This is the first time I have been on this site.
I have just had a Fibroscan and the result took me by surprise. If i'm honest, it scares me. It showed 10.6 and I was told 7 is normal. Also showed F3 on a scale of 1 to 4. I have stopped drinking alcohol for a period of 3 weeks and will continue in an effort to try and get my liver to recover. The results are being fed back to my consultant along with blood tests but I am unsure what the long term prognosis is. Any advice, welcome.
A FibroScan score of 10.6 kPa indicates that you have severe liver scarring (fibrosis) but your liver hasn't yet become cirrhotic. If you resume drinking in the future or needlessly take drugs or become significantly overweight and/or develop type 2 diabetes your liver will almost certainly become cirrhotic. I'd look on the bright side & be thankful that the state of your liver was discovered before it became cirrhotic because if you look after yourself you should be able to live a normal lifespan free of problems caused by your liver. Your liver may even be able to repair some of the damage if you do everything right.
I don't have cirrhosis but after becoming gradually sicker from overuse of painkillers & reaching a point where I knew something was wrong & realising it was my liver I immediately stopped all painkillers (I'd given up drinking alcohol several years earlier) & started looking after myself. It's taken 18 months & I'm only now starting to feel consistently healthy however I'm yet to have a blood test where all blood values are back to the levels they were before my problems surfaced.
I now follow what I call a 'Clint Eastwood approach' to looking after myself. Many years ago I saw Clint Eastwood interviewed & he revealed that he worked out daily so he could 'drink more vino'. The cagey bastard was being misleading because years later I learned from an interview of one of his daughters that he has been a teetotaller & abhors drugs. That's why Eastwood has reached the age of 89 & still has all of his marbles & is still doing movies! He has lived a life clean of alcohol & drugs & he has stayed thin & fit from following a daily exercise regime.
When I realised my liver was causing my problems I educated myself about liver health & now I do everything possible to look after my liver even though all of the tests I've had have cleared me of having either fibrosis or cirrhosis. My platelet count in recent years has fluctuated above & below normal so something isn't right & I'm going to continue to do all I can to stay healthy. You need to do the same except in your case if you don't your liver scarring will progress to cirrhosis with all of the associated dire problems.
The danger in your case is that because your stage of liver damage tends to be symptomless you could become complacent in the future & wrongly assume after a period of abstinence that you can resume drinking because you feel fine. That would be a fatal mistake!
Dr. Melissa Palmer's Guide To Hepatitis and Liver Disease:
"The silent nature of liver disease means that it often leaves few obvious clues as to the extent of the damage being done. Some people with cirrhosis feel perfectly normal or have vague symptoms, such as fatigue, decreased appetite, nausea, and loss of libido. These individuals are known as having compensated cirrhosis. People with compensated cirrhosis often live a normal life span with relatively few health-related consequences due to cirrhosis. However, they remain at risk for developing potentially fatal complications, such as internal bleeding, encephalopathy, and/or ascites. When one of these complications develops, it is known as decompensated cirrhosis. While the complications of decompensated cirrhosis can be controlled, the liver is now beyond the point of any possible repair, and a liver transplant must be considered."
Thanks very much for all the advice. I have not drunk alcohol for 3 weeks since they told me I need to have a fibroscan. I've just got to keep going and not fall into the trap of thinking everything is ok. Starting to take more exercise as well. Thanks again.
I should also have mentioned in my previous post that someone with a FibroScan of 10.6 kPa should have regular blood tests every 3 or 6 months & a FibroScan every 12 months to check that the fibrosis isn't getting any worse. Other factors besides alcohol might have contributed to your fibrosis. A second FibroScan in 12 months would determine if giving up alcohol stopped the fibrosis from worsening.
if you were a daily drinker, a fibroscan only three weeks sober has little diagnostic value, you need to be sober for 3-4 months and get another one to see where you are at, did they give you a cap score? A really good wake up call to let you know you are in a red zone if you continue drinking but your kpa should improve with abstinence if alcohol is the cause of the high kpa
Thanks. The only other measurement they gave me was F3. Note what you say about another 3 to 4 months without alcohol.
F3 refers to Fibrosis level of 3 - there are four fibrosis stages - stage four or F4 referring to cirrhosis so thankfully you arn't there yet and can turn this around.
As others have pointed out, you have had your scan very early in your journey to sobriety so whilst F3 can indicate fairly advanced fibrosis it can also be rather inaccurate. If there is inflammation in the liver (which there is likely to be with such recent and frequent alcohol use) then it can give an inflated kPa figure due to the inflammation rather than actual fibrosis.
Stay on the wagon as others have said, eat well, exercise, follow some of the protocols in the British Liver Trust guidance on looking after your liver and fingers crossed at your next fibroscan some time down the line you'll find a significant improvement.
britishlivertrust.org.uk/li...
All the best
Katie
That's very helpful and encouraging. Thank you
Don't jump the gun too much on fibroscan results as in isolation it may not be wholly meaningful. Wait for further blood tests (esp Hyrulonic Acid or ELF). Try not to worry too much. Eat well and avoid alcohol is all you can do for now. Biopsy is gold standard and will show if any active inflammation. Good luck
Thanks.
I scanned at 10.6 this week having been off booze for 5 weeks and having scanned 14.7 after just 3 weeks off it. My bloods we’re way out of line, particularly the iron but all except gamma gt dropped to mid normal range in 3 weeksHave to stay off the booze
Now specialist will see me in 4-5 months and do an ultrasound. Ultrasounds will happen 6 monthly forever due to elevated liver cancer risk and I requested another Scan in a year
I’m not overweight, don’t smoke, exercise daily and my prognosis is excellent. I do take various supplements that my doctor says will make no difference
Alcohol however is likely a no no forever unless medicine advances
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