Fibroscan vs Fibrotest

[Oscarala]

Hello, my name is Maria I'm a 26year old female new here. I have had the pleasure of reading some posts and so forth but figured I'd post since I have quite a few questions myself and was wondering if anyone had any kind of insight. 😊

*Warning very lengthy*

So on August 2nd 2018 I went to see my primary care doctor and was informed well re informed that I was pre-diabetic, triglycerides were (174) a bit high and my Alt (60) & AST (52). Which he chalked it up to being probably from fatty liver. I had already started to begin my process with my bariatric surgery in order to get the surgery which my primary knew about. He prescribed metformin 500mg and said continue with improving my life style/surgery. This freaked me out a bit as I am and have always been a big person but overall a "healthy fat" person. Which I know doesn't make any sense but just bare with me. So anyhow I leave with the mindset of .. okay I need to start eating healthy, exercising, and just do a complete 180°. So anyhow the following day August 3rd, I have my first appointment with the actually bariatric surgeon and during the exam he feels around on my stomach and says and I quote: "Has anyone ever told you that your liver is enlarged?" At this point my heart drops and I just feel sick. And I'm just like No? Umm, am I okay? And he's like a lot of my patients well, actually most have this and it's due to NAFLD-NASH and after surgery it should start to improve but don't worry because I'm going to vet an ultrasound sound on that area anyways.

Soleave there with a paper of things I need to do/have done or completed before scheduling the surgery one of them being an ultrasound and at this point I'm just feeling worse than before. Mentally more than anything and at this point I don't even want to think about food etc.

I start cutting out any kind of bad carbs, sugars etc. And exercising like a well idk but like crazy! Lol and I don't know why it's funny because it really wasnt. I started noticing a few days after my diet warning *tmi alert*

A few days after starting my diet, my stools started to change but not just consistency.. color. And I'm talking like a Bright mustard yellow color. And guess what I do. I do what any normal, sane, rational person would do. I Google it. 😑 I start googling all of it. And I'm starving myself which at this time I didn't realize it. Well fast forward to the 10th .. we are still in August by the way. I've lost 12lbs. I'm convinced I'm dying and I'm an emotional wreck and I'm at my first dietician appointment through bariatric surgery. I go in and meet with her and she starts going over what my diet has been like the last week or so and I tell her. I had an apple for breakfast, a half a sandwich for lunch and a bowl of spinach with 3oz of chicken for dinner. Oh and I'm exercising like crazy. Well I leave there with a nutrion plan because she told me I was starving myself and putting out more energy than I was taking in etc. I start trying to eat better but I'm still having this yellow stool. Well fast forward to the 18th. I go to use the loo and it's just like oil. Like someone poured a cap full of vegetable oil in the toilet. I'm freaking out I run & get my mom and I'm like I'm going to the ER. Well I'm in the ER but by now I've convinced myself I have pancreatic cancer. Google oily stool and see what pops up. 😏

I had already had the ultrasound done 4 days prior on the 14th and was also waitingvon a call back from them because I just knew they were going to find something. Well I express my concerns and symptoms to the ER doctor and she runs some blood tests (complete blood count, complete metabolic pannel & Lipase pancreatic enzyme ) my Lipase came back fine and most of my blood work was good. Still elevated liver enzymes. Even now a bit higher than before. She came back and told me that she was also able to pull up my ultrasound report because it was In the same database. And that my liver, pancreas and stuff we're fine and to go see my phsyciatrist and it was probably IBS. She also gave me a referral to a GI doctor. Well 2 days later I get a call from the bariatric office saying that there was 1 small gallstone and that the surgeon wanted to have removed during surgery because I can also get more gallstones after surgery.

*Let me stop for a second to say thank you if you are still reading this. Thank you*

I'm a complete nervous wreck by now. I'm afraid to eat. I'm afraid not to eat. And I'm popping oil again. This is the second time. So I go back to ER. Blood works done again electrolytes and stuff looking even better than before because I'm eating again most likely. ER doctor just says can take a few weeks to regulate but you should follow up with the GI doctor.

