How Did This All Start?

The symptoms were not clear; blood tests were normal on nearly every scale. Why was I feeling the way I was feeling? Here is the tale...

At First. Last Summer.

Last summer, I was with family and friends, and I just hadn't been feeling fantastic. Mostly fatigue, when I wanted to feel energetic, outgoing, more positive, and had goals of more exercise and activity. Rather, insert more afternoon naps, fatigue that kept me more often from the hikes and engagement with friends and family I so frequently enjoyed, I know I was pulling back.

There was one day, I was hiking the Empire Mine (2.6 miles) and I stopped on the trail, for an hour, and just sat. The hike in total takes less than an hour. I had to really will myself to finish the final mile. One foot in front of the other....

This was just an overall expereince of fatigue, you question your state of mind, body, as a woman at 52, is this menopause?! I have had a hystorectomy in 2017, so signs you look up online don't apply in my case. Maybe my thyroid is off? I had that removed in 2006. I don't think I should be depressed, my life is good, full of activities, friends and adventure!

I booked a Dr's appointment, and wanted to get checked out, check in, and make sure it all systems check okay.

I made a Dr.s Appointment

I made a Dr's appointment, and we ordered a lot of my labs in advance. I have been working with Sutter Health, Palo Alto Medical Founation for 17+ years now. It's across the street from Stanford and is a warehouse of great doctors and associated services. The Dr. that I had been seeing for over 10 years went to remote only, but the new Dr was fresh, new, spent more than 30 minutes with me and was refreshingly thorough. I don't believe she missed a beat for a minute. All of my labs were normal. All my systems checks were on the up and up. The feedback was if I continued to feel this way, let's check back in 6 mos but maybe I could try better diet and more exercise. Try to feel better.

I Found a New Resource

At the time, I had already a year of transition. I had lost my job of just shy of 10 years at Agilent in June, and had landed a new job with Olink having just started in Septeber 2024. New team, new technology, and a company and job that has been tougher on me as I wasn't able to work from home as consistently as I had previously enjoyed, and had previosly given me the confidence to move out the Bay area back to Grass Valley. So now, I have been commuting to the Bay area, more frequently than the preferred and more balanced every other week, typically going down on Tuesday and coming back Thursday, as I had stacked all of my business development and sales efforts into a couple days at a time. I questioned wheter I was just tired, adjusting to this newer work and travel schedule?

I had a fantastic, energetic 20 something colleague, that is bright and energetic. She told me about an online resource you could sign up for, it's $500 bucks, and they test over 100 different blood test levels, from your regular Complete Blood Count, to your heart, kidney, liver, hormone levels, and they retest all of those in 6 months for the same cost. The purpose, is for you to be able to monitor more of your own health status, make lifesytle adjustments and recheck your progress in 6 months. I signed up! Prepare yourself, it's comprehensive, and you had to go into your local lab (Quest for example) and have your blood drawn twice for that first test, because they take so many vials each visit. It's a service that's worth considering for anyone.

The link is here, in case it's something you want to consider, take control of your own health journey. Be your own advocate.

Function Health

https://www.functionhealth.com/

Once I recieved the results, there were things I could work to improve, like cholesterol and a slightly elevated A1C. There were also some biomarkers that pointed towards possible auto-immunity, and with more Drs appointments, there was a concern this might be Lupis. With a rheumatology consulation, this was rulled out, but we would retest in 6 mos based on how I was feeling. This was a relief, but at the same time, the auto-immunity is there. A 'flare' possibly. It pointed to something, but nothing was yet conclusive.

I Tabled It

With the Function Health results in hand, I tabled how I was feeling, nothing was identified or determinant for how I was feeling. We were in August of 2025, I had Doctors appointments, and wealth of blood test results that anyone could ever hope to want. My retest was in 6 mos, and we'll recheck then, but overall I was fine, health and for those that know me, just kind of normal. :)

During this time, a 6 mos time period, it was interesting, as my tolerance to alcohol slowly diminshed completely. I am not a guzzler, but I certainly enjoy a good bottle of wine with friends, or a fine vodka martini (single olive, not dirty) or Old Fashion when the evening occassion or the tough week calls for one. I can throw a good party too, as some of my party patrons are aware. It got to the point, I could handle one, but my stomach would begin to sour quickly, and more towards March, I had maybe a couple drinks over a couple months, and there was an evening at Bunces Wine Bar, I gave away the half glass of wine to a friend I couldn't finish. It turned my stomach more immediately but wasn't ill and turned towards just having soda water when I went out. This should have been my true warning beacon, ha!

My 6 Month Function Test

The 6 mos Function Test was already paid for, maybe I have made some lifestyle adjustments, but there was definately room for greater improvement. The ski season this year was abysmal, I had made it up just a few times, as between traveling to the Bay area frequently, and surving a layoff in January, changed bosses, and the snow season was terrible, I was just working and and navigating new changes.

