What do you do with fear and worry? My recent health scare had liver and life lessons for me!
When you’re young, you think you’re invincible. When you’re very old, it is what it is. But when you’re in between you realize how you live really matters, and when you’ve had a diagnosis like cancer, the days you’re given become more precious.
Because of my health history of breast cancer, my integrative cancer MD, Dr. Block, orders what he calls “terrain” labs for me about every four months. (Block Center for Integrative Cancer Treatment, Chicago) These labs keep an eye on how my immune system is doing, on my inflammation levels, my oxidation levels, my circulation health (whether I have sticky blood or not), blood sugar levels, and stress chemistry. All of these labs, including a routine Comprehensive Metabolic Panel, act as an early alert system to let my oncologist and me know if something is going awry that may make a cancer recurrence more likely, or to catch any indications that my cancer might have returned as early as possible. So, when one of my liver labs came back in the moderately high range (again), I was pretty concerned, and so was my medical oncologist. But it turns out that bone disorders, and not just liver disease or liver cancer can drive that enzyme level up. She ordered a bone scan for me —not the Dexa scan— but a bone scan to make sure there wasn’t an indication of cancer in my bones!
While I waited for the date of the scan, she also referred me to a specialized gastroenterologist to run more liver blood work and maybe a liver ultrasound. During this time of waiting, I started paying a lot more attention to my liver! I started doing liver castor oil packs daily for a week or so, because I read about a study where two participants in the study with heightened Alkaline Phosphatase numbers saw their levels decrease after several weeks of using castor oil packs for an hour a day. I’d seen castor oil packs on my liver reduce my liver toxicity in the past and help my migraines become much less frequent, so I went for it when I read about the study. (The 5 Science-Backed Castor Oil Benefits You Need To Know About,16 Science-Backed Benefits of Castor Oil Packs for Liver)
I also decided to start checking if my medicine or any of my supplements could be causing the heightened Alkaline Phosphatase numbers, because I had read that liver damage from those two sources is a thing. What I discovered surprised me! When I started researching “_________” supplement name AND liver damage or AND alkaline phosphatase, I found that several supplements I had been regularly taking for many months had the potential to harm my already at-risk liver. (Mold illness creates a greater possibility of liver toxicity, and my raised enzymes, put me on high alert.) These are the supplements that popped up as having liver damage potential. I wanted to share so you can take a closer look at any potential negative effects of your medicines or supplements on your liver health.
Green Tea Extract - Drinking a moderate level of green tea is generally considered beneficial for health, but taking concentrated green tea extract has been strongly linked to liver damage. (Green tea extract–associated acute liver injury: Case report and review - PMC, Can Drinking Too Much Green Tea Cause Liver Damage?)
Elderberry - This supplement has mixed reviews in the research I found. It was my go-to for cold prevention or to try to fight a viral infection, but when I looked into whether it could harm my liver, I was surprised that there is a “plausible connection” between elderberry and autoimmune hepatitis in some people. Other research, though, found that it could have a beneficial effect in some ways on the liver of mice. I’ll probably use it in the future, but be very careful not to exceed the recommended dose! (A Plausible Association Between the Use of Elderberry and Autoimmune Hepatitis - PMC, Long-Term Supplementation of Black Elderberries Promotes Hyperlipidemia, but Reduces Liver Inflammation and Improves HDL Function and Atherosclerotic Plaque Stability in Apolipoprotein E-Knockout Mice - PubMed)
Aloe Vera - (mine was in a colon helper supplement) - The research I found suggested taking aloe vera orally for a week or so, wasn’t found to be a problem, but one woman developed acute hepatitis after taking it daily for a month. Her symptoms reversed once she stopped taking it.
Turmeric - One study I found showed that too much turmeric could cause serious liver side effects (Turmeric-induced Liver Injury - PMC), but other studies on curcumin showed it could be helpful to help with Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease. (An updated meta-analysis of effects of curcumin on metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease based on available evidence from Iran and Thailand | Scientific Reports) So, it seems that the source and the amount definitely matter!
