Living with a Liver condition.

Nobody can truly understand the effects of an illness can have on an individual and their everyday life without experiencing it themselves, especially one that is so rare and still currently still being researched.

I have a number of medical conditions, without going into too much detail as I may write about these some other time, but one being a liver condition. It is called Paucity of Interheptic bile ducts. Basically, I am missing the smaller bile ducts within my liver, causing a build up of bile in the blood, and causing me to itch every now and then. It is a genetic condition caused by some faulty genes, this much I understand.

When I was born, my consultant at Great Ormond Street Hospital, and the liver charity, Children's Liver Disease Foundation believed I was the only person to be diagnosed with this condition and therefore little was known about it. I was not diagnosed until I was about 6 months of age, I was still extremely jaundiced, more like a Simpson than a person and was scratching myself.

Currently I am going through one of these itchy phases. No fun I promise. Imagine a fire burning under your skin which you cannot put out; or ant crawling and running under your skin, that is what it feels like. It is hard to explain to somebody who does not like with he the condition. At the moment I am on what feels like tonnes of medication to control it all, so much so I am surprised I don't rattle.

It's not just the physical aspect of the illness which takes its toll but the mental and emotional effects as well as a result of the itching. The scratching keeps me up in the night, therefore not sleeping and therefore I am a grumpy cow in the morning; but this lack of sleep contributes to the scratching. The scratch marks and scars leave me self conscious of my body. I remember at school, others used to ask if I had chickenpox, especially girls, this was particularly difficult when it came to P.E. It effects my mood, to the point I want a liver transplant.

As much as I would love a transplant I know I wouldn't be classed as a priority as it is not life threatening, just distressing. But it makes me wonder... how alcoholics, those who abuse drugs and their bodies get transplants? Look at ex-footballer George Best, he was an alcoholic, had one transplant and then abused that one, so received another one. Just makes me question it all? An individual and their loved ones have been willing to donate yet for the recipient to abuse this amazing gift?

For now my health is stable enough and am grateful for all my treatment, medication etc. and specialists assistance. They will continue to research and hopefully one day there will be more of an understanding and possible treatment.