Friday, August 2, 2013

New Numbers as of July 30, 2013

I had my blood drawn Tuesday.  My numbers are looking even a bit better than last time!

Here's all the stats:
DATE      Bilirubin   ALP     AST     ALT
Normal      .1-1.3      30-132  5-35     7-56
2/20/2012    1.7        937       235       389      Initial
3/6/2012      ??         633       142       253      Almost 3 wks gluten free
4/16/2012     1         194         59       101      Gluten Free and Ursodiol
5/14/2012     1         160         36        56       Gluten Free and Ursodiol
7/6/2012     1.2        163         31        42       Gluten Free and Ursodiol
10/3/2012   1.4        221        58        113      Gluten Free and Ursodiol
01/31/2013   .9        201        47         72       Gluten Free and Ursodiol
04/30/2013 1.2        188        36         44       GF, Urso, Consistent green drinks&exercise
07/30/2013 1.1        185        36         36       GF, Urso, Consistent green drinks&exercise

 So my numbers are pretty stable, slightly better. I've also added in some Alpha Lipoic Acid and Milk Thistle- both are supposed to help support liver function. I've been slowly incorporating, now that I see things are going well, I will start increasing the amount.
 I also found out that the best indicators of liver health are albumin, bilirubin and prothrombin time (PT). I haven't been tracking exactly my albumin, but I do know on 2/2012 it was 4.6, on 5/14/12 it was 4.3 and this time is was 4.3 - Under 5 is good. So I'm good on that regard.
They didn't do the PT this time, but will next time and I know a previous time it was acceptable, but don't know the number.
My bilirubin is within normal range, but I'd really like to get it lower.

 So I'm still working. I will always be working on this. Even when everything looks normal, I will be working to keep it that way. I won't ever have a time that I can just forget about this, but I am trying to get better about not 'worrying' about it. I am doing all that I know and continually trying to learn more. I will be armed with more information as time goes on.

 I will never take for granted that I know all there is to know about this.
 I will never take for granted my health.

 I will never take for granted Zoe's health.
 As my daughter she has a huge risk for this. Even if it's not prevented, this way of life will be beneficial for her. She will understand what is good for you and what isn't. She will know what it will take to keep herself healthy. She will have to make that decision for herself, but I will do my best to help her and to make it as painless as possible to maintain this sort of life.

 Honestly, eating whole, fresh, unprocessed food and staying fit are technically good advice for everyone! So I hope even those without PBC can pull something of use from my journey as well.

 Have a wonderful weekend everyone!

3 comments:

  1. Tammy, I just came across your blog searching for nutritional advice do deal with my PBC, I was diagnosed a few years after having surgery to treat kidney cancer, almost 10 years ago. I need to admit that I have been in denial all this time but I recently found out that I have portal hypertension of my stomack due to pbc, they also found h. Pylory bacteria and some lymphoma cells.
    During all this yeras the doctor has never giving me any nutritional advice, or prescribed vitamins or suplements, I have been taken urso 1000 ml at day and thats it, I dont exercise, and dont eat healthy, but the recent news got me thinking. It sounds like you know more than I know.... do you have advise for me? I'll greatly appreciat it.
    Thank you in advance.

    Karla (46)
    PBC/2007

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Karla. I'm sorry you're going through this as well. It's truly a tough diagnosis to accept, but I do believe we have a chance. My experience has been to not just take one doctor's answer, but to seek multiple and create the answer that is right for you. Find a functional medicine doctor. These types of doctors look at your whole body. Our live disease is just a symptom of a bigger problem. All auto immune diseases are- that's why most people with an AI, have multiple AI conditions. Glutenfreesociety.org has really good info about AIs and diet. As does pubmed (studies). The best answers I've found is what I follow so far. I'll make a blog post this week about all the specifics of what I do.
      I really think our disease is, at worst, maintainable and at best completely curable even though officially there are no cures for any AI disease. But if you read some of the studies you'll find that plenty of in curable diseases have been cured through diet, vitamins and various health plans (not drug plans).
      Good luck Karla. I'll try to keep putting out as much info as possible!
      Tammy

      Delete
  2. Thankyou Tammy for your response and support, I look forward to your post this week, and I will search those websites you gave me.
    Thanks again.
    Karla

    ReplyDelete

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