The Day The World Turned Red

January 12, 2026

I have been keeping quiet about a big aspect of my life and I am sure some of my closer circle have noticed a few things have changed about/around me. This is that story.

After two bouts of COVID, I needed to get an overall picture of my health. Also I had a nagging pain on the left side of my abdomen that I wanted to get some insight into. So I found a PCP, and had her order some lab work (comprehensive blood work) to look into it. I also wanted to check out what was going on in my left side (pancreas) so asked to include that as well. I went and got the blood work. The results came back a few days later and they were definitely abnormal. So abnormal in fact, that my PCP recommended I go to the ER to get things checked out.

That absolutely scared me. So much so, that I doubted it a bit. I felt fine. More normal than fine. So I needed a second opinion, I knew nothing of ERs and their processes. Only what I saw and heard on TV shows and anecdotes from people. I contacted my sister (who’s been working in the healthcare field for a long while now), and gave her the rundown.

She also recommended a trip to the ER to get everything sorted. So a bit of panic set in, it was already late in the day (7ish pm) and I started get to ready for the ER.

So we (my wife and I) drove to a hospital that is a bit further away on my sister’s recommendation and got checked into the ER. Got into one of the patient rooms, explained what got us there in the first place to the attending PA, they ordered their own set of blood work labs to be done so they can have it in their records. I gave more blood for labs. We waited for the results. The PA also ordered an ultrasound of my abdomen to try and get to the bottom of the nagging pain I was experiencing.

Labs came back confirming what we already knew, that my liver was not doing so good as evidenced by the liver enzyme test results being abnormal. They needed to know why so they ordered up some MRIs and CAT scans to be done in the morning. I was to be admitted for an indefinite amount of time until they can figure out why my liver was doing so badly. I actually could not believe it but was in high spirits as this was my first ever ER/hospital anything ever. Optimistic view to everything, let’s see what happens, I thought to myself.

Now, I definitely had my fair share of alcohol in my life but I do not believe it to be the level of a raging alcoholic. Some specialists came to see me and try and diagnose why my liver is the way it is. Officially, my liver had deep scarring (cirrhosis). The liver can’t come back from something like this. They all asked me about my drinking habits. I do not drink nearly enough to qualify for alcoholic liver failure. The next one was about family history of leukemia. That’s a no from me (and my family) as well. We also ruled out hepatitis as well. So what could it be?

I had no idea and they (the doctors) had no idea so I was giving blood around the clock so they could test it and see if they can come to any conclusions while the GI doctor came around asking questions. This all happened in the span of 3 days.

I do have to mention the sporadic around-the-clock nurse schedule they had me on. Every few hours (maybe 3-4), I would be met with 2 nurses for blood draws and vital checks. It did not matter if it was in the middle of the night or if I was in the middle of eating. It was very odd like if they did not check on me, I would pass away or something. I wish I had the nerve to ask to space it out a bit as I could not get any proper rest in.

I came to realize that there is a big mental toll when it comes to being admitted in a hospital and there does not seem to be an end in sight. It really is a grind when you do not know when you will leave a place. It is fairly similar to being at an airport. The food is adequate, the walls and smells are non offensive but drab. The people (in this instance, nurses and doctors) are all just doing their jobs. And then there’s you, waiting for answers and basically under observation like a guinea pig.

It was exhausting. I thought I could handle a bit more but I was at the point where no answers were coming and I was still feeling pretty normal besides the fact I gave so much blood over a 3 day span. I finally asked if its alright for me to go home, I was racking up the bill and there does not seem to be an end to the number of tests and questions.

I was approved for home health care services. A nurse would come around the clock and check up on me as if I was still under observation. I was to have iPad appointments with a doctor so they can ask any questions. It was still better to be home than to be at the hospital. Thank goodness for that.

The blood tests that were ran ultimately found the problem. To be honest, I never expected this diagnosis. So the DNA in my blood had mutated some time ago (maybe in the last 3-5 years) and my body was starting to produce more blood than normal. That in turn increases the likelihood of blood clots. Another effect of more blood coursing through my blood was that my blood pressure was much higher. And that higher blood pressure caused hypertension throughout all my organs. The organ that was having the roughest time with the increased pressure was my liver.

My diagnosis is official. I was diagnosed with a rare blood cancer called Polycythemia Vera (PV). That blood cancer led to the portal hypertension in the main portal of the liver and that syndrome is called Budd-Chiari Syndrome. And my liver is beyond repair with severe cirrhosis.

All big time revelations that a couple of days in the hospital revealed. My life did a big 180 once I got this diagnosis. Since there is no cure (as of this writing) for PV, the hematologist says I will have to be on blood thinners for the rest of my life (to combat blood clots). Since my liver is in such a sorry state, the hepatologist gave me a 5 year window for a liver transplant. The bad news just keeps rolling.

In order to combat these diagnoses (even if I felt really normal at the time), I decided to switch up my diet, gave up alcohol for good and to try everything to improve my overall health. A rising tide lifts all boats, as the saying goes.

I changed my diet to be more protein heavy and adopted the Mediterranean diet, gave up red meat, tried to replace carbs with fruits and veggies. The diet change took a long while to get used to. I am a heavy snacker and lover of carbs. It took a while to embrace having protein as the main dish instead of the carbs. I also had to balance these restrictions with some doctor requests: less iron and less salt, no raw foods (goodbye sushi). Giving up red meat already lowers my iron intake but there was a sneaky source of iron that I had a hard time giving up: breakfast cereal. They add more iron in the cereal! Cereal was one of my go-tos at night when I was fiending for a midnight snack. That one was hard to give up.

It took a couple of months but I finally settled on some food that followed all the restrictions, was easy to cook and nutritious enough. The process along the way was rough. I had lost over 20 pounds trying to figure everything out and trying new things.

I believe now I am doing pretty well. Diet is good, health is holding steady. Doctor visits are less frequent. I will just need to continue on this path and adapt as things change.

Looking back at the sequence of events that brought me here was a good reflection on my health and the journey thus far. August 7, 2024 will be a day of remembrance. I know I am secretive in what I put out in the world and I don’t want a pity party whenever I tell this whole story. That’s the reason why I have kept this under wraps. I hope that this telling of this slice of life of mine encourages anyone to schedule that checkup that they have been putting off. You never know what you will find and how your life will change.