Just Diagnosed With Autoimmune Hepatitis

I am 21 years old and was diagnosed with AIH when i was 18. I had been diagnosed with "Lupus" when i was 15, but the doctors were wrong. It was AIH all along- I started taking prednisone last October and found out last January that i was pregnant. Of course all of the doctors told me to terminate - but as you can imagine that was not an option. I went trough the pregnancy fine with no complications and have a beautiful 4 month old baby girl! *What a joy* However, I had my blood drawn a few days ago and my numbers are HIGH again! :( They had been normal - except for my platelet count which is always LOW - but I am going back to my dr tomorrow to see what is going to be done. I know how depressing and upsetting it is to find out you have something like this. Luckily for you, if there hasn't been any significant damage it would possibly be reversed. My liver is in the last stage of cirhosis- so I will have to have a transplant one day. Dont get too depressed - it will only make you feel a lot worse. Just take it all in and deal with it one day at a time. I have completly stopped eating red meat becuase it made my stomach hurt so bad and of course I cannot drink any more. I just pray every day that I will be able to raise my little girl - that is the most important thing in the world. Good Luck! :)

I am 23 and was diagnosed with AIH 2 years ago this match i have been told recently that i will have to have a transplant in a few years its kind of scary because the doctors told me that it might go away so to be told that news was a shock.
At the moment I am on 8 different types of tablets and i am suffering from depression. There is one thing that i am sick of is taking these tablet and going to have my blood taken as anyone ever just wanted to stop taking there tablets. I am going on a bit now so if anyone wants to chat just reply to this comment!

Hello all. My name is kristen and I have AIH also. I was diagnosed at the age of 10. There was a lot of damage done to my liver before they caught and was also told I would need a transplant when I was around 30. I was transplanted at the age of 22. I will not lie it's been a rollercoaster for all these years but the transplant gave me more life. They told me the transplant would be good for about 5-7 years but here I am 16 years (in Juky) later. I am having problems again and have been rediagosed with the same inmy new liver but I'm getting through. I have my ups and downs on a daily basis now and am starting to have symptoms like I had when I was younger. I pray for each day as it comes and deal with each day as it comes. If any of you have any questions please feel free to email me at kosburn1@suddenlink.net at anytime. I'd be happy to help answer any questions if I can.

I can't give you much advise because I was just diagnosed today with AIH. So this is all new to me. But I hope everything works out for you and keep your head up high you never know what might happen!!

I have had AIH since I was two years old. At the time I was the youngest person ever to be diagnosed...not sure fourteen years later as I am now sixteen. Thankfully I was not put into your situation of having a baby then being diagnosed, because it is a difficult situation to deal with, but if treated you will make it through.

I can't help you with the fact that you are a new mother (congrats!) but I can tell you about some side effects. When I was two I was put on 60mg and then doctors steadily weaned it down to 40mg?(I'm not sure of the exact dosage) Anyway, at three and four I looked the same, just much paler. HOWEVER, as soon as I started taking prednisone I started feeling hopeless, lonely and depressed....i remember this very clearly. When I was about four/five I really started gaining weight, bloated face, prediabetic symptoms, fatigue, backhump, acne etc. and my steady incline of weight continued until this year.

I say all this because especially being a new mother, you may put on a weight fairly quick, I remember I never felt satiated when I was younger and combined with depression I would continually eat. Along with the weight gain you could feel tired, hopeless etc. and sooo stressed. Being young i couldn't function the benefits of exercise or even a walk, but now I can grasp the thought and I am so much livlier and happier. I love life and everything about it. Even if you would rather take a nap than a walk, you could do it for just ten minutes. Exercise and sunshine makes a huge difference.

Also at (medications dot com) I posted a reply to the drug prednisone and other users really helped me. They told me to take fish oil everday, licorice supplement to protect the stomach, and other vitamins. I will right them below and I bought them at (vitacost dot com). I just started taking them about three weeks ago and I definately feel more healthy!
Alpha Lipoic Acid by NSI- helps liver, skin, an antioxidant etc.
Bone Booster Complex by NSI- prednisone leeches calcium, other vitamins, and we will definately need to prevent osteoporosis!
Hair, Skin, and Nails by FutureBiotics- It's a multivitamin, and i copared it to a CVS multivitamin and it is way more nutritional. I have acne ridden, blotchy skin as well as weak nails and thin hair.
Organic Tea Egyptian Licorice by Yogi- If you don't like tea you may still like this. I always use to use sugar in tea but this is very sweet and curbs my sugar cravings. Licorice is also good for digestion.
Milk Thistle- my mom has been giving me this for a long time, helps liver function.
Super Omega-3 Fish Oil by Carlson- (NOT norweigen cod liver oil) This is very good tasting and NO fishy smell/taste at all. Apparently when fish oil goes bad it begins to get that fishy smell we all know and despise. I keep this in the fridge. It is a tad bit on the expensive side but totally worth buying. It helps skin, heart, brain etc. and is a natural inflammatory so you may be weened down on the prednisone quicker.
(You should ask your doctor about all this, but as far as I know they are all safe)

Your pregnancy may have triggered the AIH, and there is no definate caused/trigger. I was exposed to my cousin who had mononucleosis, and i also had the chicken pox shot around that time which doctors thought may have been the cause. I have type II, so I will need to take the medication for life. However, if you have type I or III you may luck out, but still have to stay closely monitored. Since the fish oil is a natural anti-inflammatory (prednisone is also, just much stonger) your case may lead you to completely get off the prednisone eventually, especially because you have no liver damage. It is hard to judge, though because everyones story and case is unique! Good luck, stay healthy and have fun with your new baby!

I know that was super long, but i forgot to mention that doctors (from Children's Hospital in Boston...only the best!) thought that I would have a transplant by the time I was fifteen and be in a wheelchair at twenty. I am sixteen, still no transplant, and I have only had a few periodic flare ups. Also I had a bone density scan last year and my bones were normal, so I am doing so much better than predicted, so keep looking up and keep thinking "the only way to go is up". That phrase really helps in tough times.

Hello, I am new to the group. I was diagnosed 3 years with AIH. At the time my liver was on stage 3 of cirrhosis, needless to say I was very sick. I have never shared my story, but I am very grateful that I found this outlet so that one day when I am ready I will have an audience who can relate to how I feel.