"There's a myth that anyone who has a liver problem has brought it on themselves" This quote is from a Crohn's disease patient living with a blocked portal vein hoping for a liver transplant (Independent 31st Oct 2010)

Friday 12 August 2016

Update 2016


Oh my goodness, a year since i last posted.

Update:

My liver is scanned every 6 months and shows no sign of cancer.

My Hep B is undetectable as i take one tablet of Tenofovir a day as an anti-viral.  Side effects of this drug just starting to cause problems.  Kidney function has been dropping slowly over the last year and is almost at a level where the docs want to switch me to a different anti-viral.  The drug is also leaching phosphates from my bones.  DEXA scan done to assess bone density loss and evidence of progression of osteopenia to osteoporosis. Clinic in October to review DEXA results and assess whether to change the anti-viral.  Am hoping all my dog walking daily exercise and my excellent calcium and Vit D3 levels are helping my bones.  More of the dog walking later.

My Autoimmune Hepatitis  After a couple of 'flares' over the last 3 years and blood results that show i am on the maximum dose of Azathioprine immunosuppressant my body can process but with lower than acceptable lymphocytes (Google Lymphocytopenia if you want to know more) we can’t do anything about that.  Am back on low dose steroids (Prednisolone) to control the liver inflammation, which luckily don’t seem to give me any of the typical side effects:- weight gain (no); insomnia (no); mood swings (ask T); hamster cheeks (no); but do make me bruise easily and have made my sight worse and given me mild muscle tremor.  

Life:   Increasing work hours became too much, and with the help of Occupational Health and an understanding boss i am now on a fixed 15 hours a week, no more, no less.
That has given me time to volunteer for the Cinnamon Trust, a national network of over 15,000 community service volunteers who provide practical help for example, walking the dog for a housebound owner and a fostering service is provided for pets whose owners face a spell in hospital. And i walk 5 rescue dogs once a week at a local rescue centre.  
Here are some of the dogs i walk.










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