Autoimmune: This Is My Story

Results

I was getting worse again after the biopsy, and was anxiously awaiting the results, which the doctors had said would be a couple of weeks. In the lead up to Christmas, I could hardly get up. I spent two entire weeks off school. The fatigue was getting worse too. 

A few days before school was due to finish up for Christmas, I got a call and was told I had an appointment to see my consultant the next day. I was hoping and praying this meant the results were back. I was also hoping that I had Autoimmune Hepatitis at that stage, for it would be the best possible outcome, considering the situation. 

I was diagnosed with Autoimmune Hepatitis. I released a sigh of relief. My consultant began to tell me of the treatment plan, which I had already read about online before. To reduce the inflammation the disease had caused to my liver, I would be put on a high dosage of steroids for two weeks, which would afterwards be reduced by one steroid at a time each week. She would then, at the six week mark, start me on a course of immunosuppressant drugs to stop my body from attacking my liver cells. 

I had finally been given a definite answer as to what had been going wrong and thankfully, it's a manageable illness. Just to confirm, I asked the doctor about certain lifestyle choices. She told me if I wanted to keep my body as healthy as possible, I couldn't afford to drink and should watch my sugar intake. Both sugar and alcohol contain toxins, and, because my liver doesn't function as well as most people's, consuming those would not be a good idea, given that the liver is responsible for detoxifying the body. It also produces bile which breaks down fats, so it's also advisable for me to strictly monitor my intake of additional fats in my diet. 

Leading up to this, even when I ate plain, healthy food, it would repeat on me. Even drinking water would provoke the retching, so that made sense. It was all due to the damage my liver had suffered, and because it was constantly being attacked, it was unable to perform its everyday functions properly, like absorbing and processing nutrients to help with digestion. I decided to take her advice and avoid the above things in my diet, alcohol especially. The way I look at it, it's probably for the best, as there's a history of alcoholism on both sides of my family and I'd rather avoid falling into that pit trap too. Plus, my liver is damaged, so I need to take extra care of it. I need to be kind to my body. 

A couple of days into taking the high dosage of eight steroids, I was feeling great. I was still feeling tired here and there and still had some pain, but that was expected, given that my body was recovering from damage that had built up on a gradual, daily basis for the last year. It could even have been at play for longer and I may not have noticed, who knows. But there were marked improvements to my condition. My hair was even starting to look better, which had been very wild and greasy for a long time. My skin was clearing up again. My energy levels were perking up. I wasn't one hundred percent right yet, but I felt I was finally going somewhere. By Christmas, I had been on this high dosage of steroids for a few days, and they were really starting to take effect. I really enjoyed Christmas. It was the first holiday I had actually enjoyed in a long time. 

When my dosage was reduced to seven steroids, things were still going good. It was the New Year at this stage. When I went back to school, my energy levels were really high. For that week, I was actually able to get adequate amounts of study and homework done. I was even feeling energized enough to put in some work for the school yearbook. I was started to feel like my old self again. The one who was able to manage all the different extra curricular activities I was involved with, alongside my studies. It felt great to be back to myself. I got through the full week without having to drag myself through it. For me, this was a miracle. I only wish it had lasted a little longer.