Celebrities with HCV

Thank you to HCV New Drug Research for this: ...I must admit that I love how Keith Richards was cured. :)

Several public figures suffer from hepatitis C and some have died. Celebrities with hepatitis C, according to news reports: 

• Gregg Allman Rock musician and founding member of The Allman Brothers Band

• Pamela Anderson: She is perhaps the best-known hepatitis C patient, if only because the former Baywatch star has such a flair for publicity. Her revelation last year that she had the disease prompted innumerable news stories.

• Keith Richards–Guitarist/singer/songwriter/producer and founding member of the Rolling Stones. He claims that due to the strength of his immune system he beat hepatitis C by leaving his body to deal with it

• Ray Benson–Front man of the Austin Western swing band Asleep at the Wheel. Benson chose to treat his hepatitis C with Eastern medicine.

• Steven Tyler–Musician and songwriter in the rock band Aerosmith. In September 2006, he announced that he had been diagnosed three years previous and had just completed eleven months of treatment with interferon.

• Natalie Cole–Singer and daughter of Nat King Cole. She was diagnosed in mid-2008 during a routine examination.

• Willy DeVille One of the founders of the band Mink DeVille and a pioneer in punk rock. He was diagnosed with hepatitis C in February 2009 and was found to have pancreatic cancer during the course of his treatment

• Anthony Kiedis–American vocalist/lyricist of the rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers. He contracted Hepatitis C from regular intravenous drug use in the early 1990s and claims he was cured of the Hep C virus by Ozone therapy

• Naomi Judd: The former nurse and country singer has been one of the best-known hep C celebrities. She retired from the Judds, the duo with daughter Wynonna, in 1991. But she has since undergone treatment and become more active.

• Dusty Hill: The band ZZ Top stopped touring in 2000 because the bassist had hepatitis C. The band began touring again in 2002.

• Evel Knievel: The motorcycle daredevil had a liver transplant more than two years ago and later said doctors could find no trace of the virus in his blood.

• Chuck Negron: He's the former lead singer on such Three Dog Night classics as "Joy to the World."

• Larry Hagman: The television actor required a liver transplant in 1995.

• Phil Lesh: One of the founding members of the Grateful Dead, the bass player received a liver transplant several years ago.

• "Superstar" Billy Graham: The former WWF wrestling champion got a liver transplant last year. He thought he contracted the virus by being bled on during wrestling matches years ago.

• David Crosby: The rock star with a fabled history of drug abuse is touring again after receiving a liver transplant in 1995.

• Freddy Fender: The singer of such '70s hits as "Wasted Days and Wasted Nights" suffers from several health problems, including hepatitis C.

• Jack Kevorkian: The retired pathologist, now serving a prison term for killing a man who had Lou Gehrig's disease, has hepatitis C, his lawyer says.

• Laurie Bembenek: The former Playboy bunny, whose conviction in a Milwaukee murder and later escape are chronicled in the book Run, Bambi, Run, is free now but suffers from hepatitis C.

• Rolf Benirschke: The former star kicker for the San Diego Chargers got the virus from a transfusion two decades ago. He has used his sports status to raise awareness about the disease.

• Linda Lovelace: The star of the 1972 porn film "Deep Throat" contracted the virus from a transfusion and had a liver transplant in 1987. She died in 2002 at age 53 after a car crash.

• Willie Dixon: The legendary bluesman was diagnosed with hepatitis C shortly before his death in 1992. He contracted the virus from transfusions in 1987.

• Alejandro Escovedo–Musician specializing in roots rock/alternative country, diagnosed in April 2003.

• Mickey Mantle: The baseball great is thought to have contracted hepatitis C during a transfusion for a knee operation. He died of liver cancer in 1995.

• Stormie Jones: The 13-year-old died in 1990 six years after becoming the first person in the world to receive heart and liver transplants in a single operation. Hepatitis C damaged that liver, though, and before she died she received a second liver and treatment for the virus.

• Ken Kesey: The author of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, who died of liver cancer in 2001, suffered from hepatitis C.

• James Earl Ray: The confessed assassin of Martin Luther King Jr. died in 1998 of liver disease after being infected with hepatitis C, probably in a 1981 blood transfusion he received after a prison stabbing.

• Allen Ginsberg: The poet laureate of the Beat Generation died in 1997 after battling hepatitis C for many years. He had terminal liver cancer.

• Lance Loud: The free-spirited son on public television's "An American Family" in 1971, he died in 2001 of liver failure caused by hepatitis C and HIV.

• Frank Reynolds: Experts speculated at the time that the newsman's death in 1983 was hastened by the virus later known as hepatitis C, which he may have contracted through a transfusion.

• Benito Mussolini: Did Il Duce, the World War II Italian dictator, have the disease? A new biography speculates that his chronic health problems -- stomach pain, fatigue and depression -- stemmed from an ulcer and a mild case of hepatitis C.

