My name is Jen. I’m a gal journeying into the foreign land of sobriety after channeling Courtney Love for 20+ years. This is *mostly* a light hearted look at the trials and tribulations of getting sober and staying that way and is not meant to poke fun of the very real challenges that go along with that struggle. It’s just my story, day to day.
OR SHOULD I SAY ONE DAY AT A TIME?!? (sigh)
So some of you may know me from my wilder days, at Girl, Corrupted. Now that was a fun blog to write, for the most part. I cut my teeth on that site and while a vanity lifestyle blog, it was helpful in practice and every once in awhile I’d make someone laugh.
I referred to a Doctor’s appointment for a physical in one of my final posts and it was that appointment that set the ball in motion for everything in my entire world to burst wide open and simultaneously implode, all at once.
Two words: liver failure.
I spent the better part of 2015 in and out of the hospital. I was tentatively put on a transplant list for a new liver. I turned sallow and grey. My belly swelled to pregnancy proportions due to Ascites. I had developed Cirrhosis at 47 years old.
None of this was really a surprise to me, but still…how could I have done this to MYSELF? I had surgery. Transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt surgery. “TIPS”, for short. It was a slow and painful recovery, physically and emotionally. After some time, it was up to me to decide my path.
In many recovery programs they recommend keeping a journal. I’ve decided to parlay that into this here little blog. It keeps me accountable and if it helps someone else along the way, better yet. Sometimes just knowing you aren’t alone can be the life preserver you need in a roiling ocean of despair.
So, belly up to the bar grab a hot cup of herbal tea and join me, won’t you? I hate to drink alone.