Guest Post – Vanessa Dawn – Health Impacts of Societal Change

My Wheels R’ Spinning…..How many of you have ever bought a car only then to realize or become aware how many others just like it are on the road? Ive caught myself saying, oh look, now that I got my car, there are all kinds just like it. In reality, my awareness level just heightened. I felt the same way this past week while on vacation at the beach! First let me say to anyone reading this…I am in no way insinuating those here are obese etc etc or at fault for their disease. Doing so would be hypocritical of my own self. I am merely pointing out how my observations brought me to a different level of “awareness”. 1st—all I see on tv are beautiful, nearly anorexic sized women glamorizing their thin bodies. I have always tried to teach my girls that its not reality. My week at the beach was a far cry from what we saw on the old show “Baywatch”. I was saddened actually by what I saw. Of how the views have changed drastically from now compared to my first ocean visit at age 14, some 29 years ago!!! Have you heard that 2/3 of America is obese? That is the statistic. According to America’s criteria, obesity is when our BMI (body mass index) is above 28% determined by a height weight ratio. My awareness of this statistic was heightened when i was surrounded by so many people in one place to make the comparison. I observed very few people that would be considered in normal range, & it alarmed me. Especially the population of kids! And yes i include my own family in this observation. Whether it was at the beach or at the amusement parks, I felt surrounded by a new future population of brewing illness. Observing the consumptions of processed drinks, deep fried funnel cakes topped with sugar, corn dogs & then observing the swarms of people going out for that huge dinner at 6 everyday as an activity or treat. Furthermore i was saddened by the obese children I saw “out of breath” easily while attempting to do any exertion such as riding the waves, the parents who sat on the sidelines instead of engaging in activities & those I saw who couldnt ride the rides at the amusement parks or sit in a typical lawn chair simply because of size limitations. To know me is to know that i never meet a stranger which is why i took it upon myself to strike up a conversation with a few that i encountered who appeared to be within normal weight….all of which claimed they worked out regularly! My daughters & I had conversations about how what they were seeing now as the “norm” was not the “norm” 30 years ago. Just looking back at old family photos….everyone was so thin! I personally experienced lots of ridicule & fun poking for my own size growing up & by todays standards was nowhere near overweight. After my trip…i cant help but feel tricked by the food industry or has the human race brought it upon ourselves or have we all been mere participants in the change! This change didnt happen over night. But i feel like it has been a gradual, subtle change over the years & generations that “sneaked” up on us. I grew up on a 100 acre farm in Kentucky. My mom who is almost 80 now prepared everything from scratch. We spent summers raising our gardens, canning, raised & killed our own beef, pigs, deer & raised our own chicken. We were modernized yes. My dad was a mail carrier & my mom stayed home & worked the farm. There were hardly any processed items in our house & never a soft drink. Balogna was probably the worst thing in our fridg & lard was the oil of choice. I never had a riding lawnmower till i was 19! I push mowed several acres each week, rode my bike a lot, only ate out maybe twice a year! Gradually our lands have been tracted out & sold because it earns us more monies in the short term. Our demands for food have been put on our groceries because we arent raising our own. If we are putting this demand in the hands of others then have we really been tricked or have the manufactures been forced by us & greed to resort to GMO’s to produce large quantities to meet our demand? My grandma lived alone & died at age 97 from heart attack. My other grandparents died in their late 80’s of natural age causes…no cancer, no diabetes, no disease other than a lil dementia. I feel like I am a product of a new generation of disease. The cause & the effect! My daughters even noticed how our local Amish community lives, watching the kids push mow the yards, working in the garden etc. When i was young, i didnt have to ask what we were going to do today…because i knew! I was up by 7am…i didnt have phones or computers in my hands all day. I made mud pies, played tennis against the barn with a board & ball, swam in the creeks, played in the rain, had no germ-x….was rarely ever sick! This story like so many others Im sure. Its not all about weight, but about habits, the evolution of change….lost arts of self reliance versus dependence on others, greed etc…so many factors in combination…not just a finger pointing blame game. A societal shift in priorities! To the point I observed road signs threatening imprisonment for littering in a society where child abusers go free! Where animals are often given free surgeries & vet care while humans are homeless, sick, children are without healthcare. A generation taught to live any lifestyle & just get a pill to fix the effects! And another pill to fix the effects of that one & the vicious cycle continues. Where does it end? Where did it begin? If 2/3 of society is obese…and 1/3 to 2/3 have fatty liver…i wonder what is the correlation of the two? With the increasing need of liver transplants, i cant help but wonder if the demand will exceed supply of healthy livers in our future…more so our childrens future? Organic, non GMO food is more expensive, but not near as expensive as the medicines required for disease. I had no choice but to change lifestyle because I could not pay for the $1200 a month of meds when i didnt have coverage! Now I have coverage, and my Xifaxin alone is $1,400 a month!!! It & URSO combined cost my insurance almost 2 grand each month!!! Thats a lot of organic, healthy food! Food scares me now. Medicines scare me now! I am living proof that it can all be toxic & life threatening & have long term effects. 3 Years ago…i was on over 29 pills each day just to fix the thing each pill caused! I was toxic! Crazy! At age 27, i believed them when they said my meds where safe while pregnant, only to have my child born with a form of spina bifida birth defect that will effect her the rest of her life! The same drugs that had adverse effects on.me have also been offered numerous times to my kids despite me explaining how they effected my liver! They insist they are safe! Theres a reason why supplements & herbs arent recommended! They arent regulated! The same humans preparing our food, our meds etc…are preparing our supplements as well. I dont live my life in fear no, but i am choosey now & determined to at least teach my girls better ways. Even if they make other choices, i will have taught them alternatives! Seeing & living with me throughout this journey has indeed been a good teacher for them. Just posting on FB wont help I realize, i do plan to be a more active participant in creating awareness & change in our society. We think our voices dont matter but they do! And our decisions & actions matter more! What we demand creates the fire thats fueled. There are no short term fixes in life, just instant gratification with long term results.
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The Challenge of running a support group, restoring my passion