Monk fruit with Erythritol -The monk fruit was fine, but top cancer researchers are warning against using sugar alcohols like erythritol.
(You can read about it here: Upstate study links ingredient in sweeteners to liver cancer | Upstate News | SUNY Upstate)
Back to my story, after ditching all my questionable supplements, my appointment with the liver specialist finally arrived. I drove over an hour to see him, expecting, and rather hoping that he’d order an ultrasound of my liver so I could know if there was any damage, but instead he went on a rabbit trail of my old labs and interrogated me about what my past doctors had or hadn’t done based on those tests. He was making it clear that past labs that weren’t followed up on the way he thought they should have were serious and he kept asking why my oncologist hadn’t ordered a scan of my liver or more labs. He repeated over and over how they were the ones who should have ordered this because if cancer was found in my liver they were the ones who would be addressing that and not him. I could feel the tears pricking at my eyes as it became very obvious that what I thought was just something to investigate for possible concern, he was forging right ahead into a breast cancer patient’s nightmare - liver cancer!
He ordered more blood work and sent me to the waiting room to be called back for the blood draw, and I started praying, and trying to get my husband on the phone. I could feel that horrible force of fear pushing the door open, ready to overtake my heart. My husband was unreachable, but my brother picked up. He was great. He listened. He cared, and he prayed for me. I got through the blood draw without a melt-down and drove home safely by God’s grace.
The next few days of waiting for those lab results were pretty tough. My brain was drawn to fear like metal filings to a magnet, but I started writing and praying and pouring it all out to my heavenly Father anew!
Here’s the poem that helped me have a breakthrough.
waiting …
Wounded by partial news that doesn’t make sense, yet wondering what the future holds, my mind veers off the road to the worst.
Answers just out of reach, and the fight begins within me to choose faith over fear’s taunting voice.
I ask for prayer, for I can’t get the grip of dread off of my heart by myself. I cry out to God, affirming that I belong to Him –all of me belongs to Him.
Time slows; the mean time is here. The slack sails return; will I rest in the calm He offers and tune my senses to spiritual truths and heaven’s glory?
I choose to believe the gentle, thrumming truths of the Psalms. “Thy lovingkindness, O LORD, extends to the heavens, Thy faithfulness reaches to the skies. Thy righteousness is like the mountain of God; Thy judgments are like the great deep. O LORD, Thou preservest man and beast. How precious is Thy lovingkindness, O God! And the children of men take refuge in the shadow of Thy wings.” Psalm 36:5-7
Nothing can separate me from the love of my God. Nothing. No matter what the test results show. No matter how many of few days I might have left on this earth, My God reigns! He has pre-purchased my passage Home to His side where He will enfold me in His arms of love whenever this tent shall fail.
Give thanks to the LORD, the faithful God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. “But as for me, I trust in Thee, O LORD,” I say, “Thou art my God.” My times are in Thy hands; deliver me from my enemies….” (even those possibly lurking in the recesses of my own body!) How great is Thy goodness which You have stored up for those who fear You.” Psalm 31:14-15 & 19a That goodness is assured each and every day that I tread here below –whether my circumstances are good or not—You always are! With You, dear Heavenly Father, I have nothing to fear. For You are here with me every moment and, some day, when I walk through that final door, it is Your face I will see and Your embrace I will feel. Selah.
I hope that reading this will help you overcome any fear or worry knocking at your door!
Thankfully, for me, my bone scan came back negative for cancer, and my second round of liver labs, showed that my elevated enzymes weren’t being caused by my liver - it was fine.
I still am not sure why my alkaline phosphatase is so elevated, but I have an appointment with an orthopedic doctor to try to understand some of the other bone scan and lab result findings more and see what she thinks is causing the red flagged result. God is good. He knows me inside and out. I’m learning to surrender all of me to His care and be thankful for each day He gives me on this earth to love and serve Him. May His sweet Presence comfort and guide you daily, as He does me.
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If this piece spoke to you, then you might enjoy reading some of my other poetic devotional pieces.
Find out more about my women’s devotional, Journey into Trust.
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Photo Credit tray of lab viles : @ncs
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