Re: Self-Inflicted NASH Cirrhosis

[Guest guest]

Hi Jim,

This is a link on NASH cirrhosis from the NDDIC (National Digestive Diseases

Information Clearinghouse):

http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/nash/

It is a good article that tells about NASH and it's causes. I also have NASH

cirrhosis, as did my husband who died on Jan. 26, 2009. I hope this helps you

understand your disease and it's causes and is also a good resource for

referring to your family.

I personally believe there are components to NASH that are familial by nature of

the fact that it can be associated with Diabetes Mellitus, which is definitely

familial. However, I do have to say that I also believe our eating and exercise

habits are much to blame for almost every form of illness.

I believe that almost every form of cancer is linked to choices we make with

regards to diet, exercise and how we handle the stress in our life. The same I

believe to be true with heart disease. In the end, I think we all should take

more responsiblity for our own lives and the choices we make.

My prayers go with you as you battle your disease and await your transplant.

Many hugs................

Diane C. from TN

In livercirrhosissupport , " jimbublitz " wrote:

> Dear Group:

>

> I am usually a lurker here, but try to give helpful answers when nobody else

can or does (which is very rare). I am a 44 year old father of 2 teen

daughters, and was diagnosed with NASH Cirrhosis a few years ago. When I say

diagnosed, I mean: I had some mildly out of whack liver tests way back when I

was 25, yet it was called Fatty Liver and the acronym 'NASH' was never

mentioned. Recently one Internist expressed his suspicion that those were the

beginning signs of NASH, way back then, though they soon went away (never to be

seen again in my bloodwork) after I lost %15 of my body fat (per doctor's

orders). That got me below 200lbs, when I was 6ft tall.

>

> For those of you who Don't know, NASH essentially means I didn't get Cirrhosis

by drinking alcohol. I guess I just never had a taste for the stuff and hardly

ever drank even small amounts my whole life.

>

> SO ON TO MY QUESTION, for those of you who aren't already bored with this

story, and are somewhat familiar with NASH. I never really was a good eater (I

guess you can call me " really picky " , and veggies have never been something I

beat the door down for), with the exception being a few years when I raced

bicycles back in high school.

>

> A growing problem now however, is that my family is absolutely convinced that

I gave myself this disease, because I didn't eat right. So now, on top of

dealing with all the painful and difficult symptoms of this disease while I

await a transplant, the people I most count on for help and moral support are

sometimes adversarial towards me because of how they perceive my years of

eating.

>

> I had a lengthy 'discussion' with one of the more mature ones last night, and

afterwards I felt as though they wanted my tomb stone to say " here lies Jim, who

ate himself to death " (not really but you get the idea).

>

> I am 170lbs and have been making changes in my diet for the past several

years, but I guess the changes are not fast enough and radical enough for my

family. I just can't seem to get a break in that department (and maybe I don't

deserve one).

>

> So I guess my question is, is NASH always a dietary disease? I look around

and see people twice my weight who presumably don't have NASH, and have also

known people who eat worse than I ever did (for example: near-daily Pizzas and a

case of Coke to wash it down).

>

> So then, is NASH ever a genetic disease? I've already got one entirely

unrelated hereditary disease that I was born with; it causes me to break bones

easily (I've had 61 painful fractures so far - 13 over the past year).

>

> Though it may sound like it, I'm not trying to make excuses to escape my

personal responsibility with NASH, but at the same time, I feel like I've had a

lot of other accomplishments as a father, husband, former employer, etc, only to

be remembered by some crumby eating habits.

>

> So are there other ways to get NASH? I've asked my Hep. Doctor about much of

this, but as somebody on this list recently said, I get about 5 minutes with him

(he's very busy) and there is never enough time to ask all the follow-up

questions that need to be asked. Hopefully somebody here can give me some

direction and advice; maybe even make my home life more harmonious if that's

called for. But if those answers are in fact 'yes' - " here lies Jim who ate

himself to death " , I'll be able come to terms with that too (it will just take a

little getting used to). The TRUTH is what I'm after, and is all that matters

to me.

