Results back

As promised by Rachel, blood test results are back and my GP surgery has a printout for me.
The blood clotting ones I wanted to check pre-biospy are fine.

Of the ones that monitor the cirrhosis none are significantly 'better', some are stable, one or two slightly worse from 3 months ago. Two of the 'worse' measurements help me monitor the fluid balance in my body which can be an indicator of the dreaded 'ascites' or swollen beer belly tummy that is a cirrhosis side effect. They are only a teeny tiny bit different to last time, suggesting a bit of fluid build up somewhere, but not enough to notice it round my waist or in my ankles etc.

The AFP tumour marker wasn't taken after all. The results take longer to come back and wouldn't have been in time. Spoke to Dr C over the phone to clarify why. Seems I got our communications lines crossed (my lack of Hindu and perhaps a glitch in his English) as to why he had previously said to avoid a liver biopsy if at all possible. What he apparently meant was pre-surgery he wouldn't stick a biopsy needle in while there was a tumour in situ - obvious really! As long as Friday's biopsy needle is guided by ultrasound into the liver they can pick a spot with no sign of suspicious lumps or bumps. Also normal protocol would have been not to check AFP until May, but then I don't do things by protocol! For my own piece of mind I'll get my 'extra' 3 monthly AFP done as planned by the GP next week. I COULD postpone the biopsy until after that, but I suspect a single abnormal AFP (should it turn out to be so, let's hope not) wouldn't be enough to shout 'cancer' until another and probably another or even a CT scan had been done. I've already waited a long time for a result via biopsy in case it tells us anything new, so I'll go ahead.