Alpha what????

It was at that moment that the internet temporarily became both my best friend and worst enemy with regard to the disease. For every helpful post or article that I would find, there seemed to be at least 3-4 written by people who appeared well intentioned, but, in retrospect, knew little or nothing about the topic. I'm not sure which was more distressing... Finding out that I had this mysterious disease, or not being able to trust most of the information that I was discovering about it.

The single, most frustrating part, from my viewpoint, was the fact that nearly all of the information that I found discussed the disease as only a lung disease. Knowing that I had little to no lung symptoms, I couldn't understand how this could possibly be the cause of my cirrhosis. As one educated hepatologist said to me months and months later, while I sat in an emergency room, "Guess you didn't read the textbook, huh?" To this day, that is probably the most succinct, heartfelt, and honest explanation of my symptoms that I have heard. Thank you, Dr. Silverman.