>

> Thanks for listening! This group is great, and is in my prayers.

> --Jim

>

[Guest guest]

My hubby, Ed has end stage liver disease from NASH. ....as most of you

know.  Jim , as his hepatic specialist explained....his bascically developed

from Metabolic syndrome- which is ( in his case) a combination of Diabetes ,high

cholesterol, high triglycerides and high blood pressure.  We have never said

it was self inflicted.  How horrible of anyone to imply that you did it to

yourself.  People who say things like that usually don't have a life changing

illness. Cirrhosis really is the pits. I hate it and I know Ed does too. I'm so

sorry you're going thru this. You really need all the support you can

get........and that's why we are here! 

                                       

                                    Love,Jill

 

We don't remember days, we remember moments.

Life is not measured by the breaths we take,but by the moments that take our

breath away.

________________________________

To: livercirrhosissupport

Sent: Thursday, January 12, 2012 6:13 AM

Subject: Self-Inflicted NASH Cirrhosis

 

Dear Group:

I am usually a lurker here, but try to give helpful answers when nobody else can

or does (which is very rare). I am a 44 year old father of 2 teen daughters, and

was diagnosed with NASH Cirrhosis a few years ago. When I say diagnosed, I mean:

I had some mildly out of whack liver tests way back when I was 25, yet it was

called Fatty Liver and the acronym 'NASH' was never mentioned. Recently one

Internist expressed his suspicion that those were the beginning signs of NASH,

way back then, though they soon went away (never to be seen again in my

bloodwork) after I lost %15 of my body fat (per doctor's orders). That got me

below 200lbs, when I was 6ft tall.

For those of you who Don't know, NASH essentially means I didn't get Cirrhosis

by drinking alcohol. I guess I just never had a taste for the stuff and hardly

ever drank even small amounts my whole life.

SO ON TO MY QUESTION, for those of you who aren't already bored with this story,

and are somewhat familiar with NASH. I never really was a good eater (I guess

you can call me " really picky " , and veggies have never been something I beat the

door down for), with the exception being a few years when I raced bicycles back

in high school.

A growing problem now however, is that my family is absolutely convinced that I

gave myself this disease, because I didn't eat right. So now, on top of dealing

with all the painful and difficult symptoms of this disease while I await a

transplant, the people I most count on for help and moral support are sometimes

adversarial towards me because of how they perceive my years of eating.

I had a lengthy 'discussion' with one of the more mature ones last night, and

afterwards I felt as though they wanted my tomb stone to say " here lies Jim, who

ate himself to death " (not really but you get the idea).

I am 170lbs and have been making changes in my diet for the past several years,

but I guess the changes are not fast enough and radical enough for my family. I

just can't seem to get a break in that department (and maybe I don't deserve

one).

So I guess my question is, is NASH always a dietary disease? I look around and

see people twice my weight who presumably don't have NASH, and have also known

people who eat worse than I ever did (for example: near-daily Pizzas and a case

of Coke to wash it down).

So then, is NASH ever a genetic disease? I've already got one entirely unrelated

hereditary disease that I was born with; it causes me to break bones easily

(I've had 61 painful fractures so far - 13 over the past year).

Though it may sound like it, I'm not trying to make excuses to escape my

personal responsibility with NASH, but at the same time, I feel like I've had a

lot of other accomplishments as a father, husband, former employer, etc, only to

be remembered by some crumby eating habits.

So are there other ways to get NASH? I've asked my Hep. Doctor about much of

this, but as somebody on this list recently said, I get about 5 minutes with him

(he's very busy) and there is never enough time to ask all the follow-up

questions that need to be asked. Hopefully somebody here can give me some

direction and advice; maybe even make my home life more harmonious if that's

called for. But if those answers are in fact 'yes' - " here lies Jim who ate

himself to death " , I'll be able come to terms with that too (it will just take a

little getting used to). The TRUTH is what I'm after, and is all that matters to

me.

