It took me ten months to find a doctor who would prescribe me vancomycin and one year to finally find a hepatologist who was willing to help me pursue an official PSC diagnosis via liver biopsy. This is a long time, and I know many others have waited much longer. It doesn’t have to be […]
My Liver Biopsy Experience and Results
The nurse practitioner who ordered the FibroScan put me in touch with a hepatologist at a hospital in Georgia. I’m so thankful for my California gastroenterologist, Dr. Davies, who had several phone calls with this nurse practitioner and the referred hepatologist to help explain my unique situation. The Hepatologist Refused to Perform a Liver Biopsy […]
My FibroScan Experience and Test Results
In November 2019, I had my first FibroScan. This noninvasive test is similar to an ultrasound because the technician passes a probe over your liver, pressing in between your ribs. How Does a FibroScan Work? At the end of the wand is a button that sends a pulse through your liver to check the elasticity […]
Why I Decided to Pursue an Official PSC Diagnosis and How I Did It
In January 2019, I moved from California to Tennessee. My husband had landed a great job in the Chattanooga area, and we were excited to move. Once we were settled, I started looking for new doctors to make up my local medical team. I decided against finding just any hepatologist—I wanted one who was familiar […]
Starting Vancomycin to Manage My (Probable) PSC
My gastroenterologist, Dr. Yinka Davies, is a PSC expert. In fact, she studied under Dr. Kenneth Cox, the doctor who discovered the use of vancomycin for PSC! Since Dr. Davies is familiar with vancomycin and regularly prescribes it for her PSC patients, she suggested I try it. At first, I was hesitant because it was […]
3 Non-Invasive Tests to Find the Cause of My Elevated Liver Enzymes
When my gastroenterologist noticed I wasn’t responding to any medications for my ulcerative colitis and when she discovered I had elevated liver numbers in September 2017, she had me do three non-invasive tests to try to see if I had PSC. 1. FIBROSpect Specialty Blood Test We started with the simplest test: a FIBROSpect blood […]