Conquering Cirrhosis: Your Guide to Living with a Liver Diagnosis

Disclaimer: I am not a medical professional, I am only a patient that has been living with cirrhosis for three years. I am sharing things I have learned through a lot of research and conversing with doctors. This is not meant as a treatment plan as much as a guide to get you going on the right foot. PLEASE, talk with your doctors before implementing anything I mention as you want to make sure it has no adverse side effects with your health and your current stage of cirrhosis. (More on stages later

December 24th, 2020, I was sitting in a doctor’s office in the Cleveland Clinic. I got there through the insistence of my boyfriend due to complaining about health but never going to a doctor. After many tests, pokes, and questions I was sent home with a prescription for high blood pressure medicine and waiting on results. A couple short hours later, I was standing in line at CVS waiting for the prescription when I received an call from my doctor. After pleasantries, he informed me that there was a strong change that I had cirrhosis and he was referring me to a specialist. As the color drained from my face and the cashier inquiring if I was okay, I listened to what he said, paid for my medicine, made my way back to my car and just sat there in shock and silence. I may have cirrhosis.

Three and a half months later, the diagnosis was confirmed after specimens were collected from my liver and analyzed. The results advised me that I was pretty far along in having cirrhosis. My liver was inflamed and had quite a bit of scarring. The good news was that my bloodwork showed that my liver was still going about its liver life, with minimal impact. But, my course was set, future assured, and my research was about to begin. I needed to know as much about this disease and how to live with it as possible, if I was to live a long life with my boyfriend.

Conquering Cirrhosis: Your Guide to Living Well with a Liver Diagnosis is meant to be your beginning resource for information about cirrhosis and how you can help manage your condition. The goal is to help dismiss some of the myths and give good starter information for your journey with this diagnosis.

From Diagnosis to Action: Taking Charge of Your Liver Health

A cirrhosis diagnosis can be a shock, but it doesn’t have to define your future. By taking charge of your liver health from the very beginning, you can empower yourself to manage your condition and live a fulfilling life. This section will guide you through the initial steps after a cirrhosis diagnosis, providing you with the knowledge and resources to become an active participant in your own well-being.

There are many types of liver diseases. Some of the more common ones are Hepatitis (A, B, C, and auto-immune), alcohol assisted liver disease, Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD) , and nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). Many of these can lead to cirrhosis. Each one of these diseases affect your liver’s health and when left untreated can lead to much worse diagnoses.

Ensuring the health of your liver is much easier if you take a few precautions. If you are sexually active, make sure you are practicing safe sex and that you have been vaccinated against the various hepatitis strains out there. Eating a more healthy diet, reducing prepared foods, lower meat intake, and go for a more nutrient rich vegetarian diet will help keep your weight in check and lower any side effects from NASH. Alcohol assisted liver disease is brought on by alcohol use. If you drink frequently, lower your volume or stop completely. In today’s market there are plenty of quality non-alcoholic beers, wine, and liquors that can give you the feel of drinking without the negative side effects.

The reality is that many types of liver diseases are preventable and even curable – in some situations. It is up to you to make sure you are taking the best care of yourself, both preventatively and managing your condition. This article will focus on cirrhosis, not the various types of liver diseases.

Understanding Cirrhosis: What it is, Why it Happens, and What You Can Do

Cirrhosis might sound intimidating, but understanding what it is and why it happens is the first step to taking control. This section dives deep into the world of cirrhosis, explaining how healthy liver tissue becomes scarred, exploring the most common causes, and most importantly, outlining the steps you can take to manage the condition and minimize its impact on your life. By demystifying cirrhosis, you’ll gain the confidence to navigate your diagnosis and work with your doctor to create an effective management plan.

What is it

Cirrhosis is actually the result of damage to your liver. As you liver gets more and more damaged, it starts to swell and healthy tissue is replaced by scar tissue. This scar tissue prevents your liver from functioning normally. As more scar tissue develops and cirrhosis advances, your liver will start to fail.

Why it happens

The short answer is that cirrhosis happens when your liver becomes unhealthy and is damaged. Causes like excessive alcohol drinking, abusing pain medications like Advil, Tylenol, and Ibuprofen, Hepatitis, and fatty liver disease caused by obesity and diabetes.

What you can do

I hate to state this quite so blatantly, but cirrhosis has no cure. That has to be understood and come to terms with. More on how to work with that later in Building Your Support System: Finding Hope and Help on Your Cirrhosis Journey. Some of the things you can do that will have a lasting effect on your diagnosis is stop drinking if you are a drinker. Alcohol is toxic to your liver and will only exacerbate your condition. If you have fatty liver disease, then start working with a personal trainer, dietician, and your specialist to come up with an exercise and dietary plan that best suits you and your needs. Keeping your weight under control, watching your diet to limit sugar intake, fat consumption, and keeping your macronutrients up are important to proper management. Do not exceed recommended dosages of medication. If you are trying to treat pain make sure you are communicating with your doctors about your needs.

Living Your Best Life with Cirrhosis: Diet, Exercise, and Powerful Habits

Living a full and enjoyable life after a cirrhosis diagnosis is absolutely within your reach. This section focuses on the powerful impact of positive lifestyle changes. We’ll explore how a strategic diet, a regular exercise routine, and incorporating powerful habits into your daily life can significantly improve your overall health and well-being. By making informed choices about what you eat, how you move your body, and the habits you cultivate, you can empower yourself to not just manage cirrhosis, but to thrive despite it.