Thanks for listening! This group is great, and is in my prayers.

--Jim

[Guest guest]

Hello Jim:  Jackie E. here.  I am in complete agreement with Jill on this

one.  My husband's cirrhosis came from NASH.  He is diabetic, not terribly

overweight and never touched a drop of alcohol.  Never smoked either.  An

interesting question one of the drs asked him once was:  " were you ever

overseas? "   He was.  He was in the Air Force.  In the 1960's he was stationed

in the ines for 1 1/2 years as a chaplain's assistant.  He used to take

a projector and screen into the jungle and show Graham films to the

natives.  is a mosquito magnet.  He may have gotten bit by an insect and

the effects lay dormant for years.  The happy ending to his story is he got his

new liver May 26, 2010 and is doing well almost 2 years later!  I even wrote a

book about it.  Hugs and prayers for you.  Use all your energy to concentrate

on keeping strong for when that call comes for your new liver.  I pray it is

soon.  Jackie E.

________________________________

To: livercirrhosissupport

Sent: Thursday, January 12, 2012 6:13 AM

Subject: Self-Inflicted NASH Cirrhosis

 

Dear Group:

I am usually a lurker here, but try to give helpful answers when nobody else can

or does (which is very rare). I am a 44 year old father of 2 teen daughters, and

was diagnosed with NASH Cirrhosis a few years ago. When I say diagnosed, I mean:

I had some mildly out of whack liver tests way back when I was 25, yet it was

called Fatty Liver and the acronym 'NASH' was never mentioned. Recently one

Internist expressed his suspicion that those were the beginning signs of NASH,

way back then, though they soon went away (never to be seen again in my

bloodwork) after I lost %15 of my body fat (per doctor's orders). That got me

below 200lbs, when I was 6ft tall.

For those of you who Don't know, NASH essentially means I didn't get Cirrhosis

by drinking alcohol. I guess I just never had a taste for the stuff and hardly

ever drank even small amounts my whole life.

SO ON TO MY QUESTION, for those of you who aren't already bored with this story,

and are somewhat familiar with NASH. I never really was a good eater (I guess

you can call me " really picky " , and veggies have never been something I beat the

door down for), with the exception being a few years when I raced bicycles back

in high school.

A growing problem now however, is that my family is absolutely convinced that I

gave myself this disease, because I didn't eat right. So now, on top of dealing

with all the painful and difficult symptoms of this disease while I await a

transplant, the people I most count on for help and moral support are sometimes

adversarial towards me because of how they perceive my years of eating.

I had a lengthy 'discussion' with one of the more mature ones last night, and

afterwards I felt as though they wanted my tomb stone to say " here lies Jim, who

ate himself to death " (not really but you get the idea).

I am 170lbs and have been making changes in my diet for the past several years,

but I guess the changes are not fast enough and radical enough for my family. I

just can't seem to get a break in that department (and maybe I don't deserve

one).

So I guess my question is, is NASH always a dietary disease? I look around and

see people twice my weight who presumably don't have NASH, and have also known

people who eat worse than I ever did (for example: near-daily Pizzas and a case

of Coke to wash it down).

So then, is NASH ever a genetic disease? I've already got one entirely unrelated

hereditary disease that I was born with; it causes me to break bones easily

(I've had 61 painful fractures so far - 13 over the past year).

Though it may sound like it, I'm not trying to make excuses to escape my

personal responsibility with NASH, but at the same time, I feel like I've had a

lot of other accomplishments as a father, husband, former employer, etc, only to

be remembered by some crumby eating habits.

