Posts by slyfalcon20

Is it alright if I have a little water before heading in to get my blood drawn for AST, ALT, GGT, ALP, and Bilirubin? Does drinking water actually change the results at all?

wanderingrider3 said:It’s moments like this where I start feeling like I might be the only idiot out there with this much bad luck... I truly feel for anyone dealing with this mess. I had surgery for it about a year and a half ago, and now my ear is leaking again, and let me tell you, it is just UGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH, gross. I’m heading in for an exam soon to see if things have actually regressed, if I need to go under the knife again, or if I should just shoot myself in the head instead...

Hey there—I dealt with the exact same thing when I was younger. You’re describing a situation that was practically a mirror image of my own experience. It was constant dripping, rounds of antibiotics, until I eventually ended up at the Mayo Clinic where they finally gave me a proper diagnosis. That was roughly 13 or 14 years ago; I’m 24 now and everything is fine. I haven't had a full recurrence, though I did suffer from an ear infection—specifically that nasty purulent discharge—at least once a year. Don't let the anxiety get to you, because honestly, it doesn't necessarily have to be a sign of a relapse. In fact, for the last two years, I’ve been clear, mostly because I’ve become quite meticulous about it (keeping water out of the ear canal, wearing a hat in the winter, and so on). One of the top specialists in the field actually told me that a true recurrence most commonly manifests within a one or two-year window. Anyway, good luck with the appointment, and try not to stress too much; it really might not mean the illness has returned...