This is a story that I have been wanting to share for quite some time now, so this feels like as good a time as ever. The action word to be discussed is the dreaded Cirrhosis of the liver. What got me thinking about this topic was what has been brought to light about how unhealthy habits can bring on a chain reaction of bad things, that can harm them and eventually lead them to succumb to the disease. Not everybody who gets Cirrhosis does so through alcoholism, but a majority of the cases can find their beginnings due to the social sickness.
By the way, I have recently learned that Hepatitis can bring this on as well.
The term Cirrhosis is a chronic disease of the liver marked by degradation of cells, inflammation, and fibrous thickening of tissue.
Along with the Cirrhosis, another type of sickness can ride along with it called Hepatic Encephalopathy (HE). This added tag-along is more of a heartache to those who are trying to help and care for you than what you will experience yourself. The toxins that are not taken out of the blood by the liver can carry ammonia-filled fluids to the brain, and I can tell you by seeing it firsthand that it will shut you down and put you in a near-comatose state.
Now, the title of this story comes from a past situation that involved the men who ran the cornerbead machines at a factory just south of town. It was tough, hot working conditions, and if you weren’t affected by the summer heat inside the big steel building, the zinc coating dust filling the air on the production line could do you in.
Right around the time of 9/11, there was one machine operator, “Eddie,” who was one of the best machinists on the line. He could produce over two hundred boxes of product, with each box containing between 30 and 60 pieces of cornerbead steel that ranged between 6 and 12 feet long. When quitting time came around, he would get with the boys who all claimed to be able to drink each other under the table. On an average Friday night, they would attempt to prove it.
One day, Eddie started to slow down on his production numbers and called in sick. As we were leaving the lunchroom, I overheard him telling one of the other “party hounds” that the “Docs” were telling him he had the onset of Cirrhosis. He then told one of the other production workers that he was not going to quit his vodka tonics. Soon enough, he was unable to keep his job, and was looking at constant medical care.
Before the next summer rolled around, we got word that Eddie had died. I recall shortly after that, one of the men said that “Eddie could hang with the best of them.” Now they were talking about which of his family members was going to get the car he had bought just before the diagnosis.
The case of HE is not spoken of nearly enough. It is, in most cases, highly debilitating, and in some cases, deadly. Most people will pull out of the ammonia-induced coma, but as they do, it can take days for them to have the mental capacity to speak full sentences.
Many of us use ammonia in our cleaning procedures, as it is such a strong and toxic agent. Just imagine what it can do to those with fragile brain receptors.
The reason that I bring this up is that many of us have or have had friends or loved ones who can be loud in the crowd at a party. What they will tell you is that their choice of lifestyle is their own and to “back off.” However, what they do not realize is that once the party is over, hospitals will become their new party destination. And the ones closest to them will be the ones left to carry the burden.
Hopefully, I will be bringing a message next week with a lighter and more enjoyable theme. It is only that I share, because I care! Until then, be safe, be blessed, and be kind to each other, until we can do this again.
