Hello all,
Some of you may remember my post a couple of weeks ago about my
blood screen coming back positive TWICE for neural tube
defects…high AFP (alpha fetoprotein). I wasn’t too worried about
the first screen. Even though only 3% of women test positive, 70%
of those are false positives.
BUT, when my second one came back positive, I was really freaking
out - I mean, what are the chances my test would be positive
twice…that I’d be in that small 3% twice?
My doc sent me to a hospital that specializes in high risk
ultrasounds. This ultrasound (like the one before it) reported all
was normal. This was somewhat reassuring but, still I wondered…
I then found online that there was a study of more than 84,000
women. This study found that when your blood screen is positive AND
you have a normal ultrasound, the risk for a NTD is less than .1%.
So, this made me wonder if perhaps my AFP was high because of
something else…
I should mention here that I’ve been on tylenol3 for the last 8
months for head pain due to chiari malformation - and it’s very
constipating.
Sure enough, I found out by researching AFP that if men and non-
pregnant women have high AFP levels, it is indicative of liver
cancer, liver cirrhosis or hepatitis. This worried me too. I made
an appt to see my doc for a week later. But, a couple of nights
later, I’m laying in bed and notice that my right side is aching
just under my ribs. It occurred to me that this is where the liver
is. I was so upset…thinking my liver was the problem. What if it
was cancer? What if it was cirrhosis? Or hepatitis?
The pain started getting worse (with green diarrhea) so, I went to
the ER on a Saturday. They ran all my bloodwork and reported all
liver enzymes and WBC normal. They also did an ultrasound of my
entire abdomen and reported all was normal. I had no fever or
nausea. I asked if it was possible that the tylenol3 was causing my
problem. They said absolutely not…there’s no way such a small
dose (I only take 2 caps a day) could do this kind of thing to me.
So, they sent me home with this abdominal pain, telling me to keep
taking the tylenol3.
The next day, I still had bowel issues but, normal color. I was
starting to feel better. But, that night I woke with a terrible
headache and reached for the tylenol3. I took one cap around 2am
and another around 8am. The following morning, my abdominal pain
was WAY worse. Now, it felt like sharp stabbing pains. And, now I
had nausea. I was throwing up green slime. I went back to the ER
again…
Same thing…all tests were normal. No temperature. Again, they
tell me that tylenol3 can’t cause these symptoms. But, this time I
didn’t believe it. I asked for a different script and they sent me
home.
Well, that was Monday. Today, I’m feeling much better. My
digestive system still feels “bruised” but, getting better everyday
that I DON’T take tylenol3. Some research on the net revealed that
codeine can cause gallbladder spasms that are very painful. It’s
kind of like an allergic reaction to codeine, I guess. I’m taking
plain tylenol now and just dealing with the headpain. It’s hard
but, it’s WAY better than what I was going thru. That pain was so
bad, I was just wishing they would cut me open and take out my
appendix & gallbladder.
I do wonder if pregnancy has made my gall bladder more sensitive
than normal. Who knows… I also believe this probably contributed
to my AFP being abnormal. But, of course, I don’t know for sure.
Just wanted to share in case anyone else encountered a similar
situation.
Amanda
gallbladder pain & tylenol 3 & pregnancy
January 30th, 2007 · 4 Comments
Tags: health
4 responses so far ↓
1 Neva Marjory // Jan 30, 2007 at 8:05 pm
I just looked up Chiari malformation on the internet. Did your doctor
suggest surgery prior to your becoming pregnant, or will the surgery not
be effective in your case? I’m really surprised he approved codeine
knowing you were pregnant!!! Wouldn’t affect your baby by drugging it?
All drugs go through the liver.
It also seems you’ll need to wait until delivery before doing liver
cleanses.
Would acupuncture help your headache? You might also inquire as to
getting acupuncture to treat your liver/gallbladder.
I’ve been getting acupuncture since mid-October for carpal tunnel and
back aches, and it’s working wonders. My insurance covers it 70%.
Namaste,
Cathy
2 Neva Marjory // Jan 31, 2007 at 7:55 am
Perhaps you’d consider acupuncture though, at least it’s non invasive,
and is healthier for you. We’re always looking for a quick fix and
that’s what doctors offer, a pill for everything, though it doesn’t cure
the problem. The pills all end up affecting our liver. Sounds to me
like your liver was trying to tell you something.
Namaste,
Cathy
3 Young Scott // Jan 31, 2007 at 3:50 pm
Hello,
I realize that pain is a most difficult thing to live with when it is
constant. Have you been referred to a pain management clinic which
deals with pain in non chemical ways?
~S
4 Tommie Levy // Jan 31, 2007 at 6:07 pm
Here is an article from www.mercola.com I get his newsletter in my e-mail
and it often has interesting health info. This information, is similar to
the information about the dangers of vegetable oils in the “Well Being
Journal” (Vol 14, no. 3….may/june 2005) magazine that I bought at our
local healthfood co-op a couple of weeks ago. I hope this is of interest to
some.
**********
Age-related cataract, a cataract that occurs in the elderly and is
characterized by an initial opacity in the lens, is an extremely common
disorder that has both substantial health and economic effects. In fact,
age-related cataract is the leading cause of blindness in the world.
Although the visual impairment associated with cataract can be corrected
surgically, it is at a major social cost, as cataract removal is the most
frequently performed surgical procedure among Medicare patients, costing
some $3.5 billion a year in the United States.
This study examined the association between specific types of fat in the
diet, measured over a period of 10 to 15 years, and the development of
cataracts. This is the first published study to perform this extensive type
of dietary analysis with cataracts.
Polyunsaturated fats (PUFAs) are essential fats and consist of omega-6 and
omeg-3 fats. PUFAs have generally been considered to be healthy elements of
the diet. Linoleic acid is an 18-carbon omega — 6 PUFA. It is abundant in
the Western diet and is the major fatty acid in safflower, sunflower, corn,
soybean and cottonseed oils, as it accounts for more than 50 percent of the
total fatty acid content in these oils. Although linoleic acid is an
essential fatty acid, the consumption of modest amounts, equivalent to 1
percent of total calories, is adequate to protect against essential fatty
acid deficiency.
Linoleic acid constitutes up to 0.5 percent of the total fatty acids in the
lens membrane. Because linoleic acid is prone to being oxidized, increasing
concentrations in the lens membrane may cause free radical damage.
Linolenic acid is an 18-carbon omega — 3 PUFA. Spelling wise there is only
a difference of one “n,” but it makes all the difference in the world.
Linolenic acid is the omega-3 fat of vegetable oils found in flax, walnuts
and green leafy vegetables.
The researchers found that when the diet was increased with either of these
fats there was an increased risk of developing cataracts.
American Journal of Clinical Nutrition April 2005;81(4):773-779
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