So are there other ways to get NASH? I've asked my Hep. Doctor about much of

this, but as somebody on this list recently said, I get about 5 minutes with him

(he's very busy) and there is never enough time to ask all the follow-up

questions that need to be asked. Hopefully somebody here can give me some

direction and advice; maybe even make my home life more harmonious if that's

called for. But if those answers are in fact 'yes' - " here lies Jim who ate

himself to death " , I'll be able come to terms with that too (it will just take a

little getting used to). The TRUTH is what I'm after, and is all that matters to

me.

Thanks for listening! This group is great, and is in my prayers.

--Jim

[Guest guest]

Jim - I have non alcoholic cirrhosis of the liver, they say of unknown

causes, but my family has a history of liver problems, and one doctor

told me that it doesn't matter the problem, if you have a weak liver

family history it can manifest itself in different ways in different

people. I too was overweight when diagnosed, lost a lot of weight but

have never gotten to my recommended weight for someone 5' 1 " since

being diagnosed. But, the cirrhosis is still at about the same stage

as it was 13 years ago when I had my biopsy. I also " blame " part of

it on non treatment and later undertreatment of a thyroid condition.

There are articles which show a connection. When the doctor told me I

had fatty tissue liver cirrhosis, he also said he has seen many others

who were very slim get it too, so shouldn't feel being overweight was

necessarily the cause. I don't think it is ever too late to start

eating right, changed my diet completely for heart,liver and losing

weight, now kidney problems, I have had a triple bypass and also have

9 stents in my body, but haven't had any for some years now, and

attribute that to my controlled cholesterol. There are many

vegetables and many ways to fix them, so sure you can find some you

can stand. Even if it doesn't help your cirrhosis, you will be

healthier otherwise and so feel better. And you don't have to change

your eating habits all in one day. And there are a lot of ways to fix

what you are eating now so it is healthier for you. Jan

> Dear Group:

>

> I am usually a lurker here, but try to give helpful answers when nobody else

can or does (which is very rare).  I am a 44 year old father of 2 teen

daughters, and was diagnosed with NASH Cirrhosis a few years ago. When I say

diagnosed, I mean: I had some mildly out of whack liver tests way back when I

was 25, yet it was called Fatty Liver and the acronym 'NASH' was never

mentioned. Recently one Internist expressed his suspicion that those were the

beginning signs of NASH, way back then, though they soon went away (never to be

seen  again in my bloodwork) after I lost %15 of my body fat (per doctor's

orders).  That got me below 200lbs, when I was 6ft tall.

>

> For those of you who Don't know, NASH essentially means I didn't get Cirrhosis

by drinking alcohol.  I guess I just never had a taste for the stuff and hardly

ever drank even small amounts my whole life.

>

> SO ON TO MY QUESTION, for those of you who aren't already bored with this

story, and are somewhat familiar with NASH.  I never really was a good eater (I

guess you can call me " really picky " , and veggies have never been something I

beat the door down for), with the exception being a few years when I raced

bicycles back in high school.

>

> A growing problem now however, is that my family is absolutely convinced that

I gave myself this disease, because I didn't eat right.  So now, on top of

dealing with all the painful and difficult symptoms of this disease while I

await a transplant, the people I most count on for help and moral support are

sometimes adversarial towards me because of how they perceive my years of

eating.

>

> I had a lengthy 'discussion' with one of the more mature ones last night, and

afterwards I felt as though they wanted my tomb stone to say " here lies Jim, who

ate himself to death " (not really but you get the idea).

>

> I am 170lbs and have been making changes in my diet for the past several

years, but I guess the changes are not fast enough and radical enough for my

family.  I just can't seem to get a break in that department (and maybe I don't

deserve one).

>

> So I guess my question is, is NASH always a dietary disease?   I look around

and see people twice my weight who presumably don't have NASH, and have also

known people who eat worse than I ever did (for example: near-daily Pizzas and a

case of Coke to wash it down).

>

> So then, is NASH ever a genetic disease?  I've already got one entirely

unrelated hereditary disease that I was born with; it causes me to break bones

easily (I've had 61 painful fractures so far - 13 over the past year).