So I call.

Gan appointment on the 5th of September. I go in I meet with a very nice woman who is taking over the main GI doctors practice. I tell her everything you just read right now. - I know, poor lady.

She says I think it's stress and you liver enzymes are elevated but nothing else is and they aren't that high. She says we can do a scheduled colonoscopy and we have a fibroscan machine here to measure fibrosis. I agreed and then so a few minutes later I'm laying down trying to stretch how he wants me to while he's fibroscaning me. It was about 6min in total but for like the first 4 he couldn't even find my liver. Once he finds my liver he is having me hold my breath, grunt etc idk it was weird. Then he says, you said you had a ultrasound done? And I'm like umm yeah. And he says and it was normal? Freak-out alert going off in my head. Me: yes, well I think so, why?? Is this NOT NORMAL??

He just says I talk about it right now...

Then it's over. My CAP score 350

My kpa score is 15kpa.

Hcap score isn't what concerns me so much as the kpa score because a normal level is like <7kpa and etc. He leaves goes and gets the woman GI doctor and while they are gone I see the sign >12kpa- CIRRHOSIS.

TTHATS IT. IM 26 WITH A ALMOST 3YEAR OLD AND I HAVE FUCKING CIRRHOSIS. I DONT EVEN DRINK HARDLY. RARELY.

They come back in and GI doctor says we'll, it's worse than I thought. That's when I just straight out say. Do I have CIRRHOSIS? And she sees the paper and flips it over and says I don't think you do sometimes the machine reads wrong especially if your overweight which you are and that she's gonna request the ultrasound and do blood works. I leave there feeling defeated. I start crying in my car my mom's like what in the world is going on. I have to explain. Mom's always being so optimistic saying the scan is probably wrong you just ate an hour ago etc which I had. But then on the way to the labs to pick up stool sample containers because they also ordered that I am reading that it's a fasting test and that they are checking me for an( apf tumor marker - for auto immune diseases, hepatitis pannel, iron, and a Fibrotest Nash blood test. Well I do my bloods on the 10th of September I had to build up the courage to do it. I just got my blood works because I registered online. Doctor hasn't called me and it shows that my fibroscore is F-0 compared to the fibroscan which had scored me at an F-4 highest level. All the test came back good. Not hepatitis no auto immune diseases no iron overload no high tumor marker number etc. I have an appointment on the 26th. Of this month September with the GI doctor. My stress levels are not 100% better but I'm trying even before receiving what I call good results. I'm just confused as to why the blood and the scan have such contradicting results? I'm just still really confused and know that they have to take in so many things to give a result/diagnosis etc but just was wondering if anyone could shed any light on this and if anyone has ever had a similar situation regarding test inconsistencies. Thanks so much.

[Smyally]

Just wanted to pop on and say hi Maria. Just finished reading your post and feel that your mind is in a complete whirl at the moment. Has anybody referred you to a hepatologist ? They are doctors that specialise in liver diseases and are best equipped to explain test and scan results to you. Try not to panic ( Easier said than done). Most problems with the liver can be reversed by a change in lifestyle. It is very important to follow a healthy diet plan given to you by your dietitian and any exercise is also good. Good luck going forward and this is a friendly place to come and chat. Xx

[Owlie]

Hi Maria,

I wanted to reply to offer support to you. I made my first post two weeks ago after a shock regarding tests and ultrasound and members were very kind and offered support and kind words. I was told to breathe and stay off the Internet as you will totally scare yourself to death.

The Drs are the specialists and when you are feeling low everything seems 10 times worse than it is. As Smyally said try not to panic and try to eat as healthily as you can and exercise. My understanding is that these are key in helping to improve the liver. I really feel for you and please don’t hesitate to vent on here if you need to. It has helped me although I am still terrified and I don’t even have a Consultant’s appt yet.