I left the Fatty Liver Disease Support Group I created 6 years ago on Monday after 2 senior administrators left and deleted me from their Facebook. I have known both for 3 or more years and i was friends with their family as well. I was told the drama in the group was my fault for not standing up for them clearly. That I am too lenient and I am too often allowing people to come to the right answers for themselves once they have been advised on things like not using supplements. That I am the reason for the dysfunction that happens in there

I want to be clear that I understand their viewpoint. When you are on the edge waiting for a transplant or you have had one there is a desperate need to demand that everyone else NEVER get to their stage of this disease. I agree completely with this, but my confidence has come from the fact that I am unaware of a single member who came in to the group with early stage fatty liver who has actually gotten worse with the advice given in here about eating natural foods and stopping the processed foods as much as possible. You are looking for a ratio of 90% natural and 10% processed.

I did a lot of soul searching on Monday and cried a ton of tears. I was blamed for drama on the weekend that i was not a part of, i did not witness but that i received 10 emails from angry members about how things happened with deletions and how it was handled.

The issue on the weekend was actually about a celebrity who is extremely controversial that some members wanted to see as a spokesperson and other members were dead set against him.

This had NOTHING to do with the disease and the group at the end of the day. Having someone famous talk about the disease would be helpful but they should be a little less offensive to a large portion of population.

I came to a decision that i would stop running the group if i was truly damaging it by being to kind. I even started accepting that after 6 years pouring my heart and soul into this group that maybe it was time to back away.

I received a large number of emails of support from within the group Monday and I am forever thankful to those that took the time to check in on me.

Tuesday morning I believe God intervened.

1.A local city politician asked to meet with me and have me help him because he has just been diagnosed with fatty liver disease. He respects this is a business for me and wants to pay me to teach his family how to read labels, how to determine what is a gmo veggie and which are not. How to start a small garden and how to conveniently start making meals from scratch.

Once i spoke to him i was energized with my passion for this disease and helping people again. The negative messaging about whether i am doing a good job or not seemed less important.

2. In the afternoon I received a tweet asking me what i wanted to ask for funding for from a group that helps create campaigns for crowd sourcing. I told them about my visions for raising awareness on fatty liver and they see it as a very worthwhile cause and they will help me get this going.

I rejoined my group on Tuesday I was clearly receiving messages from the universe that told me this is too important to back away from.

On Wednesday I was asked to speak at a women in progress lunch on avoiding fatty liver disease at the end of April and I will also be on a talk radio show in Toronto talking about fatty liver as well.

So while i am still quite hurt by the events of this, i lost a large number of friends because i try to look at all sides of a story before i make a decision. Each one who left and deleted me thought i was supporting the other side, when in fact i saw that they all had a point.

If you have gotten worse while you are in my group please let me know. If this is a common event I will reconsider my position again. I want to help not hurt people.

Please be kind to each other and please be even kinder to your liver

Another Fatty Liver Death, Get Tested, Find Support!

One of my Fatty Liver Disease group members sadly shared that her good friend’s brother Dan had died from NASH last week. Dan did not find out he had the disease until he went to hospital in December after thinking he was experiencing a stroke. Once he got into hospital they discovered it was extremely advanced Fatty Liver Disease.  Dan spent December – February in hospital with no hope of recovery. He died within 2 months of learning of the disease.

This chills me at a number of levels. Firstly….EVERYONE needs to have a yearly physical. I know there are a ton of people who hate going to the doctor, I am even one of them. BUT yearly you need to demand that you are given a blood test and that liver panel tests are done. IF you find this disease early YOU CAN REVERSE IT. Doctors DO not know why this disease progresses to the more serious level of NASH. So unless you are diagnosed early and you find the support you need to make changes to improve your health there is an unknown risk of this developing to a deadly diagnosis.

Even if you find out that you have NASH with Fibrosis  finding a good support group can mean that you SLOW or stop the progression of the disease. I have a large number of members who are staying stable at a higher level of the disease by altering their lifestyle choices to prevent further damage to the liver.

Our Fatty Liver Group on Facebook was created in 2008. We have over 1200 members from all over the world and we are a very active supportive group. Please see some of the comments below for what people said when I asked what the Group means to them. I am sure you can relate to one or more of their stories if you have been told you have fatty liver disease.

To join the group https://www.facebook.com/groups/fattyliversupport/

 

Elisa Davis I love this group…you all have made a huge difference in my life since joining…i have more answers to my illness….the support is so wonderful

Mike Murray It’s so hard to talk to people about our fears, enzyme numbers, successes. Who knows what enzyme levels even mean? It’s meaningless to most people. I can’t imagine the past few months without the support I have from this group

Theresa Prebula I don’t feel as lonely and crazy about how feel with my liver disease.

Bill Pinson I wish I had checked on a group like this or had more information, I may have been able to keep from needing a Transplant, could still have my old job and my life would be as it was. I lost my retirement, nest egg and all savings along with material things I had accumulated to keep the family going.