>

> Though it may sound like it, I'm not trying to make excuses to escape my

personal responsibility with NASH, but at the same time, I feel like I've had a

lot of other accomplishments as a father, husband, former employer, etc, only to

be remembered by some crumby eating habits.

>

> So are there other ways to get NASH? I've asked my Hep. Doctor about much of

this, but as somebody on this list recently said, I get about 5 minutes with him

(he's very busy) and there is never enough time to ask all the follow-up

questions that need to be asked.  Hopefully somebody here can give me some

direction and advice; maybe even make my home life more harmonious if that's

called for.  But if those answers are in fact 'yes' - " here lies Jim who ate

himself to death " , I'll be able come to terms with that too (it will just take a

little getting used to).  The TRUTH is what I'm after, and is all that matters

to me.

>

> Thanks for listening!  This group is great, and is in my prayers.

> --Jim

>

>

>

> ------------------------------------

>

> Group Email:    livercirrhosissupport

> web address:

> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/livercirrhosissupport/

>

[Guest guest]

Jackie, this mosquito thing is interesting. I am from Minnesota which

out of states call the mosquito the Minnesota state bird , and was

what you call a mosquito magnet. My skin in very light colored, blood

veins close to the surface. I have never heard of a connection

before. Jan

On Thu, Jan 12, 2012 at 2:45 PM, Jackie Ellermann

wrote:

> Hello Jim:  Jackie E. here.  I am in complete agreement with Jill on this

one.  My husband's cirrhosis came from NASH.  He is diabetic, not terribly

overweight and never touched a drop of alcohol.  Never smoked either.  An

interesting question one of the drs asked him once was:  " were you ever

overseas? "   He was.  He was in the Air Force.  In the 1960's he was stationed in

the ines for 1 1/2 years as a chaplain's assistant.  He used to take a

projector and screen into the jungle and show Graham films to the

natives.  is a mosquito magnet.  He may have gotten bit by an insect and

the effects lay dormant for years.  The happy ending to his story is he got his

new liver May 26, 2010 and is doing well almost 2 years later!  I even wrote a

book about it.  Hugs and prayers for you.  Use all your energy to concentrate on

keeping strong for when that call comes for your new liver.  I pray it is soon. 

Jackie E.

>

>

>

> ________________________________

>

> To: livercirrhosissupport

> Sent: Thursday, January 12, 2012 6:13 AM

> Subject: Self-Inflicted NASH Cirrhosis

>

>

>

> Dear Group:

>

> I am usually a lurker here, but try to give helpful answers when nobody else

can or does (which is very rare). I am a 44 year old father of 2 teen daughters,

and was diagnosed with NASH Cirrhosis a few years ago. When I say diagnosed, I

mean: I had some mildly out of whack liver tests way back when I was 25, yet it

was called Fatty Liver and the acronym 'NASH' was never mentioned. Recently one

Internist expressed his suspicion that those were the beginning signs of NASH,

way back then, though they soon went away (never to be seen again in my

bloodwork) after I lost %15 of my body fat (per doctor's orders). That got me

below 200lbs, when I was 6ft tall.

>

> For those of you who Don't know, NASH essentially means I didn't get Cirrhosis

by drinking alcohol. I guess I just never had a taste for the stuff and hardly

ever drank even small amounts my whole life.

>

> SO ON TO MY QUESTION, for those of you who aren't already bored with this

story, and are somewhat familiar with NASH. I never really was a good eater (I

guess you can call me " really picky " , and veggies have never been something I

beat the door down for), with the exception being a few years when I raced

bicycles back in high school.

>

> A growing problem now however, is that my family is absolutely convinced that

I gave myself this disease, because I didn't eat right. So now, on top of

dealing with all the painful and difficult symptoms of this disease while I

await a transplant, the people I most count on for help and moral support are

sometimes adversarial towards me because of how they perceive my years of

eating.

