I am a 37 year old male. Been a heavy drinker for around 15 years. I got admitted to hospital for a mallory wies tear (due to retching the night before). Stayed in hospital for about 3 days. Had an appointment to attend for ultrasound on liver. Results showed “coarse liver on USS”. Few weeks later had an appointment with consultant to discuss results. He said “its best to keep off alcohol for around 6 months, and then Stick to the recommended allowance after that”. My question is, if the USS showed “coarse liver”, then why haven’t they advised me to stop drinking forever? Also my bloods (LFT) were all fine at the time of scan.
“Coarse liver on USS”: I am a 37 year... - British Liver Trust
“Coarse liver on USS”
66 Replies
•
Hi Vodka Coke
I think most of us on here would suggest you stop completely. I think it was ill advised of the Dr to say you can drink later as, if you are anything like most drinkers, you’ll start ok but quickly get the taste for alcohol and drink far too much very quickly.
I wouldn’t take too much solace in the lfts. If you got admitted to hospital for 3 days as you were so wasted you made yourself sick and then tore your innards as you were puking too violently then I think that means you need to rethink your drinking anyway.
Sorry to be harsh but it really is to be kind. To prevent you needing treatment later for cirrhosis or even a transplant. If you stop now it would be so much better.
Best of luck
Ps
A change of name, to show a change of heart might be a good idea🤔🤔
• in reply toIsabelle2
I also said to the consultant “i have changed my diet and dont eat any junk food or sugars anymore”. His answer to that was “I wouldn’t really worry about diet, but make sure you dont drink alcohol for at least 6 months”
Isabelle2• in reply to
Clearly for you the booze was the thing. You can also keep up the healthy diet though - it won’t do any harm!
• in reply toIsabelle2
What i want to know is, will my liver ever repair itself after being in the so called “coarse” state.
Ive been on some websites and the news isn’t good at all. These websites have given me sleepless nights, advising me i have end stage liver disease even though consultant wasn’t very concerned at all.
• in reply to
I also had an course echo on an ultrasound and then had a 6.3 kpa on a fibroscan so I was told if I had any scarring it was early stage. Don't worry if you doctor says not too he's a professional. My only advice is stop drinking altogether I'm the same age you are and I'm over a year sober. We have been lucky to get an early warning and it would be irresponsible not to listen to it. Take care sober living is not easy by any means but it's worth it.
Boone
• in reply to
As well as changing your name, change your GP, sounds like an idiot to me ! You need a referral to a liver specialist for tests to see if you do have any damage.
If you quit drinking for good you will give your liver chance to recover, if you start again in moderation in 6 months time as he is recommending, you stand a huge chance of becoming addicted, the consequences of which can be catastrophic.
Stay off the websites, they are full of poor and contradictory advice.
Good luck.
• in reply to
Thank you for your advice. First of all the consultantation was with a liver specialist (thats why i had to wait 6 weeks for the appointment where we discussed the ultrasound Results). And finally, the specialist must know a little about what he was talking about when he said “dont drink for 6 months, then take it easy after that” after all thats his job right?
• in reply to
Any medical specialist who suggests you stay of the booze for 6 months then drink in moderation, when you clearly already have liver problems is crazy. My husband was told by his specialist " if you continue to drink you will die !! " Guess what ? He did. Your choice good luck!
• in reply to
Luckily my liver will fully repair. Then i will enjoy drinking again moderately. I will take my specialists advice. My great grandad was a drinker and lived to be 101. My grandad is a daily whiskey drinker and he is now 91. My father is a daily whiskey drinker, he is now 66. (If they had an ultrasound that would most likely show a coarse liver too).
MarkAS• in reply to
Well if that is your attitude then I suggest you have joined the wrong group 👎
You are not your father, grandad, guy across the street or me for that matter.
We are all different and your liver investigation is at an early stage.
I thought exactly the same as you when I was 38 (5 years ago) and was first referred to a liver doctor with a Fibroscan KPA reading of 7. I gave up for 6 months and then resumed drinking again and guess what... the following year my Fibroscan Reading was 23.5 KPA.
