I wrote an email to the Autoimmune Hepatitis listserv introducing myself. Everyone was really nice and supportive. I think it is a good group.

I have my liver biopsy tomorrow. I cannot eat after 9:00 p.m. tonight. For those who do not know the procedure...... I will go to the hospital an hour and a half before the procedure. I will get an iv.....and some medicine to relax me. Bloodwork will be done. Then I will lie on my left side and the outline of my liver will be marked. They will numb the area with a topical anethetic...such as lidocaine. The will use an ultrasound machine to guide them. The procedure should take a half hour. I will lie on my right side for a few hours...and then they will send me home.

This is the first time I have had an ultrasound guided biopsy. My first biopsy was a transjugular liver biopsy. That was awful..and took about four hours. They put a tube into jugular veing....into my vena cava and then snaked it into my liver. They put a needle through the tube into my liver and took a piece. The last biopsy I had was a regular old blind needle biopsy. It literally felt like someone was jabbing me.

I hear this ultrasound guided biopsy will be a breeze in comparison. I hope so. I am planning on working from home on Wednesday. AND...I am not to do any heavy lifting for a week.