How long to wait for Fibroscan

[Gringo8675]

Would anyone in this community be able to help me with regards to how long after alcohol cessation one should wait before getting a fibroscan?

I had normal bloods, including INR, and ultrasound but continue to have symptoms so am considering getting it done.

[Ronin990]

Few months should be fine.

[kurtymac]

I would give it 3 months, but optimal time is 6 months. A good way to check if inflammation is subsiding is to see if globulin is decreasing. Normally inflammation causes a globulin to be above 3.0. It can take up to 18 months for the liver to fully heal. My hep didn't want to do one until the six month mark. A buddy of mine had an MRE done and Mayo clinic made him wait six months before doing it.

[Gringo8675]

An update to this, I found out it would only be around $50 with insurance here in the states and went ahead and had it done this morning. I was sober for over a month and slipped up this past weekend with a binge following clear bloods and ultrasound.

kPa: 7.2 IQR : .4 IQR/med.: 6%

CAP: 237

Vs(m/s) 1.55

I'm thankful that I escaped with recovery possible but still curious about the liver related symptoms I've been having.

For those of you that have had this done before, did the operator move the probe around or just take measurements from one spot?

[kurtymac in reply to Gringo8675]

Mine did both moved it around and took from one spot. I was lucky she redid the test like 5 times to make sure we were spot on. Your liver symptoms are simple to explain, you're at F2, which is reversible if you cut out all alcohol, OTCs ect. I doubt that your liver is completely healed at just one month in as inflammation can spike a fibroscan up at least 2KPA. I was diagnosed with drug induced liver injury and acute hepatitis last year. My liver was so inflamed that portal pressure built up and my linea alba tore. That's the tendon that connects both sides of your abdominal rectus and the periumbilical vein sits under it. Thought I was going to die, but CT scan and ultrasound were normal. This is because those scans don't pick up inflammation. I'm sure my fibroscan would have been a lot higher if I did it at that time. Six months out, I still felt kind of I'll but fibroscan was a 4.8. I know many who drank had fibroscans in the 7s, 8s and one at 11. When they stopped returned back into green range in the 6s or 5s. Your CAP is a little high also suggesting some fatty liver. Not overly fatty, that will go away also as alcohol causes the hepatocyte liver cells to take on fatty changes, which then turns into fibrosis and if alcohol isn't stopped can turn into cirrhosis down the line. Your liver can heal right now. So your doing the right thing by not drinking. Don't worry about one or two slip ups. Almost everybody slips up once in a while. Stressing over slip ups will just lead to another slip up.

[Gringo8675 in reply to kurtymac]

Thanks kurtymac! I appreciate the support I've received from everyone on this forum. There is a strong possibility that I would have continued on drinking and not recognized my symptoms/problem if I hadn't found the community here.