>

> I had a lengthy 'discussion' with one of the more mature ones last night, and

afterwards I felt as though they wanted my tomb stone to say " here lies Jim, who

ate himself to death " (not really but you get the idea).

>

> I am 170lbs and have been making changes in my diet for the past several

years, but I guess the changes are not fast enough and radical enough for my

family. I just can't seem to get a break in that department (and maybe I don't

deserve one).

>

> So I guess my question is, is NASH always a dietary disease? I look around and

see people twice my weight who presumably don't have NASH, and have also known

people who eat worse than I ever did (for example: near-daily Pizzas and a case

of Coke to wash it down).

>

> So then, is NASH ever a genetic disease? I've already got one entirely

unrelated hereditary disease that I was born with; it causes me to break bones

easily (I've had 61 painful fractures so far - 13 over the past year).

>

> Though it may sound like it, I'm not trying to make excuses to escape my

personal responsibility with NASH, but at the same time, I feel like I've had a

lot of other accomplishments as a father, husband, former employer, etc, only to

be remembered by some crumby eating habits.

>

> So are there other ways to get NASH? I've asked my Hep. Doctor about much of

this, but as somebody on this list recently said, I get about 5 minutes with him

(he's very busy) and there is never enough time to ask all the follow-up

questions that need to be asked. Hopefully somebody here can give me some

direction and advice; maybe even make my home life more harmonious if that's

called for. But if those answers are in fact 'yes' - " here lies Jim who ate

himself to death " , I'll be able come to terms with that too (it will just take a

little getting used to). The TRUTH is what I'm after, and is all that matters to

me.

>

> Thanks for listening! This group is great, and is in my prayers.

> --Jim

>

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Jim 

NO!!!  I do not believe that you are at fault for having Nash.  Also, it is

not a instant thing for any of us to stop a bad habit and turn our life

around.  It's a damn hard thing actually.  I am a recovering alcoholic and I

did not ask to be one, for sure.  However, I have been in recovery for over 25

yrs now.  I've changed in numerous ways, since I got sober; but, I don't

remember any one of them to be easy.  It always seemed that I had to struggle

hard, trying to push a character defect out of me and it would sometimes come

back without me realizing.

However, if I went out a drank tomorrow, I know that I would not be able to

stop.  Therefore, because I have cirrhosis and liver cancer, wouldn't I then be

to " blame " for killing myself?  You bet!!  But that kind of thing is not part

of who I am today.  Basically, I am on my final journey in this life; but, it

would be absolutely soo selfish of me to do such a thing to those that love me.

I do know the pain of feeling that some family people have judged me terribly

and without so much as talking to me about it at any time.  It has to do with

the Hep C treatment I was on in 2009.  However, these horrible people could not

even find a hint of compassion for me, when I went in for liver surgery.  But,

you know, I am actually very blessed!!  The list of people that have nasty

thoughts about me - has stayed at 4since my husband died Christmas Eve 2010.  I

did get away too focused on those 4 and forgot about all the many many others

that think good things about me.  The hurt from it has still not entirely gone

away; but, I've learned a lot about people that I wish I hadn't had to.

So, please Jim - perhaps these family members are really afraid, that you will

die and so they tend to get on your case about the changes, without realizing

how hurtful it is.  Likely it is just as difficult waiting for that liver on

them, as it is on you.

________________________________

 

Dear Group:

I am usually a lurker here, but try to give helpful answers when nobody else can

or does (which is very rare). I am a 44 year old father of 2 teen daughters,

and was diagnosed with NASH Cirrhosis a few years ago. When I say diagnosed, I

mean: I had some mildly out of whack liver tests way back when I was 25, yet it

was called Fatty Liver and the acronym 'NASH' was never mentioned. Recently one

Internist expressed his suspicion that those were the beginning signs of NASH,

way back then, though they soon went away (never to be seen again in my

bloodwork) after I lost %15 of my body fat (per doctor's orders). That got me

below 200lbs, when I was 6ft tall.