Sending hugs

Owlie xx

PS For what it’s worth I don’t drink either.

[Oscarala]

Thank you both. I am definitely in a whirl. I just hate being stuck in the " unknown" phase. Hopefully on the 26th I'll find out more. Also, I haven't been referred to a hepatologist. My GI doctor is also a liver specialist though. So unsure as to if that would be the same? Thanks again guys.

[Kristian]

Hi Oscarala,

If you have a read on fibroscans almost all say that for those of us on the larger side, the fibroscan test is not that accurate. Perhaps the body fat affects the sound waves, lol. Something like that anyway. Basically for those over a certain size fibroscan is not very accurate at all.

[Oscarala in reply to Kristian]

I have read a little on it saying that a BMI of >30 can lead to an inaccurate reading. My BMI is around 50. I am almost 300lbs definitely on the heavy side. Lol I just was wondering if anyone else has had conflicting results. Can't seem to find much on that. Hopefully my fat has caused a misread. For once my fat would be a positive thing haha

[mrsmerlin]

Hi Oscarala

(Lovely name)

First I'll do the boring we are not supposed to share results precisely as none of us are qualified to interpret them.

Please, please leave Dr Google alone he is even less qualified than we are and he tends to lie a lot. You can go through him to official sites such as the transplant centres and The British Liver Trust. Don't panic at me sayingtransplant centre, I'm not dragging you kicking and screaming down the transplant route. It's just that they usually have loads of information leaflets and support for any stage.

Fibroscsn results are not reliable - I had 2 6 days apart (trail for something) the first was 64 and the second 23 🙄

I know I might as well say go plait a river, but try not to worry - we've all been there done that and you can have some of the worry I had to save you the effort.

Having a hailstone removed during surgery is the most reassuring news you have given out of a lot of reassuring things (well to us although you're probably laughing at me right now).

It means that they will definitely examine around your liver and that has to be the best indication to them whether or not to ask for further tests.

Now my tmi for you based on your tmi. If you don't eat enough, the oil you describe is most likely digested human fat. That sounds good until you consider this means it has been processed by your liver again and without medical supervision of diet this could (not has) inflame your liver which "could" explain the weird up and down results.

Lot of waffle to say trust your doctors. They alone have your full medical history and can interpret results based on that.

Good luck with the surgery - let us know how you get on.

Take care

Rita xx

[ZZZZipp]

FibrosaMs are basically nonsense for someone your age. MRI is far superior. Get on a proper diet(not yours) and get to a proper weight. Don't take anything any " YOUR" pscho-chiatrist recommends. matter of fact lose that number.There's another sham. 25% of the US females are on drugs that make them more nuts than natural.

Find a true liver specialist.Nothing but liver.

You take a Ferrari to a gas stations " expert mechanic" ? That's who the gi doc equals in this.

The best food you can wake up to is pearled barley with some real garbanzos(no cans) mixed in( 75% Barley/25 garbanzo) and about 1/3 of an avocado to the side or chop it right in.Black beans if you hate garbanzo.

Onion it up and hot pepper-bell pepper-garlic-cilantro it a little if you like that stuff. Any herb you like really. Take silimarin as directed on the bottle. 2 is NOT better than one( you're that type). Get some Chanca Piedra. Same thing. Directions. Chanca piedra plays with Magnesium as I'm sure you'll find(you're that type again ;-). The avocado already fixed that. No worries. No supplemental magnesium needed. Hate avocado ? Spinach will do.Tofu is decent too if you're into that crap ;(

Relax.Music is better than cruising UK Liver.AHHHHHHH any day. If you're a weed person, no smoke. Edibles.

[Julie8]

Hi there, when I first took metformin I had terrible diahorea, so they changed me to slow release metformin (succarto). It could be a reason for your faeces change.