Annie Lowrey

And I had some frustrating conversations with my doctors where they'd kind of be like, OK, let's keep on doing more blood work. Let's do biopsies. Let's do tests. Let's talk about, you know, like improvements that we can see in these hard and fast numbers. And I would say, OK, but can we talk about my symptoms? Like I'm not sleeping very well and the itching isn't as bad now as it has been.

And one of the sort of spooky things about it, and I'm very grateful for this, but I will be not itchy at all for long periods and then it'll just come back out of nowhere. And I don't really understand why. the trigger or what happens. In the spring, this was true for about six weeks. It's been true on and off since I published this piece, I think just because I'm thinking about itching so much.

And one of the sort of spooky things about it, and I'm very grateful for this, but I will be not itchy at all for long periods and then it'll just come back out of nowhere. And I don't really understand why. the trigger or what happens. In the spring, this was true for about six weeks. It's been true on and off since I published this piece, I think just because I'm thinking about itching so much.

And one of the sort of spooky things about it, and I'm very grateful for this, but I will be not itchy at all for long periods and then it'll just come back out of nowhere. And I don't really understand why. the trigger or what happens. In the spring, this was true for about six weeks. It's been true on and off since I published this piece, I think just because I'm thinking about itching so much.

So finally, one of my doctors was like, yeah, okay, let's focus on the itching. And there's a bunch of different treatment options that they have, and none of them work that well, and none of them work for everybody. So you have all these PBC patients who are kind of doing this grab bag approach to, OK, like, let's try this. Let's try that.

So finally, one of my doctors was like, yeah, okay, let's focus on the itching. And there's a bunch of different treatment options that they have, and none of them work that well, and none of them work for everybody. So you have all these PBC patients who are kind of doing this grab bag approach to, OK, like, let's try this. Let's try that.

So finally, one of my doctors was like, yeah, okay, let's focus on the itching. And there's a bunch of different treatment options that they have, and none of them work that well, and none of them work for everybody. So you have all these PBC patients who are kind of doing this grab bag approach to, OK, like, let's try this. Let's try that.

And even the drugs they're suggesting are just like kind of wildly different things. So one of the things that they will trial is analog of a drug that's used to reverse heroin overdoses. It's a medication that blocks opiates in the body. Another is an SSRI, which are commonly used. used to treat depression. There's a antibiotic that seems to work for some people's itching.

And even the drugs they're suggesting are just like kind of wildly different things. So one of the things that they will trial is analog of a drug that's used to reverse heroin overdoses. It's a medication that blocks opiates in the body. Another is an SSRI, which are commonly used. used to treat depression. There's a antibiotic that seems to work for some people's itching.

And even the drugs they're suggesting are just like kind of wildly different things. So one of the things that they will trial is analog of a drug that's used to reverse heroin overdoses. It's a medication that blocks opiates in the body. Another is an SSRI, which are commonly used. used to treat depression. There's a antibiotic that seems to work for some people's itching.

I don't understand why that is. And I think that this kind of scattershot ragtag approach reflects the fact that they just don't really understand what's happening in terms of itching with people with my condition. So they're kind of guessing at what might interrupt it. And some things happen to interrupt it and other things don't.

I don't understand why that is. And I think that this kind of scattershot ragtag approach reflects the fact that they just don't really understand what's happening in terms of itching with people with my condition. So they're kind of guessing at what might interrupt it. And some things happen to interrupt it and other things don't.

I don't understand why that is. And I think that this kind of scattershot ragtag approach reflects the fact that they just don't really understand what's happening in terms of itching with people with my condition. So they're kind of guessing at what might interrupt it. And some things happen to interrupt it and other things don't.

But maybe as they understand it better, they'll come up with better treatment options.

But maybe as they understand it better, they'll come up with better treatment options.

But maybe as they understand it better, they'll come up with better treatment options.

In some sense, I was thrilled to get an answer for something that had been going on for so long. So I never got a diagnosis after my first pregnancy. One of my doctors had suggested that the itching was psychologic in nature and that I was just really stressed out. And I'd never had problems with itching before.

In some sense, I was thrilled to get an answer for something that had been going on for so long. So I never got a diagnosis after my first pregnancy. One of my doctors had suggested that the itching was psychologic in nature and that I was just really stressed out. And I'd never had problems with itching before.

In some sense, I was thrilled to get an answer for something that had been going on for so long. So I never got a diagnosis after my first pregnancy. One of my doctors had suggested that the itching was psychologic in nature and that I was just really stressed out. And I'd never had problems with itching before.

I'd occasionally gotten itchy when I had bug bites or something, but I wasn't a person who was an itchy person. I didn't have, you know, childhood eczema or any of those conditions. So I was thrilled to finally get a diagnosis. And they trialed this drug, Ursadiol, which has really changed PBC treatment in me.