have i got chirrosis

[tammyscholey]

confused again, had my fibrosis test as some of you know couple of months ago, said i had scarring, yes i get that, but does scarring mean chirrosis, ive been googling and stuff and the impression im getting is scarring is chirrosis but no one at the hepatology department has even used this word to me. only asking this now cos watching enders and just seen phil google it, i have so many questions at my next appointment which is in couple of weeks, literally no one is telling me anything really, except dont drink and eat healthy, other than that i dont know if ive got alcoholic hepatitis, fibrosis or whatever and now im googling stuff and thinking what the hell is going on, anyway sorry to go on but feeling pretty frustrated.

[Bolly]

Tammy the Fibroscan you had done in October. Did you get a numerical result from that, something like 10kPa it might have said.

Interesting to get the first feedback from this Eastenders story.

If you have either or both of fatty liver and alcohol damage then the cure is in your hands Tammy. It means no alcohol and completely re learning your diet. Have you been given any nutrition tips? Have the docs advised you to exercise?

[tammyscholey in reply to Bolly]

when i had the fibroscan, she literally just pointed to a chart and said "thats where you are", she was pointing to mid orange, i had no bloods done that day and didnt see my hepatologist, so i had no one to ask questions, they made me an appointment to see her in 6 weeks which is this month january, so im full of questions now, i cannot wait to see her and get answers and get my bloods done again to see if theyre better, the last time i had my bloods done about 12 weeks ago the scores were coming down as i had stopped drinking, so im really interested to see where i am now.

[briccolone]

happy new year tammy-hope it's been a dry-ish Xmas so far...

sadly we can't answer your question really. as Bolly says what was you Fibro score? 12-13 I understand is borderline cirrhosis but when drink is involved these scores can be higher and not conclusive. I'm certinly not an expert but others have posted on this site with sky high scores which,with diet/abstinence, have reduced them. You said you were feeling well so suggest you carry on for 3 months with minimal or no alcohol and see what happens then. If there's an improvement then you know what the answer is-if there isn't you haven't lost anything. Carry on carrying on.

all the best

btw I'm in the same boat as you but don't exorcise myself on a daily basis worrying about it-all I know is when I don't drink alcohol I feel better so I try and do that as much as possible.

cheers

[tammyscholey in reply to briccolone]

happy new year to you too x im really glad xmas is over and life is back to some normality x this is my year to live totally healthily and like you i feel so much better for not drinking, i know my triggers now and am really going to use my head this year, thankyou

[briccolone in reply to tammyscholey]

good for you-all the best

[allofatremor]

Like Bolly and Briccolone have said, I can't add anything to that I'm afraid, but I always read both their comments and they are always reassuring, and extremely knowledgeable. Try to be as positive as possible each day, and keep the drink to as little as possible if you can. Good Luck for 2016 take care 🍀

[tammyscholey in reply to allofatremor]

thankyou x

[Patxxxxx in reply to allofatremor]

I agree. Take care too.  Finding it difficult.  Keep trying.

[Bolly]

If your damage is caused mainly by alcohol, then orange puts you around 11 kPa with below 6kPa being no damage and upwards of 12 kPa being advanced fibrosis then on to cirrhosis. I think the chart goes to 75 but it's all the same bright dark red from 23 on for ALD.

So at a guess you have fibrosis but not cirrhosis, your original panic being "do I have cirrhosis". So you are not Phil, and you will not become Phil if you don't drink again....ever. And if you eat a healthy diet with no or minimal sugar, minimal salt, fresh food, no convenience or fast food rubbish, no fizzy drinks, and if you take regular exercise.

There is no magic pill too help you, but if your numbers are coming down keep on doing what you are doing as it's helping .

[tammyscholey in reply to Bolly]

hi bolly x i was awake in bed last night thinking (as you do), i got that wrong yesterday, the nurse pointed to mid red and said i could get down to mid orange if i lead a totally healthy lifestyle, so sorry i was mid red, if you have any insight to mid red that would be great. thankyou

[Bolly]

I tried to post a link to the Fibroscan coloured graph but it didn't work. Ralph knows how to I think, are you there Ralph?

Think of the chart in terms of traffic light colours. Green is good, Amber is be alert, Red is bad.

But as we have said already, the cure, the improvement in your health, is in your hands. Never give up believing you can reverse the damage and gently gently go back to orange and then hopefully green.

Doctors don't usually make a diagnosis of liver health based solely on one Fibroscan result, they should add in blood test results, and ultrasound or Ct scan images, and the patient's medical history and if you tell them you have stopped drinking and are eating well and exercising they will add that into your notes no doubt.

[tammyscholey in reply to Bolly]

thankyou