Kidnapped by life...AGAIN!

I must be the most prolific kidnap victim in the world. Every time I write a blog entry, Life comes along and drags me away, kicking and screaming. But this time, I've had good reason.

Since the beginning of this year, I've felt sicker and sicker. I gained 40 pounds in less than 6 months. (That ain't right!). I could barely move or walk. And breathing? Fuhgeddaboudit! My doctor said it was age and inactivity, my metabolism just didn't work like it used to.

One morning, September 8th, to be exact, my caregiver arrived and noticed that I could barely breathe, and that I was in severe pain. She said, "Enough, we're going to the hospital NOW" So off I went in an ambulance to the ER with that stinky oxygen up my nose.

After a bunch of poking and prodding it was determined that I have liver disease. Cirrhosis to be exact. I was quite surprised since I VERY rarely drink (1 or 2 a year). It can be caused by several things, drinking, infection, and in my case fatty liver disease. All those years of chicken fried steak and pasta and banana pudding had caught up with me.

All this caused me to have acites which is the accumulation of fluids between the lining of the belly and the organs. This explains why I looked like I was 9 months pregnant in a matter of weeks.

When I was at the hospital I had what I call a belly tap. My son, the nursing student, has a bigger word for it, but I don't recall what it is. Anyway, they took a long needle and poked it into my belly. The needle was attached to a length of fishtank tubing which was attached to a Mason jar. They sucked out 8 liters of fluid. EIGHT. That's like 4 big bottles of Mountain Dew. I went back to my bed 17 pounds lighter.

Long story short (too late for that..I know) I had to lose weight or die. I already had scarring to my liver which is not a good thing. Luckily I had not passed the point of no return, and I still had a chance to turn things around. If I could lose the weight, my liver could heal itself.

Sooooo, my life has changed. I'm walking laps in the pool for an hour three times a week. My younger son, who is very much into the healthy lifestyle, has become my nutritionist. He's teaching me how to eat healthy. Not necessarily counting things (except for sodium) but how to give my body what it needs. And how to do it for the rest of my life.

With the handful of pills I take every day, the exercise, and the advice from my darlin' boy, I'm down 84 pounds since the 8th of September.  My clothes are falling down, including the FIVE, count 'em, FIVE new pair of jeans I bought right before my diagnosis. Now, as my Daddy used to say, "Those pants look like a sow and ten little pigs moved out of 'em" I'm wearing clothes I haven't worn since 2006.

Now that you know more about liver disease than you ever wanted to know, I'll just say thanks for sticking around, and the next time Life kidnaps me, go ahead and pay the ransom, Honey,....Mama needs new clothes.