I have a question about fibroscan. I had a result of 10.2 today and they have scheduled a biopsy. Can anyone give me any feedback on if this is reversible?
I'm 46 year old female who is insulin resistant and I do not drink. I'm 5'2" weigh 135 lbs.
Thank you
Hi there, well first off I am no dr but I had my first ever fibroscan 4 weeks ago .I have cirrhosis end stage. I was diagnosed in 2008 .my fibro score was 27 .I am to have a scan on my next visit to hep dr on 9 May. So your actual score is very good . Is it just disbetse you have? Or is it the fact that your diabetes is affecting your liver due to the insulin. I don't know much about it so I suggest you talk to your consultant unless anyone on this forum can help you
I don't have diabetes. I have been insulin resistant for many years(pre diabetic) but I've had fatty liver that has
progressed to fibrosis. Thank you for your reply. I hope ur next visit will bring you better news. It sounds like you are taking all the right steps.
Oh I see; now I get the right picture. Well your score as I said it low, so that means you do have some thickening of the liver but it's not high end stage .the liver as you know is very good at regenerating over time
I am living proof after I was given 6 months to live 9 years ago. But mine was through alcohol .I did stop drinking until my dad passed away 4 yrs ago .I hit the drink hard for just over a year so that has caused me more scarring now. I do try my best and I am sure that you will be absolutely fine 😊
Thank you so much. Your ability to fight this gives me much hope!
Your very welcome. I have had endoscopy and had ascites 4 times where I looked 9 months pregnant and had to be drained
I would say out of experience you will be fine. Maybe a change in diet is needed? I changed my diet as nutrition really plays a great part towards a good liver function. I have plenty of protein, fish, salad, veg, and a good cup of coffee actually has health benefits for the liver and green tea .glad I could be of some support ☺
Hi when I was 49, 3 years ago I was end stage on life support after a massive bleed, my fibroscan was 68 and there wasn't much hope for me but since then with a healthy diet and juicing and taking a milk thistle supplement my recent fibroscan was 17! I was thrilled. I suggest you really concentrate on healthy food and that includes healthy fats, to sort out your fatty liver and you will be able to bring that score down, although yours is not that high so your lucky to have had a heads up before your liver has gotten too scarred. Good luck! 😃
thats such fantastic news. im so happy for you.it just goes to show what a good diet can do. reading this has made me decide to go back to juicing again as i had stopped doing that due to the hard work of cleaning it out. its also good for others to read to inspire us to eat well and juice. all the very best love grace xoxoxo
I think it depends on the reason for the liver disease I have stage 4 cirrhosis from Pbc and my result was 60. I have an illustration somewhere I'll send it you 😊
As spoul says, it depends on the cause as to how easy it is to reverse. In theory, remove the cause, and fibrosis will improve. I'm now sure how you deal with insulin resistance? As far as I'm aware its one of the causes of NAFLD (Non alcoholic fatty liver disease) - is that your diagnosis and if so, what have your doctors said about whether you can change anything in your lifestyle to help your liver heal?
Hi Bolly/AI17, my Fibroscan was 27.8 and following biopsy I have been diagnosed with severe NASH, borderline cirrhosis. Told to lose weight and exercise urgently. The clinic told me to do a low-carb (NOT NO carb) diet and I've lost a stone in 6 weeks. I eat loads of good fats, vegetables including root veg, moderate protein and fruit and no bread, rice, pasta, potatoes or cereal. I try to have below 100g carb a day, and below 1750 cals a day using myfitnesspal app which is what diabetes.co.uk suggest for prediabetics. Hope that helps you AI17.
Exactly what I do! Using the my fitness app really helps to keep you in check with your intake. Best thing I ever did
I don't agree to taking milk thistle though. My hepetologist said not to .I have gluten free cereal , bread and pasta now and then. I love juicing too .plenty of fruit especially berries and dark green leafy veg , fish etc; can't go wrong I have even started using quorn products due to the protein and low saturated fats. I do have the good fats though as our body needs it 😊
Hi Cookimonster and well done with your diet. If your Fibroscan was done with an Echosens machine it has a scoring chart for NAFLD but not for NASH. Around 12kpa is cirrhosis when you have NAFLD (which is the same for me with a combination of viral hep and Autoimmune). A 27.8kpa Fibroscan would suggest established cirrhosis, but hopefully, with your lifestyle changes and support from a nutritionist you will do well and improve the health of your liver.
