The HE Mindset

One of the problems associated with having severe episodes of HE is the lack of awareness that anything is wrong. The ability to understand what is right and what is wrong appears to become lost. This basic lack of compos-mentis can have serious consequences. A person can be sitting in the lounge suffering from a variceal bleed and think everything is perfectly normal. Even driving down a motorway on the wrong carriageway could prove fatal, yet in their mind, all the cars are driving the wrong way, and not them. There is a lack of comprehension or logical thought. Cruel words and obscenities are often used, but these have no meaning and should not be taken as a person being mean and nasty, as the person has no recollection of saying them. Mood swings are common, and certain food types can act as a trigger for some people so should be avoided. Forgetfulness can bring on a emothinal frustration and anger, which in turn adds a feeling of anxiety and hopelessness.

Charlie Hobson and his wife, Angie, talk about Charlie’s HE experiences.

I’ve known Charlie and his wife Angie for a few years now. We’ve yet to have a meet-up, but we will do hopefully soon. I remember talking the Angie about Charlie’s HE issues post-liver transplant. She told me back then that although Charlie’s HE is much improved, he’s still not the man he once was. Many people wrongly assume that having a liver transplant will remedy their HE symptoms. I personally still have a sort of brain freeze. If I’m concentrating too much on more than one thing simultaneously. I can get a sort of “Computer Overload”, followed by a “System Crash”. After about 20 seconds it’s a bit like having a system reboot, with the thoughts slowly coming back online. Sometimes I can carry on where I left off, but other times the memories have been wiped clean. This can then lead to frustration and anger for having failed. Far more research and a collaborative effort to identify the extent of people's damage/recovery needs to be assessed. Should a person be given their driving license back just because they’ve had a liver transplant? The body may have been repaired, but the brain can still be damaged.