Admiring the Liver through a Kaleidoscope

“At the height of laughter, the universe is flung into a kaleidoscope of new possibilities.” – Jean Houston

I love this quote. It prompted me to imagine looking at a liver through a kaleidoscope. All that bile, blood, lymph fluid, hormones, liver cells, and so on. I imagine it like the play/movie Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. Which leads me to an idea for a movie—Lucinda and the Amazing Hepatic-color DreamLiver.

Perhaps I should have just stopped at the quote. Sometimes my imagination closely resembles the features of certain psychiatric diagnoses. Sigh. Liver comedians are frequently misunderstood. 

Another Hepatitis C Jingle

I’ve been singing hep C songs all week, and here is my newest one. Sing it to the tune of “I’m a Little Teapot”

I’m a little liver, big and stout

Here is my lobe, here is my duct 

When I get all liquored up, hear me shout 

Just leave out the booze, and I won’t crap out!

I’m a clever organ, yes it’s true 

Here’s an example of what I can do 

I can change my cells from bad to good 

Just leave out the booze, and I won’t crap out!

 Image courtesy of gubgib /FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Come Alive, You’re in the Hep C Generation

If I were going to imagine a theme song for my blog, I’d rewrite an old Pepsi commercial aired in the 1960’s—Come Alive, You’re in the Pepsi Generation. I would change the words to Come Alive, You’re in the Hep C Generation. This jingle was at its height when many Baby Boomers were first contracting hepatitis C. The commercial targeted young, “hip” consumers, so the irony is not lost on me that I chose this song.

Image courtesy of piyato /FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Something liberating happens to me when I substitute Hep C for Pepsi. Perhaps the light tone of the music offsets the heaviness of this potentially life-threatening disease. Or, it is the notion that we can “come alive” despite living with this virus that now kills more people every year than HIV does. Or is it the sheer irreverence of imaging that Come Alive, You’re in the Hep C Generation could be the battle cry for today’s Baby Boomers…

To watch the original commercial, visit You Tube

Hepatitis Awareness Month

May is Hepatitis Awareness Month, and this is the second annual observation of this event. I was thinking about what “Hepatitis Awareness Month” means, and although I am sure the goal is to increase the public’s awareness, it did occur to me that Hepatitis Awareness Month could have other implications.

First, it could mean to make hepatitis more aware. I can see me lecturing my hepatitis C, “Keep your eyes open; watch where you are going. Hey be careful, you are damaging my liver. For goodness sake, use some contraception, you are multiplying too fast”

Second, it could mean that the month is dedicated to hepatitis awareness, but the rest of the year gets a break. “Hey, no need to watch what I eat in June, since hepatitis awareness was so last month.” Not true, of course.

All joking aside, 75% of those who have hepatitis C are completely unaware of the fact that they harbor a harmful, potentially deadly virus. Please help participate in Hepatitis Awareness Month, and make your efforts a yearlong commitment.

For more information, see the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.