For those of you who Don't know, NASH essentially means I didn't get Cirrhosis

by drinking alcohol. I guess I just never had a taste for the stuff and hardly

ever drank even small amounts my whole life.

SO ON TO MY QUESTION, for those of you who aren't already bored with this story,

and are somewhat familiar with NASH. I never really was a good eater (I guess

you can call me " really picky " , and veggies have never been something I beat the

door down for), with the exception being a few years when I raced bicycles back

in high school.

A growing problem now however, is that my family is absolutely convinced that I

gave myself this disease, because I didn't eat right. So now, on top of dealing

with all the painful and difficult symptoms of this disease while I await a

transplant, the people I most count on for help and moral support are sometimes

adversarial towards me because of how they perceive my years of eating.

I had a lengthy 'discussion' with one of the more mature ones last night, and

afterwards I felt as though they wanted my tomb stone to say " here lies Jim, who

ate himself to death " (not really but you get the idea).

I am 170lbs and have been making changes in my diet for the past several years,

but I guess the changes are not fast enough and radical enough for my family. I

just can't seem to get a break in that department (and maybe I don't deserve

one).

So I guess my question is, is NASH always a dietary disease? I look around and

see people twice my weight who presumably don't have NASH, and have also known

people who eat worse than I ever did (for example: near-daily Pizzas and a case

of Coke to wash it down).

So then, is NASH ever a genetic disease? I've already got one entirely

unrelated hereditary disease that I was born with; it causes me to break bones

easily (I've had 61 painful fractures so far - 13 over the past year).

Though it may sound like it, I'm not trying to make excuses to escape my

personal responsibility with NASH, but at the same time, I feel like I've had a

lot of other accomplishments as a father, husband, former employer, etc, only to

be remembered by some crumby eating habits.

So are there other ways to get NASH? I've asked my Hep. Doctor about much of

this, but as somebody on this list recently said, I get about 5 minutes with him

(he's very busy) and there is never enough time to ask all the follow-up

questions that need to be asked. Hopefully somebody here can give me some

direction and advice; maybe even make my home life more harmonious if that's

called for. But if those answers are in fact 'yes' - " here lies Jim who ate

himself to death " , I'll be able come to terms with that too (it will just take a

little getting used to). The TRUTH is what I'm after, and is all that matters

to me.

Thanks for listening! This group is great, and is in my prayers.

--Jim

[Guest guest]

Hmmmmm....Ed and I met at a summer camp and he has worked outside for some

years....  and ( when he wasn't a cop)  worked offshore in the gulf of

Mexico on oil rigsbut also spent time on " land " jobs in the swamy areas of

Louisiana. Then for a year between High school and college he worked on rigs in

Ohioagain outside.....interesting that maybe there could be some kind of

connection with mosquitos?

                                       

                                    Love,Jill

 

We don't remember days, we remember moments.

Life is not measured by the breaths we take,but by the moments that take our

breath away.

________________________________

To: livercirrhosissupport

Sent: Friday, January 13, 2012 11:17 PM

Subject: Re: Self-Inflicted NASH Cirrhosis

 

Jackie, this mosquito thing is interesting. I am from Minnesota which

out of states call the mosquito the Minnesota state bird , and was

what you call a mosquito magnet. My skin in very light colored, blood

veins close to the surface. I have never heard of a connection

before. Jan

On Thu, Jan 12, 2012 at 2:45 PM, Jackie Ellermann

wrote:

> Hello Jim:  Jackie E. here.  I am in complete agreement with Jill on this

one.  My husband's cirrhosis came from NASH.  He is diabetic, not terribly

overweight and never touched a drop of alcohol.  Never smoked either.  An

interesting question one of the drs asked him once was:  " were you ever

overseas? "   He was.  He was in the Air Force.  In the 1960's he was stationed

in the ines for 1 1/2 years as a chaplain's assistant.  He used to take

a projector and screen into the jungle and show Graham films to the

natives.  is a mosquito magnet.  He may have gotten bit by an insect and

the effects lay dormant for years.  The happy ending to his story is he got his

new liver May 26, 2010 and is doing well almost 2 years later!  I even wrote a

book about it.  Hugs and prayers for you.  Use all your energy to concentrate

on keeping strong for when that call comes for your new liver.  I pray it is

soon.  Jackie E.

