any advice plz

[Liver007123]

First of all I had an ultrasound about 4 months ago as doctor thought I had gallbladder problems as was having slight pain in right side and tummy area

Well turns out the gallbladder was fine They said the liver looked normal in size but increased in echogenicity and heterogeneous in texture in keeping with chronic changes Plus focal fatty sparing adjacent to the gallbladder

So I spoke to the liver specialist who ordered a fibroscan

but between that and the fibroscan I had to have an urgent CT scan as the doctor thought I had a cyst in lower abdomen Thankfully I didn’t and the CT with contrast showed some changes in some lymph nodes who’s is being looked into by oncology hepatology

Well her was the huge shock for me after I had the fibroscan on Thursday

hiw can all of this be missed by a CT

And Ultrasound

Devastated and scars is an understatement 🥺

[AyrshireK]

From what you've written there the ultrasound would have appeared to have picked up these changes & doctor has ordered fibroscan to see if scores matched the imaging. "increased in echogenicity and heterogeneous in texture in keeping with chronic changes"

Increased in echogenicity means liver is showing as more dense than normal, heterogeneous in texture shows that the liver isn't the same all the way through with lumpy and bumpy texture rather than smooth which would be described as homogeneous. Chronic changes means something that's been going on for a long time. Focal fatty sparing indicates the presence of fat in the liver.

Fibroscan would seem to have confirmed what doctor was following up from the ultrasound in that it has confirmed the more dense nature of your liver with the kPa score and also indicates that the liver is very fatty - CAP score.

I can't comment on what the CT scan did or didn't pick up because there may have been more on that report & maybe it was looking more at the lymph glands etc. than looking for liver disease.

If fatty liver is the issue there are steps you may be able to take to reduce that and slow or stop further disease progression. Obviously it sounds like you need a very good consultation with your doctor to discuss all your results and put in place your care plan going forward.

The BLT has good guidance on NAFLD and a great downloadable brochure on treating the condition with healthy diet and exercise which may be useful to you.

britishlivertrust.org.uk/in...

britishlivertrust.org.uk/wp...

Make sure you have a good look on the BLT site, there is advice on what care you should expect, questions to ask your doctor and loads more useful help.

Katie

[Liver007123 in reply to AyrshireK]

many thanks for your reply the CT was looking at Thorax neck chest abdomen and pelvis with contrast So that’s what surprised me as it said liver gallbladder kidneys all in remarkable Then days later the Fibroscan the kPA score this is so high that Iam guessing it is cirrhosis already 🥺

[buckldgl]

I was on holiday in Portugal when I became ill with a huge pain in my right side. I was rushed into hospital and after inconclusive tests had an exploratory operation. They had removed my appendix and gall bladder. When I got home I was diagnosed with liver cancer. Nothing wrong with my gall bladder.

A little bit of me will always be in Portugal!

Happy ending though. I had a liver transplant 5 years ago and have lived to tell the tale. As for having no gall bladder - if they hadn't told me I would never have known.