This seems to be post #3 in the new health series of my life, to which I have aptly labeled “your body is getting older than your mind.” Or, how I’m REALLY feeling about it right now, “Watch out! Your body is trying to kill you!!!”
For those new to the site, you can read about the start of this adventure here: My goal to be a “grown up” this year. Followed by my latest entry: A date with my dentist. It’s pretty riveting stuff, I assure you. (And no, you are not on a health blog… it’s just when your body tries to kill you, that becomes priority over making a million dollars. Unless you think The Reaper could be bribed??)
This recent scare came courtesy of my new doctor’s nurse. We’ll call her Sunshine. Sunshine had called to report back on my blood tests we did last week – as part of the yearly physical stuff (*cough cough*) – and it turns out we have some new problem areas. Mainly, my liver.
It seems that most of me is doing quite well in a slew of areas on the list, but in others it’s pretty much the opposite story. It breaks down like this:
- Cholesterol – Great!
- Sodium – Great! (And,
HOW?WOW?) - Some word I’ve never heard of – Great!
- Another something I’ve never heard of – Double Great!
- Another another something I’ve never heard of – So-So
- Sugar intake – Not the best, but keep an eye on… (I’m now trying black coffee – ICK!)
- Liver levels – “Umm…. yeah, we need to talk”
I was feeling pretty good up to that point, especially as it meant my new lifestyle of eating better (major cut down on sodium) and exercising 30 mins a day was starting to pay off. To have my sodium levels that good was a nice surprise! And makes sense, really, now that my blood pressure has been lowered a good 30 points these past few weeks of changes (I now check it at home every day with this). But the patting on the back didn’t last long…
Apparently my ALT (?) and AST (??) levels are much higher than they’re supposed to be. Like, on the “good” scale of 0-48, mine’s at 59 and 85 (!!!) respectively. Damn. And Sunshine says there are two probable causes for this: For one of them (ALT, I believe) I’m taking too much medicine. Like Tylenol, Advil, etc, which are all hard on your liver. The second, (AST) is due to me drinking too much every day. Alcohol, not apple juice.
But here’s the thing. I’m NOT drinking a lot, and I’m especially not taking meds a lot. The last Advil I took was maybe 3 weeks ago, and the last beer I downed was maybe 3 days ago. When I drink I literally have 1-2 beers max. Mainly because I’m an old man now (you hush, Martin), but also because I want to have my wits about me shall I need to be there for my baby at any time. I’m certainly not acting like my 20 year-old self these days.
So needless to say I was pretty stumped. And honestly, I don’t think Miss. Sunshine believed me when I said I don’t abuse any of those things, which kinda scares me even more. But she assured me there’s nothing to worry about yet, and that we should do another test in 4 weeks just to compare and learn more. In the meantime, I promised not to drink a single ounce of alcohol or take a single pill so we can rule them out. Not that I’m counting on much…
We’ll see what these results yield in the next month (I refuse to Google this and scare myself even more!), but the point is that there will always be *something* going on in our lives.. And it likes to pop up as soon as you just put out your most recent fire like clockwork.
This is very much so with money, more than anything.
- “I just saved for my vacation, woohoo!” $hit, my car just broke down.
- “Whew, finally paid off that credit card!” Oh damn, the refrigerator stopped working…
- “Got a bonus at work – so happy!!!” Wait, what’s that? I owe $5,000 in taxes?
And on and on and on… There will always be something. And the TRICK is to set yourself up from the start to be able to handle most of that crap that gets sent through the pipeline to better keep you sane (and more money in your pockets). Things like:
- Creating (and *keeping*) an emergency fund
- Lowering your expenses so you have more for saving/investing/doing whatever you wish
- Doing routine maintenance on things
- Investing in YOURSELF to prepare you for a better future
- Streamlining and managing your money to better align with how you operate
- Budgeting or tracking your money so you know where everything is! Even if it’s your *own* version of “not budgeting” that very much resembles budgeting just called something else ;) I’ve compiled a fun list of different ways you can budget here: The sticky note method of budgeting)
That’s the good news. The bad news, is that often times things are out of your control and you get scared silly for a bit. Similar to my liver problem at the moment. If it’s controllable by the things I do, sign me up!! But if not, it becomes a more serious situation. Still one you can manage and work better at, but just a different ballgame with a new set of rules.
