That's why they get paid the big bucks

I'm sorry that it has been a while since my last post. We have been so busy lately and when I have some down time all I want to do it spend time at home being lazy with Dave.

I hope that each of you had a wonderful Thanksgiving with your families. Ours was spent with family (first mine, and then Dave's) and the holiday went too fast. I am really looking forward to time off between Christmas and New Year's. I get two full weeks off this year and Dave has saved vacation time to be able to take quite a bit of time off with me.

The last time I gave an update I was just over half way into my two weeks of a lactose-free diet. I made it to day 11/12 before cheating and let's just say that I regretted it. I have now realized why doctors get paid the big bucks. It turns out that I really AM lactose intolerant. I am not sure how I never realized it before because I LOVE milk and cheese. After a few days of suffering the consequences of my cheating habits, I bought an over the counter supplement to take whenever I eat that seems to be doing to trick. I have been feeling much better and no more tummy aches.

At my follow-up appointment with Dr. Rene in Saginaw (the one with the great accent) I discovered that my liver enzymes are still extremely elevated. He said that if you took the highest number on the "normal" scale and doubled it, mine were still higher than that. The elevated enzymes thing started several years ago and was discovered after I complained to the doctor of an ache in my right side. They never seemed that concerned with it so neither was I. Dr. Rene is recommending that I have a liver biopsy and is leaning towards a diagnosis of Auto-Immune Hepatitis. He has thankfully allowed me to pass the findings back to my local gastroenterologist, Dr. Vedula, so that I can have it done in Mt. Pleasant. A diagnosis of hepatitis would not be good. It would mean that I would have to be on a steroid treatment for the rest of my life. The biopsy would determine how much damage has already been done to my liver and how much scar tissue has built up. The earlier that it is caught the best because the scar tissue causes cirrhosis and can lead to the need of a transplant if not caught in time. Thankfully, I don't think I am anywhere near that if it is determined that I, in fact, do have this particular type of hepatitis. The diagnosis would fit perfectly with my symptoms and is still in the auto-immune category that they have been exploring, and would also explain the initial positive ANA test. My appointment with Dr. Vedula isn't until December 15 so I will know more then.

We had our first real snow storm in Michigan. All the areas schools are closed but Central is still open (of course). It was a heavy, wet snow that resulted in a beautiful landscape this morning. Our backyard trees had branches dragging on the ground. I wish that I would've had my camera out this morning to take some pictures. I had driving in snow but I will admit that it sure is beautiful after a fresh snowfall.

As the Thanksgiving weekend comes to an end, I want to say thank you to each of you for your part in my life (and Dave's). We are truly grateful to have such wonderful friends and family.

Hugs,
Melissa