It's What?!

Do ever stand in your pantry wondering what half of the items are or where they came from? Maybe I'm the only weirdo to think in that way but when someone is faced with an allergy, these are the thoughts that should come to mind.

My goal is to begin a series of weekly posts in which I research specific ingredients in an effort to identify their sources as well as their how they are processed. 

Here is where you, as the reader play a part. I would like to hear back about some ingredients that you are suspicious of or are interested in learning more about. Comment below and I will add them to my research! 

Be on the look out for these mystery ingredient posts :).

Patience is Virtue

A lifetime of rocky health...

One solid year of a weakened immune system and increasing pain...

Three months of constant testing and weekly doctor's visits...

All of this has lead to one lesson that I have yet to grasp completely but am getting closer each time, the lesson of patience and trust.

They say you don't ask the Lord to grant you patience if you aren't ready for tough times. He knows the only way for a person to become patient is to learn by waiting, and waiting, and waiting. 

Thankfully, my wait was fairly short and we all are breathing a sigh of relief. 

Yesterday was my follow-up with Dr. V, my Hematologist/Oncologist. We had the MRI results and the blood tests we ordered during our last visit. 

MRI echoed the CT as for the size of my spleen (looks about the size of a liver...normally the size of a fist) and that the "spot" covering the majority of my spleen is a cyst. The Radiologist who reviewed my MRI results labeled it as a "basic splenic cyst" and though they have to consider a parasitic cyst, they are pretty sure its not based on other indicators. Between the CT scan and MRI the cyst has slightly reduced in size and is beginning to calcify! (which apparently is positive) :) :) :) :)

So....we are going to let time and the Lord reduce this puppy and go for ultrasound check ups every 3 months.

~There is a very small cyst on my liver but according to both the Radiologist and Dr. V, that is of no concern especially with its size.~

As for how all of this came about...

We ran some blood tests to check for past infections as well as other illnesses and all came back negative except the Epstein-Barr virus which is the guilty party for Mononucleosis. Our bodies create antibodies as a sort of memory file for viruses and these antibodies can be identified in a blood screen. This test is called a Mono-Spot test or a heterophil test, named after the heterophil antibody, which can be detected up to a year after infection.

~We were also able to rule out Hepatitis, Lupus, Rheumatoid Arthritis and Lymphoma as they sometimes cause a false Mono-Spot test. Some of these illnesses have been on our watch list the past year so we are breathing an extra sigh of relief to know those are definitely not to be concerned with~

I suspected Mono last summer when I had a month's worth of strep, another month of fatigue and a very slow recovery. Unfortunately, I let my "strep" go two weeks without seeking conventional medicine so by the time I got to Dr. L, he saw my tonsils kissing and skipped the strep culture by just prescribing antibiotics. I too went in thinking it was strep but all the symptoms that I had attributed to the cleanse were actually the symptoms that differentiate strep from mono. Dr. L and I talked about the possibility of mono but he ended up just calling it strep.

Sometimes mono can cause Splenomegaly (an enlarged spleen) and according to Dr. V, this can also cause a splenic cyst as well.

Time is the healer of all wounds they say. Okay, so maybe that's more about loss and heartbreak but it works in this case too. Dr. W and Dr. V both said that my spleen won't go back to a normal size but that it should follow suit as the cyst reduces.

I almost forgot to share my best news! My white blood and platelet counts were up from my last CBC!!! Seems like this last month has done wonders for my system and I'm so excited to see where we stand in September :).

Praising God for His blessings and patience toward me as I cried out to Him in fear the last three months.

God is good, all the time and all the time, God is good.

Oncologist and MRI

Last Friday was my initial visit with Dr. V, my new Oncologist. He is a very kind man who is great at listening and respecting a patients wishes as he approaches testing and treatment.

After describing my health issues and chosen treatments, he asked me to explain how my doctors and I had come to the conclusions but he seemed genuinely curious as well, I'm sure, with the intention to see if I knew what was going on and if I had an active role in my health.

Never did he question my sanity or intelligence based on my desire to do things naturally (which was the way my other Oncologist approached me during my consult in November).

He concluded based on past history and the blood test results over the months that he is almost sure my spleen is enlarged due to a prior infection and because it's enlarged, it's over active in its efforts to filter out old blood cells....leading to my low blood counts.

He is almost certain that the spots on my liver are congenital (since birth), are called hemangioma , and are very similar to the birthmark on Mikhail Gorbachev's head. They are harmless bruise looking spots that stop growing in infancy so into my 20s, I'm clear.

His next thought was to offer me three approaches. First, we could do an MRI with standard IV contrast to rule out more serious causes. Second was spleen and liver scan with radioactive IV contrast. Last being to leave everything alone and monitor any changes with time, giving my body a chance to fix itself.

I chose the MRI as the second least invasive/harmful while also giving answers we can only get by looking inside from a vascular level. Not only does it identify the large spot on my spleen but it'll also confirm the hemangioma spots on my liver.

My scan was yesterday and though a longer test compared to a CT, it wasn't too bad. I was nervous as I had been waiting for this test so I can finally have a more solid understanding of what is going on inside.

They had me change into a hospital gown and take off all jewelry. It was a bit chilly and when I laid down on the table, they covered my legs with a blanket and put heavy duty headphones over my ears to protect me from the loud scanner.

Next came a wand in the shape of a flat "T" which was placed over my spleen and liver, followed by what the radiologist called an "shield antenna" which was basically a slightly heavy board that went on my chest and abdomen.

My IV was put in and saline injectedto verify that the tube was clear and once I smelled and tested "metal", she knew we were good to go.

She told me that she'd be instructing me throughout the scan to breath out completely and hold my breath for a specific amount of time and the last two tests would be done after she remotely injected the contrast.

Once she finished explaining and handed me an emergency button, she moved the table into the scanner and left the room to watch behind a glass window and begin the test.

(Because this is a scan using a very strong magnetic field, no one is allowed in the same room and family members have to stay in a designated area.)

Outside of the board on my chest making my breathing slightly harder, I didn't have any problems following the instructions.

Once she injected the contrast though, I did feel my chest tighten up a little, an elevated heart rate, and the "I'm peeing" sensation (that is normal but you really are not urinating, it just feels very warm).

I did find it a little harder to hold my breath those last two times and by then felt ready to get out of the scanner.

Everyone reacts to contrast differently and I didn't have that problem with the CT so now that I'm aware, I can tell them the next time I get a scan.

Once I got off the table, I felt weak and slightly nauseous along with the lingering tight chest. The radiologist let me sit for a couple minutes before showing me back to the changing room. My last instruction was to drink a lot of water for two days to lighten the stress on my kidneys as the contrast is flushed out off my system.

I changed and went out to the waiting room and sat with my mom for about 5 minutes before regaining strength to go home.

Again, not everyone reacts this way. It wasn't a bad experience but not my favorite either.

They said my Oncologist should get the results on Monday so I'll update when I hear back.