Priscilla M Simoneaux I have enjoyed the fellowship with other people who understand what I’m going through bc they have the same disease that I do. I don’t have to make excuses or explain myself. I’ve enjoyed getting info and encouragement from others to help me with this and to stick to this new healthy lifestyle before it progresses. Mostly, the friendship from you Michelle Clermont and the info you’ve given with your work that your doing to take this to a national stage to get the world to notice what’s going on and to take this seriously. Not enough is being done to make the younger generation realize or understand what leads to this. I don’t feel alone or lonely bc I have this group and I know bc of you that there are others out there going thru the same thing I’m going thru.

Nancy Fowlkes I love being a part of this group. Sadly I didn’t know about it before all of this happened to me but I feel like I have learned a lot and hopefully I have helped others too. No one else knows quite how it feels unless you are going through it our helping someone else go through this. I don’t know if many people know this or not but this group knew about me way before I knew about you guys! Pam Qualls Maloley heard about my story through a good friend of mine and shared my journey with this group and some of you joined my prayer page and followed me. That meant a lot to me! Fortunately I made it! But I was in the same position her friends brother was in. It was too late for me to reverse it. You guys are great and I appreciate the friendships that I have made and this group helps keep me sane sometimes.

.Pam Qualls Maloley The friendships I have made in this group have become family, one even helping me out financially. No matter what the outcome of this disease for me, I will count it a blessing because of these people.

Linda D Roy I am new to this group but have learned so much. Group of loving people who understand because they are experiencing or have experienced similar things. Glad that I found this group and hope I can in some small way help someone or encourage someone else. One thing I can certainly do … Pray for everyone

Francine Irwin McGerty I know I haven’t been around on here a lot lately..but this group has changed.my life! You’re my family, you’re my friends and your the only support I have. Without this group I would have given up. And I can vent to anyone on here and no one judges me. You are all always here for me. Xoxoxox

Ganny Piro The people on here have made me believe that I am not crazy! My Doctors have not taken me seriously for years. I am now taking control of my life and my health. I will be eternally grateful for the support and information you have given me. Although we may live worlds apart you all feel like part of my family. Thank you!

Melissa Harbin Waid I felt alone & in the dark 4yrs ago when I was diagnosed. I was constantly reading and searching on the internet for answers to my questions..even though I have a fabulous hepotologist and supporting family I was afraid of dying. when you go in the hospital to get your gallbladder out and the surgeon tells you “you have cirrhosis ” that’s hard to swallow! 
I am very thankful for this group & all of you..there are few that I have become very close with and have a personal relationship with & feel like I have known forever though i’ve never meet them in person. 
Michelle Clermont, the founder of this group, I ‘ve said before to you that it saddens me that you found it from your daughter’s illness.. I applaud you for being the mother that you are and fighting for her. In the process we are benefiting from it..I thank you and I love you! We are here for each other whether it’s 2:00 in the am or 2:00 in the pm..that’s why I love this group.

Sara Skinner I was very scared and confused at first. I am only 30 and not a big drinker. Although the DR said it was Non-Alcoholic I only ever related liver disease to people who were considered heavy drinkers…and that is what most people think where they hear that I have liver disease. I don’t even argue with them. I know that people who really know me and care know that I am no alcoholic that drank my liver bad. This group gives me strength and courage to face the disease. It made me want to learn more about what is going on in my body and what can happen. I have learned of certain signs to look for to know what to ask my doctor about.

Gwen Davidson I didn’t think it was a big deal as I was told you have fatty liver. Lose weight exercise more. Nothing else. This group has made me realise it is a big deal and that I need to take control of my health  I also now have a list of questions to ask my doctor when I see him on the 27th.

Belinda Anne Tamara Sydenham I love this group. I have made so many special friends like Dalibor, Michelle, Ruth to name a few I know there are others that has helped me as well and still are. for me I find I have trouble talking with people cause I am so shy and all so I always bottle things up inside of me. so when I found this group I thought why not join and since then I have been given words of encouragement and have learnt alot along the way in my healthy journey in trying to stay healthy. So I thank you to this group for everything!

 

Kiran Chatha It gave more insight in to what is happening inside my stomach. It gave me a hope that, yes, I’ve real friends who can understand my situation and propose possible solutions. It gave more knowledge about my situation and now I can ask the Dr more questions. Can take more informed decisions. It made lot of difference. My mother passed away almost 15 years back with Cirrhosis. Had this group existed that time and had I been part of it, it could have made a difference. This group means a lot to me. Thank you all for your support. And thank you Michelle, for creating this group and making me part of it.

Robin Shaw When I was told I had NAFLD, I was also told that lots of adults have it and it’s nothing to worry about. So for a year, I took the advice and went on my merry way. When other health issues came up and I started looking for answers, I found this group. It has been encouraging, informative, at times heartbreaking, often funny…it is a safe place for me to learn how to cope and how to care for myself. In this group, I feel loved, accepted, understood, challenged to keep making the right choices…it feels like family, and I’m so very thankful for y’all!

Ruth Pinciotti Shegda I have tons of health issues from having an undiagnosed autoimmune disease until my 40’s. When my doctor told me 4 years ago that i had a fatty liver – – and do not worry just lose weight, alot of people have it”..i believed him. In 2013 when i had my annual ultrasound for the liver he told me you have gallstones. I decided to research on my own and found this group. it saved me!!! I finally understood what was wrong and what proactive steps that I had to take to help it not progress further. So many people here including Michelle Clermont, Melanie Melaine Smith Dalibor Smolík to name a few have been so patient and kind in answering even the smallest question that I had. I also made amazing friends in several members.

