A Week in the Life

monday

Went to the lab to get blood work done. My bilirubin, the most important marker pertaining to the function of the liver was 3x higher than normal— higher than it’s ever been. My stomach dropped when I saw the numbers. Eventually heard back from my doctor and he said it’s probably due to the major bleed I had last month. I resumed breathing. Sort of.

I was also told these numbers are nothing to be alarmed about. We will continue to monitor them.

Tuesday

After taking my morning medications, I noticed the palm of my right hand was yellow. Jaundice! I thought, before realizing it was Turmeric powder that had leaked from a supplement capsule. 

Btw, I think Jaundice! could be a great title for a musical. Kind of like SpongeBob: The Musical but the main character is a liver that is in the process of regenerating. As it does so, the “yellow world” of the play gradually transforms into a healthy pink. (Naysayers need not comment, I think I’m onto something here.)

FYI: Turmeric WILL TURN YOUR SKIN A GOLDEN YELLOW.

wednesday

Woke up early this morning with terrible acid reflux and regurgitation which made me start coughing so hard I almost threw up several times. This made me worried that all of this hard coughing was going to put me at risk of another esophageal bleed. I messaged my doctor who basically told me: “yeah…it doesn’t really work that way.” I resumed breathing. Sort of. 

Thursday

Took my blood pressure using one of those wrist cuffs I bought at the pharmacy. My BP and heart rate were extremely high so I assumed I was dying. Then I noticed I had the cuff on backwards. Seriously thought about having myself committed.

Incorrect.

Correct.

Friday

Had my third “variceal banding.” The first two were very painful so was shocked when I regained consciousness and felt surprisingly alright. The best of all possible outcomes.

saturday

Woke up and felt like none of it ever happened. Spent the whole day celebrating in my own head. 

sunday

Another completely symptom-free day. Before I sat at my desk and launched back into my work, I stopped and reminded myself that this day did not have to be like this. It could have been a day of pain, and yet it’s not. All I could think of were the lyrics to Paul Simon’s Boy in the Bubble:
These are the days of miracle and wonder
This is the long distance call
The way the camera follows us in slo-mo
The way we look to us all
The way we look to a distant constellation
That's dying in a corner of the sky
These are the days of miracle and wonder
And don't cry, baby, don't cry
Don't cry.