So, to recap: my liver may be having some problems, but it’s nothing we can’t manage (yet) until we find out more. And this is similar to our money since we have no shortage of issues popping up in that department either.
There will always be something. How you handle it, and prepare for it, however, is the determining factor. And I have no plans on going anywhere soon, so I say Bring it, Sir liver!
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[Design by Tara at Evicted Pancreas – a pretty and funny blog! // Doodled on by J$]
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Getting old sucks mate. About a week ago I woke up to find that I couldn’t move my hand at all as my wrist was really inflamed and swollen. I ended up going to the hospital to get it checked out as it was seriously sore and long story short I ended up having an infection (most likely from something that I ate) and was told that if the antibiotics didn’t start working in 24 hours I might have my hand amputated.Not cool!
I’m sure your liver will be fine, and if not then it looks like you caught everything early with your check up.
Yuck! I’m glad you’re okay!!! Hopefully I can squash whatever’s jacking me up here too without much consequence :(
Yay on all the rest of the labs! Bummer that you have to wait four weeks for the next lab draw. Maybe I’m just the most impatient person on the planet, but I hate waiting for things like that.
Sorry to hear about the liver buddy! Hope you get some good news in a few weeks. Love the broad lesson here, that you can never have everything specifically prepared for. Life is always going to throw you curveballs, no doubt. Making sure you’re rock solid with all your regular habits AND you have a good amount of savings is definitely the way to financially keep yourself as safe as possible.
Glad to hear you’ve gotten serious about your health. Liver enzymes are complicated but this is a good way to find out what needs attention. I chose to get serious some time back about my health and get a physical AND full blood screen annually. I get copies of the blood work results and compare this to the previous years. So far so good for me….Keep drinking the black coffee you’ll get used to it and drink plenty of water….unflavored …clean clear …..water…
I’m trying to be better about that too! I swear it makes me pee every 30 mins though…
You’re right – there is always something. You do have to learn how to deal with stress and I have always struggled with this. And on a side note- Doctors/hospitals/vaccinations have always been a huge stress for me- I have no idea how I got the anxiety but it’s hard to shake!
One of the (only?) pros to having a bad memory – I usually forget about problems and what stresses me out unless it’s in front of me right this second, haha… I know exercising is supposed to help with that though – maybe you can try and up that?
Liz, I totally get where you’re coming from. I practically have a panic attack at the mere thought of scheduling a routine physical. I’ve never had a serious health condition (that I knew of) until my last physical when my pcp told me I absolutely had to get a colonoscopy! WHAT????? No way in hell that was ever going to happen (even tho colon cancer runs rampant in my family – dad, siblings) so I set up a consult with the GI ’cause I was going to tell her all the reasons why I was different from everyone else – ha! She didn’t buy one bit of my b.s. and scared me sufficiently that I agreed to do it BUT ONLY if they gave me something for anxiety before the procedure – which they did (ativan) and it worked like a charm. It seriously calmed me down and I never thought it would work. Turns out I ended up needing 3 EMR’s (i.e. where a regular colonoscopy literally takes about 10-15 minutes, mine all took over 2 hours) in a 7 week (yes week) period. I am allergic to the drug they usually use for this on an out patient basis (versed) so I had to go to an actual hospital (shudder) to have these done. If I hadn’t told my GI how freaked out I was, she would never have educated me on the options available and I would not have had 1, let alone 3 in 7 weeks done – and I’d more than likely have died from colon cancer in less than 3 years. Go into your dr and spill your guts. They’ve got tricks up their sleeves (i.e. drugs) that are unbelievable.
