I Hope You Have Worms

Well, that's definitely a first! The thought that entered my mind yesterday when my nutritionist wished parasites on me. Her exact words, no preface: "I hope you have worms." 

For about six months I've been feeling dizzy, nauseated and continually losing weight. Luckily, the dizzy spells have subsided, for the most part, but other symptoms are still ever present. A few months ago, I went to a doctor at the Air Force Base while in Tucson, who simply told me to breastfeed less, eat more, and drink more. Thanks, Lady! Not helpful. I drink plenty of water every day, the amount I eat surprises most people, and I'm no longer nursing Adeline, but I'm still dropping pounds and extremely nauseated. So, back to the doctor. 

This time at Fort Bliss, the doctor paid me a little more attention. Chalk one up for the Army. She confirmed that I was no longer in the healthy weight spectrum for my height and with the continual weight loss after giving birth, something is amiss. After learning about my gall bladder removal, postcholecystectomy syndrome (abdominal symptoms after surgical removal of the gall bladder), hyperemesis gravidarum (severe nausea, vomiting, weight loss, and electrolyte disturbance during pregnancy) and the fact that I'm still nauseated post-delivery, the doctor suggested I may have nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Unfortunately, there's no cure for this disease and the possible outcomes are less than ideal.

However, my nutritionist remarked that she deals with this disease often in her patients and doesn't usually see weight loss with NAFLD.  She thinks instead, that my time in Alabama, Italy, or Mexico may have earned me worms. And she actually hopes this as it would be an easier fix to my weight loss problem. In the meantime, until labs come back, the nutritionist recommended I up my caloric intake to 2500-3000 calories daily and suggested I return to taking Zofran, which improved my nausea when I was pregnant. 

Not sure what to wish for, a liver disease or parasites? Prayerfully, neither! Regardless of the outcome, I'm thankful for this situation as I've had to place my trust in God a little more with each twist, finding comfort in the peace that only He can provide.