Health Update-April 22, 2015

It's been a while since I've given an update, so here we go. . .

We received the news yesterday that my liver looks normal-WAHOOOOOOO! The GI doctor seems to think my elevated liver enzymes (which were only slightly elevated) comes from the medication I'm on for my kidneys. He suggested I just have them checked periodically and let them know if I have any more crazy stomach issues. Praise!

I'm still feeling well and taking the medication for my kidneys in hopes that it keeps working. My next appointment is in a little less than a month, so we will go from there. Hopefully it will be great news and I can get off this stuff once and for all! 

Thank you all for your prayers, support, and warm wishes! Please keep them coming for the next bit as I'm still not completely out of the woods yet:-)

Health Update-April 13, 2015

Last week when I posted I mentioned how icky I was feeling because of my new kidney medicine. Well, I am pleased to say your prayers are working because I feel almost completely back to normal! The nausea comes and goes, but I am so thankful to report that it's going more than coming. Praise!

I also had an appointment with my nephrologist last week and it looks like that same medication is working! Praise! She said my lab numbers are moving in the right direction and things are looking food. She's hopeful that I'll only have to take it for 8 weeks versus the 12 weeks we originally talked about. She's also continuing to wean me off the prednisone while this is going on. 

Lots of good news!

Tomorrow morning is my liver biopsy to see if the GI doctor can pinpoint why my liver enzymes are elevated and if I actually have PBC. We are continuing to pray this is all cautionary and the elevated numbers came from that pesky gallstone. In the meantime we are remembering this. . .

Health Update-April 6, 2015

It's that time again-your weekly look into my cuckoo body. . .

So last week I told y'all we were headed back to the GI doctor to find out the official results of the MRCP. I was crossing my fingers it was something fairly routine like gallstones. Unfortunately, that doesn't seem to be the case. After more review of MRCP and the corresponding labs the doctor is concerned I may have another autoimmune condition called primary biliary cirrhosis or PBC. This is characterized by a constricted bile duct (which they saw on the MRCP) and elevated liver enzymes. 

I don't really have many of the symptoms, but there is a possibility I could develop them later (jaundice, itching, extreme fatigue). Most patients with PBC don't really have symptoms until they are very sick. We won't know for sure if I have this until they complete a liver biopsy, which is scheduled for next week. 

While autoimmune conditions are not hereditary, PBC may be related to PSC (primary sclerosing cholangitis) which is what my sister has. We think that's why the doctor is ordering all these tests and being careful. We are fervently praying that this is all a fluke and the doctor is being extra cautious for no reason at all!

All of this is going on in conjunction with my kidneys still doing their own thing. I have an appointment with the nephrologist this week to see if the cytotoxin is helping at all. I sure hope it is because it is wrecking havoc on my body! Some days are better than others, but I've been very nauseated and very tired recently. Love it when I can coordinate a mommy nap with a baby nap;-) I've also been very "out of it". So, if you're talking to me and I seem to zone out or can't do simple math, bear with me! Haha. 

Thank you for your continued prayers-they are what's getting me through! Your support, prayers, and well-wishes have been very comforting and I reread them when I'm feeling icky, so thank you!!

Health Check Point

Happy Tuesday one and all! It's been almost a week since I've caught y'all up on the health happenings, so I thought I would go ahead and post. 

So, last week I had an appointment the GI doctor to see what exactly was going on with all these "stomach bugs". I mentioned that I had hoped it was gallstones as that is a pretty easy fix. Due to my family's history of wacky medical disorders and my previous kidney issues the doctor didn't want to assume it was that just yet. He ordered some lab work and an MRCP (similar to an MRI) to see what exactly was going on. I still haven't heard back about the lab work (which I'm taking as a good sign!) and the MRCP is scheduled for later this week. Pending the results of all of that he may order a liver biopsy, but we're praying it doesn't come to that!

All of that means I'm pretty much in the same boat I was in last week. What about the other medicine I was supposed to take for my kidneys? It still has not come in yet! If any of y'all ever have to use this mail-order pharmacy, my deepest condolences. They have promised it would arrive multiple times and it still hasn't. I called them again yesterday to get a status update (since it was two days late from their most recent promised delivery date) and was told the order was put on hold and it was a good thing I called to release it. Seriously??? What would they have done if I hadn't called to check on it?? Good thing this isn't a life or death situation! Argh! The next promised delivery date is Wednesday but I'm not holding my breath on that one. . . 

