Not the News I Wanted to Hear

Well, my appointment with the liver doctor was long and complicated.

First of all, my referral had expired, so I had to wait for nearly an hour before they got that straightened out. I had to call my primary care physician and go back and forth, back and forth....irritating to say the least.

This appointment was a follow up for my liver biopsy, which was done all the way back in August. I actually haven't talked to him about the biopsy, but I knew that nothing fatal was going on. My injury and surgery kept me so out of commission, I just took what little news I had as all I needed to know.

But the news I got yesterday was not what I wanted to hear.

My liver has inflammation and scarring, which the medical world gauges on a scale from one to four. Both my scarring and inflammation are a two. He didn't expect to see severe scarring for at least 10 years.

A couple of important things:

My medication is harming my liver. Some of my medications actually cause elevated enzymes, which means they are causing damage.

My inactivity due to the surgery has made my problem worse. Even though it can't be helped, the lack of exercise works against me.

A proper diet goes a long way with this condition. Not neccessarily a weight loss diet, but a balanced diet. Other things that affect liver enzymes are diabetes and high cholesterol. Right now, those two aren't an issue.

All of this news raises another problem. The medication I take for Interstitial Cystitis is known to elevate liver enzymes. The drug is called Elmiron, and it is the only drug on the market that treats IC. This is a real perdicament, for my IC is more problematic than the Lupus and Fibromyalgia put together. I may be forced to stop taking the only drug that helps my condition. Google Interstitial Cystitis...you will find it is a very painful, debilitating disease.

I'm very concerned about what choices I may have to make. It will not be easy dealing with the situation, but I only have one liver. And I must protect it with my life.

Either way, changes will have to be made. I may not like all of them, but they are neccessary. I'm a bit discouraged, readers. But hopeful, I remain.