Cirrhosis injury to the liver is by Terri Monclova Milton. She wrote this and I thought it was a great representation of liver disease. My husband and I live in an oak forest and consider ourselves oak tree advocates in addition to liver disease advocates.
Cirrhosis Injury to the Liver by Terri Monclova Milton
I saw this today and realized this is the best representation of what happens with cirrhosis of the liver in our bodies.
Liver Injury is like an Oak Burl
This is an oak tree. On it are burls. For some, they can make wonderful bowls and art designs when cut off the tree. They are formed when an injury happens to the tree. That injury can be caused by animals, lightening strikes, bugs, even kids messing around with their little hatchets. It can also be caused by guide wires to help the tree grow straight. Also, it can be caused by someone drilling into the tree to inject pesticides or even fertilizer to help or protect the tree. And they can just be formed because of stress due to drought or other peculiar weather times. Not all trees grow burls this big. Some are very small. Some not at all.
Now to the liver. It has over 500 functions and is a very busy organ. But one of it’s main things it does, much like the bark on this tree, is protect you. First, it protects you from toxins you eat and even ones that you inhale or make skin contact with. In addition, it protects from invaders like viruses and bacteria. It also protects you from illness when you do get sick by supplying the body with important nutrients. It also changes what you eat into the basic vitamins and minerals you need to go forward. So we can agree that it’s a pretty important organ that not only has a critical role in your well being, but it can’t be duplicated.
Causes of Liver Damage
So what can injure your liver. Most people already know that if you drink too much, it does injure your liver. And little by little people are starting to learn that diabetes, high cholesterol, and high blood pressure can be a big risk for Fatty Liver Disease and cause liver injury as well. Being obese can injure your liver. Having a disease like Hashimotos or Wilson diseases and many others can cause scarring. But what most people don’t realize is yo-yo dieting can also cause injury. A physical injury from a car accident or even sports accident can cause injury. And there’s at least another 50 other ways including taking too much acetaminophen, accidental poisoning, and taking an overdose of anything that could possibly cause massive injury.
Because our livers are amazing and do heal themselves, when an injury happens, just like on your skin, cells are sent to the area to protect, surround, and isolate it. The liver then continues to have cells converge on the area until it’s completely surrounded. On your skin, you see the results as a scab and then a scar. On your liver, it’s a scar. If you have too much injury over time, the scars can connect together and eventually bundle together. This is cirrhosis. If caught early, healing can take place. If caught really late, then there is no going back to a healthy liver.
End Result of Liver Scars
So I hope this visual will help you see what and how a scarred liver forms and is fashioned. On this tree, it will survive till someone chops it down. On a person, it could lead to a bunch of other complications, need a new liver (like me), or end a life.Cirrhosis Injury to the Liver by Terri Monclova Milton
But, like I said up top. Not everyone has the same risk, just like some trees never grow burls. It’s up to you to request complete liver panels from your doctor, fibroscan tests, or other noninvasive tests to check on your liver health. Your health is in your hands.
This is reprinted from Terri’s facebook page. She is a supporter of Primary Biliary Cholangitis and Fatty Liver and Nash and really all types of liver disease. Terri received her life saving transplant last year. We finally met in person this year! You can find her work on facebook and
Terri Milton (c)2023
facebook group: Life With Liver Disease
