Amber Portwood put her own health care at the forefront in this week’s episode of Teen Mom OG, deciding it was time to see if all her liver functions were healthy. Portwood’s father died in December 2014 after liver surgery, and Portwood wanted to make sure she could avoid the same issues her father faced. The segment was filmed before Portwood’s domestic violence arrest earlier this month, so boyfriend Andrew Glennon was still by her side.
At the start of the episode, Portwood told Glennon her doctor wanted her to take a lab test on her liver to see what was “going on with it.” She said she was worried about the test, noting that she has been getting red spots on her skin and has woken up with her liver swollen. Portwood said she has been nervous to bring it up because her father had cirrhosis of the liver.
Videos by PopCulture.com
The MTV star noted that many of the medications she takes have dangerous side effects. “I need to take my medicine to live,” she told Glennon.
Portwood later went through with the test and explained to producer David that she had a “phobia” about learning the effects of her medication.
The next day, Portwood learned from her doctor that the results of the test showed normal liver function. She is going to talk with her doctor to find out what is making her liver swell. Her theory is that the mix of medications she is taking force her liver to work harder.
“If it’s nothing super serious though, I’m happy obviously,” Portwood said. Unfortunately, she still has unanswered questions about her liver.
Shawn Portwood died in December 2014 following liver surgery.
“My dad was the most important person in Amber’s and my life,” Portwood’s brother, Shawn Jr., told The Daily Mail in 2014. “He was a very strong-willed person and even though he was battling illness for a very long time, he never gave up. He didn’t give up on life. He didn’t give up on his family. He didn’t want to give up.”
The events on Teen Mom OG have yet to catch up to the drama going on in Portwood’s life today. On July 5, she was arrested in Indianapolis after she allegedly hit and threatened Glennon while he held their 1-year-old son James. She faces three criminal charges in connection with the alleged incident, and has a no-contact order out against her for Glennon. She was allowed supervised visits with James.
Glennon has been accused of cheating on Portwood, but he has denied the allegations.
“Amber does [know] Andrew was talking to another woman. She is devastated,” a source told Us Weekly. “Their reconciliation is looking less likely. The priority in her life is James.”
The source added, “They love each other but as things intensify, it’s becoming a more difficult situation to navigate and come back from… She’s learning more things about Andrew with time.”
Teen Mom OG airs Mondays at 9 p.m. ET on MTV.
Photo credit: Getty Images