Marguerite Elliott Even though I’m 4 years post transplant, it was not until joining this and the Transplant Survivors and HE group, that I have become more aware of what happened to me. Although diagnosed with NASH in 2007, I personally had no idea of what lay ahead. I truly thought that having the varacies banded was my cure! Following my BIG HE coma in June 2009, my brother became quickly educated, but I did not really comprehend the seriousness of everything. I know some people figured I had just given up, as I found it difficulty to walk, eat, carry on a conversation and basically just live. I now recognize that the disease and particularly HE robbed me of almost two years of energy, cognitive reasoning and memories. Prior to my HE coma, resulting in two days on my bathroom floor, I didn’t have the where with all to do anything, but the most rudimentary research on NASH. In the past month, I have learned more, just by reading people’s comments and following links. I’m not sure if knowing would have made a difference in what was happening, but I don’t think I would have become so depressed thinking I wasn’t trying hard enough or that the confusion was permanent. Also, reading other people’s comments has triggered some memories, which I am thankful for. I am so happy that I stumbled upon this and the other groups. Perhaps, doctors should inform their patients of these groups, so that people can prepare themselves as best as possible, for what may lay ahead.

Denise Miller-Powers When I found out just a couple of weeks ago, I felt to overwhelmed and afraid. So I thought well lets just see if there is some one on FB. I found this group and I am so glad. It has helped me to know what to ask, what to look for in some signs. How to eat and most of all the great support from people. At one time we were strangers to one another and are now a family struggling through liver disease together.

Terri Stone Bordelon I came here in April 2013 suggest by a friend. I was so alone, my family thought because I was trying to find information on the Internet I was adopting all my symptoms from that. Even my dr would tell me to stay off the Internet. Everyone was mad because I was researching every symptom I could think of, because my doctor told me absolutely nothing. 
When I found this place and I got such warm greetings and most of all understanding, I cried like a baby. I kept on fighting and researching everything and learning from you guys. I got a diagnosis a couple of weeks later. This group has been a comfort zone and my strength! Thanks to everyone here! OXOXOXXO

Connie Kaye In 2011 when I was diagnosed I was so lost. The docs told me what I had but they were so vague as to what to do. Lose weight and exercise. Ok. How do I do that? There was so much conflicting information on the internet and I felt utterly alone. I floundered around and didn’t get anywhere. My family didn’t understand. They still think I am just a hypochondriac. Maybe I am. But there is good reason to obssessively worry about one’s health when you have the possibility of a transplant at some point in your future hanging over your head. Finding this group more than a year ago literally saved me. Support, information, and friendship helped me develop a plan and gave me the motivation to stick with it. I honestly don’t want to think about where I would be today if it were not for this group. I love youMichelle Clermont, and all the friends I have made here!

Cheryl Lynn First and foremost, sadly I know I am one of many…too many. This group lends support to each member and education is added daily. This is a constantly evolving disease. Every day we learn something new it seems. Some days I am ok dealing with this and others get pretty down so its good to have a group to sound off in. Thank you!

Suzy Freeman I find this group very comforting. There is a great deal of support and patience with we newbies to the group. I feel that I can come here and not only learn but I could vent if I feel the need. It’s nice to “be around” people who don’t think that you’re being a whiner. And, I really do appreciate the knowledge that I’m finding. So many people aren’t getting information from their doctors. Sadly, I don’t think a lot of doctors are educated about NAFLD/NASH.

Fatty Liver Disease – Do Not Dismiss this Diagnosis!

Fatty Liver Disease is a growing epidemic all over the world. I have been writing blogs and running a support group for people with this disease since 2008. The group has well over 1000 members now and I have learned a lot from running this group for the last 6 years. I have started writing a book that will be available this spring that shares stories and quotes from the members of the group and covers the following topics in detail plus lots more!

1. This disease doesn’t only impact obese people! People with eating disorders, skinny fat people with fast metabolisms can be impacted if they are malnourished. Children as young as 2 are in my group and there are at least 2 genetic factors that have been identified so far.

2. Its Not just Food! Food absolutely plays a large part in the management of this disease. If you have lived on processed foods your whole like you have a lot to learn about eating healthy to protect your compromised liver for the rest of your life. Acetaminophen is being overused and it is creeping up to becoming one of the main factors in causing Fatty liver Disease. Statins show up a lot in my group being pointed at as a high number of people get diagnosed after they start that prescription. Antibiotics, chemicals that you work around, products that you put in your hair or on your body can also be the root of your compromised liver.

3. There are REAL symptoms associated with this disease. No matter how often a doctor will tell you its benign I can tell you from 1000 people that there are shared symptoms within the group and if most of them share a symptom I am confident that the symptom is related back to the compromised liver.

4.People die from ignoring this disease. I have seen at least 10 people die in the group in the last 6 years. The truly sad part is that it is usually due to the fact the doctors told them that they just needed to exercise and lose weight and the problem would go away. That can be true if you do that at the beginning of the disease setting in. BUT if you do not figure out WHAT caused your disease and eliminate that item I can promise you that your disease will continue to grow until you start to deal with water retention and are being admitted to the hospital because your liver is extremely damaged now and you need a transplant. This can be avoided by truly analyzing your lifestyle up to the diagnosis and determining what the possible sources might be.

5. There are success stories! I have members who have had transplants and members that have reversed the disease in its early stages.

 

If you would like to be part of our fatty liver disease support group you can find it here at this link:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/fattyliversupport/

 

Growing evidence of childhood fatty liver disease

I am seeing a number of studies and proof to support something I have known since 2008. Our kids are in serious trouble for their futures if they live on processed foods, soda pop and sauces coating anything natural. Finding those kids out there is a challenge. We have about 6 children in my fatty liver disease support group on Facebook ranging from age 2 – 18.  This is 2 girls and 4  boys which is not by any means a predictor.