Diet

When you are diagnosed with cirrhosis, you will have to make some dietary changes to help you manage your condition. A healthy and balanced diet are the first things that you need to consider, as well as any special advice your doctor gives you. Eating enough calories for energy, protein to build muscle, complex carbohydrates to keep you going, and healthy fats are key to a healthy diet.

Cirrhosis is a catabolic condition, many patients can see a loss of muscle mass and could become sarcopenic without adequate protein intake. What that means is that your liver will start breaking down your muscle mass to find the nutrients it needs to function. I cannot stress enough that it is important that you are getting enough energy from your food and the proper amount of protein. As an example 2 in 10 people with compensated cirrhosis, where your liver is still mostly functioning normally, are malnourished.

Here are a few tips for a good diet:

eat little and often
eat more calories and protein
reduce salt to manage fluid retention
manage blood sugars
and only approved supplements

Exercise

Cirrhosis affects more than just your liver, as it progresses it can have an adverse effect on your overall health. As a cirrhoitic patient, you will have a reduced exercise capacity, a lower VO2 max than most people, and you will have a much higher rates of loss of muscle mass (called Sarcopenia).

At a minimum, most doctors and studies suggest that anyone with chronic liver disease should do moderate-intensity aerobic activity (such as walking at a pace where you can maintain conversation) for at least 150 minutes a week. You also need to start including resistance training to keep up lean muscle mass and combat Sarcopenia.

Remember to start low and go slow. Start by walking, if your average steps per day is 1000, try moving up to 2500. If you are on the more healthier side, you can push further. When it comes to strength training, remember that heavy weights are necessarily your friend. Having cirrhosis means you can and will fatigue more often than healthier people. You are also more prone to exercise related injuries and if you have portal hypertension, the straining can cause other issues.

Powerful Habits

Summing up this section, there are at least four powerful habits you can have to help you battle cirrhosis.

Eat for blood sugar balance – this means ensuring that you are eating enough protein, fiber, and healthy fats along with the sugar. Reduce the amount of added sugars in the foods you consume.
Cut alcohol – alcohol is poison to the liver. Either greatly reduce what you do drink or stop completely. if you need help to stop drinking, be sure to seek out the help that suits you best. Whether that is AA, therapy, or whatever, just do it correctly and consistently.
Exercise regularly – remember a minimum of 150 minutes of moderately-intense exercise each week
Live Clean – this is as easy as cutting out over processed foods. That means no fast food or packaged food from groceries stores. Make it a habit to check the nutrition label for preservatives, salt, fats, and sugars.

Building Your Support System: Finding Hope and Help on Your Cirrhosis Journey

Hearing the news that you now have cirrhosis, from your doctor, is life changing and often leaves you feeling alone and unsure what to do. This is where well built support systems can be handy in helping you manage the negative feelings and complications you will experience. It doesn’t have to be hard creating a network of support. From connecting with loved ones to exploring professional resources and even joining online communities specifically focused on the cirrhosis journey, you can surround yourself with a team who cares, understands, and uplifts you. You’ll find the strength and encouragement to navigate the challenges and celebrate the victories along the way.

Research is key to understanding cirrhosis, how to manage it, and live with it. But remember not to go too far down the research hole. It can often leave you feeling like there is not hope. Cirrhosis is hard to live with but with some small changes to your life, you can make it a lot more bearable, without overloading in research.

Families are an important source for support. Often, there may be others in your family that have cirrhosis that can help you deal with what you are going through. Your family also knows you best, whether this is a close group of best friends or actually family, they are people that see you daily and know you enough to know when you are struggle and offer help.

Online communities can also be HUGE valuable resources for dealing with cirrhosis diagnoses and complications. The American Liver Foundation is one of the best online resources available for liver disease patients. They also provide a support group on Facebook called Life with Alcohol Associated Liver Disease. You can also check out the Nash Now Support Group for patients, caregivers, or anyone seeking to increase their knowledge on liver disease awareness. Make sure to check your hospital’s website, as they may have listings for online support groups or even local ones that meet on a regular basis. What is important is getting the help you need when you need it. Make sure to have a good therapist handy for discussing any emotional needs that may pop up as well.

Conquering Cirrhosis One Day at a Time

This guide offers you various ways to navigate your life with cirrhosis. It provides an overview of what it means to be diagnosed with cirrhosis, help in understanding what it is, how to live your best life, and build a support network. Now that you have been diagnosed with cirrhosis, you can see that you can easily take these tools implement changes to your day to day routines to ensure that you have a long and happy life ahead of you. While cirrhosis has no cure, at present, with a few changes to your diet, exercise routines, and mental acuity, you will be able to manage your condition effectively.

Have you been recently diagnoessed with liver disease or cirrhosis? Maybe you were looking for new techniques to include in your life to help you better manage your condition. Or maybe you are someone who is a caregiver for a cirrhosis patient and looking for ways to better help them n manage their condition. Let me know in the comments below. If there is anything you would like to see expanded on or talked about that I didnt mention, let me know below. Hope and a positive outlook wont cure cirrhosis but it will help you in keeping focused on doing th best you can to treat it. If you need to talk, please feel free to send me an email at gayinthecle@gayinthecle.com.

Conquering Cirrhosis: Your Guide to Living with a Liver Diagnosis

From Diagnosis to Action: Taking Charge of Your Liver Health