Mauie Flores

Last week, I had an ultrasound scan of my liver, pancreas, and gallbladder. My internist wanted to see why I am having pain on my upper right abdomen. It turned out that the culprit was my liver. I now have Non Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease. My liver is already fatty and the pain I am feeling is because of the stretching of my liver as it gets fat. I am trying so hard to lose weight and to stay away from fatty foods so it was quite unexpected.

My internist explained to me that it is positive that my liver is now surrounded with fat but that she doesn't blame everything on what I eat. She was actually expecting it to happen as it is one of the many complications of Type II Diabetes as it is related to insulin resistance. She has requested some blood work done on me to see the cholesterol, triglycerides, creatinine, and liver enzyme levels in my system before we make a battle plan in reversing the condition of my liver. At least it is reversible and that's what gives me hope today. I got the results today and it confirmed that the bad cholesterol in my blood stream is high.

I did my research on Non Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease today and I discovered that I can easily do some steps to reverse. First, I need to lose weight and exercise. I am doing my walks every morning and my no carb diet at night. I guess I need to work overtime on that without using a weight loss pill. I need to lose at least 9% of my present body weight according to what I read.

Second, I need to watch what I eat. Although I am not eating high-glycemic carbohydrates, I think that I should totally turn my back away from fried foods. I eat fried foods occasionally and this can be a test of will. I have no choice, I have to do it.

Third, I should drink a glass of wine a day. A research was made by the University of California-San Diego School of Medicine that showed a decrease in the risk of non alcoholic fatty liver disease among participants who drank a glass of wine a day. The resveratrol found in grapes and red wine help prevents the build up of fat in the liver. Since my liver is already fatty, it can help the build up of additional fat while I am on my quest to lose the existing fats that surround it. I am not much of a wine drinker but I love grape juice. I bought 2 quarts of pure grape juice today. I'm gonna buy myself a bottle of red wine tomorrow.

So there, another "milestone" in my diabetic existence. Life is still sweet and it's not the end of the world for me.