orange

My husband and I took my brother to see Argo on Sunday night and we had dinner too.   We were supposed to do this on Saturday, but he had thrown up, and I thought it better to let him rest for a day.  When I saw him, I remarked that he looked very tan, had he been sitting in the sun? My husband noticed it too, once I mentioned it.  Of course he hadn't, it's been very cold in Chicago until today.  I didn't think much of it.

I went to visit him Tuesday night.  Usually I go on Wednesday, but I went on Tuesday because I am going out of town on Thursday, to California, to visit my kids.  I won't be back until Monday evening.  Again, I noticed he looked kind of orange/brown.

I came home, watched a bit of TV, and then realized what was bothering me.  He looked like he had jaundice.  So I got on the internet, started poking around, and read that nausea can be linked with jaundice.  There are no good reasons to get jaundice, it often indicates hepatitis or even worse, an obstruction in the bile ducts or liver.

I didn't get much sleep that night.  I called the nurse practitioner in the morning.   I asked that in his latest labs if they took billirubin.  She said that they did and that they were normal.  That was a great relief.

Then I talked with a friend of mine who is a doctor.  After speaking with him, it sounded like I could probably go away, if some kind of problem was percolating, it probably wouldn't present itself until I got back.

At least my husband is in town, who will visit him on the weekend.  I asked him to look especially at my brother's eyes.