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Myrna’s Story

Site created on November 29, 2023

You've reached the page for Myrna Loy Steinke Smith, wife of Carter Smith, mother of Dawn, Angie, and Kris. We are using this CaringBridge website to streamline communication with family and friends. We appreciate your support and words of hope and encouragement at this really challenging time.

Over 10 years ago, Mom was diagnosed with Fatty Liver Disease. This disease doesn't present many symptoms at first, which is problematic in many ways. Without modifications to diet and lifestyle choices, many people go on to experience scarring of the liver. The main function of the liver is to filter things. Nutrients, toxins, medications. The more scar tissue that develops, the harder it is for the liver to function properly. Eventually, patients with this diagnosis can develop cirrhosis of the liver. In this case, think of it as simply DISEASE of the liver. There are four stages of liver disease. It's WAY more complex than this. Suffice it to say, if the liver can't filter, other things go wrong.

In Mom's case, she skated through the last 10 years pretty well, generally speaking. More recently (last 2 years?), she's been experiencing quite a bit of trouble.

1. She was put on a low sodium diet but probably didn't take it as seriously as she should have.

2. She struggled with bloating as a result of that.

3. She experienced internal bleeds (AVMs) that required more and more frequent endoscopic procedures.

4. She experienced GERD.

5. Her stomach would get very large, and it often appeared that she was pregnant. She would joke about this, chalking it up to overeating. It certainly WAS because of that sometimes. But it was also a red flag that none of us knew to be looking for.

6. She was getting progressively weaker. Her legs and arms were getting progressively smaller.

These things, and others, began happening with more and more frequency. She never talked about these things in terms of liver disease. But they're all connected. I know that NOW. But I had NO idea then. I don't think any of us who are close to her understood all of this.

Since about 1.5 years ago, her cognitive abilities have been changing. Many of us noticed different things but didn't want to talk about it, for fear of making her upset or being wrong about it. But I made some journal entries to track it.

Symptoms all increased in frequency and intensity. I told her I was no longer comfortable riding with her as the driver. (If you know Myrna, you can IMAGINE how that went over!) But it was the truth and I stuck to my guns.

There is so much more to this story. Basically starting in May of 2023, the cognitive things were hard to ignore. And the physical things were also very taxing on her and Dad. After reaching out to her GI doctor, she tied everything together - this was ALL related to the liver disease. Doctors started mentioning a shunt, so that the unfiltered toxins could be removed from her body on a regular basis, keeping them from her brain. She refused to talk about it. IT'S SCARY! Late into summer and into fall, transplant was mentioned. She refused to talk about it. She was so scared. After a week-long stay in the hospital, she was convinced that transplant was her only option.

More about this in a separate journal entry.

Newest Update

Journal entry by Dawn Stephens — Feb 18, 2024

I kind of don't want to close this caringbridge account. It just makes Mom's death more real. So I'll keep it open for now.

Today I factory re-set Mom's phone and sent it back to US Cellular. I had been holding onto it. Having that phone made it feel like she was still here. She's not. So the phone got sent back. I'm sad about it.

Losing Mom has been horrible. Losing her stuff and her accounts just adds insult to injury.

We're still writing thank you notes for all of the sympathies and memorials that have come in. Angie wrote most of them. I have written several. Writing and sending them makes it more final. More real.

I've tried to fill my heart with music and doggies. These things usually fill my heart. I don't know if my heart will ever be full again. It's so injured. I guess people move on. I guess I'm moving on. I don't know.

Read More of the journal titled "February 18, 2024"

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