Liver biopsy

For the past few years, I have not had a menstrual cycle.  The first month it happened, I though I was pregnant because I have always been like clockwork.  After a pregnancy test confirmed that I was not pregnant (whew!), my doctor and I set out to find out why my period had stopped.  For the longest time, we thought maybe it was the change in birth control pills, so I switched to a no iron pill.  Then my blood work in November of 2013 showed that I had elevated ferritin levels; my body was absorbing too much iron and not having a period probably didn't help.  Looking back at past lab results, I noticed that my ferritin levels were slowly increasing, but now it had gotten substantially high.

So, I was referred to a hematologist (blood doctor), who honestly didn't provide any answers.   I got an ultrasound of my liver to see if it was swollen/enlarged, which it wasn't and after several blood donations, my ferritin levels were within a reasonable range.  The hematologist said I didn't need to see him again, so I thought I was in the clear.  Well, some of my blood lab results from my 2014 annual exam were still elevated, so my doctor referred me to a gastroenterologist to make sure once and for all that everything was okay.  Apparently not, because than he said that my elevated gamma globulin levels may indicate that I have autoimmune hepatitis...my immune system is attacking my liver.  So, I had a liver biopsy done today and now I wait for 3-5 business days for the gastroenterologist to give me the final verdict.

Prepped for my liver biopsy; my nurses were all super cool.  I had a brief scare when the doctor doing the biopsy thought I was pregnant; apparently someone had indicated incorrectly in my file.

Channeling ET

Hospital lunch...I was very disappointed that my apple wasn't pudding or jello.

I was much happier with my Vietnamese gourmet dinner

Ice cream for my top three supporters

The patch protecting the hole where the needle was stuck through to get a hairline, 1.5" piece of my liver.  Not everyone gets to see a piece of their liver, so that was pretty cool.