Journal entry by Julie Meranda —
Hello, Joshua here.
We have received the results from the liver biopsy and the path forward is not entirely clear, but it's nothing worrisome. With all of the chemotherapy I received, I'm expected to have issues with my kidneys, pancreas, liver, and other organs to some extent. Ultimately, it's "normal" for our stage of post-transplant life.
First, we all know I'm a big guy, and medically that translates to "overweight," so yes, I have what's called Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease. The only way to treat this is to lose weight. Easier said than done, but I'm hoping that having the doctor tell me this will kick my butt in gear.
Second, there is still a possibility that I have some GVHD. They will continue checking my liver enzyme numbers from my lab work and if it gets too elevated, they'll be able to treat it with steroids.
Lastly, because I was having issues early on with my blood numbers, I had to receive extra infusions of blood. The negative effect of extra blood transfusions is an abundance of iron that has built up in my liver. This could be causing the increased enzyme numbers. The only way to decrease the iron build-up is to remove blood (Blood in, iron in. Blood out, iron out.) My hemoglobin count has been in the normal range, so when I go in for my next appointment in KC I will make a blood deposit before heading home. After a small test, they'll be able to determine how much blood I'll need to withdraw.
We are praising God that it's nothing crazy and that it's treatable.
God is good.
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