Testing: First day feels optimistic

6:00 Left for the hospital. My body tells me why I'm going to get cut, poked, prodded, x-rayed and all of the other things: I'm tired all of the time; exertion drains me of energy; my joints keep me awake at night with pain; and, there is a big question of how much damage there is. I'm hoping for the best and expecting the worst.

7:22 Sitting on the bed, waiting for transport to the first set of tests. Life is good - I have a lot of love supporting me and have a brain and an iPod full of picture memories and music. The ultrasound tech has drawn pictures where my gall bladder and liver are located with magic marker on my chest. The "X" spot is between two ribs under my right pectoralis minor.

9:30 Oral Glucose Tolerance Test "OGTT" - both arms are plumbed for saline drip, 7 blood vials taken, blood drawn every 30 minutes. Headache from the Glucola - solid sugar drink - tastes like sugar and orange juice.

11:00 "I've been stabbed with an ice pick." The liver biopsy procedure was done in about 30 minutes. After an incision between two ribs, a 3-4 inch needle was inserted through the ribs, into the liver and a pencil-lead-size tube of liver was extracted. It was a visceral shock - more than pain, but left some lingering pain for an hour. On a pain scale of 1-10, the pain was less than 4.

The liver sample was dark brown (instead of light tan) indicating a high concentration of iron. It mostly stayed together when pushed from from the needle - indicating that the damage is not to the cirrhosis stage. <> The results from the pathologist will be available on Thursday morning.

The Doctor and HOSPITAL STAFF are fantastic - knowledgeable, friendly and efficient. By nature I am a happy optimist - and they feed me with timely information and positive attitudes and feedback. There are always exceptions.

The OGTT indicates that sugar levels are close to normal and lessens the likelihood that I have progressed to diabetes. Tomorrow, the big test will find the degree of insulin sensitivity I've developed because of the iron. During the night, I'll have blood drawn every two hours and around 4:30 will have a calorimetry test to determine my resting metabolism.

End of day: My apprehension level has dropped a great deal today. Today's initial tests suggest that although there is organ damage, it is not as severe as it might have been and may be partially reversible. The symptoms, however, will continue for a long time - some indefinitely. Overall, it was a good day.