Feeling like you are losing your mind? You aren't alone!

As I mentioned in one of the earlier posts, I was getting a bit more "loopy". The confusion and memory loss is, for me, one of the most terrifying parts of the disease. Not only could it progress to a more permanent status, but it really can affect just about everything that you do -- And between my business and my young kids, there is no greater nightmare to me than to be losing any of my mental abilities -- Especially since I haven't got much to work with!

In addition, in my case, it would sneak up on me slowly, and by the time that I may have realized that something was going on, it was already well underway. Thankfully, I now have my lovely wife, my family, my friends, and my business partners all up to speed on it -- And when I start acting that way, they let me know!

I know what you must be thinking -- How does your LIVER affect your BRAIN? The first time that I heard this, before the explanation, I thought that the Doctors and Nurses must have lost it. Once I heard the cause, it became more clear... The liver is part of the digestive system. To put it simply, if your liver is not functioning properly, than you can get "backed up". Since some of the items that the liver gets rid of are ammonia and bacteria, and the fact that they are staying in your body longer can allow them to get to the bloodstream. The ammonia can get to your brain, and cause what is called "hepatic encephalopathy". Again, referred to by us as "getting loopy".

The first time that this got really bad was before my first admission to the hospital. I had worked all week, and Friday I was extremely tired (much more so than usual). I slept a lot of the weekend, and just wasn't myself. A bit confused -- just not really with it. I would struggle to remember specific words that I was trying to use, and then would lose my train of thought. But the worst happened on Monday morning...