Receiving a Fatty Liver Diagnosis As A Nutritionist
I thought I was doing everything right
Yesterday my doctor confirmed that I have “moderate fatty liver” (the non-alcoholic type). This all started from seeking help for extreme menstrual irregularities that have been happening off and on since I had a hormonal IUD for 6 months back in 2019. My hormones are a little low, but otherwise my bloodwork and pelvic ultrasound showed nothing of concern. But the liver ultrasound was a different story.
Throughout the last day I’ve been experiencing feelings of frustration, shame, embarrassment and confusion. I’m a nutritionist and I take my health seriously! I do all the things that I encourage others to do. I eat my vegetables, fruit and fibre daily, drink my water, limit my intake of alcohol, refined sugar and most meat products. I rarely eat fast food or ultra processed foods. I make time for self-care, I get outside when I can, make a point of exercising daily or near daily, and use as many natural products as possible.
I contemplated sharing this publicly, thinking to myself, “well if I can’t even manage my own health properly, how will others trust me to help improve theirs?” But this just goes to show that no matter how much knowledge you have about health and how many things you do “right,” no one is immune to health issues.
