No Cirrhosis or Fibrosis

At the end of curing my hepatitis C through a clinical trial, I signed-up for another clinical trial with no hesitation. This particular trial did not contain any medication to take; It was strictly a monitoring of my liver for 5 years. It was a trial I fit into perfectly: end stage decompensated liver.

My previous liver biopsies

I underwent normal testing of lab work, EKG, Fibroscans, MRIs, and ultrasounds. This past week, I drove 2 hours back up to this hospital in Denver (as now I have moved further away). I underwent a biopsy of my liver, where a piece of liver is extracted to test for stage of the liver. It was a fairly nerve-wracking time for me, as I remember these biopsies as being rather barbaric. Back in 2005, there was NO sedation; There was numbing of the site, but I was aware, awake, and felt every inch of that needle going through my side, not to mention the T bar-shaped tool they used to pop through the cartilage between your ribs to insert the needle down to the liver. PAIN is all I remembered.

My most recent liver biopsy

Checking-in, I was terrified. My blood pressure (because I was that scared) was 191/95. I was beside myself. Fidgeting around waiting for my turn to be wheeled back to the OR, I talked to the nurse and she was sharing with me that sedation would be administered to me. Confused at what that really meant, I waited until I got back to the procedure area. There they said fentanyl would be given to me and I should not feel anything.

He began to give me what was I thought the full dose of stuff. I laid there looking around saw the “tool” cart wheeled in and spotted that infamous T BAR tool on the table. My pulse rose and they came over to me and said “Hey Kim, I will be now giving you the rest of the dosage”. I waited about 5 seconds and was OUT. I woke up 55 minutes later in the recovery room, not feeling or remembering the biopsy.

I am so happy to share that technology in medicine and procedure has come so far since 2005. Comfort and safety are top of the line! No longer will I ever fret this again. Read this in comfort, knowing that technology and medicine has come leaps and bounds.