Ultimately and probably unfortunately it’s entirely up to YOU what YOU choose to do.
Either way I/we wish you well and hope you don’t take the reckless path 😬👍
• in reply toMarkAS
When you resumed drinking, was it heavy drinking? Or 1 or 2 drinks a week
• in reply to
So why did you come on here questioning the advice your specialist had given you? It sounds like you've already decided you will start drinking again when your 6 months is up and just want us to agree and give you the green light. Enjoy your vodka and coke !
MarkAS• in reply to
HaHa 6 months 🤷♂️ ... He’s probably already sat in a pub pissed 🤪
No helping some people unfortunately but I hope I’m wrong 🤭
• in reply to
Its best to get the green light from the liver specialist like i did.
Quick tip mate.. from experience. I too had a Mallory Weiss Tear. I had life insurance cover but advised the docs that I used to drink a lot (actually in hindsight I did not)! I was just scared at the time. Anyway, I was later diagnosed the HPS and tried to claim life cover. Was rejected. DO NOT get you name associated with alcohol, no matter how I tried, I could never change their minds, I provided proof after proof, but they refused to pay out. Now I am awaiting an LT and broke. No a good space. Stick to MW tear, it can happen to anyone who vomits violently.
Just a story mate, the rest is always true, in moderation or better still not at all. Keep Well. J
• in reply toja1nsa
Thanks for reply, i will be continuing to drink in moderation when my 6 months are complete. After all you only live once and i want to enjoy it with the occasional drink with friends.
Why bother asking why they haven’t told you to stop drinking forever when you’ve made your mind up to continue?? Yes you only live once it’s up to you how long you want to live you’ve had a warning TAKE IT
Huw
• in reply to1football
Ive had a warning, thats why im not drinking for 6months. I seen more than 1 consultant, so they cant all be wrong.
• in reply to
Also i will get a private fibroscan done when the 6 months is over and display the results on here.
1football• in reply to
I honestly hope you get good results and lead a healthy life but I can’t believe anybody on here will advise what your consultant has advised with what had happened to you I agree not all consultants can be wrong but none of mine at addenbrookes would of advised that
Huw
• in reply to
Yeah? And another 1 6 months after you start drinking again?
I'm defiantly all for never drinking again but to suggest the course echo is suggestive of cirrhosis is also inaccurate an us is only as good as the radiologist my report actually said mild coursness but no indication of cirrhosis my hepatologist acutually didn't even mention the course comment I only saw it when I read the report. To often people get a clear ultrasound and feel it's a pass to keep drinking it's only one piece of the puzzle. I got a warning and I'm taking it the drink is not worth the chance of ill health
Take care
Boone
• in reply to
Your right Boone. It was meant to be worded the opposite and have more included but my phone I was typing it on buggered up on me. I removed the post as it was worded in an unfactual manner. To be honest I wouldnt have noticed it until you mentioned it
• in reply to
No worries there's so much conflicting information out there it's too bad this post has gone so sideways it would be nice to have a real dicussion on this topic. I hope your doing well
Boone
• in reply to
I agree totally. My recent ultrasound has noted nodular contour and heterogeneous echotexture. They are suggesting cirrhosis on my reports. It is a finding in cirrhosis tho it's also found in steatosis which I do have. It gets really confusing and frustrating and causes overwhelming heaps of anxiety. It feels at times that the doctors aren't ever really sure as much as we aren't. But as I always have I'm.going to continue to treat it as cirrhosis and any lesser finding just becomes welcome.
