I am so glad I found this forum as I've been driving myself crazy the last week with nonstop googling for information and have myself so scared I don't know what to think.
My partner has just been diagnosed with Hep C with 'moderate' Cirrhosis and a small mass (4.6 cm) in the upper lobe of her liver. She meets with a liver specialist this coming Monday. We are both terribly afraid to walk into this appointment.
She has been experiencing fluid build up in her abdomen and a CT scan in ER revealed the above information.
She recently had a bacterial infection in her GI track and was treated for that...recent tests show the infection is gone. During treatment for he infection it was discovered she is also diabetic. When it rains it pours.
Any words of encouragement and suggestions of what questions to ask the doctor would be greatly appreciated.
Thank so much to all!
Written by
PramirJC
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Thank you so much for responding. From what I understand they're going to do another CT Scan to double check everything. The mass is on the upper lobe of her liver. We're wondering if they'll do a biopsy, too. I worry about all the delays...how fast do these things grow??
Thanks so much for your encouragement...very much appreciated!
Depends on exactly what it is.Seems from a lot of reading of peoples experiences that things do not grow too fast.It is quite usual to wait a month to get answers usually 2-3 weeks for scan then another couple of weeks to get results then another couple of weeks to begin treatment.Sometimes they can see what it is through detailed scans without having a biopsy
Wow...quite an anxiety drag out when you want answers right away. If the long waits are usual then I won't worry too much when it happens. Her PCP believes she may have had the mass for some time and seemed to think they'll do a biopsy, but from what I've been reading that is not always the case. Luckily, she already had an appointment scheduled with the specialist as they were going to check into the Hep C...the positive results came back when checking into the diabetes, so we made the appointment weeks ago.
Thank you, eekk for sharing this information...so appreciated it!
Does she still have fluid build up? The anxious waits are awful and if ongoing treatment is required just be prepared for the waits as there is no way around it and it is awful waiting for the scan and then the results then treatment with weeks inbetween .But then that begins the pattern they work in so just be prepared for waits as no amount of anxiety and asking for quicker answers just do not happen either because the physically have to wait for results to be seen or they have so many to see you just wait.Hopefully you will know more on monday,
They worry more when they are over 5cm and there are multiples
The fluid build up has gone down quite a lot. I'll try to rein in my anxiety a bit and just realize this is the name of the game. It is under 5cm, but worry about all the waiting. They're going to do another CT Scan, but the first scan revealed just one.
Hopefully it will be non cancerous and they can just remove it.Even if it is cancerous at that size in with a good chance of getting rid of it good luck for Monday
Keep reading , searching the internet, asking questions especially at the doctors ask where they are getting there information so you can on the same page learn all you can. Just about everyone has some mass , the hepatitis C can be stopped with medication and moderated cirrhosis is good also if you going to have it. Now she will need to make some changes . Nothing is easy but you can read on this site there is a lot of hope. So instead of being worried be inquisitive and smart don’t be worried about the unknown. Good luck
Thank you for replying! I continue to read and learn, but have hesitated to share the information with her. Frankly what I'm reading is not encouraging. She's also begun the fight with diabetes, so she's starting medication for that. So, she has a mass on her liver, Hep C, Cirrhosis, esophageal problem, enlarged spleen...and diabetes.
She's also started seeing a new PCP who we're not feeling the 'warm fuzzies' for. We need to start feeling some positives here.
When the doctors said that hey you got chronic hepatitis C & Chronic Cirrhosis they instructed me to get my priorities in line like my will etc... . Also to tell everyone just to get the reality of the worse scenario over with and behind us along with explaining the possibility of sequence of things to come. At first it seemed a bit morbid but I see now that it was beneficial for me and my family mentally. Now that things are progressing everyone understands and also knows what to look for in my behavior and daily life tasks and understands. I made a decision to live now , It ain’t easy So in short realizing reality and understanding the results, Allowed me too get to a peaceful place mentally, life’s easy. I challenge myself to do more and not give up. I also with my family have decided not to get a transplant unless it is experimental, something new so they can study so that it may help others.
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