Absolutely panic stricken

[mareck]

Hi eveyone im new here, needing some insight if possible, my son who is 32 had ultrasoud scan 2 weeks ago and came back just yestarday he has fatty liver, but he is been sent for a M.R.I its obvious the radiographer has found more going on

doc said they want to see if its just because the fat has not settled the same on the area they where concerned about, and want to rule out anything else

he has all tests done on his bloods which have all came back ok, he has never dank or smoked in his life and no symptoms at all.

my totall fear is we dont know how long he has had fatty liver for and if its turned to cancer as i would think scarring or cirrhosis would be picked up with his ultasound and we would have just been told without been sent for M.R.I scan.

does anyone have any idea or insight or even if they have been through the same worry and ordeal???

Thanks

[Danisleigh]

My son had an area on his liver that was picked up on ultrasound and they requested an MRI for a better look. His doctor said it was either regenarative tissue or fat after viewing the results. They monitored it with Scans for 2 years but last year it started to change and although a biopsy wasn't 100% sure they were convinced the area was changing to a HCC and he was listed for transplant and he was transplanted last month. But basically the first MRI was done as a precaution and didn't show anything sinister, they just needed a better look. my son was born with a liver disease though so it didn't come out of the blue.

Hopefully your sons MRI will show nothing sinister, fingers crossed all goes well x

[mareck in reply to Danisleigh]

Thank you for your input and your story i really hope all goes well for your son and his transplant is a total success

and again thank for your help xx

[Hidden]

Just to say, an ultrasound can indicate cirrhosis, but not always. An MRI can help to detect scarring and the extent of scarring. Hope this helps

[mareck in reply to Hidden]

Hi thanks for your reply, not sure at all whats going on the doctor said he was sending him for a M.R.I but when i went to talk to doc about my sons results we have found out they have sent a urgent appointment to a liver specialist i said we were told it was an M.R.I whats going on??? reason being the doctor said Ohh i dont think we can ask for a M.R.I for liver think it has to be a specialist, not happy at all with the reply we got from him, he just skirted around any questions i asked which has made us even more worried.

[Hidden]

I've had AIH for 9 years (an autoimmune condition that causes damage to the liver) and I didn't have an MRI for 7 years!! Even then it was only being used to rule out reasons for my liver problem recently getting worse. My damage to the liver is as a result of the immune system attacking my liver and is managed using medication. It is not caused by smoking/drinking. There are many reasons for damage to the liver occurring and tests are carried out to rule out possibilities rather than just to confirm a suspicion. Just because he has been referred for an MRI does not mean the person carrying out the ultrasound saw more and isn't telling you, it could just mean that they didn't see anything to suggest why your son has a fatty liver and the MRI may give them more information than the ultrasound has.

Try not to worry, easier said than done I know, but if you have questions, then write them down and go through them systematically with the doctor when you see them next. In the meantime make an appointment with the GP to try and see if they can explain what is going on so far, telling them you are confused about what has happened so far. Very often doctors will use phrases that can cause alarm without meaning to.

All the very best and I hope someone is able to put your mind at rest soon