Liver/ BA Q&A

Rowan had her 6 month check up in Houston this past Wednesday.  We have been thinking she looks fantastic, and everyone there agreed.  After labs and then the appointment with Dr. Himes, we visited the 12th floor and said hi to some of Rowan's old nurses.  It was good to see everyone and show them how well Ro was doing as compared to a year ago. 

Her labs came back fairly great, but not perfect.  Her GGT was elevated very slightly from the last time they checked.  Also, her Prograf level was a little low. 

GGT is one of the Liver Function Tests.  There is AST, ALT, Bili, Albumin, and GGT.  They basically all show if there is any damage to the liver.  Rowan's GGT was elevated from the last test, but still within normal range, so no real reason to worry... but it shows that there may be some small insult to her liver at this time. 

Her Prograf is the medication she takes to prevent rejection of her liver.  As I said, this level was a little low, so they have decided to increase her dose.  By getting her Prograf back into the normal range they are thinking that it will also help to bring her GGT down. 

We go to Austin in a month to recheck levels. 

Now for some other BA/Liver talk:
Chance and I have been getting a lot of questions lately because of the upcoming arrival of our second little girl, Collins. 

Most often:  
Will she have Biliary Atresia too?

The answer is... BA is not a genetic disease.  Neither Chance or I are "carriers" because it is not something that is chromosomally wrong.  They still aren't sure what causes Biliary Atresia and that is why research is so important to help find a cause, and possibly a cure other than the process Rowan has been through.  In a very basic nutshell, some research is showing that there is a possibility the baby gets a virus in the womb.  That virus causes the body to react in an autoimmune way and starts to attack the biliary tree (the place where the bile escapes from the liver).  After it has been attacked, the biliary system gets all scarred up and inflamed. When the baby is born, the bile stays trapped in the liver because there are no open routes due to the inflammation and scarring.

Biliary Atresia affects approximately 1 in 15,000 infants born in the US.

The likelihood that Collins will be born with BA is the same as anyone else, 1 in 15,000.   However, if we were to have two children born with BA, I think they would put us in the medical journals! 
We actually know of a family through the internet who has twin girls, one has BA and the other doesn't.

If you have any other questions, we'd love to try and answer them!  
 

Didn't take any pictures in Houston. It was a whirlwind trip considering we had no nap for two days in a row...

But after some good sleep in her own bed, and NO CAST, or rain, we busted out the pool :)
She's a fish!