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 […]
Noticing Elevated Liver Enzymes in My Blood Work
Did you know a common sign of PSC is losing response to the IBD medications you try? Since my ulcerative colitis diagnosis in 2014, I’ve tried countless medications, including prednisone, 5-ASAs (like mesalamine, sulfasalazine, and Apriso), enemas, biologics, and more, and none of them brought me relief for more than a few months. I Failed […]
How to Prepare for a Liver Biopsy (Plus Tips to Help You Safely Recover)
Welcome back to my 4-part series all about the liver biopsy experience! Today I’m going to share how I prepared for my liver biopsy, beginning one month in advance! I also offer some tips about things that helped me recover. If you missed Part 1, definitely check it out because I talk all about the […]
Is Your Biologic Still Working? What to Do If You Think You’re Developing Antibodies to Your IBD Biologic
If you’ve ever flared on a biologic, you may have wondered if you were developing antibodies. This is a stressful situation to be in, especially if you’re not sure what your next step should be. Did you know there’s a specialty blood test you can do to check the effectiveness of the biologic medication you’re […]
How Elevated Liver Numbers Threw a Wrench in My Health Plan
After taking a one-year break from Remicade, I restarted the biologic in 2017. Unfortunately, it didn’t work as well as it originally did, and my doctor thought that my high liver numbers might hold the keys to discovering the answer. In this blog post, I share why my elevated liver numbers threw a wrinkle in […]