Deborah was diagnosed with liver disease in hospital at 36 years old, just a few weeks after she got married.
I have been to hell and back again.
She says: “I was feeling tired and my husband noticed that the whites of my eyes had gone yellow, almost luminous like a cat’s eyes, so he phoned the NHS helpline and within two hours I was on the ward.”
There she was told that her liver had become so fatty and inflamed it was no longer functioning properly. “The doctor said that if I didn’t change my lifestyle, in six months I would either be dead or on the liver transplant waiting list.
“I was diagnosed with non-alcohol related liver disease. It was the worst time of my life. I had to have many painful tests, scans, told to follow a no added salt diet, no alcohol and what feels like hundreds of meds.
“In hospital I had a very bad reaction to emergency meds I was given when I was taken into hospital and as a result I had a seizure. I lost some teeth and dislocated my left shoulder when I hit the floor. While the docs were trying to put it back into its socket my shoulder socket smashed. Oh yes, I have been to hell and back again.”
Lifestyle changes
Luckily for Deborah, she had time to make the lifestyle changes she needed to. She says: “I did as I was told and changed my eating plan and joined my husband’s running club. At my six month check up I was told my liver was back to its normal size, no cirrhosis and I didn’t need a liver transplant.
“All in all the whole situation affected me mentally too and the running group my husband and I go to has brought us out of the darkness and brought our spirit back to life again. I’m more determined than ever.”
