I don't have gallstones. My gallbladder is just as pretty as can be, which is nice. My liver, however, has an 8 cm cyst on the right lobe, which I kinda knew, but didn't know the exact dimensions. Also, it's grown about a centimeter since the last ultrasound, which was a few years ago. So this disease, it progresses.
The pain is gone, though, which I suppose is the good news. Dr. Steinman said my description of the pain is pretty typical for patients who have liver cysts, and that the cyclical nature of the pain is also typical. He says it has to do with cysts pressing against nerve roots of the different organs. I've never heard of organ nerve roots, and, when I went back to the GI guy (I forgot to cancel my follow up, and figured a no show would be just as expensive as just going and saying, 'It's just PKD, yo'), it was clear he had no idea what I was talking about either. Is he just massively under-informed, or is Dr. Steinman pulling nerve root terms out of his butt?
Either way, things don't hurt anymore, so I guess it doesn't really matter.
Lots and lots of people have lately been asking me about my health. I finally said to one person, "Wow, am I looking rough these days?" I always wonder how much people really want to know, and how much they are asking just to be nice. I don't mind people asking just to be nice---after all, it's nice!--but I often find myself gauging how much to tell them, or if I should simply say, "Oh, it's fine. I'm fine."
Which I am. I'm fine. I have softball sized cysts growing all over everything, but for the most part, I feel fine. Some days I feel great actually. This particular week I don't, which I guess is why I'm looking rough. I'm dragging a bit, as it has been a long and tiring week, and my husband is out of town, which means I'm not getting good sleep. I joke that I'm like a kid with a favorite blanket---I just can't sleep without my husband. The good part is that he says he can't sleep without me either. I don't know if that's healthy or just super co-dependent, but either way, we need each other.
He'll be back tonight, and we'll snuggle down together and sleep in as late as our devil dog will allow.
I so hate that dog.
4 comments:
Well, I think you look great. And I can't sleep when Nathaniel is gone either.
Hey I have a quick question about your blog, could you email me when you have a chance? Thanks! -Cam
I am sad to hear that your disease progresses. But then again, we all know it will. I suffer more from the pain from my liver than from my kidneys although my kidneys start to bother me more and more (bye, bye waist line!). Did you also get an update on your kidney function? I hope that the decline in function still is slow...
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