I hope your well also Boone
• in reply to
Not sure if my experience will help you but here it is. Quit drinking for no reason but I drank way too much went to my GP admitted how much I drank got blood draw and ultrasound done bloods were good but got a referral due to ultrasound. I read the report saw the course comment and started googling spent 4 months wait for my appointment with the heptologist worried sick I had liver disease. Went to my appointment and the doctor didn't even mention the course echo he was concerned about a cyst that showed up. I asked about the course echo and he said it was more than likely fat resolving its self or may just be how my liver looks as I had no previous us to go by had a fibroscan at the appoinment but only because everyone who gets referred got on 6.3 kpa he said its a ok score had a cat scan for the cyst and never heard anymore about it . So you can see it's never clear cut I guess you need many test to get the whole picture. I decided I was quiting booze even before I ever read about liver disease and I'm now 15 months sober I hope my experience helps some and I hope the best for u
By the way I'm writing on my phone as well do forgive the grammar lol
Take care
Boone
• in reply to
Thank you muchly. I know it's never clear cut it's true. I feel like some doctors will call things cirrhosis if they cant arrive at any other thing to say. That's what my GI doctor did. Wasn't till I got to the hepotologist that she was like " ok let's slow down here and look at it closer". I really appreciate you responding. I totally hear you on the phones and the grammar. Sometimes I read back a knowledge filled post I've written only to find it sounds like I have poor English when read aloud. Lol.
Take care as well Boone!
Hi Mr_H_1,
That sounds like an excellent question for your doctor, who knows your history and condition.
Best wishes,
Mary
Ok here are some FACTS...
alcohol causes....
high blood pressure
depression
liver failure
Kidney failure
5 types of cancer .... you want me to name them?
Over 7500 DIE from drinking alcohol in the UK every year
337000 hospital admissions caused by alchol consumption in the UK every year.
There are insufficient kidneys and livers available to replace the amount of organs required to transplant the failed, rotting livers caused by alcohol and many patients die waiting. For anyone thinking " it wont happen to me" think again, it so easily could. Do you want to be added to this sad list of statistics?
My t-total hubby who got cirrhosis through absolutely no actions of his own would do absolutely anything it took to return his liver and health to the way it was before - to go to work, to have a normal life, to have energy, to sleep through the night, to have a normal family and sex life, to be able to plan more than a day ahead knowing he could go ahead with plans, without the fear that any day his liver could become decompensated again and he could die of this horrid illness. Sadly there is not a thing he can do, his condition is one where his own immune system has turned on his own liver and unfortunately it was never found before it had almost killed him.
What he would give to have the chance to do one thing to get his life back.
You've got the chance to stop your liver getting that bad. Take heed of the warnings here from people who've seen what happens when drink gets hold.
You might find that after 6 months off you don't feel the urge to return to drinking that you do now.
What I think many people don't get is that you need to decide that you don't want to drink for yourself. Being told not to can just make you feel resentful and under pressure. I know that's how I felt anyway.
I've now been diagnosed with cirrhosis. I have also been advised to avoid alcohol (note: not told to, for the reason stated above.) This was enough for me to decide to stop.
Best of luck with whatever you decide to do.
• in reply toDave5
I think hes already decided he is going to drink again when the 6 months are up. He said hes going to enjoy his life drinking with his mates. Hes convinced himself he can do that, not get addicted and live to 105. Everyone has offered advice through experience but he knows best !
If someone said dont jump on the fire you'll get burnt would you do it ?
Dave5• in reply to
People don't tend to have addictions to jumping on fires and it's not ingrained in societal behaviour.
• in reply toDave5
Ah of course everything has to be PC now in case someone takes offence
• in reply to
I bet this chap sounds just to familiar for you rewind a few years laura009. Frustrating I'm sure
• in reply to
Hes obviously an adict in denial, asks the questions, if he doesn't get the answers he wants to hear he gets defensive. Been drinking heavily for 15 years..... now 37? ..... yeah he will be dead by 60. Sad thing is, we the tax payer will be picking up the tab for all his treatment and hospitalisation in the meantime, but at least when hes back on the booze again, some of what he pays for it will make a contribution eh ?
Xx
• in reply to
True said. I'm still baffled that any doctor who sees an ultrasound with any liver alterations would recommend he can drink after 6 months. I'm starting to think that's not what the doctor said and he just heard what he wanted to hear. I can see maybe the doctor said something like " stop drinking for six months and come back so we can see what has changed". I doubt he at all insinuated he can drink after the six months. Again he just heard what he wanted to hear.
• in reply to
Exactly !
