My name is Veronica, and I am 28 years old. When I was about turn 20, I was scheduled for gallbladder removal. From that moment on, my life would be changed forever.
When the doctor opened me up, my liver was almost completely cirrhosed. I was eventually diagnosed with PBC (primary biliary cirrhosis) and PSC (primary sclerosing cholangitis). I got extremely sick and eventually got the call for my new liver. Surgery went well. I was about to be released, and my mother could tell something was just not right. To humor my mother, they ran a few tests and realized I was rejecting that first liver. Within a month, I was given another. That was 2008/9.
My memory of the entire thing is very foggy, and it’s only recently that I have really understood the impact of what happened to me. I struggle every day with fatigue, focus, depression and motivation. I’ve recently found articles on something called overlap syndrome, and having both PBC and PSC is very uncommon. I have been fighting for disability for a long time. I have fought like a girl, and I will continue to do so. Finding this website is helping me in so many ways, reading the stories of others and knowing I am not the only one struggling with autoimmune disease. My story is not a short one, and I cannot even write a quarter of what I went through.
Thank you for giving me a place to express the hardship I have been going through and will continue to go through the rest of my life.
Veronica
Florida
Submitted 02/25/2015
The informational content of this article is intended to convey a personal experience and, because every person’s experience is unique, should not be relied upon as a substitute for professional healthcare advice.
This story is intended to convey a personal experience and, because every person’s experience is unique, should not be relied upon as a substitute for professional healthcare advice.