Doctors DO NOT look for liver disease as a rule. They are NOT taught to look for the disease. They will blame the pancreas, gallbladder, IBS, Celiac Disease, Diabetes before they would even pay attention to elevated liver enzymes.  As a Parent you need to pay attention to your child’s symptoms and NOT be too quick to blindly trust the doctor.  Demand a blood test for your child. review the levels for AST and ALT and ask your doctor what the safe levels are for enzymes. As for an Ultrasound of the stomach.  If the liver has fatty deposits they will be shown in this test.  Ask for genetic testing they are now proving there are genetic links to fatty liver disease. I am not saying every child has a problem with their livers but I would bet my life at this point far more do then are being diagnosed. Studies say between 3 – 13% of kids have fatty liver disease. I suspect its closer to the 25-30% that is happening in adults.

These kids generally have homes where both parents are working. There are few home cooked meals because parents are stressed out and running between all the soccer, dance, skating, hockey, baseball games that kids are involved with. Or because they can’t get their kids away from the video games and their kids are picky eaters who will ONLY eat hamburgers, chicken nuggets , macaroni or other standard processed or junk foods.

The very sad reality is that these products are created by companies who know and love the fact that people get addicted to their products. If your kid eats it once and it has high fructose corn syrup in it there is no message to the brain to tell them that they are full. and there is no balancing of the sugars. This creates a fatty cell in the liver and your child becomes addicted to those products.

So when they are eventually diagnosed with Fatty Liver Disease or Diabetes or other metabolic disorders you will find you have a child who is trying to sneak foods, or find ways to drive you nuts until you give in. The problem is that they are actually ADDICTED to these products its like they are coming out of alcoholism or drug addiction. Everything in their body is telling them they NEED those foods.  You essentially need to accept that your child is in withdrawl

You have to be strong and fight for your child. This disease can and does lead to liver failure. Doctors and researchers have no understanding about this disease right now. They are all fighting to find the answers but we are dealing with it TODAY and don’t have time to wait for them. I am aware of 2 men in their 30′s who died of liver failure due to fatty liver disease. Neither of them were alcoholics or drug addicts. They were only in  their 30′s. I suspect you want your child to experience life longer than that!

This generation of children are the first generation which will live shorter lives. This is directly related to processed foods and additives and genetically modified foods. Our body’s DO not know how to process these chemicals. Our poor children do not stand a chance in this world of Monsanto versus humans.

If your child is dealing with chronic illness that doesn’t get better. Try getting rid of sugar! Getting rid of junk food, do they start to feel better? You will find after 3- 6 weeks of not eating those things or drinking sugary beverages they will feel healthier!

Parents please pay attention and do not go blindly into dealings with doctors. Get the right tests, keep all test results…you need to take this into your control for your kids sake!

Baking Fundraising for Me to We Camp!

Megan Clermont described this perfectly I have adjusted slightly.

Do you like baked goods and helping out a good cause?

For the month of May my daughter will be baking a variety of home baked cookies, breads, and cupcakes with all proceeds going towards fees for a Me to We Take Action Camp this summer. Prices for these items range from $1-$7.50 with a total of $500 needed to be raised for the cost of attendance.

This camp offers an amazing leadership opportunity that will be able to help Megan bring back to our community through volunteer work and other humanitarian efforts. Megan will be working with industry professionals to help her learn ways to create tangible changes. To learn more about this camp go to Me to We’s website.

http://www.metowe.com/motivation-leadership/take-action-camp/ontario-take-action-academy/#social-innovation-for-change-fostering-creative-and-innovative-ideas-for-positive-social-influence

Megan is 16 years old and a junior at Sir Frederick Banting Secondary School The opportunity to attend this camp would mean the world to her as she looks towards a career in human rights law after fighting for 6 years with a chronic illness called Non Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease that left me in various states of extreme sickness throughout that time. She has impressed Investor’s Group enough so that they have given her a bursary to  cover some of the costs, but with me as a single mother she need help to raise the remaining funds. Human Rights are a huge passion for her and she will  make a difference in both the local and international community.

If you live in the GTA of Toronto Ontario or Southwestern Ontario we would be happy to deliver the baked goods to you. Sadly we can’t do this beyond that geographical area.  There will be 2 days that deliveries will be made to the Toronto area. This offer is limited to the month of May 2013.

In order to support Megan in this amazing opportunity please go to the attached order form and fill out your information and order request and submit to have it sent to Megan.

https://adobeformscentral.com/?f=PbKTYKRgo2IZr23pmmLnIA

 

 

 

 

 

 

Austin’s Story – 14 year old with Fatty Liver Disease – Guest Post Cat Case

My Sons Journey to Diagnosis of Liver Disease

By C. Case©

At age 14 my son was diagnosed with Liver Disease. From the time he was born up until this diagnoses, I just knew something was very wrong with my son. He was born weighing 7 lbs 1. oz  after 8 weeks old his weight tripled and he was constantly hungry, and either had constipation or diarrhea. By age 3 he weighed 70 lbs. By age 6 he lost the weight as he also was diagnosed with ADHD and was on medication.

As an infant and toddler he ate fast and so much he threw up everything that just went in him, and I mean projectile vomiting. He also had digestive problems we went through so many different diagnosis it was spinning my head.  We went from formula allergies to wheat and lactose intolerance. My son had severe gastric reflux and he does have burn scars on his throat from it. My son started to get severe diarrhea, where I took him to the emergency room and they kept telling me it was just the stomach flu. I was like okay and went with the doctors order, but it just continued on.

