Good Health = Blessing

This picture was the start of it all.....

ID bracelet to get sonogram and hyda scan

Main reason for me not blogging lately – sickness!!!

Within the last month our little family has been to doctors’ offices, hospitals, etc. with various different ailments.  I know our blog is mainly to celebrate the girls and show pictures of them throughout their childhood so we can record it a book, but I wanted to write about our bout with recent illness to remind myself of when, where, etc.

I’m going to try and put it in a timeline format to make it easier, so bare with all the little details.  For most of you reading you won’t care about this post, but remember it’s for me too.

Please note that about 1 ½ before all of this I started not feeling well (fatigue, amber urine, headaches, etc.) but just put it off as dehydrated and not taking time to take care of myself (too many Diet Cokes).

9/21:

•  I decide to go to the family doctor to see what’s going on.  He took a urine sample and blood work.  Urine sample showed dehydrated while at the doctor’s office.

9/22:

• Family doctor (Pat Coates) called my cell phone that morning, but I didn’t answer.  Coates (knows Jordan) called his cell phone and told me to come in asap, because my liver enzyme levels were out the roof.
• Went in that morning and he discussed with me possible hepatitis, mono, etc.  He did more blood work and said he would get back with me asap.  He also requested that I get a sonogram of the liver and a hyda scan done of my gallbladder (check for blockage).
• Afternoon I went to Baylor Garland to get those tests done.  Hyda scan showed that my gallbladder had an excretion percentage of 4. Therefore that means my gallbladder isn’t really working.
• Family doctor says that he should have blood work back Sunday (9/25), maybe Monday (9/26)

9/24:

• Landry throws up everywhere in the car on the way to Murphy City Maize Days

9/25:

• Landry was still not feeling good (fever, throwing up, whining, etc.
• Addison starts throwing up and fever
• Jordan and Alyson take Addison and Landry to Acute Kids in Allen afterhours, because they are getting really dehydrated and not keeping anything down.  Addison ends up getting an IV of fluids and Landry is given Pedialite.  They are prescribed meds and sent home.  While they’re there I call my mom and she starts heading this way to help out.
• When Jordan gets home I am in the fetal position in our bed.  As soon as my mom gets to the house, Jordan takes me to the emergency room.
• I am checked into the hospital and begin throwing up, etc.  With my liver enzymes so high and a virus possibly they decide I need to stay.

9/25-9/27:

• I’m in the hospital and they continue to run blood tests, etc. to see if they can nail down what’s going on with my liver
• Addison and Landry are both recovering from the stomach virus.  In the meantime Jordan, my mom, and Alyson get it.

9/26:

• Jordan goes to the emergency room and has to get IV fluids to rehydrate

10/3:

• I meet with Dr. Vicente Chan (GI doctor) to discuss what’s exactly going on.
• Told that the blood work shows that I have autoimmune hepatitis (click to learn more).  At this time he requests that I get a liver biopsy to confirm the autoimmune hepatitis.  I am so prescribed Prednisone (lovely side effects, but heck I’ll take it over how I’ve felt the last few months) and Imuran to suppress my immune system and get the liver enzyme count down.

10/6:

• Liver biopsy

10/7:

• Begin Prednisone (30 mg) and Imuran (50 mg)

10/11:

• Liver biopsy is read by Baylor Garland radiologist.  BG radiologist doesn’t want to say yes or no to autoimmune hepatitis, so they send it to Baylor Hospital Downtown to review.

10/13:

• Blood work drawn to see if liver enzymes have gone down

10/14:

• Dr. Chan called and said Baylor Downtown came back with inconclusive for autoimmune hepatitis but wanted to get a urine test to check for Wilson’s disease

10/17:

• Urine test is taken to lab
• Vision test performed – no Wilson’s disease

10/19:

• Dr. Chan says urine test shows no Wilson’s disease.  He wants to get more blood work done to confirm autoimmune hepatitis.
• Lower Prednisone to 20 mg (yippee!!!)

10/25:

• Was supposed to get blood work done for more confirmation and to check liver enzyme counts but mass confusion with Quest Diagnostics and Dr. Chan’s office.
• Spoke with Susan Watkins (NP) at my endocrinologist office.   I have been in contact with their office from day one and they have been awesome.  She stated that both her and Dr. Jonathan Leffert agreed that after this blood work that I should go see a liver specialist.  So once I can get this final blood work drawn then we’ll be making an appointment to see what the specialist says.  He may say the same thing but at least that will put me at ease knowing that we had the best doctor tell us what exactly I’m looking at having.

What a chaotic time in the Griffin household.  During this time I know that God has my hand is walking beside me to give me strength and comfort.  I feel so content for some reason knowing that He is in control.