CoCo's Corner

Today was the day I was dreading. My doctor had been threatening it since the first time I saw him. When I got the awful news that my issues had progressed to actual cirrhosis, he said - you need a liver biopsy. Today was the day.  Waiting to go back for my biopsy They called me yesterday and told me to be there at 9:00 a.m. Nothing to eat after midnight. I could drink clear liquid until 7:00 a.m. and then no more.  Or just a sip to take a medication.  And I needed a driver.   We got there in time, got registered and they came and got me.  The process itself was really quick.  Once they took me into the ultrasound room, they did a quick ultrasound, the Nurse Anesthetist gave me some drugs that kind of knocked me out a bit.  He said he would give it to me and then five minutes later give me more.  And would do it every five minutes until the procedure was over. It was over so quickly, he only had to do two doses. The only thing I felt dur...

When I get my dressing charges I must wear a mask.  The nurse, too.  So we don't get germs on it!! So, I thought I would share a little bit more about how I got here.  But I'm going to be discussing how I was medically gaslighted, (gaslit -- who knows) and was not treated properly.  And due to that, I am now where I am. When I had my collapse on November 19, 2022, after my knee replacement, I was taken to the emergency room.  The doctor there is the one that told me I was malnourished.  He told me I needed to follow up with my primary care physician (PCP).  When I went to make an appointment with said PCP, I found out my PCP had left the organization, and I no longer had one.  After explaining my situation, they decided to set me up with an appointment with Dr. Z.  I was fine with it, because I needed to get to a doctor.  My first visit, he seemed OK.  But I found him a bit odd.  I'm completely fine with odd, as long as they kn...

Malabsorption - definition - Malabsorption is a state arising from abnormality of food nutrients across the gastrointestinal tract.  Impairment can be single or multiple nutrients depending on the abnormality.  This may lead to malnutrition and a variety of anaemias (blood disorders). I have heard the term before.  But the first time I had heard it in response to me was a little over a week ago.  I was with my roommate daughter at her appointment and her doctor pointed to IVY and said, what's up with that??  So I told him.  And he said, people have no idea how hard it is when you have malabsorption.  People think you can just eat to make it better, but you can't. So let's go to the beginning.... If you have known me at all in the last few decades, you know that I was "morbidly obese".  I topped out at 245 pounds.  I had Type 2 Diabetes, high blood pressure, thyroid disease and stomach issues (gerd) for the last couple of decades and had taken...

Had to wear this shirt to my doctor  appointment.    So it's been 16 days since that fateful walk into the St. Marks ER.  I ended up staying there for five days.  Diagnosed with Cirrhosis of the liver.  And facing an unknown journey and not knowing how it will end. What have the last 16 days brought??  Well, I've let you know about the TPN.  Tonight, it goes down to a 12-hour drip.  It will be nice to have half my day free from IVY.  She gets a bit clingy.  So I feel like I can breathe and accomplish some life tasks. I still get pretty tired.  Mostly when I'm attached to IVY.  She gets pretty heavy when I'm trying to accomplish things at home.  She starts to wear on my left shoulder and my neck.  I've been waking up with horrible muscle pain in my neck and shoulder.  So, I take a bath in Bengay or put on a Lidocaine patch.  Take two Tylenol for the pain.  Usually after that, I am functioning p...

 I just decided to do another post after spending my first night in my own bed with my new sexy bed partner.  TPN. TPN - Total Parenteral Nutrition.  Calories, vitamins, minerals and all that delivered through an intravenous line. PICC line -  A little stronger and more durable than a regular IV line.  It's inserted, via ultrasound, into a vein.  Mine is in my upper right arm.   IV Pump - an electrical system that pumps the IV fluid from my bag into my veins.   In essence, I have an IV bag, when first attached to my PICC line, it probably weighs 15 to 20 pounds.  It is kept in a backpack, so I can be mobile.  I have the pump plugged in, to keep it charged, when I'm not mobile and trying to get my home back in order after being gone for five days in the hospital. Me and my sexy new bed partner.  I know, I'm gorgeous.  Skinnier than a prepubescent 12-year-old boy and a mess.  Don't judge.  I'm working on it!! ...

This week has been one for the books.  There has been some good things, not so good things and more.  I will explain. Last Saturday, my daughter and I drove to Idaho Falls.  We went to visit my bonus daughter and her family.  I wasn't feeling great.  But I wasn't feeling horrible.  By the time I got home, I had a lot of swelling.  I have been dealing with that for a few months.  I had started to see a specialist about my liver and my pancreas.  I had recently started a medication, it is a very pricey medication, but it's supposed to help me break down calories and nutrients so that my body absorbs them.  Even though I eat, my body was just shedding the nutrients and food I was eating and making it so I was not gaining weight.  I was 95 pounds.  And nothing I did would gain weight.  But I've gained 20 pounds over the last few months.  My clothes were uncomfortable.  But, I don't know if it's just the water retenti...