I decided I would do my Function retest in February, just past the 6 months and a couple weeks beyond holiday gluttony. Again it was two seperate blood draw appointments, they are going for blood and they get it. Within Function, they allow you to add more tests if you feel inclined or curious about an area that might not be included, for instance, your vitamin and mineral levels, or add an MRI to take a look at your insides, or add a cancer screen, as there are many cancers that dont' even have regular screening methods like we have with colon cancer screening, breast, prostate or skin cancers. Its definately extra, but I have had work colleages that have done it, that had other colleagues do it, and I even work in the very industry and science these tests are based on, I decided to add it.

I thought, I am now over 50 (Ssshhhh) and should have a baseline for what might come in the future. The purpose is find cancer before it finds you, and to find it early, treatable, survivable. This test is not diagnostic, but screens for what might be there. That's about as much thought as I gave it.

Grail Galleri (MCED Test - Multiple Cancer Early Detection)

https://www.galleri.com/

My Grail Galleri Results

Keep in mind, this test is not diagnostic as I tell this part. Function called me, before I recieved any Grail results, and they informed me a (Pos+) signal was detected. They would send over the report shortly. They called me to tell me this isn't diagnostic, but I needed to make a Dr's appointment to look where they detected a signal, so Drs could look further in the area they detected.

• 1 in 100 people statistically that take the Grail test, don't recieve a posiitive cancer signal

• 38% of those that DO recieve a positive Grail Galleri signal, cancer is not found. In these cases, Grail will retest you for free in 6 mos.

  
  

I was not overly worried, and confident whatever they were seeing, it must be detected way early, as results across the Function blood test results were not exhibiting any flags.

My Grail Galleri Signal: Live, Bile Duct... Intrahepatic

My Function Blood Test Results: Normal CBC, Normal Liver, Normal Kidney, Normal Pancreas, Normal Urinalysis

I made a Drs appointment and was hopeful the Dr. would be receptive to the Grail Galleri results, or they might tell me I was a hyper-chondriac. She was actually very receptive. The Dr. reviewed my Function blood test results, run by Quest Diagnostics, for whose tests are fully legitamite and she booked me for an MRI, and a few more specific tests that if there was anything wrong with the liver, these should be elevated, they were not.

My Biomarkers Blood Tests that when elevated indicate there is a tumor shedding more of these biomarkes into your bloodsteam.

CA19-9 - Normal

CEA - Normal

AFP - Normal

All normal, should I even have the MRI?! I was beginning to feel foolish. The MRI was scheduled in the Bay area for a Friday afternoon and I would head home from my week of business after the appointment. It was Friday night, and I should get through Sacramento by 7:30 p.m., and may has well go see the brother on the way home. I had called him about coming by to hang out, it had just been a week, and could use some hang out time, but shared I was feeling really confident this whole testing business was going to turn out fine, and nothing would be found. Feeling really positive.

About 15 minutes from reaching my brothers house, the Dr. called. It was 7:15 p.m. the same night I had the MRI. She shared a mass was found in my liver that was 10.4 cm, and a biopsy would need to scheduled next.

Well now, it just has to be benign, all indications point to there is no cancer present, all the blood tests, and even cancer biomarkers are in nornal range. This thing can't be this big, and be malignant.

MRI Results and Now Need A Biopsy

The wait for the biopsy felt like a while, it was the longest part the process so far. It was a week before I got an appointment for a consultation for the MRI, as it needed to be CT guided and it was considered out patient surgery. What?! Then not until the consultation was given, was the biopsy scheduled. The biopsy was perfomed at a Bay area hospital called El Camino in Mountain View. I had business that week in the Bay area, but booked a seperate hotel near the hospital, and rallied a very good long time friend that lives in the Bay area that was willing to pick me up from the hosptial and get me to my hotel. They don't give you full anesthesia, but give you a Twilight. It was enough to put me out, and didn't feel or remember the procedure. Thank goodness, have you ever seen a biopsy needle? It would make a horse or moose hesitate too.

The biopsy was made, and it was about a week (3-5 biz days) to expect results. So what did I do in my haste fot anxiously wanting the results?! I booked an Dr.s appt at the end of Day 5. I even had to write the Dr., and ask if she didn't have the results, I would book a different day.

I stayed with my very good friend that splits her time between living in NorCal and the Bay area, and was able to stay at her house in Menlo Park while anticipating news. She even came with me to the Dr.s appointment to recieve the news, that the mass was not liver cancer, but rather a more rate form of Bile Duct Cancer, which is cholangiocarcinoma - intrahepatic.

The Grail Galleri test nailed it 100%.