My son started gaining back that weight even being on the medication for ADHD at age 8  He has had a gastroenterologist that he has been seeing since an infant on and off. It has been about 3 years since he has been back to see him as he ruled my sons problem to a wheat sensitivity, lactose intolerance and severe IBS. He has had a colonoscopy and endoscope and age 9. I was getting concerned as my son has put on a great amount of weight by age 11, he is now 14 and is 5’8 and weighs over 200 lbs. At first I though maybe diabetes since that runs in both sides of our family, but his sugar lever was elevated but not that much, then I am thinking he has an eating disorder, that was not it either, then I am thinking heart issue possibly? His heart is fine as well.

My son in the past three years has missed so much school from either vomiting uncontrollably to a severe case of diarrhea or constipation and cramps. He put on over 80 lbs since this time last year. He also has migraines associated with the above mentioned . He still has episodes of vomiting and having diarrhea or severe constipation and this year he was complaining about cramps and pains under his rib cage on his right side. If he ran in P.E. He could not go far as the pain and cramps became unbearable.  His disposition was always irritable, and just plain mean when he was having flare ups.

I took my son to the doctor last month for a check up as he was having bad migraines, and diarrhea, the doctor run a blood panel on him and his liver enzymes came back elevated, we waited to 2 weeks to go back and have it redone and it came back elevated ever more. She sent him for an ultrasound just last week and within 45 minutes, my doctors office calls and tells me the news that he has Liver Disease as in a NAFL and to lower his calorie intake and certain carbohydrates and for him to get out an exercise if possible and to stay away from certain foods. His Cholesterol is also high its at 245. Apparently his liver is not breaking down any of the fats in his system for some reason and is just sitting there,. I am surprised that his PCP did recommend him to see his gastroenterolgist or a hepatologist. So I will contact his Gastrenetologist for further assessments on the issue.

So for now my son is on a low fat, low carbohydrate diet, he is drinking a lot of water and is off soft drinks and he is making good choices in school for lunches.

 

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Marina’s Story – 14 Year old NAFLD patient

I met and started talking to Darlene who is Marina’s grandmother after she found my blogs about my daughter Megan. I have asked her to share the story of her grand daughter Marina.

It was Nov 1. 2012. Marina woke up for school and said her stomach hurt her. She generally never gets up at 5 am and for her to wake me up that early, I knew it must hurt her very badly because she is not a complainer.
She showed me where it hurt and it was like the top right side of her abdomen. She started getting ready for school and she was still in a lot of pain..so much so that I took her to the urgent care clinic instead of waiting to call her family doctor’s office. At the clinic ,they took Marina right back and drew blood, after examining her and with her being in so much pain, they reviewed the blood work wnich showed her (* white blood count was way off) they actually called an ambulance to transport her to Children’s Hospital.

When we got to the hospital…they hooked up an IV…started drawing blood and she was in so much pain she was crying. They did a CT scan and a Sonogram and took her right to the ICU. Her blood pressure sky rocketed..her blood count was way off…and she couldn’t stop crying about the pain. I was trying to act calm on the outside to keep Marina calm, but I was so worried …thinking…let this be her appendix so it will be solved quickly!

That would have been to good to be true. They call in the Gastroentologist and we were told the scan results were in and she had pancreaticitis. Marina just had to stay for a few days in the hospital …keeping a good eye on her in the ICU. No food to give her pancreas a rest with just an IV and lots of pain medication. So, I could breath again… she stopped crying cause the pain medications were working.They brought a portable toilet for her to pee in because she was hooked up to monitors.She was dealing with nausea but didn’t throw up…her blood pressure was high but they said it was due to the pain. To me, she looked so uncomfortable from the pain the whole thing,then she goes pee and what the heck her urine was brown like coffee. I almost passed out but I am still acting calm on the outside..she was groggy and I calmly asked the nurse why is her urine that color? Oh that’s ok, its just that her pancreas is inflamed and it needs to rest. Ok they are the medical experts… so for the next 24 hrs..she continued to feel nausea she was still getting the iv so she could let her pancreas rest, still urinating brown ,blood pressure high but a little lower with drugs,she did not sleep much and I didn’t sleep at all.

So 24 hrs go by and the doctors came in to make their rounds. I asked all kinds of questions…like what caused this what can be done why is her blood pressure so high…why is her urine so brown…they answered all my questions and said her pancreas got infected…they don’t know how…these things happen… no med for it just no food to rest it and the pee is brown because the pancreas and liver work together and the red blood cells are coming out in her urine because the liver is not working correctly because of the pancreas being swollen…its fine.

So two more days went by and she still was on pain medications but it was hurting less everyday…her blood pressure was returning to normal and her pee was a light brown….so they moved her to a regular room and had her start in liquids… they gave her soda POP…with sugar in it…coke, pepsi,ginger ale, they gave her pudding, ice cream, jello and these are medically trained doctors?. So I not knowing they were poisoning her liver, I was so happy Marina was holding it down. So after a day of sugar galore, her face started turning red,then purplish. Again I was calm on the outside falling apart on the inside. I Go and tell the nurse and they see her blood pressure rocket, her pain was coming back. They rush her back to the ICU. What’ going on?? I go to an empty room to call my daughter long distance to tell her help!. I was so weak inside my daughter (marinas aunt) and my son in law and my daughters best friend get on their computers they are searching reading, looking, talking, trying to save Marina.

I am sitting in marinas ICU room when a nurse…now this is extremely important to remember..THIS NURSE who was taking care of marina that shift…commented to me…who by the way NOT ONE DR. OR SPECIALIST SAID A WORD ABOUT to me…her liver enzymes are so high. So I freak out inside what? her liver enzymes are so high I am thinking no doctor or specialist said that to me!!! As far as they were concerned it was all only about her pancreas So now back home they start thinking maybe its not her pancreas maybe her liver is causing her pancreas to be sick!