>

>

>

> ________________________________

>

> To: livercirrhosissupport

> Sent: Thursday, January 12, 2012 6:13 AM

> Subject: Self-Inflicted NASH Cirrhosis

>

>

>

> Dear Group:

>

> I am usually a lurker here, but try to give helpful answers when nobody else

can or does (which is very rare). I am a 44 year old father of 2 teen daughters,

and was diagnosed with NASH Cirrhosis a few years ago. When I say diagnosed, I

mean: I had some mildly out of whack liver tests way back when I was 25, yet it

was called Fatty Liver and the acronym 'NASH' was never mentioned. Recently one

Internist expressed his suspicion that those were the beginning signs of NASH,

way back then, though they soon went away (never to be seen again in my

bloodwork) after I lost %15 of my body fat (per doctor's orders). That got me

below 200lbs, when I was 6ft tall.

>

> For those of you who Don't know, NASH essentially means I didn't get Cirrhosis

by drinking alcohol. I guess I just never had a taste for the stuff and hardly

ever drank even small amounts my whole life.

>

> SO ON TO MY QUESTION, for those of you who aren't already bored with this

story, and are somewhat familiar with NASH. I never really was a good eater (I

guess you can call me " really picky " , and veggies have never been something I

beat the door down for), with the exception being a few years when I raced

bicycles back in high school.

>

> A growing problem now however, is that my family is absolutely convinced that

I gave myself this disease, because I didn't eat right. So now, on top of

dealing with all the painful and difficult symptoms of this disease while I

await a transplant, the people I most count on for help and moral support are

sometimes adversarial towards me because of how they perceive my years of

eating.

>

> I had a lengthy 'discussion' with one of the more mature ones last night, and

afterwards I felt as though they wanted my tomb stone to say " here lies Jim, who

ate himself to death " (not really but you get the idea).

>

> I am 170lbs and have been making changes in my diet for the past several

years, but I guess the changes are not fast enough and radical enough for my

family. I just can't seem to get a break in that department (and maybe I don't

deserve one).

>

> So I guess my question is, is NASH always a dietary disease? I look around and

see people twice my weight who presumably don't have NASH, and have also known

people who eat worse than I ever did (for example: near-daily Pizzas and a case

of Coke to wash it down).

>

> So then, is NASH ever a genetic disease? I've already got one entirely

unrelated hereditary disease that I was born with; it causes me to break bones

easily (I've had 61 painful fractures so far - 13 over the past year).

>

> Though it may sound like it, I'm not trying to make excuses to escape my

personal responsibility with NASH, but at the same time, I feel like I've had a

lot of other accomplishments as a father, husband, former employer, etc, only to

be remembered by some crumby eating habits.

>

> So are there other ways to get NASH? I've asked my Hep. Doctor about much of

this, but as somebody on this list recently said, I get about 5 minutes with him

(he's very busy) and there is never enough time to ask all the follow-up

questions that need to be asked. Hopefully somebody here can give me some

direction and advice; maybe even make my home life more harmonious if that's

called for. But if those answers are in fact 'yes' - " here lies Jim who ate

himself to death " , I'll be able come to terms with that too (it will just take a

little getting used to). The TRUTH is what I'm after, and is all that matters to

me.

>

> Thanks for listening! This group is great, and is in my prayers.

> --Jim

>

>

>

>

>