It turns out that having great friends is good for my health

In a few days, I’ll be laid up in a hospital bed recovering from my second total knee replacement in less than a year. For the past week, I’ve been pulling together the last-minute details, ordering things I’ll need for recovery, and making sure my partner and friends have what they need to take care of my cats during the night or two I expect to be away.

Knowing I’m surrounded by good people has made arranging for surgery much easier. I’m OK if nobody visits me at the hospital. I usually prefer to get through the stay as quickly as possible with little fuss. But once I’m home, having friends over always makes recovery better. They don’t even have to help. I’ll take the company when my schedule clears enough for me to work on healing and unfurl the wings of my inner social butterfly.

Whether you’ve got one good friend or 1,000, friendship is not something anyone should take for granted, especially when you’re fighting a disease like metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH). It’s not something that usually goes away on its own, and for some people, it can last a lifetime. Having supportive family members and friends can ease the strain of managing a difficult chronic illness.

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Last year, during my first knee replacement, I ran out of painkillers before I stopped needing them. The pharmacy I normally used was going through a lot of issues, so I had to ask someone to pick up my medication from a different location. I was lucky to have a dear friend — one I made when I was part of women’s roller derby — jump in to help. She brought food, picked up my medication, and visited with me when I really wanted to spend time with another person for the first time in days. It helped more than she probably knew.

My partner was no slouch, either. He made delicious meals for me, including an egg salad so good that I proposed to him on the spot. He smiled and blushed. Then he fed the cats and took out the trash before heading off to his overnight shift at the hospital. He also checked my incision when I had a small issue and wanted reassurance that it was healing properly. It’s wonderful to have a supportive partner who cares for you with tenderness. I feel lucky.

Reasons to live well

Study after study confirms what many of us instinctively know: Strong relationships can strengthen our health. When we have a circle of support, it gives our lives meaning and purpose. It gives us reasons to live, and to live well.

So what about bad relationships? At a certain point in my life, I realized how much a strained relationship can affect my health. Frustration can lead to me feeling unnerved and emotionally tattered.

I started reading about the impact that negative relationships can have on health. Chronic stress can affect blood pressure, blood sugar, sleep, inflammation, and the daily choices we make around food and movement. For people living with MASH or other metabolic conditions, that matters. Our bodies don’t keep our emotional lives in a separate file cabinet. Stress has a way of wandering through every room.

Remember, our bodies are intricate networks. No organ quietly absorbs the consequences of our choices, stress, and survival strategies quite like the liver. It asks for balance, consistency, and support. So do we.

Making friends isn’t always easy as we get older. But sometimes better health begins with noticing who helps us breathe easier.

A good partner matters. A good friend matters. Sometimes one steady person who understands you, even when you don’t fully understand yourself, is enough to help you claim a little bit better health.

Note: Liver Disease News is strictly a news and information website about the disease. It does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. This content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website. The opinions expressed in this column are not those of Liver Disease News or its parent company, Bionews, and are intended to spark discussion about issues pertaining to liver disease.