Recompensated Liver.

[Nip1]

HI folks.First of all Merry Christmas to you all.

I was diagnosed with Decompensated Cirrhosis in 2021 and after having all my scheduled MRI Liver/ spleen scans my results have all came back no features of concern.. AFT blood monitoring results normal range. The only symptom I had was jaundice in my eyes which at this point I completely stopped drinking and smoking and started eating healthier and exercising and resulted in me losing 5+ stone and feeling better in myself and healthier.My Consultant says that through my hard work my liver has completely healed and it's recompensated. I was also told that there would be no problem with me traveling abroad in which I intend to do next year.

I was wondering if my liver stiffness could of decreased alongside the recompensation state. My reading 15 months ago was 20.4 F4 .

Sorry for the long post but if anyone has been in the same situation and I would like to hear from you.

Thanks for reading and I hope you all have a Happy and Prosperous New Year x

Nip1.

[golly123]

Hi. That is absolutely fantastic. You should be so proud of yourself. I'm also wondering exactly the same thing as you. I'm 60, female. My liver recompensated very quickly as in 4 months so the consultant I see isn't sure how much Covid played a part in this. An accident in July 2021 plus tested positive for Covid. Nigh on multiple organ failure but still here. I was told in August 2021 that only 20% of mu liver was working at that time. At the beginning of November I was told my liver was recompensated.

I only found out about fibroscans this year so I had to actually ASK for one. Done is August 2023 and I'm 16 stiffness F3/F4. My CAP is 316 which means my liver is 67% plus fat. Not really overweight. I have my GGT done recently which was 87. Previously it was 109. Should be a max of 40, I believe. I have the same kind of question, does the liver stiffness decrease. I can't ask for another fibroscan (I don't think I can) but I'd like to get one done. The nurse who did the fibroscan said that even if I decrease the fat in my liver, the cihrossis will not go. It remains. Also how long is the lifespan of someone like me is it 12 years. That means I only have 9 years left. All these statistics and things one reads are pretty scary really. Well done you. I quit drinking. My diet is better too. I can't seem to lose much weight though. I have mobility issues which doesn't help. I'm so glad I quit drinking though. A different and much better life. It really is. Best wishes Golly x

[Nip1 in reply to golly123]

Thanks for your reply Golly 123.I didn't really get any records from my fibroscan reading only that it was 20.4 F4 Cirrhosis so I don't know what my CAP is. Also my Liver damage was through heavy drinking and I was very obese (5"4 and 18 stone.. weighing in at 12.9 now.. As for the Liver stiffness reducing I think the only way to find out is through another Fibroscan. But, like my Nurse also said the scarring would still remain. Also you mentioned about lifespan with age, I myself was 54 when I was diagnosed but the doctor couldn't really tell me about how long I had left ( which was my first question I asked) he just said that as long as I keep doing what I have been doing strictly NO ALCOHOL, then I would live a normal life. I must say that I have never felt so healthy for years after quitting drinking and smoking and it really is a better life. People also keep telling me how much much younger I look so that helps a lot.

Thanks again for your reply and all the very best x.

Nip1 .

[Researchfreak in reply to Nip1]

Good morning Nip 1. I have decompenated cirrhosis liver. But I have PBC. Caused by auto immune problems. My fibroscan came down from 17 to 12 so that was great . I am much better because of the meds, ursodox something. Anyway I just wanted to say congratulations well done, be proud of yourself and live the best life that you can. This is your second chance, run with it and be happy. I love to hear success stories .

[Grassroots112 in reply to golly123]

My hospital has patients who were diagnosed with cirrhosis over 20 years ago and have patients who were transplanted over 20 years too. It’s not a death sentence, or needs to be.

[Nip1 in reply to Grassroots112]

Hi Grassroots,Yes you're right, it isn't a death sentence as long as you are determined to stop the cause of the problem that put you there.

[Grassroots112 in reply to Nip1]

That’s it, for me it was alcohol. I probably damaged my liver with meds as well over the years. I’m scared of flying and one year I flew 13 times and whenever I fly I take all kinds of tablets to calm me down, along with several whiskies, I’m surprised they let me on the plane. Last year after a cocktail of tablets to fly, a day into my holiday I was so weak and someone said to me I looked a bit yellow. I vomited a lot and that was the start of me going into overdrive with my drinking and subsequent illnesses.

