liver disease...

Copied/pasted from an email I sent to a friend...


I have a collagen/connective tissue disorder (genetic) called Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, which predisposes me to easy skin tearing and I scar very easily and sometimes with lots of keloid scar tissue. Basically, this means that my liver is very likely to become cirrhotic if I am not able to get this reversed somehow. The way I understand it is that the 18+ years of having an eating disorder contributed majorly to the liver disease, as well as the Lyme disease attacking my thyroid, which lowered my metabolism SIGNIFICANTLY, which then caused my liver to not metabolize as properly as it should... plus I have a genetic predisposition towards diabetes (I don't have this yet, thank goodness!!!), but this doesn't help things either. It means if I don't get my weight down from all the hypothyroid weight gain then I am at great risk of developing diabetes, which will then make all of the liver stuff even worse.

BUT, good news is that my liver enzymes were a bit lower on the last lab results! HOORAY for something going right!

I am so tired lately it's an effort to even just breathe. How am I supposed to exercise more so I can lose weight when I can hardly do anything? I can't wait for the elementary school to be done for the year so that I don't have to babysit for the neighbor anymore, which will leave me with more hours in the day for sleep, homework, and exercise.

I was asked by my friend Carmen today if hearing all of this (that I need to lose weight in order to possibly reverse the liver damage) triggers eating disorder urges. Honestly it doesn't, because the eating disorder is the major factor that affected the problem in the first place. I think if it was just the hypothyroidism affecting the liver metabolism then I wouldn't be as bad off... but 18+ years of having an eating disorder really screwed things up.

So, if it gets better then HOORAY! If it doesn't, then that means I am more likely to get cirrhosis and then that could possibly lead to liver failure and/or liver cancer. But it's not going to go that far... because I say so :)

I just need to find some time and energy to exercise more... how on earth can I do that when I can hardly function as it is? Ugh... like I said, I just need to hold on until school is out for the kid I babysit and then I don't have to babysit him for the whole summer and that will leave me with more time for healthy stuff.

Oh, I've been researching things that help support the liver... and mainly it's exercise, lots of water, lots of antioxidants, and stuff of that nature, to help make up for where the liver is crapping out on me.

Blahblahblah...

The end.