"There's a myth that anyone who has a liver problem has brought it on themselves" This quote is from a Crohn's disease patient living with a blocked portal vein hoping for a liver transplant (Independent 31st Oct 2010)

Monday 10 January 2011

Appointment cancelled

Hospital called to say Dr C has cancelled his Tuesday clinic as, at short notice, he's got to be the 'on call' doctor. I'm to be rescheduled for Thursday, so not too bad.

Still no letter from him in the post, so I go to the GP and get a photocopy of theirs. The letter is dated 31st December, so my copy must have got lost in a snowdrift. In the letter he confirms he has asked the North Manchester pathologist to 'review your biopsies' though he doesn't say what for or when we might expect results. He'd said he would arrange this when we spoke on 7th December, so it's taking a long time. He writes that he believes the inflammation is 'as expected' in a case of chronic but inactive infection. Hmmm, do you get inflammation without infection? It contradicts the British Liver Trust hepatologist who wrote that if the Hepatitis B was inactive then 'there is another cause of liver inflammation'.

I'm going round in circles, so T has prepared a clear set of notes for me, covering my areas of concern. I'll take it with me and try to stick to what we know about the autoimmune blood test result and not get sidetracked.

Tonight I am off to my monthly Book Club meeting at a friend's house. I say monthly but I have missed the last 4 months. Current book was "American Youth" by Phil LaMarche. An unpleasant story of youth gangs. We don't have to like the books we are given, just review them. J read it and said it was "aw-reet" (Well he is local Cheshire not posh like me!). It has done the job of kick starting him reading again which is good, as he hasn't read a fiction book for about 2 years! He's now reading 'Room' by Emma Donoghue about a boy's day-to-day experience of being held against his will. Probably has some sympathy with the book's character as we pin him down yet again to revise for Friday's Geography AS level. And we have Trainspotting on order as they have read some of it for English A Level. All rather bleak stories. Hope I get a more cheery book tonight!

2 comments:

  1. Hi, Fiona.

    I didn't mean to take so long getting your question answered, but I had an off week mentally. As in the roller coaster was going down. Hopefully I dignified your question by giving it its own post. Most likely I over killed the answer, but then I am an engineer. :-)

    On a happier note, my dad called after reading it just to say, "Wow!" He hadn't realized what all I had gone through with the surgery. So you indirectly brought me and my dad closer together. How serendipitous is that?

    Question for you. How do you expect to get any better if everything is either closed, canceled, or contradictory? If you didn't need your liver all the time, I'd say put it on ice until the doctors can get it sorted!

    I love reading, too, and have often thought of joining a book club. But to be honest, you're going to have to give me some less depressing titles to get me started. I'm trying to head back up the roller coaster, not further down! Curious to know what book you got tonight.

    Get better (even if you have to do it yourself) and happy reading,
    Steve

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  2. Hi Fiona,

    I was wondering what you got to read next as well?

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