What is your relationship to liver disease?

In, 2002 I was Diagnosed with PSC – Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis.  Primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) is a chronic, or long-term, disease that slowly damages the bile ducts. Bile is a digestive liquid that is made in the liver. It travels through the bile ducts to the gallbladder and the small intestine, where it helps digest fats and fatty vitamins. In patients with PSC, the bile ducts become blocked due to inflammation and scarring or fibrosis. This causes bile to accumulate in the liver, where it gradually damages liver cells and causes cirrhosis, or fibrosis of the liver. As cirrhosis progresses and the amount of scar tissue in the liver increases, the liver slowly loses its ability to function. The scar tissue may block drainage of the bile ducts leading to infection of the bile. PSC advances very slowly.
Many patients may have the disease for years before symptoms develop. Symptoms may remain at a stable level, they may come and go, or they may progress gradually. Liver failure may occur 10-15 years after diagnosis, but this may take even longer for some PSC patients. Many people with PSC will ultimately need a liver transplant, typically about 10 years after being diagnosed with the disease. PSC may also lead to bile duct cancer. Endoscopy and MRI tests may be done to monitor the disease.

When did you find out you had a liver condition?

In 2002, I was diagnosed with PSC and Ulcerative Colitis. I started to lose weight, itched all the time, was sick and felt so tired. I went to my doctor and after extensive lab work he noticed that my LFT’s Liver function tests were sky high. I was then admitted to the hospital where they performed an ERCP to look into the liver to see what was going on. I had a blockage in my main bile duct. I also under went a colonoscopy to determine if i had ulcerative colitis which is usually associated with PSC. In my case I was positive for Ulcerative colitis as well.

How has your life changed since then?

For the first 10 years, my lifestyle didn’t change much. I tried to adjust my eating habits but as a young adult that was difficult. As with any illness where there is no cure, I was very nervous at first but because PSC is a slowly progressing disease it was easier to simply move on with life and not think much about it unless it bothered me.
In 2014, I began to notice more weight loss, itching, abdominal pain, and just the usual symptoms PSC patience get. As I tried to push it out of my mind It just kept getting worse. My labs indicated a blockage. My older sister at the time was a Palliative Care Doctor at Baylor University Medical Center. She insisted that I be seen at Baylor as they have much experience with PSC Patients. So following her advice I had my first visit at Baylor in 2014. The doctors at Baylor are wonderful. The quickly performed an ERCP which unblocked the duct and were confident that they could manage the disease by dilating the ducts so that they don’t become clogged which causes infection.
However, in 2015 that is really when things started to go down hill. I began to get very bad infections that were antibiotic resistant super bugs. This was an alarming situation. Due to this going on time after time, the doctors decided that I really needed to be placed on the transplant list or I was simply at high risk for not being able to recover from an infection. After friends offered to donate part of their liver, none were a match. Thankfully my younger brother decided he would donate part of his liver to save my life.
So he did. He was a perfect match! So now we not only share the same birthday 5/5/82 (myself) and 5/5/92 (Andrew), but we also share the same liver :)

What are some of the most important factors for your liver health?

Because of my history with liver disease, it is very important for me to consider my liver when choosing the foods that I eat. I want to be as healthy as possible, to avoid rejection and to avoid getting sick due to the suppressed immune system.

How has nutrition played a role in your liver health?

Currently my liver is brand new!
So I am hoping that I am on the right path to liver health.

What are some of the changes you have made in your diet?
For example: how did you change your breakfast, lunch, dinner?

Currently I am eating Amsety bars in the morning and as a snack.  They make me feel like I have eaten a meal. And for me the hardest thing to do after the surgery was eat.  Amsety bars helped me through that process and they don’t make my stomach feel upset with all of the medicines that I have to take every morning.

How did you hear about Amsety Nutrition Bars?

My wife actually found these for me.  Amsety “liked” one of my updates or pictures on Instagram post.  My wife then saw the advertisements and decided maybe I should try one.

What did you think of Amsety Nutrition Bars and how do you use them?

I LOVE AMSETY BARS! I have tried so many nutrition bars and with each of them they don’t have a good balance. I don’t like chalky flavors; I don’t like bland flavors. AMSETY bars are everything you like and nothing in between. Their whole and organic ingredients make me feel good about what I am putting into my body.

Would you recommend them to a friend?

Absolutely! I believe that AMSETY should create a care packet for persons that have liver disease and give them out at clinics. If people only knew Amsety was here, they would love them.  Sure beats the heck out of having to drink ensure! If you would like some contacts to medical doctors at Baylor university in Dallas, they are my personal friends. I can probably get you a contact to them.