• Chet Helms Music producer who helped create the vibrant San Francisco rock music scene in the 1960s. He was undergoing interferon treatment for hepatitis C when he suffered a stroke

• Phil Lesh Founding member and bass guitarist of the rock band Grateful Dead. He was diagnosed with hepatitis C in 1992 and received a liver transplant in 1998.

• David Marks Early member of The Beach Boys, who believes that he contracted the disease through drug use. He campaigns to raise awareness, supporting the UK National Health Service's "FaCe It" campaign.

• Tawn Mastrey Disc jockey who was the voice of 1980s heavy-metal scene in Los Angeles. She contracted hepatitis C when she was a child.

• Kenny Neal New Orleans blues and swamp blues guitar player. He took a year off from performing while receiving treatment and returned to the Monterey Blues Festival in 2007.

• Chuck Negron Vocalist and founding member of Three Dog Night. He contracted hepatitis C due to "the long-lasting effects of drug use and alcoholism".

• Gary S. Paxton Bakersfield country and gospel music artist. He contracted hepatitis C through several blood transfusions and almost died from the disease in 1990.

• Curtis Salgado Blues, R&B, and soul singer-songwriter-musician. Developed cirrhosis and liver cancer because of hepatitis C. Six benefit concerts were held in 2006 to raise money for his medical bills

• Tony Scalzo Rock musician and songwriter, best known as a founding member of the band Fastball.

• Uncle John Turner Blues musician and one of the founders of the blues-rock style of drumming

• Randy Turner Lead singer for the seminal hardcore punk band Big Boys.

• Christopher Lawford Nephew of John F. Kennedy, best known for his role as Charlie Brent on the soap opera All My Children in the early 1990s. He was diagnosed with hepatitis C in 2001

• Natasha Lyonne Best known for her roles in the first two American Pie films

•Anita Pallenberg –Italian-born model, actress and fashion designer. Also known as the great influence on the development and presentation of the Rolling Stones from the late 1960s and through the 1970s

• Ken Watanabe Japanese actor best known for his role in The Last Samurai. He contracted hepatitis C from a blood transfusion when he was receiving treatment for acute myeloid leukemia

• Stanley Fafara Child actor who played "Whitey" on Leave it to Beaver. He contracted hepatitis C from intravenous drug use

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_people_with_hepatitis_C

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Everybody poops... but what does yours say about you?

Prior to my transplant, I had nicknamed my poo "The ghoooooooost poo" because it was pale white, and almost looked like raw chicken, (a sometimes raw bloody piece of chicken) It would also float on most occasions almost oily looking. OMGAAAH I know, that is disgusting, and  waaaaaaaaaay to much information, but I feel like it is very important information. If you are not in tuned with each part of your body, you will not know when something is not right. Below is a great article I found on ...well, on poop. :)

