Pain, Tests and Doctors

I spent the entire afternoon and into the evening yesterday at my university hospital. It was not fun. I had been having pain just under my right ribs. It had become more swollen and the pain moved slightly to the right.

I noticed it a week ago while pulling some weeds in the garden. Something was there. Yesterday while I was working out at the other rehab, I had to cut back on my time on the treadmill because of the pain. I cannot afford to neglect any of the rehab. On the way home, I hit a small pothole and said, “Ouch!” out loud. Clearly it was time for someone to look at this.

So, I headed to the acute care walk-in clinic at the university hospital.

The intake nurse did not listen to me and sent me up for an x-ray. While there, I was able to have the tech take an x-ray lower and to the side where the pain was, not just my lungs.  When I returned to the clinic, the doctor examined me and told me that I had a swollen liver.

Liver?!? What?!?!

1. I never smoked and I have a lung disease.
2. I never did cocaine and I have a disc in my nose because my disease has a sinus component that was exacerbated by the cannula for supplemental oxygen use.
3. And now I have a liver problem and I don’t drink. I have never liked alcohol and felt that it just didn’t agree with me.

Life is not fair!

First, I went to have blood tests. Then, off I went on a shuttle to another hospital where I had an ultrasound then caught another shuttle back to the hospital where Michael was there to greet me. He had gotten a ride up to be with me.

I am the luckiest woman in the world to have the love of this one special man.

After all the tests, the doctor thinks it may be swollen from the recent infection or one of the medications. Funny, my non-drinking brother had just been told that he, too, had a fatty liver. My doctor also thinks there might be a gall bladder issue but there was no proof today. Gallstones don’t always reveal themselves in an ultrasound. My dad, mom, brother and grandma all have/had gall bladder problems. She also mentioned that all of my blood tests looked normal. For a sick person, my numbers were great.

Also, being overweight does not help and if I lose weight it will actually help the liver to settle down. So I am happy that I have my appointment with the Weight Management group just before Christmas.

She also said to avoid dairy – I only eat yogurt, which I will now stop – and Betty just told me that vitamin B12 is also supposed to help a fatty liver. Couldn’t hurt.

So, no medication. No help for the pain. But I did get a referral to the liver gurus who will do further tests. She also said that I would probably be put on more medication….Whoopee. Just what I need. More drugs.