has). i have only seen female doctors because i feel most comfortable discussing personal stuff with them. i was a little embarrassed with the questions about my sex life and menstrual cycles, but hey, he'll hear it all, and worse. but when dr. g wanted to exam me - yikes! she sat me on the table and untucked my shirt to hear my heart and lungs. then she asked me to lay down. she pulled my shirt practically over my head and unzipped and pulled my pants down a little. i didn't know she was going to do this this morning. i was wearing pink flowered underwear! in front of hottie intern-boy! i was so embarrassed. when i told scott, he just rolled his eyes at me. if i had known i was going to be examined, i would worn better undies and bra. ok, so it's my own stupid hang-up. i was glad that intern-boy was there. maybe her instruction to him led to her saying more than she normally would (although i got the feeling that she would do that anyway). i walked out feeling like i had questions answered and like i am going in a direction now. unfortunately, no more big macs for me. maybe smelling them will appease me. this is rather long. i had a lot to say, though. i'm sure i will forget everything, though. it's probably better i write it down.
until tomorrow
: yesterday : :
today : :
tomorrow :
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