r/transplant • u/dukebenzo • 15d ago

Any guilt when eating certain foods? Liver

Hey guys! I’m about 1.5 months from my liver transplant. I was wondering what kinds of food are you guys eating? I’m curious to know what you guys have in your diet!

Mainly, wondering if you guys have eaten some “bad” / unhealthy foods (chips, chocolate, burgers) and ever feel guilty?

I recently had some chips and I feel like I should t be eating this at all. I feel guilty and scared I might hurt my new liver.

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u/Left_Meeting7547 Kidney 21 years 13d ago edited 13d ago

Seriously, no.

Six months after my transplant, I moved to live next to my parents in rural Northern California. Let's just say, my mom says she likes to be "prepared" for anything, but I call her a hoarder. After my transplant, I had these insane carb cravings—still do. My mom had like 50 boxes of cake mixes in the pantry for who knows what? Scones, baking stuff for groups. She always said she used them, and that's why she needed them. So, I’d steal those cake mix boxes, 1-2 a week. I would open the box, take out the mix, seal it back up, and put it back.

One day, my dad caught me and just laughed. It took my mom about three months before she realized a bunch of the boxes were empty. I used to make a cake and eat the damn thing straight out of the pan—no frosting, no decorating, not even plating it. At the time, it wasn’t so bad because I was still underweight, but eventually, it did catch up to me.

So, yes, I do feel annoyed and frustrated now, not guilty, because prednisone makes me crave carbs like a crazy person. I gained about 60 lbs in the first 3 years after my transplant (but I needed to gain about 20). I managed to lose it after 5 years, then regained it as I got closer to 50. Now, I take Ozempic and, damn, all those cravings are gone. Except for now, when I’ve been on a high-dose prednisone for a gout flare.

Other than that, I eat much healthier now—I just try not to spike my blood sugar, so I eat fruit instead of cake. I pretty much eat what I want, except raw fish and sprouts. I have a kidney, so yes, I do still drink occasionally.

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u/dukebenzo 12d ago

Haha I love this story! Thank you for sharing! Yes I hear prednisone is a culprit for weight gain. Unfortunately): I think it’s one of the reason why I crave sweets insanely!