New to the site and worried

[Christ59]

Hi everyone,

I have eventually found out that I have cirrhosis after nearly 12 months of being told "you have some scarring on your liver, you need to stop drinking" I asked my GP for a copy of the letter from the Gastroenterologist and there it was, the word itself CIRRHOSIS, I was frightened, no petrified, I thought I had months to live. I madly started setting up Lasting power of attorney sorting out my affairs so my wife would be ok but then I found this site, what a relief, straight talking people with personal experience. Yesterday I went for my 2nd fibroscan armed with the knowledge I needed to ask questions and for a figure, which is 32.5 kPa. I have no other symptoms and all my LFT's are fine. I stopped drinking as soon as I saw that letter which was 8 weeks ago. Do I really need to be worried? Please be honest.

Chris.

[AyrshireK]

32.5 kPa confirms your cirrhosis diagnosis. Good work on kicking the booze, by removing that you have removed a toxin which was damaging your liver and without it you will give your liver some chance of recovery. Cirrhosis used to be thought to be totally irreversible and whilst it is never going to recover fully from cirrhosis you will give some of it a chance to heal. What you need to do now is not panic but learn about your condition and look after your liver better going forward - you'll need to watch what you eat (less salt, less fatty, processed and sugary foods), watch the type of soft drinks you have in that some of them are crazy high in sugar (avoid the caffeine power/energy drinks as they also damage the liver). Perhaps take more exercise.

Have a look at the cirrhosis page on the BLT site and learn about potential symptoms which might indicate things arn't as they should be. If your lft's are within normal range it means your liver is currently compensated and is coping with most of it's 500 different functions, however, just be aware of your body and whether or not things are happening that might be liver related. The problems arise when the liver starts to struggle and can slip into the decompensated state which is more serious.

The British Liver Trust main page is a great source of information on cirrhosis, living with a liver condition and so on. Have a look at:- britishlivertrust.org.uk/li... and britishlivertrust.org.uk/li... .

Hopefully your GP is arranging referral to a gastroenterologist or better still a hepatologist who can monitor your liver going forward. With a confirmed diagnosis of cirrhosis it is protocol to scan the liver via ultrasound every 6 months (unfortunately a cirrhotic liver can develop various lumps, bumps and sometimes the odd scary which need to be picked up and treated a.s.a.p. hence the regular screening regime). Blood tests to check liver function should also be regularly done and most people also start a monitoring regime of endoscopies as a cirrhotic liver can lead to blood pressure build up in the portal vein (feeding the liver) and when it builds up the blood redirects into smaller veins (often in the oesophagus and stomach) which can burst and cause internal bleeding .... regular monitoring should prevent a bleed.

If you have further questions or queries then ask away, you'll always find someone around who has been where you are now or are loved ones of patients (as I am).

All the very best to you,

Katie

[briccolone in reply to AyrshireK]

As usual Kate a clear and positive post- seasons greetings k

[Pslade]

Hi. Sorry about your cirrhosis. My hubby also has cirrhosis with 20% of liver function. Of course you should worry but we try take one day at a time. Do you have acsities? My hubby does . It's a sign your getting worse he has it for a year and a half . Had a drain put in. Got infection. But now there putting it back in because today we found out his cancer is back. Not good if your liver is bad. Take one day at a time and tell your loved ones you love them. Every day. Again I'm sorry your going through this