I am having a battle with my gps - British Liver Trust

British Liver Trust

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I am having a battle with my gps

gordon76 profile image
24 Replies

I have been drinking 3 litres of whiskey in one week in August and developed liver cirrhosis. Even though i have had 2 blood tests and ct scan. They have come back negative. But i have cirrhosis. I keep telling the gps about this but because the tests have come back negative they still say i have not got it. I am desperate for them to believe me. Can anyone help me. I am also desperate for a fibroscan to set the record straight

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gordon76
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24 Replies
AyrshireK profile image
AyrshireK

Hi again Gordon, you've now posted a few times but you never reply in response to anyone's helpful replies to you. You have convinced yourself you have cirrhosis, you've posted about Christmas being your last one etc. etc.

What makes you think you actually have cirrhosis?

Whilst bloods can be fairly normal in advanced cirrhosis you would be unlikely to have life threatening ill health with bloods that are ok. Also, it would be unusual for a scan as high quality as a CT to miss cirrhosis.

I ask again what makes you think you have cirrhosis despite doctors saying you are ok?

Katie

gordon76 profile image
gordon76 in reply toAyrshireK

Receeding gums that are going to bleed

gordon76 profile image
gordon76 in reply togordon76

Terry nails

gordon76 profile image
gordon76 in reply togordon76

Spider vessels and my skin is pale

AyrshireK profile image
AyrshireK in reply togordon76

Those arn't Terry's Nails - in Terry's Nails the lunula (crescent moon) isn't visible and in your picture they clearly are. Terry's Nails are not used as a diagnostic tool for liver disease any more. As for receding gums this is something a dentist should advise you on - it's more likely to be simple gum disease. Receding gums arn't listed as a symptom of cirrhosis in anything i've ever read. (Bleeding gums and nosebleeds are but this is due to lowered platelets and this would be picked up in your blood tests).

Thread veins such as those on your face can have multiple causes - I don't drink but have them and in my case are due to being an 'outdoors' sort so a bit weather beaten.

Katie

AyrshireK profile image
AyrshireK

What is your alcohol intake now? Your post makes it sound like you had one weekend of heavy drinking with your 3 litres in one weekend back in August but you don't elaborate on whether this was a regular thing, a one off or a continued pattern.

gordon76 profile image
gordon76 in reply toAyrshireK

Was a one of, do not drink as my liver is wrecked

gordon76 profile image
gordon76 in reply togordon76

I am desperate for a fibroscan

AyrshireK profile image
AyrshireK in reply togordon76

You would have had to have been extremely unlucky to wreck your liver in one sitting -yes make yourself poorly perhaps even with alcohol poisoning but the liver is a very forgiving organ and as has been shown by your scan and bloods you don't have a wrecked liver. A wrecked liver would appear on a CT scan - a cirrhotic liver completely changes in shape & texture - imagine a healthy liver being smooth and juicy like a ripe grape but a cirrhotic liver shrivels up, becomes hard and wrinkled like a dried out grape / a raisin or sultana if you like. This image is easily discernible on a scan and unlikely to be missed - the shape of your liver would be completely altered. When a liver gets to this state the symptoms start to get very numerous.

I do think it very, very unlikely you have full on cirrhosis without it appearing on scans or in bloods or even for that matter without tell tale symptoms.

Don't go Dr Googling every little blemish on your body and convincing yourself this is cirrhosis, Dr Google fills most folk with false information and dwells on the 'worst case scenario'.

If you were to get a fibroscan and it came back all clear would you then be content that what doctors are saying is true or would you still be trying to convince yourself you are poorly.

This is the BLT information about alcohol related liver disease and is more reliable than anything you'll have searched on line. britishlivertrust.org.uk/in...

Katie

Worriesalot profile image
Worriesalot in reply togordon76

Forget liver, wish I was you, mine most certainly is wrecked. Forget alcohol too, you sound depressed and focusing on your body too much. You made a mistake, we all do, but move on now and live a happy, booze free life!

