I appreciate those of you have emailed me in response to my post, Down with the Sickness. Many of you have asked me what exactly Autoimmune Hepatitis is – so I thought that I’d take a break from my normal incoherent ramblings and share a little more about this disease.

Autoimmune hepatitis is a disease in which the body’s immune system attacks liver cells. This causes the liver to become inflamed (hepatitis). About 70 percent of those with autoimmune hepatitis are women, most between the ages of 15 and 40. (Yeah – I can hear the jokes now – thanks for your compassion! .

One job of the immune system is to protect the body from viruses, bacteria, and other living organisms. Usually, the immune system does not react against the body’s own cells. However, sometimes it mistakenly attacks the cells it is supposed to protect. This response is called autoimmunity. Researchers speculate that certain bacteria, viruses, toxins, and drugs trigger an autoimmune response in people who are genetically susceptible to developing an autoimmune disorder.

Fatigue is probably the most common symptom of autoimmune hepatitis. Other symptoms include:

• enlarged liver
• jaundice
• itching
• skin rashes
• joint pain
• abdominal discomfort
• fatigue
• spider angiomas (abnormal blood vessels) on the skin
• nausea
• vomiting
• loss of appetite
• dark urine
• pale or gray colored stools

People in advanced stages of the disease are more likely to have symptoms such as fluid in the abdomen (ascites) or mental confusion.

Treatment works best when autoimmune hepatitis is diagnosed early. With proper treatment, autoimmune hepatitis can usually be controlled. In fact, recent studies show that sustained response to treatment not only stops the disease from getting worse, but also may actually reverse some of the damage.

The primary treatment is medicine to suppress (slow down) an overactive immune system

In about one out of every three people, treatment can eventually be stopped. After stopping, it is important to carefully monitor your condition and promptly report any new symptoms to your doctor because the disease may return and be even more severe, especially during the first few months after stopping treatment.

In about 7 out of 10 people, the disease goes into remission, with a lessening of severity of symptoms, within 2 years of starting treatment. A portion of persons with a remission will see the disease return within 3 years, so treatment may be necessary on and off for years, if not for life.

There are two primary types of medication used to treat this disease, Prednisone and Azathioprine.

Some possible side effects of prednisone are:

• weight gain
• anxiety and confusion
• thinning of the bones (osteoporosis)
• thinning of the hair and skin
• diabetes
• high blood pressure
• cataracts
• glaucoma

Azathioprine can lower your white blood cell count and sometimes causes nausea and poor appetite. Rare side effects are allergic reaction, liver damage, and pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancreas gland with severe stomach pain).

These are the points to remember about the disease:

• Autoimmune hepatitis is a long-term disease in which your body’s immune system attacks liver cells.
• The disease is diagnosed using various blood tests and a liver biopsy.
• With proper treatment, autoimmune hepatitis can usually be controlled. The main treatment is medicine that suppresses the body’s overactive immune system.

Okay! – That’s the good, the bad and the ugly about Autoimmune Hepatitis.

So far, I’ve experienced every single side effect of the disease except for the fluid
in my stomach – which is a good thing. With the medication, I’ve experienced weight gain (40 lbs in 3 weeks – YIKES!), anxiety and confusion, and thinning of the hair and skin.

My liver is currently operating within the normal limits of the disorder, so that’s good. If you would like to pray for something – you can pray for the fatique, stomach pain, and Joint Pain. Those seem to be the biggest things that bother and frustrate me the most.

So that’s the scoop on Autoimmune Hepatitis. If you’ve got any questions for me – go ahead and email them to me and I’ll do my best to answer them.

I’m sick.

I just want to put this out there. Not sick in a twisted, demented way that reaks of subversive and destructive behavior. Not sick in a way that is propagated by incoherent thoughts, wild fantasies, and an inordinate fixation on metaphysical apparitions and dreamscapes that will never become reality. I’m physically sick. The worst thing about this sad state of affairs is that I’ve brought this sickness upon myself.

I made myself sick. It’s disconcerting to say this, but I can no longer ignore the truth. How did I make myself sick you may ask? I did it a little bit each day by neglecting and intentionally exposing my body to a cornucopia of additives, chemicals, and unnatural substances that have over the years slowly deteriorated and affected my body in a decidedly significant manner. I did it through establishing and embracing a lifestyle that is more content to gaze into the shallow depths of the computer and television screen then it is to spend a concentrated amount of time dedicated to being outdoors, exercising or even simply being silent. I did it by not caring for myself and not valuing what I do and put into my body.

I’ve known that I was sick for a couple of years now. In September of 2005 I went to the doctor because for some strange reason I had turned a Homer Simpson-like yellow. Through the course of the next couple of months, the doctors worked to discover the source of this and I was diagnosed with Autoimmune Hepatitis. As a direct result, at age 31, I was told that I had the liver of a person who had been abusing alcohol for 30 years even though I had never drank a drop. Through the course of the last two years, several types of treatments, and multiple doctor visits monitoring the ongoing health of my liver, the disease has finally gone into remission, sort of.

Some of the continuing side effects of the disease are that I still don’t feel good most days. I still get stress hives all over my face and body. I still have the burning heartburn that wakes me cold and sweaty at 4:30 AM every night desperate for something cool to quench the fire inside of me. I still have to be very careful that I don’t get too excited otherwise I find myself covered in hives and in desperate need of a place where I can rest and recouperate.

So I’ve known I was sick for a while now. I’m not sure what causes something like Autoimmune Hepatitis or any of the other diseases that are affecting others in their 20’s and 30’s across the nation. I suspect that there is something fundamentally missing in our lives and lifestyles that our grandparents and great-grandparents had. I am equally convinced that the those who share the historical distinction of associated with the “Baby Boomer” generation, are indirectly responsible for the loss of this missing piece of vitality that is desperately needed by our generation.

Regardless of why this pervading culture of illness and disease exists, something must be changed.