Seeking support, worried and depressed

[khanahsan]

I have recently been given a F4 Advanced Fibrosis by a biopsy. My Fibroscan is 11.6kpa.

Since the diagnoses a few months ago, I have lost 12kg and am 102kg from 114kg and have changed my lifestyle altogether.

I'm not supposed to see my docs till April, do you think this weight loss and lifestyle is enough to go back from f4 and indeed reverse the 11.6kpa reading as well? My docs say it is not possible to reverse fibrosis and I am transferring to cirhosis but this was before my weight loss and when I got diagnosed.

Any and all support and help will be appreciated.

R

Ahsan

[ballie52]

Yes it is possible to reverse incipient cirrhosis!

It depends on the cause and the potential to treat it .

I had stage 4 fibrosis incipient cirrhosis that was about 5yrs ago and I am not getting any of the symptoms of further progression!

As I said it does depend on the cause..if it's related to a virus like Hep C it can be treated!

If it's diet related or alcohol related then lifestyle changes at the earliest possible stage can definitely halt any further damage!

Obviously not everyone can reverse cirrhosis but studies do show it is possible if action is taken at the very early stages of cirrhosis

[Eurotrash]

Hello there!

Fibrosis can be reversed in some cases, as Ballie pointed out.

It's important to know that there are treatments and management plans for liver disease.

Also, people can live symptom-free for decades of they look after themselves and hopefully new treatments will come about.

It's easy to get down but by looking after yourself, you are likely to prevent further progression and have a healthier lifestyle.

You can't change the past but your future starts here: Kick ass!

Take care,

Ricard

[Malmesbury1970 in reply to Eurotrash]

Morning. I have had a pain in my liver area for just over a month. I have sadly abused my body with alcohol for over 20 years, and the past couple it has been excessive. I usually drink two bottles of wine every night. I am so ashamed and so scared what this could be. I have googled all symptoms of Liver Disease and Liver Cancer and I have none, apart from the tender pain in the liver area. I know I need to stop drinking but my marriage ended a year ago and I live alone and am really struggling to cope. I joined this site this morning, and my aim is to not drink this evening, and taking one day at a time, I am scared to visit my GP and so I'm going to abstain from alcohol for as long as I can, and hopefully the pain will ease. If the pain hasn't gone away after a couple of weeks of not drinking then I will make an appointment with the Dr. Has anyone else experienced liver pain that has gone away once removing alcohol from their lives? Any advice/support would be so much appreciated. Thank you x

[Hidden in reply to Malmesbury1970]

Good morning Malmesbury1970,

Welcome to this friendly supportive forum.

May I suggest in order for people to see your post in future , you start a 'new post' rather than joining a thread. This would allow more members to see it and offer support, and I am sure you will find many have been where you are now and understand how you are feeling.

I cannot suggest strongly enough that you visit your GP. There is no 'shame' in what you are experiencing and your GP will be there to support you.

It may be necessary for you to have support in stopping your alcohol as abrupt changes can lead to complications and acute alcohol withdrawal.

May I suggest that you contact the nurse led helpline on 0800 652 7330 Mon- Fri 10am -3pm for a chat and support.

Best wishes,

Trust9

[Malmesbury1970 in reply to Hidden]

Thank you all for taking the time to message me, I'm actually stunned that people are out there and make time to message and support I didn't drink last night, ate a healthy dinner and went to bed early. I can't remember the last time I did that. Woke up this morning still with slight pain in liver area, but I know this is going to take time to hopefully go away. One day at a time...... thank you again

[briccolone in reply to Malmesbury1970]

I strongly recommend you heed advice from Trust9...Dr Google can lead you down dark paths.....trust me I've been there! See the Doc-fess up on the drinking. Stop drinking now-as you say one day at a time-it works! lets see what's what in 6 weeks-you'll be feeling better about yourself I can assure you. cheers

[Malmesbury1970 in reply to briccolone]

Thank you. I didn't drink at all last night, I know its just one day but already feeling more positive.

[briccolone in reply to Malmesbury1970]

that's the spirit...you'll soon start realising that alcohol is not the answer to anything...

[Malmesbury1970 in reply to Eurotrash]

Many thanks Richard, you might see below yesterday way a good day, now for day 2. Feeling positive and definitely kicking ass so far.........long may it continue.

