When Morwenna learned she had a fatty liver, she wanted to understand how she she had got it and what she could do about it, so she turned to the British Liver Trust and its Nurse-led Helpline. Thank you for sharing your story, Morwenna
I am an 83-year-old with significant visual difficulties, asthma, type 2 diabetes and thrombocytopenia amongst other things! Even so, I generally I feel fairly healthy because I manage these conditions with understanding about how and why the body works.
I’ve always eaten sensibly, did not drink and enjoyed swimming, walking and skiing. At 38, I was slim and weighed about eight-and-a-half stone but had my gall bladder removed after it was found to be packed with stones. Then in my early forties I was told I had reached a diabetic status, which I wasn’t surprised by because both of my parents had been diabetic. It was managed at first with diet alone, then with metformin.
I retired from teaching in 2001 and continued in relatively good health until 2011 when I was sent for a scan following a routine blood test. The results showed I had a fatty liver, but my doctor told me it wouldn’t be monitored and to not worry because everyone has it. Really? Why not? I wanted to know how I had got it and what could I do about it.
I contacted the British Liver Trust for advice and they sent me leaflets on NAFLD as it was then called. I pored over these then went back to my doctor for more support. He referred me to a lady who helped motivate people to lose weight, but I only weighed nine stone and needed more specific information. Eventually I saw a dietitian who looked closely at my diet and told me to cut back on pastries such as the quiche Lorraine and pork pies that I liked so much and hadn’t really considered. She also advised me to look out for portion sizes and from then on, I tried very hard not to overeat.
In 2019 routine checks again showed I had a fatty liver so I wanted to know what else I should do to help myself and contacted the nurses at the British Liver Trust. They told me to go back to my doctor and say: “Now, look here… you need to be keeping a regular eye on me and my condition”, but when I did this my doctor said “No, no, you’re fine”. I thought surely my fatty liver disease must be happening for a reason!
I was told I wouldn’t be offered a FibroScan, because we don’t have one in this district
Routine checks in 2022 were still showing issues with my liver, but I was told I wouldn’t be offered a FibroScan, because we don’t have one in this district. I wrote to my-then MP Gareth Johnson because it’s something our local health authority should be looking at. He spoke to me to further understand my concerns, then wrote to the Health Minister to elicit support. He also attended the British Liver Trust’s event in Westminster Hall, but then lost his seat in the 2024 General Election.
In 2023 an astute registrar in the haematology department at my local hospital noticed an unusual issue with my bloods and I was fast tracked to St Thomas’s hospital in London. Their tests revealed that I have cirrhosis and a very enlarged liver so I’m very grateful to that registrar because without her action, I would never have known. I have since been referred to a hepatologist with whom I had a very comprehensive discussion and they are now monitoring me and doing what they can.
I am also most thankful for the British Liver Trust’s support and for raising awareness of liver disease because it’s only when people have that knowledge that they can help themselves.
Their nurses are a gem and very helpful. They’re patient, always answer my questions, and guide and shape my understanding of liver health and how to nurture it. Their advice on diet, self-care, getting the best help from our medical advisors and what to be cautious about is absolutely invaluable. They also tell you what your responsibilities are as much as what your rights are which I think is really important.
I’m sharing my story because I want to help raise awareness of liver disease during Love Your Liver month and beyond because we owe to society whatever we can do. I’ve also recently been in contact with my new MP, Laura Trott, who has been very receptive to investing in Liver Health and every time I receive information from the British Liver Trust I will push that forward to her too.