Now keep that comment from my daughter’s friend in your mind along with what the nurse said about marinas enzymes
So I see my precious grand daughter is getting so sick again after she started getting better!

I go to the room where marina can’t hear the desperation in my voice and tell my daughter listen to this a nurse just said to me wow her liver enzymes are so high. I said why would she be concerned about that,all along the doctors and other nurses were saying to me…no its her pancreas, the other organs are just helping with her pancreas. So my daughter says mom let me talk to her doctor. And I took my phone and went and found Marina’s doctor and told her to please explain to my daughter about marinas health… 20 min the doctor hands me back the phone and my daughter says to me MOM..WHY ARE YOU TELLING US COMMENTS MADE BY A NURSE…GETTING EVERYONE WORRIED THAT MARINAS SO SICK..HER DOCTOR SAID HER LIVER IS FINE she just needs to rest her pancreas everything is fine!

so I am numb am half happy, half thinking no she is back in the ICU, I am in a mind set of total confusion. I’m thinking about what the nurse said and I have marinas mom stay with her and I went to a computer, typed in liver and Fructose in Google searched fructose, sugar, high fructose corn syrup, every thing I typed in about liver..dark urine pain. I start seeing all this about children…fructose ,liver, dark urine and I’m like what??. So I send all these links to to my family. My son-in-law said get Marina out of that hospital something is not right!

marina was so sick when she came here they didn’t put anything in her body meaning no sugar because they wanted her pancreas to rest and it was working her blood pressure went down her blood count was getting better her urine was lightening with every pee. Then since she was getting better they took her out of ICU and gave her all liquids and soft food high fructose pudding high sugar jello, sugar in chocolate milk The comment stood out in my mind….maybe its her liver that’s making her pancreas sick I said I am taking her home…The doctors said you can’t, no said marinas mom! I said OH YES I CAN I AM HER LEGAL GUARDIAN I took her home and put her on a strict no sugar diet and my family and I read everything about fructose sugar liver and by the next week when they did blood work…wow….was her body getting better not much pain at all pee turning yellow not brown no nausea, sleeping good Since then we have been very on top of marina walking for exercise..every day she has to walk… he set her up with drinking watered down cider vinegar every other day….and on the other days she drinks a spice with water… turmeric. Every label is now read for hidden ways of saying sugar!

Marina is an honor role student and is doing very well since we took her health into our own hands! Doctors are not taught enough about this disease and they don’t look for it and assume its other things. We blindly trust doctors with our lives and sometimes you just need to listen to common sense. If the sugar brought all symptoms back then there is something to consider getting rid of for your body!

This disease is hitting kids as young as 2.

Do not ignore it, if 1 in 3 north Americans has liver disease someone you love is dealing with it before it starts showing nasty symptoms like this.

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A balanced approach to reversing fatty liver disease

My daughter Megan was diagnosed with Fatty Liver Disease in 2008. In the Ontario medical system we have seen the worst of what is offered. She has had doctors tell her to her face that her symptoms were all in her head. When doctors do not easily identify an illness you get to see the worst of who they are professionally. They get flustered, frustrated, impatient and can easily take it out on the patient. The number of times a doctor has talked to Megan in a condescending voice implying she is causing her illnesses is disturbing. Very rarely do you find a doctor who will treat her with respect and be on her side.

The focus of that 5 year journey based on what doctors said was always food related. They never gave concrete advice about what to eat, they would just say low fat. This was not easy to accept. How could all the low fat, diet foods that the companies I trusted be making my daughter so sick? But over that time I did find that processed foods do hurt her. I did learn not to trust the companies selling the food.

I didn’t focus on the alternate options in the health care sector, That was a sector i didn;t understand, I had never been exposed to anything other than massage and chiropractors.

I blindly trusted doctors who put Megan on birth control pills which likely created the 10 month of extreme vertigo. Why would doctors prescribe drugs that are going to cause other health issues? and why would they do that to a child?

I reached my breaking point after Megan spent a week at the Hospital for Sick Children, I was so thankful that Megan was FINALLY being seen by the best kids doctors! I love that hospital it was all I ever wanted for Megan. But that hospital did nothing for Megan. They were the ones who put her on anti depressants, they were ones that were pushing that she had psychological issues creating her illnesses. They broke my heart. They were not supposed to give up on kids and here they were..writing her off as a mental case. She was 13 years old. How dare you?!!

Now I do also keenly know that mental stress can create medical symptoms in the body. This completely depends on your bodies coping mechanisms and if this is what is causing your illnesses then please by all means talk to a professional and find your answers. This was not the answer for Megan.

After that experience I did not know where to turn. I was approached by a friend who was selling supplements and she was certain that the supplements would fix Megan. At this point I had nothing to lose so I took the chance on the supplements. The supplements did nothing for Megan , no changes in any symptoms. This was disappointing and hurt financially too.

I felt so defeated, I could not turn to doctors, I could not trust the corporations making our foods, I could not trust the drug companies. How would I help my child?

I tripped over an ad for a personal coach who was offering free advice and looking for someone to build marketing around. I decided to contact Brandon Krieger and take the step.

I did not know how important Brandon would become to Megan and I. I did not know he would help me research and find solid answers for Megan but thats what happened.

Brandon is a Holistic Coach, focussing on the whole person not just medical symptoms. The focus quickly moved away from my health and it was clear my biggest challenge was trying to help my daughter. He reached out to resources all around the world to get advice from health advocates and leaders in nutrition to create a specific diet for Megan which would be kind to her liver. All foods were from the ground, the animals and the water and nothing was processed. Megan hated this but she started to feel better.

