"Life will teach you the lessons, it is up to you to learn them" -- Anonymous

I was soon transferred to a regular room, and as the time went by, felt increasingly strong.  With my medication changed, I felt stronger and stronger.  As a matter of fact, I felt better than I had in months!  With the new energy, and a new focus, I couldn't wait to be released from the hospital and get back home.

One of the insidious parts of liver disease is that, until you get extremely sick, you appear to be in pretty good shape.  I've heard many people describe liver patients as the healthiest looking people in the hospital...  But underneath the appearance can be all of the symptoms, including severe fatigue.  So, as I prepared to go home, with an adrenaline rush going and even a small bit of more energy in reserve, I felt unstoppable.  So much so, that within a few hours after getting home, I was able to kick a soccer ball around with my boys -- We hadn't done anything like that in a long, long time.  And it felt great!

It was then that I learned that adrenaline will only take you so far...  I had bounced back well, and still felt pretty good.  But even the short game with the kids would force me to rest, or even sleep for hours.  However, I certainly wasn't going to complain -- A bit of energy was better than none!

The next few weeks and months began a learning experience for me -- A lesson that I still hate to admit that I am still learning.   I could no longer just do whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted.  Many days, if I went to one of the boy's soccer games, even the walk to the field and back would force me to be so tired that I wouldn't be able to do much else for the day.  Limit some activities, so that I could participate in some others -- There was no option to just do them all...  And, while I am beginning to understand the big picture a bit better, I really, really hate it.