Re: Doctor still isn't sure of my problem

[Guest guest]

Thanks for the info. I am trying to loose weight.... Talk to me any time,

put me in your buddy list if you'd like to MDGiver@...

[Guest guest]

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Myra,

I also have Fatty Liver. My doc told me that it will not go away until I am

off the pred and loose weight, then I have a better chance. The fatty liver

can go away given that I will loose the excess (visible) weight the inside

will follow suit. That's a simplified version.

SueB.

[Guest guest]

It seems to me that we are being pushed to accept witchcraft rather than the

other way around. She certainly has created chaos in this room.

J

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>Subject: Re: [ ] Doctor still isn't sure of my problem

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[Guest guest]

Geri,

One of the autoimmune diseases is Allergic Rhinitis. Nasal allergies. I

discovered that through AARDA.

(AIH)

[Guest guest]

Myra,

That was very presumptuous of your doctor to assume that because you have

" fatty liver " you must be a drinker. AIH is a rare disease, but a good doctor

looks beyond the obvious and to conclude that because you have fatty liver, you

must be a heavy drinker, is indication that he isn't taking the time to look

into possibilities. Tough for anyone who comes to him with an unusual and

serious medical problem. Fatty liver has shown up on my labs since before I

was diagnosed with AIH nearly 2 years ago. I've never been grossly overweight

but no good doctor should assume that because I wasn't heavy when he first saw

me, I never was. I also never have been a drinker, though that doesn't mean

I'm not a recovered alcoholic. Yet I wasn't questioned about a history of

either obesity or alcoholism. Maybe the first doctors I saw were afraid to ask

since I've been told that I can be pretty stern with people who get out of

line, and that includes doctors. Lucky for me I finally saw a doctor who had

an inquiring mind and did the right tests. My diagnosis didn't take 2 weeks

after I finally connected with an excellent Internist... and she was a woman in

her 70's!!! But, she knew which specialists to call in and she knew which

tests to order. Experience, intuition and intellect count for a lot when it

comes to doctors.

I was told by an Endocrinologist that fatty liver eventually turns into tissue,

which is basically cirrhosis. Someone else in this group thought that this was

not correct, but it made sense to me. The objective is to stop the process

that is causing the fatty liver ergo scar tissue ergo cirrhosis. Prednisone is

supposed to do that, and both Prednisone and Imuran halt the autoimmune process

if all goes well. It worked for me, but I may have been exceptionally

fortunate. I still have " fatty liver " despite being in remission, so I suspect

that's how it's going to be. However, this isn't being taken as indication

that my liver is continuing to deteriorate, so apparently fatty liver in itself

isn't such a big deal. The cause of the condition is what they need to worry

about, I guess.

I wonder if sinus problems go with AIH somehow? It seems like a far reach, but

I've had exceptional sinus problems since I was diagnosed. I think the

problems began to escalate when I started taking Prednisone and Imuran and so I

wonder if the drugs are the cause. It could turn into a serious condition, but

I don't think I've downloaded and saved information about it, though I have

read about it in one of my massive collection of AIH files.

I've copies some info on fatty liver. I'm not sending it as an attachment

because others might be interested and some people have difficulty reading

attachments. I notice that it doesn't really address the issue of non-obese,

non-alcohol abusers who have fatty liver but at least it explains the process.

Hope this helps a little.

Take care,

Geri

Fatty Liver

By J. Worman, M. D.

Some individuals can develop fatty liver. Most people who do not abuse alcohol

and have fatty liver are obese. Fatty liver is called steatosis, and fatty

liver with liver inflammation is called or steatohepatitis. Steatosis and

steatohepatitis can be caused by alcohol and other drugs and an also sometimes

occur in patients with diabetes mellitus. steatohepatitis not caused by alcohol

is sometimes referred to as on-alcoholic steatohepatitis or " NASH. " The factors

that determine who will develop fatty liver are not known. Some mildly obese

and occasional non-obese patients will develop fatty liver while some who are

severely obese will not.

Patients with fatty liver or steatohepatitis usually present to a physician

with unexplained elevations in the serum aminotransferase activities. Serum

alkaline phosphatase and gamma-glutamyltranspeptidase activities are usually

normal. The patient is usually 10% or more above his/her ideal body eight.

The diagnosis is usually suspected after other causes of hepatitis are

excluded. A careful drug and alcohol history should be taken and serological

testing for HBsAg and antibodies against the hepatitis C virus should be

performed. Metabolic diseases should be excluded by a careful family history

and appropriate testing if they are suspected. Serum protein electrophoresis

and testing for autoantibodies should be performed if autoimmune hepatitis is

suspected. Sometimes, patients with fatty liver or steatohepatitis will have

elevated serum triglyceride concentrations, however, this is not always the

case. If a patient has elevations in serum aminotransferase activities for

longer than six months, he/she should have a liver biopsy to make the diagnosis

the fatty liver or steatohepatitis.

Steatohepatitis can progress to cirrhosis. Treatment (diet and exercise) may

stop this progression. Steatosis and steatohepatitis will often improve with

weight loss, preferably to near the patient's ideal body weight. Avoidance of

alcohol and potentially hepatotoxic drugs may also be beneficial.

[Guest guest]

Date: Tue, 7 Sep 1999 22:04:25 EDT

,

<< One of the autoimmune diseases is Allergic Rhinitis. Nasal allergies. I

discovered that through AARDA.

(AIH) >>

Did you read anything about the symptoms of Allergic Rhinitis? The nasal

congestion is terrible and when I blow my nose it's usually bloody though not

much. It's definitely new since I've been taking Prednisone or else it was

triggered by whatever triggered the AIH.

Take care,

Geri

[Guest guest]

Geri,

AARDA was the group that sent me a pamphlet with all 80 of the autoimmune

diseases listed on the back. None of them had any info about them though,

however they will send info if requested. However, I looked in my Merck

Manual and it described it as basically hayfever, seasonal, with all of the

following symptoms: stuffiness/runny nose/itching/sore throat/watery

eyes/sneezing/headache/wheezing/coughing etc. But of most importance it says

that people who have to take prednisone should consider allergen

immunotherapy which is a series of shots from the allergist. Just what you

need is another doctor! The bleeding however does concern me, because that

either means it's chronic or severe or there may be trouble, best to check it

out if it is constant or continues for any length of time. Good luck!!!

Love ya,

(AIH)

[Guest guest]

,

I've subscribed to the AARDA newsletter for a year - time for me to renew!

It's a terrific source of information.

I have a confession to make about the nasal congestion. Scripps did a CT

scan of my sinus cavities, mostly to rule out an infection of a type that

can be very serious. I was in the clear but that was more than a year ago

and it's gotten worse since then. When I was waiting for the CT scan I

read some literature about a more intensive test they do on sinus cavities

and it sounded almost as bad as a sigmoidoscopy, except on the opposite end

of me. I'm really reluctant when it comes to invasive tests. I've had so

many and I'm weary of them. Also, it always seem they " fix " one thing and

" break " two. So, I haven't made a big thing to my doctors about the

congestion problem. In fact, I don't tell them about it anymore. However,

two years with severe congestion without even a day's break is much too

much. I think I'll mention it to my new Internist and see what he wants

to do about it. I've already established myself as a medical eccentric who

goes gunshy at the mention of invasive procedures so they get creative

trying to figure out alternative diagnostic tests.

Take care,

Geri