9 Nifty Things I Never Knew About the Liver

Here is the picture I tried to post yesterday...it must be lost in cyber-space.







9 Days to go until Em's "Big Day". Today, I thought I would tell the 9 Things That I Never Thought I Would Know About the Liver:



1) Where the liver is (Honestly, I never took Anatomy nor did I CARE where the liver was)

2) Jaundice is an indication that the liver is not properly functioning (not the kidneys)

3) It is the largest organ in the body

4) The liver is the most difficult organ to transplant, but it has the highest success rate once it is in

5) It can regenerate itself

6) A partial liver can be transplanted (Emma received 1/4 of a 17 year old's liver)

7) The liver absorbs vitamins A,D,E, and K (Emma was on these the first 7 mths. of her life)

8) There is a BIG difference between direct bilirubin and indirect bilirubin ("typical" newborn jaundice is generally elevated indirect bilirubin...elevated direct bilirubin is a sign that something is "not quite right" and putting your child in front of a sunny window is not going to help the situation).

9) I NEVER knew the liver would be such an ENORMOUS part of my life and occupy so many of my thought throughout a day. I truly feel as if I know the liver inside and out now.



Some people go to medical school for years to learn so much about the liver. Others, like myself, are given a CRASH COURSE called parenthood and we are sent on the "fast track" in the world known as Biliary Atresia.