I have a friend with a similar condition (although not so extreme on the blood side of things), and she also takes medication that affects her liver in combination with birth control for cramps. I'm just curious; is there a chance of, or are you hoping to eventually phase off the medication? My friend's committed to it as a serious personal goal, but it sounds like an incredibly difficult challenge.
Oh, my condition wasn't caused by a medication.
I have a disease that is a form of lupus, which attacks my liver; basically, my immune system is confused and is attacking my healthy liver cells as if they were unhealthy or intruders. The process damages my liver and causes hepatitis, as well as a variety of blood and joint issues. The disease comes in flares, meaning there are periods when the illness is active, and then periods where the illness goes into remission and I am well. They still don't know what causes the immune system to turn against the patient's own body, so sadly, I have no idea what caused it.
Lupus is strange in that it affects 9 times more women than men; they think it might be hormone related. I started getting symptoms around December of '07 and was finally diagnosed in October '08. It's common to develop the disease around your late teens and early twenties, which is when I was diagnosed. There is still no way to treat it; the main treatments now are corticosteroids and immuno-suppresants, both which have some very bad long-term side effects. When I'm in an active phase, I get a large injection of prednisone as needed until my ASTs and ALTs (liver enzymes) in my blood go down. (My rheumatologist takes a very conservative approach to treatment, which I appreciate thoroughly!)
So basically, the reason I can't take medications that are metabolized through my liver is because of my autoimmune condition.
I can take medications that are filtered by the kidneys, but medications like Tylenol tend to be quite hard on the liver. Because of my liver condition, my doctors don't let me take any harsh, liver-metabolized medications unless I absolutely have to because of the risk for extra damage. Whew, that was a long-winded explanation! Sorry for the ramble!
If some of the reactions I usually get here are any indication, a lot of people are afraid of "overdoing it" :/ but I think what matters is a serious commitment to doing something positive, or having dreams, whether personal or grand. It's sort of a cliché that most people start out as children with idealistic dreams and hopes to change the world, and then lose it as they become gradually embittered and disillusioned. For me, it was the opposite; I didn't give a damn about what happened to the world as long as I fulfilled my selfish goals. But over the last few years, I matured a lot, lost my religion and irrational beliefs, came to adore humanism and believe in humanity's capacity to better itself and its environment, opened my mind incredibly to new experience, and realized that improving the human condition, working against things like sexism and ignorance, and actually believing in myself and working for ideals instead of wistfully wishing for them were dear to me and wonderful courses in life. That, combined with a desire to live a life of no regrets and a lot of mental training have produced a real commitment and dream. I honestly wouldn't get much out of life if I just took some kind of career path, enjoyed what pleasures came my way, and simply had a family for its own sake. I want to make some kind of difference, and achieve some kind of burning dream. I guess I couldn't make some kind of flashy declaration like the one about combating sexism if I weren't seriously going to back it up with lifelong action.
All I can say is that I'm thoroughly impressed.
It's something that I need to do as well; I have a lot of convictions, but I've been bad about getting out there and utilizing action for change. Wistful wishing will get me nowhere, that's for sure! I'm inspired now.
Dang, clotting issues suck. Hats off to you for being able to put up with that!
For times when you can't use the birth control, go on a little sewing project. Get some fleece and sew a pillow out of it. Before you close it, fill it with flax seeds. You can microwave this bean bag until it's hot and press it against your stomach/neck/whatever hurts. The warmth helps alleviate pain, and the smell that the seeds gives off takes care of headaches and the like.
Thanks, Zephira!
That sounds like a great idea; I love to sew, I'll definitely try it. I know my school nurse back in high school used to have these amazing home-made pillows filled with rice; she heated them up in the microwave and they felt amazing!