JJgut profile image
JJgut

If your bloods and CT scan came back clean, and your doctors gave you the all clear, what leads you to believe that you have cirrhosis? Are you having any symptoms such as ascites, jaundice, encephalopathy? Granted, you can have liver disease with normal bloods and no symptoms, but if your CT was normal and doctors think you are ok, then I would go with that.

You mention 3 liters of whiskey "in one week in August". What about habitually? How much did you drink on an ongoing basis, and for how long?

AyrshireK profile image
AyrshireK in reply toJJgut

He didn't, i've already asked the same questions and gotten replies. His drinking was a one off weekend - no serious symptoms of note.

JJgut profile image
JJgut in reply toAyrshireK

I see the thread now. Not sure why I didn't see it when I replied initially.

You don't have Cirrhosis, you THINK you have, that's the key here. If medical professionals have seen you, performed tests, scans etc why are you insistent there wrong and your right? Sorry just saying it how it is.

gordon76 profile image
gordon76

I drank 3 litres in one week

AyrshireK profile image
AyrshireK in reply togordon76

As I said earlier you'd have to be extremely unlucky to have damaged your liver with one sitting. Yes you maybe made yourself poorly at the time with alcohol poisoning or even a bit of alcohol related liver inflammation but having not drank since your liver would have recovered from the one off battering you gave it.

This is from the BLT page on alcohol related liver disease

"Every time we drink alcohol, the liver has to filter it in order to break it down and remove it from the body. Some liver cells die during this process, which is why the liver needs a break from alcohol to allow it to regenerate and make new cells.

Drinking too much alcohol over a long period of time means the liver doesn’t get a chance to recover. This can result in serious and permanent damage."

Katie

Sqwarks profile image
Sqwarks in reply toAyrshireK

very patient and well explained x

Cat-B profile image
Cat-B

Hi have you been googling rubbish, it sounds like you DON’T have cirrhosis, I do and my blood results were abnormal for years before my liver failed. You need to take a deep breath and focus on the wonderful news that despite your binge you’re liver is functioning. I Do not wish this disease on anyone! Try to look at the reason for the binge and get help from your local alcohol support team. Good luck be grateful and stay safe

Lvone38 profile image
Lvone38

Even if you get a fibroscan and it's high, that is not the end all of tests. Doctors use all tests (blood and imaging) to give you an educated diagnosis, because ultimately it is just that. The liver is the most hard to understand organ as it can completely go up and down and vise versa in weeks/months and years so my point would be: even if you did have cirrhosis, it is not decompensated as it would have definitely shown in the ct scan. So if you were to have cirrhosis it would be minor enough to obviously confuse docs so stop the drinking and eat healthy. I know that's easier said than done but I would bet you would be better off in the future :)

Cat-B profile image
Cat-B

I have just looked at your previous posts, you have been googling and seeing symptoms where there are none! The blood vessels on your nose have nothing to do with liver disease! Please stop with the google, or you will make yourself ill. I’m afraid you already have hypocondriaitis

Dear Gordon76, I can see that the other forum members have offered their support and advice. As mentioned in the community guidelines, pictures are not permitted as no one on the forum is able to diagnose you. I see that you have posted previously - it's a worrying and stressful time for everyone and I wonder if you have anyone close by to support you at this time and to talk through some of your anxieties? Best wishes, Trust 10

Image removed as can cause distress to other members struggling with alcohol. Many thanks, Trust1

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X19Dave profile image
X19Dave

sorry mate but you need except what your doctor is telling you 3 litres in a week is high but not excessive if it was only for one week I know people who do a litre a day for 20 years and have no problems I drank 60 pints a week for about 5 years with no problems you have other issues you do not have cirrhosis that is caused by long term alcohol abuse and you problems can be caused by many different things forget the cirrhosis problem and try and find out what your problem actually

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