by Lucinda Porter,
RN on November 16,
2012
Sometimes I get incredibly emotional about hepatitis C, not necessarily from
having it, but from watching the devastation hepatitis C brings with it. The
most recent wave of emotion came while attending the annual Liver Meeting,
followed by watching the film, Wrestling the Monster – Living with Hepatic
Encephalopathy
Wrestling the Monster captures the appalling nature of hepatic
encephalopathy, the dementia that accompanies cirrhosis. Hundreds of thousands
of Americans have it, a number that will top a million if we don’t change the
course of hepatitis C and other causes of liver disease. Warning: This
documentary is heartbreaking, particularly if you know it could happen to you or
a loved one.
Why I felt emotional at the Liver Meeting is that although everyone is
excited about the new hepatitis C treatments on the horizon, we have other
issues. Cirrhosis and liver cancer are on the rise because of a condition called
nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). It is the most common liver disease.
NAFLD is associated with obesity, high cholesterol, high triglycerides, insulin
resistance, and diabetes. Most discouraging is that children are showing signs
of liver damage from diet and lifestyle choices.
Although so many of us live with hepatitis C, we also live in a time and a
society where unhealthy habits deepen our chances of ending up like one of those
poor souls with hepatic encephalopathy. We know we are “supposed to” eat well,
exercise, get enough sleep, and so on, but it is one thing to know this,
something entirely different to practice healthy behaviors on a regular
basis.
I was talking to a family member recently about America’s tendency towards
eating high caloric, fatty foods with artificial ingredients that our
grandmothers wouldn’t recognize, let alone pronounce, She said, “It isn’t living
if I can’t eat the way I want. I replied, “Yes, but the problem is that we don’t
die from poor health habits—we live with them for an average of fifteen years,
dying slowly and painfully. What if you have a small stroke and are dependent on
others for your care?” She said if that happened, she would go to Washington to
end her life. At that point I kept my mouth shut, but I was wondering how she
was going to get across the country if she was infirmed.
I know it is hard. Let’s face it, exercise sucks. Vegetables are inconvenient
and I don’t salivate thinking about them. Pizza is practically as good as an
orgasm (although the orgasm won’t add a single ounce of fat). However, given the
choice between hepatic encephalopathy vs. eating beets and going for a daily
walk, I’ll opt for veggies and exercise. I may be stuck with hepatitis C (for
now) but I do not have to hasten its destruction by adding in a fatty liver
diagnosis.
Last night, I was offered a piece of pie. It smelled wonderful, and it was
warm. Then I thought of hepatic encephalopathy, said “no thank you” and reached
for some grapes. Fighting one monster is enough, and I don’t have to fight fatty
liver disease in addition to hepatitis C.
RN on November 16,
2012
Sometimes I get incredibly emotional about hepatitis C, not necessarily from
having it, but from watching the devastation hepatitis C brings with it. The
most recent wave of emotion came while attending the annual Liver Meeting,
followed by watching the film, Wrestling the Monster – Living with Hepatic
Encephalopathy
Wrestling the Monster captures the appalling nature of hepatic
encephalopathy, the dementia that accompanies cirrhosis. Hundreds of thousands
of Americans have it, a number that will top a million if we don’t change the
course of hepatitis C and other causes of liver disease. Warning: This
documentary is heartbreaking, particularly if you know it could happen to you or
a loved one.
Why I felt emotional at the Liver Meeting is that although everyone is
excited about the new hepatitis C treatments on the horizon, we have other
issues. Cirrhosis and liver cancer are on the rise because of a condition called
nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). It is the most common liver disease.
NAFLD is associated with obesity, high cholesterol, high triglycerides, insulin
resistance, and diabetes. Most discouraging is that children are showing signs
of liver damage from diet and lifestyle choices.
Although so many of us live with hepatitis C, we also live in a time and a
society where unhealthy habits deepen our chances of ending up like one of those
poor souls with hepatic encephalopathy. We know we are “supposed to” eat well,
exercise, get enough sleep, and so on, but it is one thing to know this,
something entirely different to practice healthy behaviors on a regular
basis.
I was talking to a family member recently about America’s tendency towards
eating high caloric, fatty foods with artificial ingredients that our
grandmothers wouldn’t recognize, let alone pronounce, She said, “It isn’t living
if I can’t eat the way I want. I replied, “Yes, but the problem is that we don’t
die from poor health habits—we live with them for an average of fifteen years,
dying slowly and painfully. What if you have a small stroke and are dependent on
others for your care?” She said if that happened, she would go to Washington to
end her life. At that point I kept my mouth shut, but I was wondering how she
was going to get across the country if she was infirmed.
I know it is hard. Let’s face it, exercise sucks. Vegetables are inconvenient
and I don’t salivate thinking about them. Pizza is practically as good as an
orgasm (although the orgasm won’t add a single ounce of fat). However, given the
choice between hepatic encephalopathy vs. eating beets and going for a daily
walk, I’ll opt for veggies and exercise. I may be stuck with hepatitis C (for
now) but I do not have to hasten its destruction by adding in a fatty liver
diagnosis.
Last night, I was offered a piece of pie. It smelled wonderful, and it was
warm. Then I thought of hepatic encephalopathy, said “no thank you” and reached
for some grapes. Fighting one monster is enough, and I don’t have to fight fatty
liver disease in addition to hepatitis C.
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