Monday, July 9, 2018

Inflamed Liver

My blood test result came in today. There was a note from my doctor to stop consuming alcohol and Tylenol. I've always known my liver was sick. How else would I have lost my gall bladder? My doctor has already made me aware how fat my liver was. I have changed most of my diet. I've eaten so much chicken, I want to throw it out the window.

"In the early stage of any liver disease, your liver may become inflamed. It may become tender and enlarged. Inflammation shows that your body is trying to fight an infection or heal an injury. But if the inflammation continues over time, it can start to hurt your liver permanently.
When most other parts of your body become inflamed, you can feel it – the area becomes hot and painful. But an inflamed liver may cause you no discomfort at all, and people with inflammation generally do not feel it.
If your liver disease is diagnosed and treated successfully at this stage, the inflammation may go away."
Just to give you an idea the symptoms I'm currently experiencing
Anyway, as much as I would like to say, "I should give up drinking alcohol;" and go cold turkey like Amy Winehouse, I'll have to start using my Fitbit™ meal tracker again. The last thing I need is another surgery for a Liver transplant. It's money I don't have at the moment.

Just to educate myself a little more, it's very telling my body has not healed from all the processed food I've been consuming after my Cholecystectomy. Here are the 15 telling signs of a damaged liver
  1. I didn't think much about the Swollen Abdomen until 3 weeks ago. It definitely ballooned twice as I remembered it last.
  2. Jaundice
  3. Abdominal Tenderness didn't start until 3 weeks ago. I found it rather uncomfortable. I thought I might have eaten too much, but it wasn't the case either.
  4. Urine Changes have been noticeable. I can tell you that much.
  5. Irritated Skin wasn't an indication until my lab test results and following research. I've always thought it was so hot I was suffering from heat rash. I'm not sure what's real anymore.
  6. Stool Changes
  7. Nausea
  8. Loss of Appetite
  9. Fluid Retention has been around after giving birth to my one and only child. I'm not sure this is a valid symptom for me.
  10.  Exhaustion depends on time of day. I'm not exhausted all the time.
  11.  Bruising Easily is quite a surprise for me since I have a high tolerance for pain.
  12. Liver Encephalopathy: Encephalopathy often occurs together with other symptoms and signs of liver failure; generally in people with chronic liver disease
  13. Excessive Sweating (?) I sweat a lot on my hands. I don't even think that should count since I've had palmar hyperhydrosis since I was a child. 
  14. Weight Gain and High Cholesterol is still something I'm working on
  15. No Symptoms [I have no idea]
One of the main reasons I haven't returned to the gym for so long was the fact I was struggling a lot coping with my depression and anxiety. It wasn't until recently, I have taken small steps to be active with my art projects and exercise. Honestly, I feel guilty for allowing myself to fall down the spiral of self-pity and self-loathing. Trust me when I say that I'm not making an excuse.

If suffering from depression wasn't tough enough, try getting out of the rut with Chronic Depression is monumentally challenging. It's not like I'm intentionally trying to kill myself. I don't want to end up like my father. I honestly don't. I like my senses about me.

Honestly, it has been a struggle trying to get me to eat MREs since my Cholecystectomy. There's so much salt in American food I rarely have to cook dishes with salt. No matter how much water I drink, I'm still suffering from dehydration. I'm suppose to stay away from potatoes, tomatoes, beef, rice since I have named food items, it's fairly obvious to stay away from starch and carbohydrates. I don't mind being a vegetarian. I've had a vegetarian diet when I was pregnant. I enjoyed a lot of vegetables during my prenatal and neonatal stages. I don't have time to cook nowadays considering my schedule in the morning.

The sad part is I can't get a tattoo until this issue resolves itself. Ugh... It seems I can't use air fresheners anymore either. It's also a risk factor to liver failure. Great; just great. Lovely.

Going to the gym is a chore. I'd really like to do other things than just run the elliptic bike. I'm just emotional right now. I am doing my best with what I have available to me. If I have the time and money in the world, I won't have to stress myself out to oblivion.
Time to start Yoga; I guess