[GANDONAS14 in reply to Malmesbury1970]

Hi Malmesbury 1970

Good luck on your journey, it wont be easy, I am on day 16 and have managed alc freed days apart from one glass of wine on day 13 which really annoyed me. Best thing I can find so far is to do things, go for a swim, table tennis & defo you will know you are on the right course soon. Good luck.

[Malmesbury1970 in reply to GANDONAS14]

Hi thank you for your reply. May I ask what made you decide to stop drinking?

[GANDONAS14 in reply to Malmesbury1970]

Hi

Well, that's a story that is probably common to many, if you click on my profile you will see my opening post on the forum which explains all. Im actually at a stage where the end goal is not necessarily to abstain but to drink moderately but what I have found is that by being dry for a while actually allows you to ascertain how habitual both mentally and physical crippling alcohol can be, its not your fault it is a social drug. I would always have a drink with my dinner, always, even have one while preparing it, but really... Ive realised that there is no benefit whatsoever to have a glass of wine if I am having a mundane pie and chips dinner for example, totally non beneficial. Of course I do look forward to a nice meal out and some Rioja, but each day that seems farther away, a bit odd really. The main thing that helped me address my issues was this forum and its members plus actually getting out and doing things, especially on long winter nights. I still think about alcohol every day, but as each day goes by my energy levels, state of calm, ability to get things done and overall feeling of clarity exudes accordingly. So, if you can take care of yourself then your liver will thank you and keep care of you too, that's a definite with any element of alcohol dependency and there is absolutely nothing to be ashamed of, absolutely zero.

Best Wishes

Graham

[Hidden]

Good morning khanahsan,

Welcome to this friendly forum, as you can already see, you will get lots of support here.

Congratulations and well done on your lifestyle changes - that will only be a good thing for your long term liver health!

As others have said, you can indeed lower your fibroscan score with lifestyle change and weight loss.

I have included a link to Liver Disease tests Explained and Diet in Liver Disease which may help

britishlivertrust.org.uk/in...

britishlivertrust.org.uk/in...

May I suggest you continue with your fantastic lifestyle changes and ask the doctor when you see them in April about ongoing monitoring and assessment, which would allow you and the doctors to note any improvement.

Best wishes,

Trust9

[Owlie]

Yes you can reverse fibrosis, the best person to ask is your hepatologist. My scan was far higher than yours and by eating healthily and exercising it is reversing and my score has dropped dramatically. BUT, you have to ensure you keep the healthy lifestyle up. Good luck! It also takes time so try not to focus on numbers and scan results. Just concentrate on being as healthy as possible. I was like you over a year ago, I still have a long way to go but the support I have had on here has been fantastic so don’t be afraid to talk to us!!

[khanahsan in reply to Owlie]

Guys, the latest is my alt has dropped from 108 to 96. However I have dropped weight from 112kg to 102kg over one month.

How long before I can see some normalisation of the Alt, the trend is downward but I think I'm still obese as my bmi is still 30.

Thanks

[Owlie in reply to khanahsan]

Hi, try not to think about timescales as I said above, I’m still overweight, just keep focusing on being healthily and it will happen.

[briccolone in reply to khanahsan]

well done on the weight loss. if your alt is heading south then that's good news-keep doing what you're doing. achieving normal weight will get you good results. Takes time though. Lose another 5 kgs and see what happens -check again in 3 months..good luck

[khanahsan in reply to Owlie]

Do you mind telling me what was your scan result initially and what was it afterwards and how much time does it take for the scan or lfts to change. I've lost weight but lfts are still high

[Owlie in reply to khanahsan]

Hi, we are asked not to discuss that on here as we are not doctors and results can scare people. Everyone is different, keep at it and I promise you will improve.

[ab1982 in reply to Owlie]

Hello, I don’t understand how some people say that no fibrosis cannot be reversed unless you have hepatitis C or something like that.

[khanahsan in reply to ab1982]

That's old thinking and more with Cirrhosis than Fibrosis. Even cirrhosis has started to reverse after anti viral and other remedies in Hep B/C patients. Stay positive.

[Owlie]

I hope this helps I don’t meant to sound harsh! 👍