Before you know it, you're the crazy cat lady in the scary house

Maybe I Should Play Powerball More

December 04, 2003 ... 10:39 p.m.

[listening to radio commercial]

*radio*: �Give holiday certificates of beef...�
Eibisch: �What? BEEF? Who considers BEEF a good Christmas gift?�
Bootsie: �Oh, it�s not so bad. It�s...�
Eibisch: �What�s for dinner! BEEF! BEEF certificates!�
Bootsie: �Well, that�s a little odd...�
Eibisch: �Merry Christmas, little Johnny--have some BEEF!�
Bootsie: �...�
Eibisch: �Forget candy canes! BEEF! BEEF sticks! BEEF-cicles!�
Bootsie: �...�
Eibisch: �God bless us everyone! Pass the BEEF!�
Bootsie: �Okay. You need a time out.�

Well. We have the liver thing figured out. I have Autoimmune Hepatitis (AIH).

I�ll sum it up so you don�t have to follow the link. Unless you�d like to.

Okay, for some mysterious reason my immune system has decided not to recognize my liver as a vital part of my very existence. My immune system is seeing my liver as a bacteria or something similar that it must protect the rest of my body from. Of course, my liver is having a problem with this onslaught.

My liver enzymes were very high, as was my billirubin and protime. Protime is a measure of how long it takes for my blood to clot. I am currently taking Prednisone and Ursodiol. Prednisone is a steroid and it is really helping my liver fight back and, hopefully, heal. I�m starting a new medicine called Imuran. Prednisone makes me extremely hungry, extremely often. I can have a filling meal and, twenty minutes later, feel as though I haven�t eaten for a month. Imuran makes me nauseous and not keep food down.

Quite the predicament, eh?

AIH is pretty rare. There is no cause/reason for me to get it, really. I�m not contagious and I can�t pass it on. It is a serious disease. It�s manageable as long as I treat it and take care of myself. If left untreated, AIH can be fatal. But mine is being treated and I am reacting to the meds very, very favorably.

I am a firm believer that God does not give us more than we can handle. But, boy, with family deaths and my brother and my liver ... it was pretty hard for a while.

And don�t think I�m taking this lightly. I�m not. This is serious and I know that. But. I can handle this.

And, you know, I really needed something like this to up my attractiveness. I�m thinking it�s not really fair to ask someone else to handle/deal with all this. IS it fair? I don�t know how I�d feel if roles were reversed. I�m sure I�d be okay, but maybe that sentiment is clouded by the fact that I am already in this situation.

Hmm. Maybe I don�t give people enough credit.

And, of course, I am WAY ahead of myself here. I just think this stuff to death.

That could be why I don�t sleep.

First, I must deal with my family and Christmas dinner. Cousin#1�s fianc�e, Ivy, and myself? NOT in a good place. She called Bootsie to babysit at the last minute on the same day I had my liver biopsy. Bootsie declined and told her about the biopsy. Ivy was, to say the least, quite put out. She wanted to know how long it would take, when it was scheduled and finally snapped at Bootsie that she guessed she�d have to call into work and hung up on Bootsie.

Inconsiderate much?

Oh, ho! But wait! Then she called me. In my hospital room. I hadn�t eaten all day for this biopsy. I had been in the hospital for FIVE days and still nobody knew anything. And she called me. To ask if I could reschedule my biopsy.

Yes, you read that right. RESCHEDULE MY BIOPSY.

So she could work for three hours. She normally works 2 days a week. But she had called in the day before so she could go bowling.

Bowling.

No qualms about calling in for bowling--BOWLING!--but I should reschedule my biopsy????

Please tell me I am not the only who finds that ... just ... asinine.

Aww... My mom just got a brilliantly red poinsettia delivered. I could go for some flowers myself. I love flowers. Never get them, but I love them. I used to like any yellow flowers. Not so much a �yellow� fan anymore. Pink and/or purple--colors I enjoy. And gardenias. And balloons.

You know, in case the future Mr. Eibisch stumbles upon this.

Dude, I�m all about pearls, too.

I�m just saying.

Currently Reading: The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd
Yeah. Bees. I don�t know, either.

Listening To: Plain White T�s
...you know I know it can�t get much better, fireworks fly whenever we�re together...

Have a happy day!

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