Today's visit at the Shands Liver Clinic although short was interesting. Ashley appears normal to most of us on the outside. She is growing normally, and looks like a perfectly healthy ten year old. However, now we are learning that her liver disease will slowly start affecting her appearance. Today we learned that Ashley has spider veins on her face, and she has red splotchy palms which are indicators of liver cirrhosis. We also learned that Ashley's constipation problem is due to her bile sludging and not draining properly through the intestines. We also learned that Ashley's back and neck pain is not because she dances but because she may have a bone density issue which is also related to liver disease. It could also mean that she has scoliosis; more tests and an orthopedic doctor are needed. Today I learned that joint and back pain are common in liver disease. With Ashley's new issues comes two more new medications. She is now on Mirolax to help with her constipatio...
Ashley has biliary atresia, a chronic life threatening liver disease. Her disease has no cure, and her only hope for a long life is a transplant. We are trying to raise money for her liver transplant and other medical needs. Because her disease is unpredictable, her medical needs are unpredictable. It is because of this and the fact that we are unable to get life insurance for Ashley that we ask for donations. If you feel it in your heart to donate to Ashley's fund, we will be grateful.