I had Discussion with with Dr about MRI Scan and he said "HBV-cirrhosis". My Fibroscan and Ultrasound suggested F3 Fibrosis earlier. I know MRI is much better in diagnosis so I am taking it as a final verdict.I'm on Tenfovir from last two months. Noticing couple of things such as little discomfort on left side quadrant and change of poop colour, anyone else has such symptoms? My spleen enlarged 14 centimetres and I am wondering, how much liver has to be damaged so that it started affecting spleen? And is it still reversible? How long I have before I'll have decompensated cirrhosis?.
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Yosemit
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If your Hep B treatment gets the virus under control then it should stop the attack on your liver and their is potential for liver improvement or at least a slowing or cessation of worsening - it is not inevitable that you'll ever become decompensated. As regards splenic enlargement it frequently goes along with portal hypertension due to liver disease.
Depending on what you mean by a change in poop colour - black tarry can reflect a bleed somewhere in your GI tract, clay or yellowy coloured can be bilirubin related.
You should really be asking your doctor these questions as they will have all tour test results to hand.
Hello Katie,Thanks for replying-I am just little bit lost and worried. I asked the Dr about left rib cage pain and he said keep track of these. My next appointment is in three months. Hopefully things will be little better.
I couldn't guess what would be causing left rib cage pain - lower left abdominal pain can be linked with an enlarged spleen but having said that my hubby had an enlarged 19 1/2 cm spleen which caused him no pain.
Remember that not everything going on with you will be liver related - you can still have other health issues too. So see your GP if something else is concerning you.
I'll keep that in mind and try to get an appointment with GP. I hope you're husband is doing better and I really appreciate you for taking time out to answer questions.
Hi YosemitIt could be acute or chronic pancreatitis, perfect candidate for LHS under ribcage pain.
If it radiates to mid section and or the back then it is possible. If eating a fatty meal exacerbates the pain can be an indicator.
However other silly things like simple trapped wind or muscle damage could be possible.
But logically I would suspect all other conditions as mentioned by other forum members comments
Pancreatitis can change colour of stools and I believe it takes on a constipation rather than diarrhea stance
But I am not that familiar with the pancreas and it's issues, but I did have similar problems several years ago.
To be honest never got to the root cause, as it dissipated when I started obeying the get healthier rules, so in my case It may have been an minor acute attack, yes it was a really annoying pain but from what I remember not consistent.
So again this is one for your GP, just a quick mention, pancreas issues can become serious and I don't think they are like the liver which can repair itself if given suitable TLC
Hello Smokey001, Yes it might be but it doesn't get bad after meal and doesn't radiate on back. I also had ultrascan couple of months back and it showed no abnormalities. I am wondering if it is due to the stress or may be colon spasm. But is there any kind of blood test which can confirm if everything is alright with Pancrease? My AFP is little alivated 20 iu/ml (Normally it should be less than 10). I also starting have some tongue cankers (tiny blisters). I am not sure what is causing that.
I'll mention GP about Pancreatitis and see what he says.
Honestly not sure, never identified cause of my LHS pain. And it went away before it was a major problem. More a bit of a scare which lasted around 3 or so months, also had a scan and doctor never showed any concern, I think he had other thoughts. Mainly Liver at that time I was drinking quite heavily,.
If it gives you a chuckle, I remember I solved my white coloured stools by drinking Guinness. Great solution ...not ...
As you say Stress could easily be a factor, it causes havoc in the body.
Pancreas blood tests, never had one but over several years had so many bloods for so many things, maybe I just did not know, I lost interest after several years of being prodded
Small scratch...you know the drill.
My last test for diabetes, still not attended as overall my health has massively improved so it will likely only be a required diet change, which is already a WIP
Hello, apologies for my intrusion. The most reliable test that confirms exocrine pancreatic insufficiency caused by chronic pancreatitis is the determination of pancreatic elastase in the feces. An increase in the level of pancreatic amylase determined in the blood is more characteristic of acute pancreatitis or chronic pancreatitis in the acute stage (not in all cases)
Thanks for the information-I'll try to pass on this to my GP. BTW, different from this topic,how is your muscle twitching in different parts of the body and hands tremor? Are they getting any better?
Thank you Yosemit, it is clear that you are a thoughtful and attentive person to those who write to you. 🙂 My muscle twitches persist, although their intensity has decreased slightly. These are short muscle contractions in different parts of the body that resemble after an electric shock. Oddly enough, the tremor of the fingers also decreased slightly. I associate them exclusively with the manifestation of hepatic encephalopathy for myself, since all my electrolyte tests are within the normal range.
Hello Yosemit. Now that you are aware that you have liver disease you will find yourself paying attention to your body far more closely. You will even notice common aches and pains that you never noticed before. That’s not to say you shouldn’t be checked out by the doctor because you should. I would listen to Katie’s advice. She is typically spot on.
You are right- That's how brain works. That's why I started doing 20 minute morning exercise and psychologically it helped alot as those little aches/pain, you are talking about. Now, I can comfortably blame the excercise for them. But still being careful not to ignore the obvious issues.
If you [are in the UK and] would find it useful to talk things over, our nurse-led helpline is open Monday to Friday from 9am to 3pm on 0800 652 7330 (excluding bank holidays)
We also facilitate a range of virtual support groups for people living with a liver condition (and their families and carers).
If you [are in the UK and] would find it helpful to speak to others with shared experience, you can register to join a group here
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