How is this related to personal finance? If I had lost my job, my family would have been seriously screwed. Health = Wealth.
Good for you for taking action and overcoming your fear!!! That’s hard to do, no doubt about it. Thanks for sharing your story with us :)
Sorry to hear about the liver J. Strangely enough, my Mom had the same basic thing happen to her last fall and they had her limit a few things and went back to test a few weeks later and all was ok. That said, you’re right on that things are always going to pop up. As I get older, I’ve learned to focus on what I can control and prepare so when those things do happen I can do my best to try and take care of them. Of course, that is a growing process for some like me. :)
Wow J$, I think we are living fairly similar lives. Literally the same thing happened to me two weeks ago. I’ve already cut back on everything, like you, and have to get an ultrasound on my liver in two weeks to make sure there is no inflammation, scarring, etc. definitely scary times. Not liking this getting old thing too much, it comes with too many strings attached!
Oh man, please let me know what you find out! I think that’s step #2 on the list after we run the tests again. None of it sounds very fun :(
Will do. Definitely not happy about it. I’ll drop you an email once I know.
Oof! Sorry to hear about the troubles! I am definitely the type of person who would be googling every possible explanation and detail and it probably would only serve to stress me out. Best of luck on the follow up.
Dude – I’m going on 5 years with screwed up liver levels. Don’t worry much, you numbers are high but barely. Mine have been in the 200 range forever.
Ouch, really?? And you’re feeling okay and healthy despite it? Nothing you ca do to help lower it? It does make me feel a tad less scared though, so I do appreciate that :) Just hope you’re okay overall!
Ouch! Sorry to hear J, hope it nothing serious. Sounds like you have a little bit a Murphy circling you the last few months. I think the best way to handle is like you said some things are outside of your control and you can’t stress yourself out over that fact.
Sorry to hear about the liver, bro. Our finances have been severely battered by back and neck problems my wife has had our entire marriage. She was almost finished with chiro appointments when she got t-boned and everything started over again. We’ve easily put out $10k in the last few years trying to get her back on track. It really sucks, but it’s one of those things that we haven’t been able to control.
Dang!! That’s scary man, sorry to hear… Thank goodness she came out relatively in one piece! Not everyone does :(
Oh, dear. Sorry to hear about this one – take good care of you and listen to the professionals. Also, aging is not that bad – eventually you get the hang of it :).
You’re not talking from experience, area you? Didn’t you just turn 32? ;)
No, no. You have this all wrong. I am 28!
It sounds like it’s a good thing you are getting things checked out. Life is full of ups and downs, but preparation is definitely one of the keys to getting through it. Best of luck!
Sorry to hear about your liver. I am pretty sure that in 4 weeks you test will be back to normal. Sometime those kind of tests can be me a bit off. Don’t let it worry too much.
I totally had a liver scare a few years ago. Had to have a biopsy, showed level one scaring and something else, still don’t really know what it all means / meant. I say meant because I got a second opinion and my new Doc says my liver numbers improved and are fine. No need for more biopsies, we’ll keep an eye on it with yearly blood tests but really, no worries.Couldn’t really tell you anything I did that made those numbers change. The first Doc had me all freaked out, like I had 6 months before Sh## got serious, which of course my spazzy self took as 6 months to live, or something. First doc did say it may have something to do with some yo-yo dieting I did in the past, and that it may have caused my liver to react in the way an alcoholics liver reacts to too much drinking.
Anywho, first doc had me super freaked out, but second doc has me totally chilled out so, yay!
Well that’s a happy ending! I’d freak out if I had to wait 6 months too!!! Haha… did it get you to stop and change things differently in your life? I catch myself not caring *as much* about work than previously, but not as much as I need to ;) At least if something IS super bad w/ my liver I’ve prolonged the scary times a bit more with these 4 weeks to wait. Which is something?
