Feeling Anxious about possible cirrhosis

[M106989]

Went for a regular checkup, found out liver enzymes were slightly elevated. Ultrasound showed fatty liver with nodular contour parenchyma. Suspicious of cirrhosis. No ascites and normal portal vein blood flow. I do not have any symptoms and feeling anxious. I’m waiting on GI appt. I have drank alcohol for years but not an everyday drinker and not excessive. Anyone else had these results?

[Hidden]

Your GI will probably send you to get a fibroscan. This is a test that measures the stiffness( scarring) of your liver. If you have been drinking for a long time, that may be a contributing factor. If you ate lots of fast food or are overweight, fatty liver can also occur. It’s extremely common. Cirrhosis is a serious disease but is not necessarily a death sentence. your doctor will probably test further. At one point in my journey, I was able to lower my liver stiffness score from 7.8 KPa( stage 2 fibrosis), to 6.1( stage 0- only fat!) fibrosis can be reversible in some instances

Good luck

[TT-2018 in reply to Hidden]

You don’t necessarily get referred for a fibroscan, I never had one myself and am post transplant.

[deanw41 in reply to Hidden]

I have cirrhosis and I’ve only ever had bloods and ultrasound....

[M106989 in reply to deanw41]

What did your ultrasound show?

[Hidden in reply to M106989]

Also wanted to state that sometimes Ultrasound does not show the full picture. Ultrasound does not show accurate staging( cirrhosis has stages as well), which is critical

[deanw41 in reply to Hidden]

And it depends who does it!! My consultant has done ct scans after ultrasound to get a clearer picture?

[deanw41 in reply to M106989]

Echogenic in texture, however liver contour is smooth. The liver is not englarged. I just get a letter saying no change to your management see you in six months. When I ask questions he said, thousands of people have what you have and don’t even know it! So there you go??

[Hidden in reply to deanw41]

Echogenic points to fatty liver- the fact that it’s smooth is a good sign. Even more important to get an accurate stage

[deanw41 in reply to Hidden]

Yes I agree. And 7 months ago it was enlarged(slightly). I’m nearly a year sober after being decompensated. I’d like to know what progress I’m making...

[M106989 in reply to deanw41]

Thanks for the information.

[Hidden in reply to deanw41]

With a fibroscan, you can track progress over time. In some cases, fibrosis can decrease. I hear that some doctors have a mindset that a fibroscan is not necessary when a diagnosis of cirrhosis is given, but I believe that it can be a really valuable tool for tracking progress.

[deanw41 in reply to Hidden]

I asked my consultant if my liver is getting better he said we don’t know how much cirrhosis you have????

[Hidden in reply to deanw41]

I’m in the US. Don’t know where you are, but I would definitely push for more clarification. When I was first diagnosed with nafld, I was immediately staged- my latest result in 2018 was stage 0- just fat. I have access to an online portal where I track my results. I also have 3-6 month follow ups where all tests are repeated and any diet modifications/ questions are answered

[deanw41 in reply to Hidden]

I’m presuming you have health insurance? We do have a great NHS here,but I’m not too sure how far their resources stretch?

[Hidden in reply to deanw41]

Yes, I have health insurance. Damn expensive but it’s worth it. I know that I’m the exception when it comes to healthcare, but if it wasn’t for my parents who hussled their way to the top, I would never have any of that. It’s very humbling and I’m Super grateful, but at the same time, I totally understand that this is most often not reality, especially in other countries.

[deanw41 in reply to Hidden]

You don’t have access to doctors that quick!! Mind you, maybe not such a bad thing. The NHS here is great,no complaints just sometimes would like a bit more of an explanation of things.

[M106989 in reply to Hidden]

Thanks! I just don’t see how ultrasound can suspect cirrhosis when no other symptoms are present . I’m going to ask for a fibroscan to clarify. Because it could just be early fibrosis in what I have read.

[Hidden in reply to M106989]

CT scan and Ultrasound can both detect Cirrhosis, please don’t disregard that. When it comes to detecting the actual amount of damage, that’s where Fibroscan shines .

[Hidden in reply to deanw41]

You will be getting the best possible care and treatment if needed Dean. We are incredibly fortunate in this Country to have our NHS. The system isn't flawless, there's always room for improvement but rest assured the care is 2nd to none. Just keep asking questions you want answers to ... they welcome the interest .

[deanw41 in reply to Hidden]

I absolutely agree!! The NHS is amazing and we are very lucky!! Yeah I’ll keep asking the questions 😊👍

[ab1982]

Hello, you came to the right place for support. There are some great people here. In no way do they claim to be doctors but their own experiences and word of support makes you feel better instantly. I found this community desperate for answers. We have nothing like this here in the States. The key here is to start today to live a healthier life. Elevated liver enzymes can be from so many things. In my case it turned out to be that I have Alpha-1. The thing here is to not go crazy looking all over the internet for self diagnosis. Wait for GI to diagnose you. Even then if you are not comfortable with any diagnosis get a second opinion or retake whatever test they do. Like me they did a fibroscan and they told me I had stage 3 fibrosis close to 4. I was so scared, but fortunately another separate doctor a specialist didn’t think the results were accurate so he requested the fibroscan to be performed my a more experienced nurse. It turns out I just have fatty liver with no fibrosis. That is the reason my liver enzymes are elevated because I’m Alpha-1. I know it’s hard to play the waiting game until your appointment, but just stay positive and whatever it is take it a day at a time. I saw a video from this Canadian hepatologist very well known regarding the liver and he said that whatever is causing the liver to scar even at prolonged cirrhosis can be reversed or at least halted. So you see there is always an answer. Look at the positive and ignore the negative. Stay positive. Come back and update us what your doctor tells you. Sending lots of positive vibes. 😊