I would like to preface this post with this:
If you have anything wrong with you that requires to see a specialist, go to Boston.
I received better care than I ever would here in Maine. Quick, and most of all, the relief of knowing I was seeing one of the most knowledgeable doctors I could.
It's going to cost you the same amount of money to go to Boston. So if you have the means to get there...please do.
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So Shawn and I drove to Boston on Wednesday the 10th. I met with my Doctor, and we went over my whole history.
At that time, he saw my Smooth Muscle Antibodies were elevated but not enough to make a sure diagnosis of Autoimmune disease. He ordered some more extensive blood work, and said depending on those I would not have to see him again for 6 months. Which was encouraging!
I went to get my bloodwork done at the Lab. (Which was pretty neat!) They took probably 10 viles of blood from me so I felt assured that my Doc was being thorough.
At Mass General, they have a patient gateway which is an online portal where you can see test results and communications from your doctor. My Doc warned me that my test results would show up there, and he would write me an e-mail letting me know what they said (he wasn't expecting anything to show up). He also made sure that I knew I could contact him if my test results came through to me, and I started to google what they meant (I only met him once and he already knows me so well lol), and got worried, to call him so that he can let me know what they meant.
I started seeing my results come in (some as early as an HOUR after we left the hospital! That is amazing!)..and tried very hard not to use the power of internet to become an I.D...(Internet Doctor) but alas, my curiosity got the best of me, and I ended up googling what they meant.
This morning (7/12) only 2 days after my appointment, I got a call that said it was from Boston, MA....My throat immediately fell into my stomach...My research was correct.
Doc confirmed my Anti-Nuclear Antibodies (Another set of antibodies that indicate autoimmune disease) came back a pretty strong positive. He said that these antibodies sometimes show up in perfectly healthy people, so there is still a small chance that it's not autoimmune.
In order to get a more accurate diagnosis, he recommended a Liver Biopsy, which will tell us everything we need to know.
So in a couple weeks we are headed back down, to have the Liver Biopsy done. Hopefully this will be the last piece of the puzzle and we can figure out what is going on.
I am feeling a little indifferent about this. But staying positive. I am in the very best hands in Boston, I know this. I don't think I would feel this calm if I was seeing a doctor in Maine.
I know this doesn't seem like a big deal to some, but being able to write these things, and share my experience has helped me tremendously. Writing everything down helps me process what is happening. It is something that I've always done, just never in blog form.
Thank you to everyone for your continued support. I am so lucky to have you all!
