Thank you for your kindness.
My friend, a former rheumatologist, has made some suggestions to me in terms of what labs she would like to see. One of the labs she wants ordered is B6, which I have asked for. She also wants me to review my labs going back 2 years, specifically looking at bilirubin levels and providing this information to her. She said she keeps her license current, volunteers for Sacramento County and cannot take any payment for her help. I will think of some way to repay her for her kindness, perhaps a painting.
My symptoms consist of terrible itching, chronic diarrhea, no appetite and pain in my upper abdomen. I will be having a CT scan in 2 weeks for the pain I have had for quite some time in my left upper abdomen, toward the center. Probably epigastric issues. I am going to call Pacific Medical Center in San Francisco to confirm whether or not the hepatologists at Sutter who rotate to Sacramento only see those who need liver transplants, as my friend did not think that was true. She explained that all of the specialists rotate to Sacramento, so one may not see the same doctor each time. If in fact, a Sutter hepatologist could treat me, that might be of benefit. Especially considering what I was told this past week by my doctor. All hospitals are having problems and are far behind in seeing patients in specialty departments. I suppose I have waited this long, what would another few months be worth? My weight seems to be holding around 94 lbs, so I am not losing weight. I continue to walk and lift small weights each day so I do not lose muscle mass.
I have a new therapist and she seems to be more "real" than the former one who did not want to work with me. I have found during my navigation of my disease that I am feeling more empowered, a feeling that was always so foreign to me. I have let many of my "friends" go, especially those who could not or would not have anything to do with me once I became "chronically ill." There were some people in my life who lacked the same value system that I have, such as humanity, kindness and compassion to all, and after much thought I realized I had to let go of these people if I wanted to live a more satisfying life. I understand some people just can't handle having a friend who may not be 100 percent; however, the odd thing is that my personality has not changed, I am not asking anyone for help or things like that. Perhaps these people were afraid I would ask for help. This is not to say that sometimes I do need help with something, but usually it's something easy like helping move my furniture or something mundane. In many ways I feel stronger even though my physical being may be weakened. I wonder if this is a common issue with others who suffer from a chronic illness.