Diagnosed with cirrhosis 6 months ago

[skay1957]

First time writing here. Discovering low platelets on routine CBC led to the diagnosis of cirrhosis. Never drank but have had problems with weight over the last 15 years. LFTs have always run a little high, but not to extreme, just a little elevated. Diagnosed with diabetes 6 years ago due to weight but that has been managed. Six months ago, went through a battery of tests, CT chest, abdomen and pelvis after discovering the low platelets. Now, after 30 pound weight loss all lab tests have been normal, everything, even blood sugar 5.4 A1C down from 6.1 which was still good. New CT abdomen says unremarkable liver parenchyma. No liver lesions, nothing. The only thing it showed still was an enlarged spleen. Nothing else was mentioned as abnormal. Pancreas, kidneys, gallbladder, all normal. No ascites/fluid. New lab work, everything normal, even LFTs. Nothing elevated. I would think with the diagnosis of cirrhosis something would be still showing abnormal, right, other than just the spleen enlargement. I have never had a liver biopsy but told 8 years ago that I had a fatty liver on ultrasound, (however, the doctor never followed up all these years later) until now. Is there a chance I may have caught it so early that it's reversing itself now, I don't know. I didn't really ask my hepatic doctor that question. She still wants to do an endoscopy in March, my first one and ultrasound in June. Diagnosis remains cirrhosis.

[tinkabell3]

Hello and thanks for posting, it gives me hope that if I lose the weight I might be able to make a difference. I also have cirrhosis, caused from non alcoholic fatty liver disease. My bloods show liver as normal, my kidneys are not quite right, platelets a little low and like you an enlarged spleen. My Gp has requested to see me as a routine appointment with a urine sample. The letter said following recent blood tests. So I'm a little anxious. Hope all goes well for you in june.

Tinka x

[Hidden]

Hi Skay1957, i don't know how they diagnosed you with cirrhosis and all your scans of your liver came back fine. Some people do need their spleen removed. My father-in-law had a similar situation but got a 2nd opinion and they removed his spleen. he also lost 40 pounds and all his LFTs came back very low. What most people don't know is sometimes your LFTs can be low due to your liver being cirrhotic and not working. He is doing fine now but he does have his liver checked often. Skay, if I read correctly, you are saying your doctor gave you that diagnoses only because your platelets were low if you don't mind, please post your results..I would like to see if they are similar to my father-in-law who i am a caretaker for.

[AyrshireK in reply to Hidden]

I think re-reading Skay1957's post it would appear her condition wasn't just diagnosed by the low platelet count.

She already had a diagnosis of fatty liver disease with high body weight and diabetes. Nothing was done about this but when it was discovered she had low platelets 6 months ago she underwent a barrage of tests including CT scan and more and these tests lead to the diagnosis of cirrhosis.

Following this it looks like she has lost 30 lb of weight and it is more recent 'new' CT scans that things appear to have improved significantly although her spleen remains enlarged. It would appear that the weight loss and better management of condition (fatty liver) may have reversed her condition somewhat.

Katie

p.s. my hubby has cirrhosis due to auto-immune liver disease which was diagnosed following a massive upper GI bleed, he went on to have 42 varices banded. At one point his spleen was 19cm and his platelets were low and blood clotting time was increased. It was subsequently discovered that he had numerous aneurysms in his splenic artery due to portal hypertension and once these were embolised his spleen has actually died off for the most part (considered non-viable). As a result of the loss of his spleen his platelet count rose to normal, INR normalised and all his LFT's stabilised and he ended up being delisted from the transplant list.

[skay1957 in reply to Hidden]

Hi Sophia2960, thank you for responding. GP never did CBC's on me. Nurse practitioner did the CBC because I saw her that particular visit instead of him, the GP. At the time, I just assumed they always did CBC's on routine blood work but my GP did not, unbeknownst to me. When my CBC came back showing low platelets and that I was anemic, that prompted her to send me to a oncology hematology doctor looking for possibly leukemia, lymphoma, etc. I thought the worst. I started iron at that time and my hemoglobin gradually went up. As soon as I saw the oncology doctor and she saw on my medical records that I had a fatty liver from 8 years before on ultrasound, she immediately sent me for a CT chest, abdomen, and pelvis and a battery of blood work. I believe she suspected it was cirrhosis with the low platelets. I had never had a CT before. It showed early cirrhosis of the liver, a small lesion too small to characterize, and the enlarged spleen. After that, I was sent to a liver specialist. She did a battery of blood work, looking for the cause of the cirrhosis (other than my weight). She said she felt it was all due to my weight but she needed to rule out anything else as the cause. Except for slightly elevated LFTs, everything was normal. Six months went by, I lost 30 pounds, and I had my second visit with the liver doctor. She did a CT abdomen which came back showing the results of liver parenchyma unremarkable, no liver lesions; kidneys, gallbladder, and pancreas normal. Spleen enlarged but the diagnosis was still cirrhosis. All lab work at that time normal, even LFTs. With the weight loss, every test they did was within normal limits.

[Hidden]

Sky, with your 2nd scan it seems losing the weight has helped your liver. Just continue exercising and eating right, your liver might recover because your liver is an amazing organ.

[Subsid]

Hello and thanks for posting. I'm new here and not an expert, but recall reading somewhere that early stage Cirrhosis is sometimes reversible once the underlying cause is fixed. Liver is an amazing organ and the only one in our body that can regenerate if it is not scarred heavily. That is what maybe happening here and miracles do happen all the time Best of luck on your June ultrasound and continue on your healthy path - maybe it's a blessing in disguise

[AyrshireK in reply to Subsid]

Hi Subsid, just pointing out that you've replied here to a 5 year old thread.