One day about six years ago, Anthony, my husband, showed my a vein protruding out of his abdomen. We thought he probably had a hernia, and he went to an internal specialist to have it examined. After some blood work, they found some abnormalities with his liver enzymes, and they sent him to a liver specialist. The liver specialist was concerned by the level of his liver enzymes and scheduled a biopsy of his liver. The liver biopsy showed that Anthony had cirrhosis of the liver.
The diagnosis shocked us because Anthony has never been a drinker or a smoker, his blood work ruled out hepatitis and hemochromatosis, and he had never had medical problems before we noticed the protruding vein. The doctor said he wasn't sure what caused the cirrhosis, but he would continue to monitor it, and mentioned that down the road Anthony might have to have a liver transplant.
Overall Anthony continued to feel well, there were times when he felt tired, but we continued to live our lives normally. One day during the fall of 2010 I received a call from an administrator at the school where Anthony taught and they said that he had vomited blood and his blood pressure was very low. By the time I arrived he had thrown up twice and his blood pressure was not able to be stabilized. They rushed him to the hospital and the next few hours are a little bit of a blur in my memory.
I do remember sitting next to my father crying as I waited outside of the room where they were performing emergency surgery to band the arteries that had burst inside Anthony's esophagus. The doctor said Anthony had lost a lot of blood and they were going to have to give him a blood transfusion, and they were going to try their best to stop the bleeding, but there were no guarantees.
Fortunately the procedure that night, and a second procedure two months later where they inserted a stint into his abnormally small portal vein, helped alleviate the inflammation of his arteries. The doctor thought that with the stint Anthony would be able to live 15-20 years before he needed a liver transplant.
After our second daughter, Madison, was born we noticed that even when Anthony was carrying her up the stairs he was short of breath. After coaching a basketball game he was completely exhausted and while he was sleeping he sounded like he had sleep apnea. The liver doctor sent him to a lung specialist and they found small stints in his lungs, which were causing him to have reduced lung capacity.
Anthony's liver doctor decided to send him to IU Health to start the process to be placed on the liver transplant list because of the deterioration of his lungs. After a year of blood work, every type of test you could possibly imagine, meetings with social workers and medical educators, Anthony was placed on the liver transplant list. We are now waiting for the actual transplant.
When I took my vows I sincerely meant in good times and bad, for better or worse, and that is what we have experienced. Part of the reason I decided to start taking the road to Real Health, Wealth, and Happiness was to help Anthony before and after the liver transplant. His doctors are very happy that he has lost the extra twenty pounds he was carrying and has adopted better eating habits.
If Anthony and I had been practicing the steps from my last post Check or Wreck Yourself, he may not have developed liver disease. Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease is increasing at an alarming rate for adults and children. There are estimates that by 2020 it will be the leading reason for liver transplants. Some research is suggesting the high level of toxins and chemicals in processed foods and drinks that the liver has to remove is contributing to the increase of fatty liver disease. Can't Nobody Love You and your body like you can, so treat your body like a temple and fill it with nourishing and healthy foods and beverages so that you will not have to experience what we have been faced with.
Happy 13th Anniversary Anthony! Please continue to join us on our road to Real Health, Wealth, and Happiness. We'd love to hear your story as we share ours with you.
