6 Months Journey

[coatesh89]

6 Months ago, after a fantastic holiday in South Africa I had some routine blood tests run - (using Babylon Healthcare), i'm 26 by the way.

LFT (Liver Function Tests) were very high. I took my results to my GP, who wanted to re-run the bloods to check for Hepatitis. Came back clear, in the meantime a GP at Babylon referred me for an ultrasound (actually loads of private clinics throughout the UK). On the scans my liver and pancreas were showing signs of fatty infiltration. I took these back to my GP who said I could be referred to see a specialist on the NHS (although she said it would be a 3-6 Months waiting time!). For my own peace of mind, I couldn't not know. I got a private referral to a fantastic consultant who sits on the NHS Liver Group for NAFLD, and he organised a Fibroscan, and told me what I needed to do... Lose weight!

I've only seen my consultant 3 times, and had 1 fibroscan so "paying" for it actually has been a lot cheaper than I expected - even the Fibroscan was less than £150.

I've gone from 120KG to 88KG - with the aim to reach 83KG, so i'm nearly there! I didn't intend to lose weight so quickly, it just happened.

My LFT have improved and all are now within normal readings. I haven't had another ultrasound or fibroscan, as the consultant said it was better to wait a year before seeing if there was more fat.

The one thing I didn't understand very well, was when he said that my fibrosis was about 2 out of 5 on the scale, but he didn't expect any long term damage if I could reverse the NAFLD?

I'm also presuming that as the fat comes out of my liver, the same is happening to my pancreas?

To anyone who is reading this, I thought at my age I wouldn't suffer a liver disease - I don't drink. Being overweight is a ticking time bomb, and the consultant really shocked me when he said that if I don't do anything the fatty infiltration on the liver could end up progressing into diabetes.

[Bermuda1]

Well done on doing so well. You are meant to lose weight in a slow and steady fashion. I am guessing if your fat livers go down to within normal range they will for your pancreas. You were very fortunate this was caught so early , many do not get to know until they have cirrhosis. It is a lesson well learnt , look after your liver and other organs for life . Good diet and exercise are a must .