October 18. Day 291. A textbook case

So today was a day of reckoning of sorts. At the recommendation of my amazing specialist, I was referred to one of his mates, a bloke who is the director of Gastroenterology and Hepatology at Prince Charles, formerly from London's prestigious Harley Street. If you want to know why liver enzymes that should be around the 30 mark are at 1700 plus he's as good a guy as any to ask. There are no definitive answers but he's as sure as he can be that it's a reaction to the immunosuppressant I have taken for about a decade for ulcerative colitis. From day one I was told that while rare this could happen and I've had regular blood tests to check. All's been good until now. I had a similar result to a previous immunosuppressant but it was violent and almost instantaneous. It also righted itself as soon as I stopped taking it. Not this time. If you want to know what this kind of liver disease feels like, imagine a serious, serious hangover. Totally wiped out and vomitous. That's a liver that can't deal with what you are

throwing at it. Also because in the early stages my gall bladder was also misbehaving a bit I was itching all over like a drug addict in withdrawal. Attractive, right? The good news is, if this is the cause, it will right itself. The bad news is it may be six months or more before that fully happens. What is typical is hard to tell because the numbers are small but I've been warned it won't be fast. As wonder specialist says "you've had a severe episode. It will take time to mend" He went on to explain that had I badly fractured my leg in a car accident, recovery is fairly easy to measure. The liver is more tricky so you have to be guided by how you feel as to how much you can do and how quickly. A return to work half time next week or the week after may be achievable, depending on how I feel. And then there will be weekly blood tests to see just what those liver enzymes are doing. If the improvement isn't what they would hope, then a liver biopsy is on the cards. Dr Wonder says the good news is the best liver surgeon in the world is in Brisbane. Apparently if I have to have liver disease, this is the place to be. Well that's something. For now, no booze, obviously, lots of rest, lots of water and lots of walks with the dogs (I may have added the "with the dogs" bit). I should eat well and remember the fight to keep the ulcerative colitis at bay is now one drug down. Now the only weapon available to be brought in to fight an attack is steroids. I hate steroids. Steroids hate me. My family hates me on steroids. I hate my family when on steroids. So I've been told to consider what it is that is likely to stir things up and avoid them. For me that's going out to dinner. It goes like this. Restaurants or take away food is prepared and reheated, at least in part. That means more bacteria than something cooked from fresh. For most people that doesn't even register for me it starts a chain reaction that can be hard to stop and has landed me in hospital more times than I care to remember. As Dr Wonder says, when people go out for Indian and feel dreadful the next day, they blame the curry. It's more likely to be the rice which has been reheated multiple times. So there you have it. To celebrate I ducked into the QUT Library to borrow more series of House to keep me amused while I convalesce.  These books decorate the roof.