The Bowel Truth: Stools Can Reveal A Lot About Your Health

From your stool you may be able to get clues about your diet, your gastrointestinal health, and even whether your stress, anger, or anxiety levels are too high.
HOW FOOD BECOMES STOOL
From the moment food enters your mouth, your body embarks on a campaign to turn it into a soupy mush called chyme. Chewing, saliva, peristalsis (the involuntary contractions of gastrointestinal muscles), bacteria, hydrochloric acid, digestive enzymes, bile, and other secretions all work to give each meal the consistency of split pea soup. While your digestive cells are absorbing sugars, starches, fats, vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients, waste products continue traveling down the line. In the colon, all the leftovers are combined, packed together, and partially dehydrated. What remains - our feces - consist of water, indigestible fiber, undigested food (such as corn and small seeds), sloughed-off dead cells, living and dead bacteria, intestinal secretions, and bile. (The worn-out red blood cells in bile give excrement its distinctive brown color.)
If all goes as it should, you'll end up with a healthy bowel movement. Although digestive idiosyncrasies, variations in intestinal bacteria, and other variables can produce different standards for a healthy stool, in general it should be brown to light brown; formed but not hard; cylindrical, not flattened; fairly bulky and full-bodied, not compacted; somewhat textured but not too messy; and very easy to pass. And it shouldn't smell - much. You're passing methane and bacterial, degraded foodstuffs, so there's always going to be an odor, but it shouldn't be a very strong, pungent odor.
Experts disagree on two other stool characteristics:
The number of pieces and their buoyancy.
WHOLE OR PIECES?
a) Each bowel movement preferably should be in one piece, about the shape and size of a banana and tapered at the end.
b) Stools don't have to be well-formed logs. They can disperse in the toilet water; they can break down.
FLOATING versus SINKING?
Opinion a) Stools should float because buoyancy is a sign that the body has absorbed the minerals in the food and that these nutrients are not contained in the waste.
Opinion b) Stools should sink because of their bulk and fiber content.
Loftiness is not impressed with either argument: most stools will sink. Whether it floats or sinks really doesn't seem to make any difference.
An occasional deviation from this total picture is usually considered okay; chronic deviations (or any featuring blood) are not, and should be checked with a doctor.
If Your Stool Looks BLACK, TARRY, AND STICKY It Could Mean:
Bleeding in your upper digestive tract. The black color comes from digested blood cells.
If Your Stool Looks VERY DARK BROWN It Could Mean:
You drank red wine last night or have too much salt or not enough vegetables in your diet.
If Your Stool Looks GLOWING RED OR MAGENTA It Could Mean:
You've eaten a lot of reddish foods such as beets.
If Your Stool Looks LIGHT GREEN It Could Mean:
You're consuming too much sugar, or too many fruits and vegetables with not enough grains or salt.
If Your Stool Looks PALE OR CLAY-COLORED It Could Mean:
Minimal amounts of bile are being excreted, perhaps because of problems with the gallbladder or liver.
If Your Stool Looks BLOODY OR MUCUS-COVERED It Could Mean:
Hemorrhoids, an overgrowth of certain bacteria in your gastrointestinal tract, colitis (inflammation of the colon), Crohn's disease (also known as inflammatory bowel disease), or colon cancer. Red blood usually means the ailment is located near the end of your digestive tract, whereas black blood signals partially digested blood coming from an ailment higher up the tract. Seek medical advice promptly.
If Your Stool Looks PENCIL-THIN AND RIBBONLIKE It Could Mean:
A polyp or growth in your colon that narrows the passage for stool. Or spastic colon. It can also be from a prolapse at either side of the transverse colon constricting the colon and lack of fiber.
If Your Stool Looks LARGE AND FLOATING, WITH GREASY FILM ON TOILET WATER It Could Mean:
Malabsorption -- your digestive system isn't getting full nutritional use of food.
If Your Stool Looks LOOSE AND WATERY, SOMETIMES DIARRHEA WITH UNDIGESTED FOODSTUFFS It Could Mean:
Possible causes are food poisoning, lactose intolerance, antibiotics, antacids, dietary intolerance, dietary changes, travel, anxiety, stress, inflammatory bowel disease, or irritable bowel syndrome.
If Your Stool Looks SMALL, HARD, ROUND PELLETS It Could Mean:
Constipation-even if you're defecating frequently. Possible causes are eating too much dry food, including protein, and not enough vegetables and raw foods; laxative abuse; worries; or irritable bowel syndrome.
If Your Stool (Has) ALTERNATING BOUTS OF DIARRHEA & CONSTIPATION It Could Mean:
Irritable bowel syndrome. This chronic condition can be aggravated by red meat, spices, sugar, alcohol, LACK of fiber, allergy-causing foods, irregular hours, and chaotic relationships.
If Your Stool (Is) REALLY BAD SMELLING It Could Mean:
An imbalance of intestinal bacteria or eating too much animal protein, which can putrefy in your digestive tract.
If your stool-watching isn't winning any awards, you might want to try a cleanse before joining the ISWA (International Stool-Watchers Association :-)
This content is from the Natural Health magazine along with added information from Georgiana Duncan and Enid M. Gilham.
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A new liver, a new LIFE!

I do apologize for the interruption... My lack of posting and investigating will return to normal soon. Actually, I am anticipating my work will get even better now, since I no longer have to take care of Ricki. That is right!! I am a retired liver. teheheeee.

I (Ricki, that is) received my new and improved liver on July 13th, 2010. Because of this, I have already noticed:

• Mental Clarity
• No more DAILY nausea or vomiting
• No more bloody noses (or anything else for that matter)
• Energy!! Whoooo hoooo!
• an appetite
• a brighter (and yellow-less) complexion

And that is just the beginning!
I have so much to share, but don't worry, I now have TIME to share it with you!!  I still have a lot of hard work ahead -- taking care of someone's liver is a HUGE responsibility, but I am ready... The best things are worth it!

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Earth Day... What better thing to recycle then Life and Hope!?!

When you think of recycling you think of plastic and glass, shift your perspective and think of organs!


Register to recycle your organs/tissue when you're done with them and get the facts on everything you need to know at:
www.donatelife.net

it's not just me... Ricki agrees! That CHICK has gone GREEN!!

http://rickisjourney.blogspot.com/2010/04/recycle-me-recycle-hope.html

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15 minutes of fame for the Colon

Ok, Ok, this is focusing on something a tad lower than Larry usually focuses on, but one of the procedures Ricki has had to have done (more than once) is a Colonoscopy (It's easier to talk about her in the third person regarding such "delicate" subjects.) tehehe... Anyway, every time I go in for this procedure the techs and doctors rave about how important it is to be screened for colon cancer. It is the number 2 cancer killer in America, yet has a cure rate of over 95% if caught... This is not painful people, the worse part is the prep (and that's really not that bad whiny babies) Really... Livers don't lie remember. tehehe.... watch Katie.



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