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Mitch
Jul 10th, 2005, 09:02:26 PM
I've been rather reluctant to talk about this, but, I am in the early stages of Wilson's Disease.

Wilson's Disease is a disease that is passed through your genes, though it is often highly recessive. It is a disorder where your liver cannot filter out the copper in your bloodstream, and it can eventually cause liver failure. But, before that it affects your vision, cooredination, and brain control. It aso caused tremors in the arms and hands, which I ahve had for the past twelve years. It usually manifests symptoms in people aged 6-20, so it really did start to show at the right time, but I never really looked too hard at it.

A few weeks ago I woke up and felt like I was going to die. I couldn't hardly see straight, and I really didn't know what to do. So, somehow I made it down to the medical clinic and it turned out that my blood copper level was through the roof. They gave me a shot to sort of super-charge my liver or something, and it helped a lot, though it still took a week for me to get all the way better.

Since then, I have done a lot of research, and discovered that even though I may have had a very mild, recessive form of Wilson's, my diet has been such that I was taking in far mroe copper than my body could handle, essentially accellerating the disease's effects. In the last few years, my vision has really been going downhill, my concentration has lapsed, and my tremor has gotten worse. Wilson's is almost definitely what I have.

It won't go away, ever, but through proper diet (forgetting abotu most all of my favorite foods for the rest of my life) I should be fairly healthy.

It does mean that I can no longer have: peanut butter, whole grain bread or grain cereal, shellfish, salmon, pork, goose, duck, nuts, dried fruits like rasins or turkish apricots, can't have nectarines, chocolate, olives, mushrooms, soy sauce, soy protein, soy milk, soy anything else, vegetalbe juice cocktial, avacados (yuck!), dates (YUM!), beans of almost any kind (Nooo! I love my Nalley Chili!), none of those diet drinks or instant breakfasts, or multi-vitamins containing copper or other minerals.

Yeah, so... turkey on white bread it is. Blaaaand city. At least I can still eat hot peppers and rice and beef and stuff! Not much else, though...

Now that I know what to eat, and what not to, I should be dine, and might actually get my eyesight back, as well as get rid of my tremor. That's the plus. The bad news is that I'll probably need a new liver by the time I'm 40. Joy. I'm not posting this for sympathy, or anything like that. I have Wilson's, and I'll deal with it. I jsut want to let you know that your diet can really affect your life a lot more than you might think.

Oriadin
Jul 11th, 2005, 06:43:45 AM
My heart goes out to you mate. I can't imagine how you must have felt when you found out, although, at least you know what it is and that you can do something in order to make it a little better.

I thought I was unlucky suffering with heyfever!

I don't know you all that well, even though we used to talk a fair bit over MSN. I do know that you are a determined man and I give you a lot of credit for not letting this get you down. I wish you all the best, and hope things greatly improve with your new diet.

Oh, and unlucky on the duck... I love duck.

Razielle Alastor
Jul 11th, 2005, 08:52:53 AM
:( It's not easy changing everything you eat. My husband had to be on a No Iodine diet once, when he was undergoing treatment. I did the diet with him and it was horrible! Very bland, a lot like the one you've mentioned.

The plus side was.. I looked great 4 weeks later! :p :lol It was all in adjusting, but it was only temporary for me.

Best of luck to you!

Estelle Russard
Jul 12th, 2005, 11:56:25 PM
Hey Mitch :(

I know youre not sympathy-seeking, but I am sorry to hear about the Wilsons.

Diet is a huge factor with handling any kind of adverse condition and hats off to you for researching this out and making positive changes.

Atleast there are something good things you can still eat. It really sucks about the chocolate, though. (And the chilli you love).

Maybe someone will invent mocklate for real, just for you. :hug

Lady Vader
Jul 13th, 2005, 09:56:33 AM
I'm glad you're taking care of yoursef, Mitch. Sounds like you pretty much know what you have to do.

And from what I've read, the liver is pretty resiliant, being one of the few organs the body has to be able to regenerate itself. True, Wilson's disease won't go away, but you're certainly gonna slow it down considerably with all the research you've done in dieting and lifestyle.

I wish you the best of luck and many many prayers! :hug


(And whenever you come back to LA, let me know and we'll eat blandly together. :) )

Nayala Palain
Jul 17th, 2005, 12:40:32 AM
Wowie... Mitch this is so not kewl.... *huggles*

bland I remember bland... Im glad that you have found away to help aleviate some of the effects. I would do anything personally, to live longer and see my child more.

Anbira Hicchoru
Jul 17th, 2005, 10:29:39 AM
Oh God, you're gonna turn into a volleyball :cry

Lilaena De'Ville
Jul 18th, 2005, 02:25:17 AM
:lol Wilson had so much personality though!

And I fed you green beans and now I feel so guilty!!

But hey, steak is still good for you! One of my sisters is on a 'mold free' diet, and she can't eat ANYTHING except... ... er she mentioned spaghetti. Glad to hear you can get that tremor under control, I always thought that would make drawing difficult for you.

Mitch
Jul 18th, 2005, 11:53:14 PM
Green beans are no problem. I's the pinto-kidney-other kinds of beans that are bad for me.

Charley, you get an baked ham for comic brilliance.

Serena Laran
Jul 19th, 2005, 12:20:00 AM
Yay green beans are no problem!

Boo for no more refried beans. :(