How Getting Diagnosed With NASH Made Me Feel

It was December 22, 2022, when I got my diagnosis. I remember feeling very deflated and anxious about my liver biopsy results. My hepatology nurse, with whom I have grown to have a strong bond over the last couple of years, told me my biopsy results were not good, and she was apprehensive about the condition of my liver.

My specialist told me I would either be dead or in need of a new liver in 5 years if I didn’t try to reverse my liver disease and carry on down the path I was on.

I was 28 when I was diagnosed with NASH

Everyone else in the hepatology clinic was over 60; my specialist told me I was her youngest patient, and she was shocked about the severity of my liver disease at my age. My liver was on the borderline of irreversible cirrhosis; I had no choice but to turn things around. After my diagnosis, my specialist told me that losing weight and exercising would be the best treatment plan.

I felt shame

Being someone who has struggled with their weight and has had body issues throughout my life, I felt a lot of shame when I went through the NASH diagnosis process. I didn’t know half of what I know now about liver disease, but I did know that there are two types of liver disease: alcoholic and non-alcoholic.

With non-alcoholic liver disease, the number one cause is obesity, but this is not the only cause of the disease; it’s just the most common cause of it. I have other factors contributing to my liver disease, but at the time, the leading visible cause was my weight.

People can be judgmental, especially about weight

For some reason, people often like to shame others and can sometimes be insensitive to what that person is going through and any other ailments they may have. So, at times, when having to say non-acholic liver disease, I would feel this wave of shame and embarrassment wash over me. I can honestly say that when I am at my lightest regarding my weight, I get treated better and listened to more by some medical professionals than when I am at my heaviest.

But weight doesn't always relate to health

Something that rarely gets mentioned is that having an unhealthy lifestyle doesn’t always equal being overweight, and most importantly, you don’t have to be obese to have liver disease. It can also happen to people who are at a healthy weight. It’s sad because, in the moment of feeling my world spiralling out of control after learning about my liver disease, I could also feel the judgment and pity from others when learning of my diagnosis.

Over the last couple of years, I lost over 7 stones, then gained 3 of them, and lost them back due to my lack of mobility and my degenerative disc disease and arthritis. If you are overweight and have NASH, you are not alone, and although you may feel like giving up, it’s essential to stay on track and begin your journey to a healthier lifestyle.

Other people’s judgment does not matter; the only thing that matters is your health.