CHRISR999• in reply to
A battered liver will take longer than 6 mths to recover. Try 2 to 3 years. I went from a sick liver 12.7 kpa n cap 328. Over 2 year back. Now 4.6 kpa n 168 cap. That saying from my doctor was your liver will sort itself out. Just so happened to be true in my case.. Keep the faith. Time a great healer
Hi, could you please tell me the lifestyle changes you made? Thank you so much 💓
Hi, mine was due to alcohol. Its pretty simple what to do. Don't drink, smoke, take drugs, eat as healthy as poss. Cut sugar n fat most of all. Do everything your gp tells you as regards to lifestyle. And when they say none it means none.
Never drank alcohol in my life, never smoked, never took drugs, follow a veg diet mostly, not obese, yet my ultrasound said "minimal coarseness echotexture ", I don't know what caused it. LFT is normal tho. I hope it's reversible .
Due to covid couldn't contact a doc. Thank you for your reply!
Something else could be attacking the liver. You should try get to bottom of it. Speak to your gp to get more tests etc. Hope u sort it 😁
• in reply toDave5
Thanks for the “none forceful” advice. After reading your reply i have decided to extend my 6 month abstinence to 12 months. 
No one is telling you what to do. All these people are doing is giving you the facts and they are the reality of what happens to your body if you drink.They are the living proof, many on this forum are dying because they had never been made aware of the dangers. It killed my husband, hes another of those statistics i have listed above. So you now know a little more about it maybe you will make a more sensible decision about your lifestyle rather than face a life of severe illnesses, endless medication and premature death. As ive said ... your choice
• in reply to
Some of the oldest living people in the world drink alcohol. (Thats another statistic).
Like i said youve made your mind up and hope you live a long happy healthy life with your alcohol
Well, it's your life at the end of the day. Your going to do exactly what you want to do and sod the consequences. You've had your wake-up call and you choose to ignore it. Your drinking because you have to, not because you want to. Your liver is dying and you don't care, but that's alright as at the end of the day it's your life and your body and only you know best.
I'm sorry if I sound harsh, but I've seen too many people die of alcohol-related liver disease, not only from this site but in the hospital as well. If ever you need convincing, just take a visit up at your local hospital and go on the Gastro ward. There you'll see people fighting for their lives, people begging for a second chance. Yellowed coloured faces, looking all gaunt and helpless. This is what is awaiting you my friend. Death by alcohol abuse is not a happy end. It's a long painful process, that affects not only the person, but also their love ones. They are the ones who are left to pick up the pieces. Even if a person is fortunate enough to be selected to go onto the transplant waiting list, most likely will not survive long enough, or become too ill to survive the procedure before a liver becomes available.
I know I may sound pretty hard, but this is no laughing matter. I've gotten close to people since I've been on this site, and I've lost quite few friends (really nice people) just this year alone. So, the next time you want another drink just think of what lies ahead. Ignore this warning at your peril. But it's your life. Only you can make changes, not your family, not your so called mates ("go on have another beer, one more's not going to kill you"). Only you.
• in reply to
The liver can heal. Even when its been beaten hard for years. A very very resilient organ. So if you catch it at the right time, it will heal and there’s no reason why i or anybody else in my position cant enjoy the occasional pint here and there.
• in reply to
You think you are so clever dont you? Your attitude reeks of adiction, I've seen it and read it all before and lived with it through watching it kill my husband. The reason your specialist told you you can continue to drink moderately after 6 months is because he knows full well you would even if he advised you not to. Why bother coming on this site if you dont want help and advice? Thats what its here for not for you to display yourself as a drinker whose going to prove everybody wrong .... grow up!
AyrshireK• in reply to
I'd give up Laura, some folks just don't want to listen! Any liver doctor who tells someone they can pick up where they left off after 6 months when they are already showing signs of change in the liver isn't one i'd listen too that's for sure.
Hey, ho, can't help everyone.
All the best to you and yours.
Love Katie xx
• in reply toAyrshireK
Very true Katie. That was my last attempt.