Hopefully the next time I post I will have an update of happy news and happy lab results!

Spring Fun and Health Updates

I just wanted to take a quick moment and check in with everyone since my last update. I am happy to report I've felt GREAT since getting the fluids and anti-nausea meds in my system-I didn't realize how dehydrated I really was! Since my last post we have been enjoying every moment of this gorgeous Spring weather trying to soak it all in. A few pictures for proof. . .

Loving her first time in a swing! 

This poor baby has been blessed/cursed by super fair skin and will forever need a hat!

Hey, ma, who's that baby??

As you can see we've been spending a lot of time outside:-)

I was fortunate enough to get an appointment with a GI doctor for today and will hopefully receive some more answers there. The more I learn the more I think it was something with my gallbladder, but who really knows. I've had a few questions about how my new medication is affecting all this and the answers is-I have no clue. I actually haven't started it yet. Due to some miscommunication with the local pharmacy and some ball-dropping by the mail-order pharmacy it still has not arrived. Normally this would have aggravated the mess out of me, but I'm seeing this as a blessing instead. Had I been on that too who knows how my body would have responded! 

Many thanks for the continued prayers and support!

Well, That Was Unexpected

There's not much to say about our Sunday except, 

Well, that was unexpected

I should really back up to Thursday when all the "fun" started. Thursday morning I woke up to work out and had a funny in my tummy. Not too long after I decided working out was soooooo not happening I was running for the bathroom. And so began another epic stomach bug. That's right, I said another. That's because this is the fourth time I've been sick since December. And it's not just some 24 hour in and out and on with your life. No, we're talking a week to a week and a half of racing to the bathroom soon after I eat anything. This time around I lost 8 pounds in 8 days. Yea, not good. 

Anywho, it all began on Thursday and came and went and then came back and went. Just as I thought I was starting to feel better it would return with vengeance; just like the other three times I've had it. It was miserable. I started feeling "better", or at least like I could function, Saturday evening. I must have spoken too soon because early Sunday morning around 1:30am I woke up with dreadful chest pain. It was so excruciating I thought I was having a heart attack. In fact, come check my computer's history and you'll see that I was Googling the symptoms! After a few hours of writhing around in pain I finally took a baby aspirin and was able to settle down enough to get another hour of sleep before the babe started making noises.

When I officially woke up for the day I knew I wasn't in the clear yet. The pain seemed to have migrated down to the space between the top of my rib cage. After consulting with the mama (and the family nurse) we decided it would probably be good to head to Urgent Care. The WONDERFUL people at Urgent Care were quick to tell us there wasn't much they could do and sent us on our way to the Emergency Room. Have you ever been to the ER? It's not a quick trip. David and I both came prepared with reading material and settled in. 

After about an hour of waiting in the waiting room they put us in a room where we waiting another hour before we saw the Nurse Practitioner (NP). She ordered some labs and an ultrasound of my gallbladder before making any predictions. Cue more waiting. The ultrasound showed that my gallbladder looked normal other than some tube was constricted which she thinks means I recently passed a gallstone (perhaps that's why I was absolutely MISERABLE the night before!!). My lab work did show elevated liver enzymes. To jog your memory my sister and aunt both have autoimmune liver disorders and my mom has recently had some screwy liver numbers in her lab work. So, while hearing it was my liver wasn't good news, it also wasn't entirely surprising either.

According to the GI doctors on-call, with my history of kidney issues and my family's history of issues this could mean autoimmune hepatitis. Could. The NP wanted us to stay the night at the hospital, but said that nothing would be done until the next morning any way. After being away from our sweet girl all day and hearing we would be staying at the hospital only to get in early the next day, we decided to head home.

So, what now? I'll be calling the GI office today to hopefully get an appointment with their doctors to find out what's really going on and the next steps. Until then we continue to ask for prayer as all of this comes on top of my recent kidney issues. I know that God is with us every step of the way and is using this experience to work in us and mold us for the future and with that knowledge there truly is nothing to fear!