You Know You Have Hepatic Encephalopathy When...

A person only has the right to make fun of a symptom of Hepatitis C when they have lived with it. I had hepatic encephalopathy for a couple of years before I was even diagnosed. I managed to keep working, and was out and about socially when I had hep C. As the cirrhosis got worse, however, there were total black outs. Toward the end of liver cancer, I stayed as close to home as possible most days. Even then, I realized you’ve got to laugh to keep from crying sometimes.

Do any of these scenarios sounds familiar?

You give up trying to remember people’s names. It’s easier to call everyone dude or honey.

You try to be polite by starting each sentence with, “Excuse me….” because you know it’s going to end with something like, I can’t find my money, wallet, granola bars, phone, keys, shoes, underwear…..

The volume knob on your voice goes wacky. You now have a built in microphone that breaks at the most inappropriate times. You suddenly find that you’re talking loud enough to be heard in the next county.

You don’t know why you’re so sleepy

You keep your desk clean. That’s because when you take naps during your lunch, you might get slobber all over your work.

When you get lost in the parking garage, you ask a total stranger to walk you to your, and then you accuse them of stalking you.

You write your phone number down, on your hand, so that you won’t forget it.

You wonder if bi-polar disease might be easier, at least there were highs and it wasn’t all depressive lows.

You get accused of shoplifting, but you didn’t mean to steal – you just forgot to pay.

You walk into a room and forget why you were there, so you just sit down and take a little nap.

After inviting people over to eat, you start cooking and then fall asleep so hard that you don’t answer the door. The firemen wake you up with sirens, and by banging your door down.

You try to help a kid with their coloring page homework and they make an F.

Your friends and family buy you a whistle to wear around your neck so that you can find yourself when you get lost.

You get end up being accused of animal hoarding because you rescue the lost and vulnerable pets who need love and attention. All of your pets have the same name so you don’t have to remember what to call them.

You hug a total stranger, thinking it’s someone you know.

You slap that person wondering why they “hit” on you.

You can’t remember where you parked your car, so you hit the emergency button on your keyring.

Your insurance gets canceled when the state takes away your drivers license.

You turn against a good friend because she tried to talk to your about your mental state, and you’re sure she got your insurance canceled.

That same friend talks to your family and asks them to get you a medical check up.

You begin grieving the parts of your mind that move in and out

You find acceptance and begin taking medicine regularly for Hepatic Encephalopathy.

Hepatic Encephalopathy is one of the more torturous parts of having hepatitis C and liver disease. If you or someone you know might have HE, talk with the doctor for possible solutions and treatments.