Love to you and your hubby and keep up the good work, you're amazing
Xx
• in reply to
The internet and its “made at home specialists”. Thats all i can say. Not everybody in the world is that far gone where they wont repair and live a normal life.
• in reply to
You just don't get it. But that's not your fault. It's your body, abuse it at your own peril.
• in reply to
Seems the guy who knows more than everyone here with liver disease or family with liver disease has decided to leave the forum and start his own one stop shop of demise. Some people wont listen and I wont be surprised if we see him back in time when the inevitable happens. But you all tried and that all we ever can do.
• in reply to
His brain is addled by it already Richard
Do you enjoy holidays abroad? I certainly did. I had no idea that Fibrosis was so serious either. Mine is NALD and its now progressed to cihrosis. in less than 3 years too. You will have to declare what you have. If you dont travel insurance becomes invalid. The quotes are what alerted me, £990 was the highest! Im talking just 12 nights in Mallorca, not a world wide 3 month cruise! The lowest I found was £315, more than the cost of my holiday! Telling them you have a male line of longevity will mean jack o them. If you as immature as you appear I imagine a week away with the lads will be Time to party time? Booze is the no 1 cause of accidents abroad. My now ex boyfriend was diagnosed with a rare throat cancer just a few weeks after we met. Beofre his one chance surgery e had to be detoxed! Vowed to not drink ain after wards because he was in a very tiny club of survivors. When he got home for 2 weeks he drank N/A beer. Then went to low alcohol I knew he was a heavy drinker, his motto was 8 pints a day is what real men drink!!! he also thought he was flameproof because he never touched spirits! Over the 3 years he went from a happy funny drinker to a nasty mouth. Alcohol addiction was rife on his Dad's side. Whiskey was the choice of most of them. I stood by him when he went through the cancer. He too said he was going to live life to the full! Its not just the damage to your body, it can eventually impact on relationships. He tried for 8 months to try and talk me round. I could not face the reality, he was on course to get liver disease If he had admitted his addiction and sought help, I would ave supported him totally. Ironic that I have cirrhosis eh? I salute everyone who conquers their addiction to alcohol, they are the ones who wish to live life to the full , basically you dont care. You can take a horse to water, but cannot make it drink.......... but you will one day see that like the horse you may be wishing you had done!
• in reply toRadnor
Very well said ! X
And Elvis has left the building....
Having read through this thread it seems pertinent to say that we are not here to judge, criticise or ridicule people for the decisions they have made or may make in the future. We share our experience so that others can learn from what we have gone through.
I appreciate that some of the responses to the original post here were made in the very best interests of the OP, many of which come from a great deal of personal experience and with the very best of intentions. However, sometimes its not what we say but how we say it that makes the difference. Sometimes tough love works, sometimes it doesn't, we don't know enough about the people posting to be able to make that decision, nor do we know what impact that will have on someone else reading these posts in the months and years to come.
Many of these posts are read months and sometimes years down the line by people who may be less keen to post themselves but are desperate for the very information being shared. The legacy of our posts may have far more value than our original.
When making responses it may therefore be better not to be quite so judgemental of those seeking our help. People should feel comfortable to be part of this community. Whether they react personally to the responses they receive is down to them. However, if the responses made continue to be done in a way that maintains respect, someone else down the line may benefit to a much greater degree. They may feel confident, unlike the OP here, to remain part of this group and react positively to the messages given. Our responses may not have influenced the original poster here, but it may save someone else in the future. That is the real beauty and true value of these forums.
Merry Christmas everyone and I send you all my very best wishes for a happy and healthy new year.
• in reply toKristian
I hear you but sometimes it's hard not to judge people who make a mockery of those who got liver disease through no fault of their own, especially those with an "I know best" attitude. My dad has been an alcoholic most of his adult life. At 66 still drinking pretty much every day. Ironically I'm the one who ended up with cirrhosis and a liver transplant. Never understood why he does it, never will. I'm not even going to attempt understanding the reasons behind some stranger on the internet with a drinking problem. One thing I'm certain of though, unless the person concerned has it in them to change, the statistics, warnings and tough love are all pointless.
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