Author Archives: The Bilirubin Queen

Insulin Resistance

Insulin Resistance In early January 2022, I knew that something was wrong.  I was exhausted, pale, having continual ulcerative colitis flares and feeling generally unwell.  It was a lot like liver failure, and it scared me to death. Fortunately for … Continue reading

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What Now – January 2022?

* This post was previously written in 2022 but not published (hackers took over my site and I quit posting all together). Now that it’s fixed, I’m catching up. Thankfully it wasn’t cancer, stay tuned for the reason why in … Continue reading

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The Road to Recovery Part 3

Aside from weekly and then monthly blood draws, the first few months after my transplant were unremarkable. With the help of Prograf, Cellcept, Prednisone & MANY other meds, my body was “jelling” with Grace. This wasn’t the case for many … Continue reading

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The Road to Recovery – Part 2

Fast forward to day 8 post-transplant: I’m home and on the mend. Did I mention I was bloated, bruised and constipated beyond my wildest dreams? Apparently 6 days of IV Dilaudid will do that to a person. Best Drug EVAR … Continue reading

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The Road to Recovery – Part 1

Getting on the list, waiting for the call and having the surgery are easy compared to recovery.  I wasn’t prepared for how difficult the first week after surgery would be, and there’s really no way to prepare mentally for it.  … Continue reading

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The Call

I went to bed on January 31, 2018, exhausted and in tears. After putting in a full days work and attending Bible study, I was wiped out.  Twelve days earlier, I had been hospitalized briefly and received  2 blood transfusions … Continue reading

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Close But No Cigar – Post 1 of 2

  In January, my liver failure rapidly accelerated along with its side effects – ascites and a horrifying new shade of yellow.  One fateful Sunday (1/21/18), after a jaunt to a Maternity shop to buy pants that fit, I hit … Continue reading

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She’s #1, She’s #1 (Guest Post by Stan Mitchell)

           Of course, I’ve known that for years!  But before that, let me recap this last week.  (I’m taking over the keyboard while Brenda rests from her harrowing week.) Before anyone even thinks that I shouldn’t … Continue reading

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Some Days Are Better Than Others

A lot has transpired since my last post.  I was granted MELD exception points and now my score is 24; this is good news as it puts me within 1 or 2 points of being able to receive “the call”.  … Continue reading

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So I’ve Got That Going For Me…

Every now and then, it’s refreshing to see a physician who doesn’t see terminally ill patients (in various stages of organ failure) every day.  Normally when I walk into the Transplant Clinic, with my newest sequela – or harbinger of … Continue reading

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