I’ve been diagnosed with NAFLD. I had a fibroscan which showed a reading of 20 so possible borderline cirrhosis. However my gastro consultant said he didnt feel this was entirely accurate and it’s maybe not progressed that far yet, please god. My question is, and I think I know the answer but can’t get a definite answer anywhere, with this sort of problem does anyone know if it is safe to drink any alcohol at all? And by that I mean maybe half a glass/small glass of wine on special occasions or should I just never touch it? I’m not a drinker anyway so it’s not a major concern but there’s the odd occasion I wouldn’t mind a tiny bit!
Many thanks x
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Honeysuckle123
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thank you for your reply. I’ve no real idea, getting any information out of him is blood and stone. All his letter said was fibroscan and ultrasound show borderline cirrhosis and the score 🤷♀️ I’ve been in bits trying to work it out and am slowly driving myself mad with it I think but still can’t get any more info out of him.
In an earlier post you say he's put you onto a schedule of 6 monthly scans (and hopefully bloods) and this is the monitoring protocol for cirrhosis. 20 kPa with NAFLD would tend to confirm it's at the cirrhosis end of things so you now need to seriously take care of your liver and whilst you are only talking a teeny amount of alcohol it's best to avoid it altogether because you want to reduce anything that gives your liver more stress.
Katie I know you have a lot of experience on here, can I ask, do you think a score of 20 is past being reversible? Do you know of any others who have reversed at that stage?
There's a good chance you can reverse some of the damage and almost certainly prevent worsening if you maintain a healthy diet, exercise and generally looking after yourself. If it genuinely is at cirrhosis stage it's never going to return to 'good as new' but you can protect it and give it the best chance.
I have nafld and mine was 12.7 which consultant said was stage 3 fibrosis. The score is different depending on whether it’s fatty or due to alcohol. I’ve had the odd drink over the years. And I literally mean a glass of Buck’s Fizz on Xmas day. Nothing more than that. Luckily I was never a big drinker anyway. I don’t bother at all now. Losing weight and exercising is what I’ve been told. I’m disabled so both are tricky! It’s taken me 2 years to lose just 10kg.
thank you jbrking 🙏 god none of it is easy is it? I’m also doing diet and exercise but maybe like yourself age and menopause are making it slow going. Wishing you well x
Oh yes menopause hit me hard a couple of years ago, tipped me into Type 2 diabetes too. I also have a bowel condition called bile acid malabsorption, so there's only certain foods I can eat otherwise I spend all day on the toilet - unfortunately it's mainly carb based. Fun eh!
39.2 was my Fibroscan in the UK. KPA isn't UK measurement. L4 some say it is borderline or early cirrhosis. Always talk to your medical specialist in charge, nobody qualified here. The point is that 20 whatever now can in years become full blown cirrhosis.
So, cut out alcohol, use non alcoholic if you must, cut out or down on salt, fats, do walking and lose weight, rest and eat well, you need protein for energy no longer stored in the Liver plus fibre to clear the bowels to stop build up of toxins. Keep warm in the winter, cooler in the summer, that can cause severe problems for core temperature control in my personal experience.
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