Brandon introduced us to an Osteopath who determined that Megan’s uterus was twisted which explained her uncontrollable menstrual cycle. He found that she had blockages in her brain stem and others that would impact her hormones. He found her liver was not processing clearly.

Brandon and others researched the birth control pill Megan was on and we determined it could certainly cause the extreme vertigo. Megan was moved to another pill and we waited.

We changed her diet, we added exercise, we added Osteopathy. Megan started to feel better, She was able to get past the extreme vertigo. The answers were in the natural world for Megan not the medical community.

So that is the reason I am passionate about igniting a passion in you to take your health into your own hands, Listen to your body signals, do not blindly trust doctors, corporations or supplements. It is Never a 1 solution problem to fix. You need balance, Food , Exercise, Spiritual, Mental. You need to consider alternate therapies , you need to share your stories to find others who have travelled a similar path. You may have found an answer that someone else hasn’t considered.

I don’t expect everyone to walk away from here and change their life overnight. I don’t expect anyone to take every piece of information shared and use it. I want you to make 1 change to improve your health , just 1. Remove pop, Start taking walks, see a chiropractor, talk to a professional about your anxieties, learn to meditate, take a yoga class.

Find what works for you and make small changes that you can live with. If you listen to your body you will start noticing clues and you can determine if the changes are positive.

Those changes can easily make you feel worse initially. But give it 6 weeks. If after 6 weeks you are still feeling worse. STOP doing what you are doing! Find another option. Do not give up on yourself!

This is my story and why I am passionate…I hope I can help you find some natural solutions to symptoms.

If you have Fatty Liver Disease come check out our new support website http://www.reversefattyliverdisease.com/
Michelle Clermont

My daughter Megan’s story

If you haven’t known me for more than 4 years you are not aware of the incredible challenges that my 16 year old daughter has been through.

She got sick in 2008 with pneumonia, that was followed up with mono, this essentially destroyed grade 6 for her

She got sick in 2009 with extreme menstrual bleeding and fatty liver disease essentially making grade 7 a right off.

She got sick in 2010 with extreme vertigo and spent 10 months in a wheelchair. She almost attended no days of school in grade 8.

Doctors, and family members did not hide that they thought this was all in her head and that she was just trying to avoid school .

Her self esteem was as low as it could be with people calling her a liar and thinking she wanted to be sick

She was put through to grade 9 without completing any real schooling in grade 8. Megan was certain they had given up on her too.

Megan got healthy in June 2010. A ton of work with my holistic coach Brandon Krieger , osteopath Jason B, and Megan hated the extreme healthy foods that she was forced to eat.

But in the end , nothing any doctor has done for her made any difference. Osteopath and holistic eating did the trick.

She entered grade 9 and we ensured her first semester was light. She took applied french, academic math, drama and art. No one had any expectations and honestly I worried she would get sick again in September.

She insisted on getting help from my Aunt Pat all through the summer,she wanted to be prepared for grade 9 math and megan worked extremely hard. It helped that my aunt believed in her and slowly but surely Megan’s confidence was rebuilding.

Megan worked hard on homework, she asked to see my aunt whenever she felt insecure about a math concept. My aunt constantly told her she was doing well and that all Megan needed to do was to take the time to read the question properly before she started working on it. Mistakes she was making were small ones all related back to not reading the question correctly.

Grade 10 started in London Ontario and Megan was only able to manage a month before colds and flu’s started attacking her and she doesn’t heal from those for 2 -3 weeks. She had to once again move to home schooling and online learning. She worked hard and did very well in the credits she was able to accomplish.

Megan struggled so much over these years with low self esteem and no hope for her future. She was terrified that she would be unable to be a functional adult and unable to ever have a normal life. She got so upset about how far behind she was in school. That was so heart breaking for me to hear said she couldn’t hear me yet.

Fast forward to Spring 2012 and I got asked to be a food revolution ambassador for Jamie Oliver. I needed to create a one day event. Megan was in singing lessons and enjoying them. I decided to have the Britown Music school perform during the kids event and i challenged Megan to Sing a song she was learning. She sang her heart out and life started to change!

My daughter Megan actually started flourished! She decided that she wants to be a lawyer, she wants to be accepted to the best schools for University. Her plan is to become a big part of her high school when she returns in September. This is huge for her, she was not in school last year due to her health and lack of sleep. She is fighting back and I could not be prouder of Megan! She is saying Screw you to her health issues and insisting on having the best life she can. She is volunteering for the Anti bullying coalition, she wants to fight for civil rights and her big goal now is to work at United Nations. I am her biggest cheerleader and I will be cheering for her all the way to the top!

Fall 2012 and Megan started Grade 11 with a very positive attitude and got involved in choir, a play, social justice committee, and on and on. Her grades were amazing and she was well liked by all her teachers. She got to participate in WE DAY in Toronto and that just inspired her more.

January 2013 Such a sad change Megan fell down 12 stairs and broke a toe. This would be a simple thing for other people but because megan doesn’t heal it took 3 months to even start healing. Once again stuck at home doing courses online. Once again feeling defeated.

She has another issue somewhere in her body that ensures she doesn’t heal for ages. I will take the xrays from this broken foot and ask to see a specialist to start looking into her lack of healing.

You are an incredibly smart girl with a great support system in my aunt pat, Grandpa Stan and your brother and me! You will continue to shine you will continue to flourish and I am incredibly proud of my baby girl! You prove everyone wrong and you rock and your life will shine no matter what health issue tries to take you out!!