Oh my. I went to a doctor 2 years ago who I thought was the worst doctor ever. I had a sports injury at the time, and for 1 week had been taking 2 Advil a couple times a day. I NEVER went above the recommended dose, but the doctor thought I could be horribly damaging my insides. I thought she was not-so-smart (and to be fair, this was not the only not-so-smart thing that she did during this visit). Maybe her concerns were semi-justified? But it had only been a week! Anyway, I hope you get some answers and become as healthy as possible!
Ouch! Sorry to hear it. I’m pretty sure I’m due for a checkup myself. And yeah, I totally agree with not googling it. I’ve actually “practiced” telling my family I was dying before after googling some pain I had in my chest a couple of years ago and it turned out to be a pulled muscle in my chest.
So hard not to google it though.
Hahahhahaa… I so wish I could have been there to watch you practice :) Totally hitting you up if I actually need to go that route, which I hope I never do!
When I was learning to become a doctor, I was told to always double the amount of drinks that a person was telling me he/she was taking to get to the “real” number. In research it has turned out that people claim to drink about half of what is actually sold in stores. Now either people throw away half of all the alcohol they buy, or…
So I get why this experienced nurse is not ready to believe you – yet. But of course, I believe you. So I hope the numbers will go down and will stay down, even when you drink some alcohol now and then. If not, at least I think you’re in good hands to find the cause of these high levels.
Yeah, I def. think it’s smart to not believe us patients all the way as you mentioned. Kinda similar to the amount of sex partners people say they’ve had too, eh? ;)
Whatever you do, DON’T start researching it online. I did that a few years ago and thought I wasn’t going to be able to ever have kids. Idiot me didn’t learn my lesson and self-diagnosed a few months ago and thought I was on the verge of death. It’s not worth the emotional tool. Just wait for the follow up with the doctor and go from there.
Cool connection back to money — it’s rare to go too long before life throws us a curveball, financially or otherwise. Best get a plan in place, you know?
You are singing my tune now, J…health issues and expenses have completely changed our financial picture, as well as our retirement plans. From the time my husband was diagnosed (over ten years ago), to this day and well beyond, medical insurance and cost issues have become the #1 focus of our financial future. Retire early? Forget it. Second home? Out of the question. Nice vacations? Can’t do it. We now weigh every decision based upon the medical aspects of it. Our current medical insurance premiums (COBRA) run $1897 per month, and will be exhausted in August, giving us one year and one month on our own before Medicare kicks in for him, and I’m left to find my own policy independently. As much as everyone complains about Obamacare, myself included since I’m a benefits manager and I can truly say implementation has been a nightmare, if it weren’t for the medical insurance exchanges I believe we would be in very, very serious trouble in a few months. We have spent over $42,000 out of pocket on medical expenses in the last twelve months, and I only see it getting worse. By the time my husband gets on Medicare, we will have to pay for a supplement for him as well as medical insurance for me, and we’ll lose our dental and optical policies as well. I don’t see us ever spending less than we do now on coverage, but without coverage we would certainly be bankrupt. With all the careful planning I thought we had in place, out of control medical expenses was one area I felt insulated by his excellent coverage through work (gone since he’s been disabled over a year and a half now and was forced to retire with no medical coverage). My strong advice to the young and healthy (or even not so young and not so healthy): this COULD absolutely happen to you. Hope and pray for good health and good health care at a reasonable, affordable cost your entire life, but plan for the opposite. You have no idea how expensive a serious, progressive illness can become, and all the insurance in the world won’t cover a large percentage of incidentals, let alone a lost income and medical policy.
Good luck with your liver, I had issues with mine and no sugar, no alcohol and very limited medication with lots of water did the trick, along with weight loss. Hang in there!
That’s so much money, omg!!! I can’t even fathom those numbers on any monthly bills, and especially on healthcare – I’m so sorry :( I hope the leap to getting him on Medicare goes smoothly! And nothing (crazier) happens in the mean time!