Al17 has a good score of 10kpa, which suggests only a little damage as 7kpa is normal. However unlike being able to drastically alter eating patterns and reverse weight gain to improve the Fibroscan score, I'm not sure what you can do when the cause of liver inflammation is Insulin resistance. Maybe the docs have told Al17, I would be interested to know.
Hi - the hepatologist said I have top of the range NASH i.e. Worse than NAFLD and she said I was borderline cirrhosis according to biopsy. Hopefully I have caught it in time. I also have insulin resistance and don't want to become actual diabetic. That explains why normal diets haven't worked, and they've told me to have a low carb one, which does seem to be working so far. They are going to keep eye on me with 3 monthly ultrasounds.
Sounds like they have caught it in time! Hopefully with the insulin resistance under control you can see some reversal. Did you have a fibroscan?
Yes 27.8 kpa
Yes NAFLD comes first and can progress to NASH. Glad to hear the docs have diagnosed the cause and you are in a position to make lifestyle changes to improve your liver health (and general health if you are pre-diabetic also). When pre-diabetics (or even some diabetics on medication) cut out all carbohydrates it does seem to help prevent full blown diabetes or even reverse diagnosed diabetes, but its a tricky diet to sustain in the modern world of convenience foods and supermarket shopping - well done you for taking control.
Thank you Bolly-it's been scary to learn about a condition and getting replies and information has been very helpful!
Thanks Bolly, yes it is hard as I am a carb monster, but I would rather feel better so I am persisting x
As you are aware its not just a case of making you feel better, liver disease if it progresses to cirrhosis can be life limiting. Not only that, but in a lesser way, you may find that its impossible to get life insurance and tricky to get travel insurance, so it impacts on your life much more than how you feel.
Some liver diseases need medication to control or cure them, and some liver diseases cant be cured at all. However NAFLD and to an extent NASH, the cure is in the hands of the patient. The cookies have to go I'm afraid!
Yes absolutely!! I try not to think I can't have them as it makes me want them more. InsteadI try to think how good I will feel if I don't succumb, but your comments are absolutely correct. Not only cookies thoughbut bread, pasta, rice, spuds and cereal unfortunately. Got travel insurance today which cost me twice as much as before,dread to think what it would be with cirrhosis that's if I could even get it.
How long have you been insulin resistant? Was wondering because for someone who doesn't drink or isn't overweight I'm not sure what I can cut out to reverse my fibrosis. Any suggestions?
Since 2009 for me, only I didn't know it until this year. Kept gettingfobbedoff with 'oh it's your age' etc. Up your exercise and decrease carbs is what I was told. Good luck.
If you are changing your diet to a low carb one to combat the insulin resistance, have a look at the Michael Mosley 'Blood sugar diet'. Dr Mosley was himself pre-diabetic despite being fit and slim, and devised this plan. It does mean cutting out sugary fruits as well, but its based on how people in Mediterranean countries eat and stay healthy, so not a 'faddy' nutrition plan. It also means no alcohol (contains sugar and not good for the liver) for the first month and only sensible drinking after that. thebloodsugardiet.com/the-l...
Yes it's good, if you don't want to buy a book there is loads of info on diabetes.co.uk website too
Thank you all for your replies. It has been very helpful! I didnt think fibrosis was reversible so this is great news!
I think the fibroscan result is dependent upon the cause of liver damage. So people with cirrhosis caused by alcohol will have different readings than people who have cirrhosis caused by say Hepatitis C or NASH. Having said that most people with Cirrhosis have fibroscan results much greater than 10 although it isn't 100% fool proof and a small minority of people have lower readings.
Do any of you know if fibrosis always develops into cirrosis?
No it doesn't always and if the cause of the fibrosis can be tackled or treated then it is possible to reverse fibrosis (and they now believe even early cirrhosis is reversible too where once it was believed to be irreversible).
If your condition is down to NAFLD then you will need to look at whether there are lifestyle changes you can make to slow down or stop the progression and possibly reverse the fibrosis.
More information on NAFLD on the British Liver Trust site @ britishlivertrust.org.uk/li...
They also have guidance on diet for particular liver complaints including for NAFLD at :- britishlivertrust.org.uk/li...
Hopefully you are going to get some feedback and proper guidance from your medical team. These fibroscans without proper interpretation don't half seem to cause a lot of anxiety and worries amongst patients having them until they get the full story.
Katie
Thank you Katy! This was very helpful. It's been a lot to take in and I appreciate you sharing the links.
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