I have chronic cirrhosis, I am going to talk to my Gp today about what he thinks can be done. I have lost a load of weight

[gordon76]

I have chronic cirrhosis, I am going to talk to my doctor today about what can be done for me, I have lost a load of weight, my nails have gone white, and have constant pain in my lower left side of my back

[AyrshireK]

Hi Gordon, you have now posted 4 times without giving much detail. When you say you have chronic cirrhosis - has this actually been ascertained and diagnosed by a doctor or is this a self-diagnosis based on the fact you say you haven't yet seen a doctor.You may be jumping the gun at this stage saying you have cirrhosis if it hasn't been diagnosed.

It is good that you are finally going to see a doctor to get started on some sort of treatment plan. When a patient has cirrhosis they usually go under the care of a consultant at hospital (preferably a hepatologist though many hospitals don't have specialist liver doctors so it ends up being a gastroenterologist). 6 monthly scans and 6 monthly bloods become the usual monitoring tools. You've mentioned transplant in another couple of your posts - if this looks to be needed then you will need to be referred to a liver transplant centre where they will carry out a full transplant assessment but to be allowed to reach that stage you must have a 'proven' period of a minimum 6 months abstinence from alcohol.

Go and see your doctor today, be totally honest about your alcohol intake, explain all symptoms you feel might be liver related and take it from there. You'll probably get loads of blood tests in the first instance and then a referral for a scan just to see if indeed you actually have cirrhosis.

With alcohol related liver disease there is a condition called alcoholic hepatitis which is basically liver inflammation due to alcohol and it can mimic many of the symptoms of cirrhosis without actually being full on cirrhosis.

Get checked out and report back, there are lots of people here with lots of experience who can help support you on your journey.

All the best, Katie

[Usx2 in reply to AyrshireK]

I to am under a gastroenterology doctor for my recently diagnosed cirrhosis. I am soooooooo worried that every 6 months for scans and repeat bloods isn't enough. I don't know what I expect as I haven't really had any help other than being told to stop drinking and smoking and change my diet. I haven't had a drink since August and I've been given up smoking for early November. My diet wasn't that bad anyway but I now find myself eating a lot of fruit and vegetables and reading every label on the foods that we buy. This can be a bit of a pain as we always try to get in and out of the shops ASAP. Any advice on how to calm myself down a bit and maybe get the information and help that I need 🤔🙏 I appreciate all and any help that I can get. Thank you and take care and stay safe x🥰

[AyrshireK in reply to Usx2]

Hi Usx2, 6 months between scans, bloods and consultations is absolutely the norm for cirrhosis providing you arn't showing signs of serious decompensation.

If your liver disease is alcohol related then sobriety and starting to look after yourself is all your doctor could prescribe.

Not drinking, not smoking and eating sensibly will help you no end and if you've still got a decent appetite that's all great.

You don't need to go crazy on label reading, eat a proper balanced diet and just watch your salt intake. Just make sure you fuel so don't go long periods without food as in these gaps your liver will start to burn muscle for fuel. (Carbs and protein are important). If you feel you are losing weight and muscle ask your consultant for a referral to a liver specialist dietician who can give appropriate dietary advice based on your own individual circumstances.

My hubby has non alcohol related cirrhosis (diagnosed since 2012). He gets 6 monthly scans, 6 monthly bloods (roughly - all thrown out due to covid) and an annual endoscopy. He hasn't had a consultation since February 2020 - one is due in February but we don't know yet whether that will happen. He got his latest ultrasound yesterday.

We don't do anything mad with his diet, he eats well and we did see a liver specialist dietician for a while but that was when he was malnourished and being prepared for transplant. He was on list for 10 months but stabilized so now back at watch and wait stage.

Learn about cirrhosis and the signs and symptoms you should be aware of that might indicate any worsening, the BLT has an excellent page on it plus a patient charter page that highlights what care you should receive and questions you might want to ask at consultations. Prior to any appointment hubby and I jot down his current meds, any symptoms that have arisen between appointments and any questions we want to ask and we make sure we get to go through these with doctor. Make sure you have your consultant's secretaries details so in any sort of major query you can run things past them.

Cirrhosis page:- britishlivertrust.org.uk/in...

Patient Charter:- britishlivertrust.org.uk/li...

Looking after yourself when you have liver disease :- britishlivertrust.org.uk/in...

The whole main BLT page is worth searching through for a great variety of advice.

Katie

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Hello,

Katie is right. Go and see your doctor, be totally honest with him/her. You will be then be on the right track to sorting your liver out. If you do have cirrhosis then a liver specialist doctor will be able to talk to you about all the ins and outs of treatments/managing the condition. Not knowing is sometimes worse than knowing........

regards