Annie Lowry

And I think that he felt like it was cruel to tell people to stop doing this thing. That is deeply irresistible and often the only source of relief that you might be getting, even if it's leading to a problem down the road.

So short of having like a nice ice cold bath for somebody to sit in, telling somebody with no other answers at that moment to stop scratching themselves might feel a little bit rude. But I would say that all of the dermatologists I've ever seen have been very, very sympathetic and supportive. itches is something that they deal with on a daily basis is enormously common. And they mean well.

So short of having like a nice ice cold bath for somebody to sit in, telling somebody with no other answers at that moment to stop scratching themselves might feel a little bit rude. But I would say that all of the dermatologists I've ever seen have been very, very sympathetic and supportive. itches is something that they deal with on a daily basis is enormously common. And they mean well.

So short of having like a nice ice cold bath for somebody to sit in, telling somebody with no other answers at that moment to stop scratching themselves might feel a little bit rude. But I would say that all of the dermatologists I've ever seen have been very, very sympathetic and supportive. itches is something that they deal with on a daily basis is enormously common. And they mean well.

I'm certainly not trying to get on dermatologist's case for that.

I'm certainly not trying to get on dermatologist's case for that.

I'm certainly not trying to get on dermatologist's case for that.

Absolutely. So I have a poorly understood degenerative disease called primary biliary cholangitis. It's autoimmune in nature. It seems to be partially genetically, you know, you perhaps have a genetic predisposition, but then perhaps environmentally triggered. They don't really know why people get it. Right now, I believe that it's roughly 80,000 people in the United States total who have it.

Absolutely. So I have a poorly understood degenerative disease called primary biliary cholangitis. It's autoimmune in nature. It seems to be partially genetically, you know, you perhaps have a genetic predisposition, but then perhaps environmentally triggered. They don't really know why people get it. Right now, I believe that it's roughly 80,000 people in the United States total who have it.

Absolutely. So I have a poorly understood degenerative disease called primary biliary cholangitis. It's autoimmune in nature. It seems to be partially genetically, you know, you perhaps have a genetic predisposition, but then perhaps environmentally triggered. They don't really know why people get it. Right now, I believe that it's roughly 80,000 people in the United States total who have it.

About 9 in 10 of those people are women, and the disease is most common in adult women, somewhat 40 and older. And it is a disease in which the body mistakenly attacks some of the cells in your bile ducts, in the lining of your bile ducts. It causes them to inflame. It hurts your liver's ability to secrete bile into your digestive system, into your body.

About 9 in 10 of those people are women, and the disease is most common in adult women, somewhat 40 and older. And it is a disease in which the body mistakenly attacks some of the cells in your bile ducts, in the lining of your bile ducts. It causes them to inflame. It hurts your liver's ability to secrete bile into your digestive system, into your body.

About 9 in 10 of those people are women, and the disease is most common in adult women, somewhat 40 and older. And it is a disease in which the body mistakenly attacks some of the cells in your bile ducts, in the lining of your bile ducts. It causes them to inflame. It hurts your liver's ability to secrete bile into your digestive system, into your body.

And ultimately, if the disease is allowed to progress, will slowly progress towards cirrhosis. Disease used to be considered or was often considered fatal. They found a drug, an actually really old drug that dissolves gallstones, works really well to slow its progression. And so, yeah, so that's the condition that I had.

And ultimately, if the disease is allowed to progress, will slowly progress towards cirrhosis. Disease used to be considered or was often considered fatal. They found a drug, an actually really old drug that dissolves gallstones, works really well to slow its progression. And so, yeah, so that's the condition that I had.

And ultimately, if the disease is allowed to progress, will slowly progress towards cirrhosis. Disease used to be considered or was often considered fatal. They found a drug, an actually really old drug that dissolves gallstones, works really well to slow its progression. And so, yeah, so that's the condition that I had.

I was diagnosed with it during my second pregnancy, though I clearly had it in my first pregnancy. And I was young, although not unheard of, young to get it. And my OBGYNs had never had a patient with it. It took a while to get to a hepatologist who recognized it.

I was diagnosed with it during my second pregnancy, though I clearly had it in my first pregnancy. And I was young, although not unheard of, young to get it. And my OBGYNs had never had a patient with it. It took a while to get to a hepatologist who recognized it.

I was diagnosed with it during my second pregnancy, though I clearly had it in my first pregnancy. And I was young, although not unheard of, young to get it. And my OBGYNs had never had a patient with it. It took a while to get to a hepatologist who recognized it.

But it, like a lot of liver and kidney conditions, for reasons that are not understood at all, causes really, really bad itching that does not respond to antihistamines and does not respond to steroids.