This is REALLY good stuff for us youngins to hear, thanks for taking the time to drop by. We’re always thinking we’re invincible.
At least you are getting everything checked up right now! It’s better knowing what’s wrong with you (well kind of) than finding out too late to do anything about it!
It definitely is always something, especially when you’re getting old like us!
I’ve got a blood draw later this week to follow up on some numbers that were out of whack in the fall and make sure there’s nothing more serious going on. Fingers crossed!
Good luck!!
There IS ALWAYS something. I could’ve saved for my entire trip to Europe with the amount of money I’ve had to spend on fixing my teeth this past year. How unsexy is that? I hope your liver starts treating you well, I need to start being better to mine ;)
Well maybe your newly fixed teeth WILL make you sexier? :)
Good luck with the next lab. It is scary, but that’s what happens when we get older. Hopefully, it was just an anomaly and the reading will be in the normal range next time.
The tests always find something wrong with you. I had some dizziness 4 years ago and they found all kind of things wrong with me. If you look hard enough, everyone has a lot of problems.
A month after having my third baby my kidney and liver results were off (not sure what about them, but whatever they were testing was not coming back normal). Scared us to death. I have three kids! The doctor had me eat healthy and sleep a ton for a month (since I had no other symptoms), and what do you know? The next test was in the normal range. Sending good vibes that your next test shows better results!
I hope my tests copy yours!!! All our babies need us! :)
Yikes! Thinking good thoughts for you. I too am trying to “be a grown up” this year, and trying to drag my fiance along with me. I hope everything turns out fine for you, will be looking out for the update. FYI, vitamin has a beneficial impact on the liver. Make sure you getting enough sunshine or supplementing through diet or vitamin pills. I actually started taking vitamin D supplements back in college because I was doing a lot of partying and was worried about my liver (lol!). In the subsequent years, whenever I get off the wagon I start getting lots of colds. Maybe something to talk to your doctor about? Good luck!
You know, oddly enough I’ve STARTED taking daily vitamins and kinda wondering if that’s what could be setting it off maybe? Which would be funny actually because during my first visit with him he asked if I were taking any, and I said I just started, and he told me he had read a study that says they may not really help. And that in some healthy people the can hurt! So that’s at the top of my list to ask in 4 weeks when I go back, haha… And I’ve stopped taking them since just in case ;)
I’m sorry to hear about your liver levels, but I loved this post. There is always something! Bonus at work? Went to pay for a crown I needed. Christmas money? Repair on the car.
My husband and I joke that money is like the game Chutes and Ladders. As soon as we climb to the top something happens and we slide down again. Thankfully the emergency fund has floated us these past two years keeping us from having to charge anything, but it’s an ongoing process building it back up again after something happens.
Good for you for focusing on your health! Our health is the best investment we can make!
I like that analogy – hadn’t heard that one before :)
I also have a non-alcoholic liver disease and was told that I might need a transplant sometime in the future. But they can’t give me a time frame for the progression of the disease. He said that it is possible to stop the disease in its tracks. The doctor told me to lose 40 pounds and I lost 60. So when I go back for an annual follow-up he said “that’s great, now lose 20 more.” Talk about depressing. Seems like they are never satisfied. I have to have low cholesterol, low sugar, low fat diet. No alcohol which I’ve never been a drinker…I mean at all. No beer, no wine, no hard stuff. And they also told me to avoid Tylenol. Sure is frustrating to have a disease without having had the fun that supposedly causes it, I sure hope your follow-up reveals good news.
Oh jeez, are you serious?? That sounds bad – I’m sorry :( We don’t know if I have a disease quite yet, but it’s certainly possible. And I’m actually relieved to hear that it can be transplanted too! I’m never sure what can, and can’t, be done, but knowing there’s *hope* if it ever gets to that point is reassuring. Hopefully we can both avoid it though!
Congrats on all your weight loss too – that’s incredible!
