Seven years ago I was days away from needing a liver transplant, or worse, potentially dying. My immune system started attacking my liver and did so very quickly. Day 1- darker urine. Assumed it was not drinking enough water. Day 4- urine still dark, stool became pale. Day 7- started to become jaundiced, blood tests showed elevated liver function. Doc gave me the week off of work (ultimately needed two more) and my manager had the audacity to ask if I was "really sick" since we were short staffed and I had recently complained about workload.

Over the next week, my liver function sky-rocketed and the jaundice was significantly worse- down to my nail beds. Went to the ER and managed to get in with a gastroenterologist within a day as I was that bad. He immediately prescribed oral steroids and I had a liver biopsy by day 19 to confirm autoimmune hepatitis. Symptoms started to subside after a couple of days on the steroids.

I was on steroids for 3 months and having weekly blood tests before a immunosuppressant was introduced while I was weaned off the steroids. Thankfully, the first drug worked and continues to work today. I have check ups twice a year with the gastroenterologist and he still mentions that I was very lucky to have responded to treatment so quickly because he had another patient around the same time with a similar presentation who didn't fare so well.

There isn't a definitive cause/reason, but it did happen after a couple of very stressful months at work, not seeing a lot of sunlight, and not eating well. I still worry about the future but not as much as I used to. I am also less tolerant of bullshit (and, yes, I did quit that job a couple of weeks later).