Surprising cause of my fatty liver disease

Histological section of a murine liver showing severe steatosis. The clear vacuoles would have contained lipid in the living cells, however the histological fixation caused it to be dissolved and hence only empty spaces remain.

I've had the inclination to tell you all about this for a while. In fact, ever since I was diagnosed with fatty liver after an GI ultrasound several years ago. The reason for the ultrasound was that it had recently been discovered that I have had untreated Lupus since I was a young child. The doctors were checking to see what, if any, damage this had done to my system, since I was having some considerable digestive issues.

Their findings came up showing advanced fatty liver disease, which, with a proper diet, can be reversed in most cases. Unfortunately, time has shown that mine is not a reversible case. I've even gone about 95% vegan to no avail. But here's the interesting part.

It seems that my fatty liver was not caused by the Lupus.

Nor do I have a long history of drinking to excess. Now, I did have a short time period where I overindulged in my late 40's for about a year and a half. I was honest with my doctors about that. Still, they don't feel that would have led to the amount of damage done to my liver. Instead, they have determined that the cause of my fatty liver disease is likely my former long term addiction to soda pop.

Yes, you heard me right. Soda pop. I've always loved one particular brand which I won't mention here so as not to cause an uproar or a lawsuit. Anyway, when I worked as assistant manager in a convenience store for 2 years, I drank a lot of it. We were allowed all the free fountain drinks we wanted. And let's face it, double shifts require caffeine sometimes. And once I left, I continued to drink a lot of it, out of habit.

Now folks, fatty liver may not seem like the worst thing that I could have. But trust me, it's no picnic. In fact, it's downright horrendous. I can't flush my liver because my water intake is limited. I tried milk thistle, as well as conventional meds to no avail. Turmeric is a no go because it's too spicy for me to handle.

Not meaning to be graphic but a lot of what I eat comes right back to me. I have to basically under-eat if I want to keep anything down. I also have extreme acid reflux, due to my compromised liver, so when it does come up, it tastes like pure acid and absolutely fries my throat. It's incredibly painful.

Needless to say, I no longer drink soda pop.

I also cannot have a lot of sugar, which worsens the damage. I can't eat spicy food at all. Greasy foods are obviously bad too. I get sick immediately if I do sometimes. Other times, it takes an hour or two before I react.

My meal portions are about half the normal size most of the time. I can't eat past about 4:00. Plus, I'm not ever hungry. Which means that I have to be very cautious, so that I do actually eat something, at least for breakfast and lunch. I have learned that eating dinner invariably equals puking, so that's out.

The docs have told me that at this point, I just have to deal with it. What's worse? If I take conventional prescribed meds for Lupus and my other conditions now, eventually they will destroy my already damaged liver. The doctors, of course, want me to continue taking them, even with the risk. I'm not willing to do that. So I am off all regular meds. I take prednisone for flares but I can't take it regularly. Basically, I'm just trying to control these monsters with diet and lifestyle changes. Some of them work well. Others don't work at all but they do keep things down to a dull roar.

And of course, with Lupus, Rheumatoid and Reynaud's pounding on my door, my fatty liver is not the worst issue I have to deal with.

Anyway, here's the deal. If you drink soda pop, regular or diet, do yourself a favor and get off it. You do not want this miserable life I live. You do not want to constantly watch everything you eat and drink, sometimes to no avail. I cannot stress this enough. You may already have damage and just don't realize it. The symptoms sneak up on you. I never knew until it was too late. But it's not too late for you. 

Please, get off the soda pop now.I wouldn't wish this on anyone.