Well J getting old can certainly be rough. ( I’m 56). However the alternative sucks! I’ve had very low white blood cells (the ones that fight infection) and crap for a Vit D level. First thing my beloved MD told me? Don’t Google it! I’m now on prescription strength D but it’s almost a precaution-I had my knee replaced when the good doc found the blood supply had been cut off and bones were dying. Wicked weird huh. Anyway I think ms Sunshine aside you should rest as easily as you can. No Googling and remember : one strange set of lab results does not a sick liver make. Sending you healthy vibes!
Haha, thanks. And I agree – better to be alive with issues than not alive! :)
You’re totally right man, can’t spend money if you’re dead. I’m hoping it’s all a bunch of nothing for ya. But yeah, being a grown up is rough, and like you said, it’s always one thing after another. That being said, take care bro.
My best, bro. It is nothing most of the time–bodies are quite resilient, despite the horror stories we all hear! But we can’t help but worry, can we?!
Sir, I need you NOT to challenge your body to a contest of who’s the boss. I can tell you from previous and ongoing experience that it will SHOW YOU. Of course, I’ve been old and broken longer than we’ve known each other so perhaps my battle scars are more frightening ;)
In all seriousness, it is always something, and all you can do is be mindful to take good care of yourself. Money does make a difference: it gets you insurance, choice of health care, choice in treatment where necessary, etc, but it’s also very true that our ambitions to become millionaires falls to the wayside a bit when you’re trying to keep the machine running.
I am hoping for all the best news: something treatable with no long term effects! <3
Thanks friend! And I hope you have less battle scars to join the others as time passes on ;)
Budgeting should be a cool thing, but it’s often cooler to buy flashy things and go to flashy places. I think I’ll stay nerdy ’till I can one day afford to be cooler.
I’m also confronting a medical issue these days. My bowls are giving me grief and I have a blood test at the doctors in the morning. It’s time to evaluate a lot of things that are in my life as consumption, psychologically and perhaps metaphysically!
Nerdy is the new cool, didn’t you know? ;)
Nice seeing ya on here bud. Good friends with your mom (that sounds bad, doesn’t it?) and she’s always talking about you… only good things, of course ;)
Good luck at the doctors! Keep hustlin’, brotha.
I really need to do this stuff too. And get braces. Yay 30th birthday present to myself? :/ I’ve been saving up in my HSA, so at least there’s that.
Goals and projects that are “unsexy” like this are the hardest I think. It’s not something I actually want to do. It will probably suck the entire time it’s happening. No one will really care that I did or didn’t do it. So why am I doing this again? Oh yes, vague unsubstantial benefits I may never notice. Hmmph. Can we get an unsexy goal support group or something?
Haha… there would be a LOT of members in it, that’s for sure!
At least you were smart w/ the HSA – that counts for something? :)
omg. This getting old stuff is not for kids.
As a fellow blogger who seems to be competing with you for Highest Number of Panic-Inducing Chats with Physicians, let me suggest that you DON’T panic.
First, these tests can produce false results — this is much more common than most of us realize. Ask for a retest.
And second, always always always get a second opinion, even if you trust the doctor and her staff implicitly. As tests can be wrong, so doctors can be wrong.
One of your commenters remarked that doctors routinely assume you drink twice as much as you say. In connection with the diet plan, I keep a food diary, and in it I keep an accurate record of how much I drink on any given day. The doc may not believe me, but at least I know exactly how much I’m drinking.
Oh, and by the way: yes, I often do throw out a glassful of booze. Sometimes I’ll pour a second glass by way of “coming out even” with dinner and then not finish it. If it’s not consumed by the time the food is eaten, it doesn’t get consumed. So it would not be safe to base one’s professional opinion about my drinking habits on the amount of liquor I buy.
Hey friend! Haven’t chatted with you in forever – glad to see you’re still out there and online! And I really do hope those tests of mine had false results. Looking forward to the next one here in the very near future for more info – wish me luck!