Update on Rob

As some of you may know, Rob had a doctor’s appointment a few weeks ago. They did a few routine blood tests. They called him the next day and said his liver enzymes were elevated and they would like him to schedule an ultrasound of his abdomen. They said he needed to wait at least 7-10 days to get the test done so it would give his liver a chance to cleanse. (Rob always thinks the worst case scenario and takes things to the extreme. He was overcome with anxiety waiting those 10 days. He was thinking he had liver cancer or liver disease). He was instructed to drinks lots of water and not to drink any alcohol in between that time and when he had the test performed (that’s why he wasn’t drinking at Allison’s wedding).  He scheduled the test for last Friday, the 27^th. He was told that due to the holiday, the doctor probably wouldn’t even read the tests until early this week and then he wouldn’t receive the results until at least Wednesday or Thursday. It turns out they called him Saturday (the day after the appointment) to tell him what was going on. We were at my nephew’s birthday party when he got the call. Rob came and grabbed me and told me to come outside.

The doctor told him he has Fatty Liver Disease (FLD) which is condition where there is a build-up of fat in the liver cells. It would seem logical that eating fatty foods would cause a fatty liver, but this is not always the case. Fat can accumulate in the liver for a variety of reasons. Fatty Livers tend to develop in people who are overweight or have diabetes, high cholesterol or high triglycerides. By looking at Rob, he appears physically fit and muscular, but he already knew his triglycerides were on the high side. FLD can also develop in people that are heavy drinkers. Rob is not a heavy drinker. He is more on the social side having a few drinks every now and then. Some people have this condition even if they do not have any risk factors. The doctor has also ordered an MRI to be performed on his abdomen too. They noticed some cysts on his kidneys that they would like to check out.

So – what does this mean for him? The good news is that this condition is reversible. His doctor said he needs to go on a strict diet. No more fried foods, processed foods, no more cheese, and no more alcohol. What is Rob going to do without cheese? Ha. If anyone knows Rob, knows he loves himself some cheese! I think giving up beer will also be hard (especially in the summertime). She recommended he lose 30 lbs (that seems like an awful lot for someone that doesn’t look overweight) and exercise more. The doctor is going to refer us to a dietician so we both can learn what we should be eating. They will be able to help us develop a plan. This will be tough, but hopefully we can motivate each other. If you read my previous blog posting, you know that I am trying to lose weight myself. It definitely helps when you have someone to work with you towards your goals. I won’t be as tempted to cheat or eat bad when I know Rob can’t. It will also help with our “going out to eat” situation. Rob wants to start working with a personal trainer. This enforces the thought that there is no better time to get back into the gym.

At first Rob was pretty upset about this condition (and still sort of is). I keep trying to tell him to look at the brighter side that this can reversed and it is our opportunity to get back into shape. He has to go back to the doctor again in a month so they can check his liver enzymes. If they are lower, we are moving in the right direction. Hopefully, once he is on track, he will no longer have this condition. He then can enjoy the things he once did (beer, certain foods, etc) in moderation. We went to the Cubs game this weekend and it was sort of our last hoorah before we get down to business! We are hoping this condition is under control by the time we go on vacation in August! Thanks to everyone who expressed concern over my hubby!