Newly diagnosed cirrhosis

[Pc1972]

I’ve just been diagnosed with cirrhosis ( October 202 )That is all I know. I dont have a hepatology appointment until January.

Can anyone help? Not sure what to expect

[hells456]

I had a fibroscan (like an ultrasound wand that drums a bit against your ribs) at my first consultant appointment, more bloods done, height and weight measured. My autoimmume disease was obvious, so the disease was explained to me in detail, we went through what meds I would need and he asked about all my symptoms. He would not discuss the future and made it clear that our goal for now was to get my levels down and deal with what symptoms we could.

You can expect to have a lot of monitoring. You will have blood tests and an ultrasound every six months, though you may have bloods more often if you aren't stable or to check if meds are working.

You should have a dexa scan (like an xray to check bone density). You should also have an endoscopy (the camera down the throat) to check for varices, swollen blood vessels. Both of these will be repeated every few years depending on results.

If they aren't sure what has caused it, they may suggest a biopsy. I didn't need one as my AMA was positive so it was clearly PBC.

I also had a lot more bloods done to check for other stuff, like thyroid, kidney function and vitamin deficiencies.

After all that it hit me and I was in a world of misery for a while until I realised this isn't the end, so please make sure you have someone you can talk to.

[Hidden]

Hello and welcome to this friendly, supportive forum.

I am sure our forum members will share their experiences.

I have included links to our cirrhosis publication and also our patient charter, which has a section at the bottom 'questions for your doctor' which may help you prepare for your consultation.

britishlivertrust.org.uk/in...

britishlivertrust.org.uk/li...

If you know what the cause of your cirrhosis is, there is further information on liver conditions on our website.

Take care,

Trust9