My doctor said all that on top of my drinking over the years inflames the liver and is toxic to it. I now don’t even take a paracetamol for a bad head, just the thiamine, folic acid and multi vit the doctors prescribed for me which I’m told I no longer really need now because my vit levels are all back to normal. When I was in hospital they were pretty much all depleted.

[carmik in reply to Nip1]

Not always ones fault.genetics can play a part alpha 1 antitrypsin defence ZZ phenotype for 1

[Samqdj4 in reply to golly123]

Sent you a message golly123

[Grassroots112]

First of all sorry you have cirrhosis, but congratulations on the great progress you’re making and going from decompensated to compensated. I was hospitalised earlier this year with jaundice and ascites and various other problems through drinking and it’s taken me up until now to kind of be diagnosed with the initial thought process being that I either had cirrhosis or was borderline and that was based on a fibro scan reading of 22.2kpa which went down a month after my first scan to 19.

Today it’s a 9 so yes your liver stiffness can improve, even with cirrhosis. Not only was my liver stiff, it was extremely fatty with a score of over 300 on the cap score, today it’s 144. My hep doctor hasn’t fully ruled out cirrhosis still because as he said they’d only truly know if they were to remove my liver and take an overall look at it. but I definitely have fibrosis which is scarring. My bloods however have done a total u-turn since the start of the year and are all almost all in the normal range.

There is normal and optimum, though, and I’m still working on that. I’m told I will never have a normal 100% healthy liver, but I can continue to keep it “well compensated” and stay free from any major health risks associated with liver disease and live a long normal life.

Abstinence, healthy eating and regular exercise is key with any liver disease and you seem to be doing all the right things, long may you continue and your good health remains and your liver continues healing 👍

[Nip1 in reply to Grassroots112]

Thanks Grassroots for your reply.I was hospitalised also for for tests( Bloods , Chest X-ray, Blood pressure)and was discharged soon afterwards. I had a CT scan 3 weeks earlier which confirmed Cirrhosis but I'd already stopped drinking so I think my liver was starting to heal well before they got my blood results, My Consultant told me that my blood results were normal range and he had no concerns with the MRI scans (no mention of fatty liver) so I myself continue to look after it the best I can.

Well done with your abstinence and good luck with your continuous recovery and for yourself to stay healthy.

[Grassroots112 in reply to Nip1]

You’ve given yourself, by stopping drinking earlier, an even better chance. Once I turned yellow I started weening myself off the drink, although still drinking up to the day I was hospitalised. As such my detox was relatively easy and since then I’ve been able to resist the urges. Christmas Day was tough, I wanted the day over with quickly because of those urges which I guess will never go away. Other than that I’ve been OK and been in and around people drinking. I’ve been lucky I feel as whisky was my only real poison rather than any drink under the sun so to speak. Keep doing what you’re doing, success stories are great to read and inspire confidence in others going through similar, for me alcoholism. Have a good day.

[Nip1 in reply to Grassroots112]

I stopped drinking immediately as soon as I noticed the jaundice and the doctor couldn't believe that I had no withdrawal symptoms as my blood results showed that I was very poorly. I suppose that stopping straight away stopped it from progressing a lot further. I only really drank beer at the time although I used to drink spirits earlier on. I hope these posts help give other people with health issues the hope of getting through their difficulties and live their life to the full.Good luck with your continuous recovery.

[Grassroots112 in reply to Nip1]

Thank you, I wanted to stop immediately, but couldn’t and I doubt I’d be here today without hospital intervention, despite me cutting down. When I went into hospital my GGT was over 1400, my alt/alp a couple of hundred and I was so weak I could barely lift my arms or walk.

What made me go to hospital was a 2 week period of constant diarrhoea. I was bed ridden for those two weeks and didn’t eat a single thing except for the odd slice of toast and some water, every time I drank whiskey I’d vomit it back up.

I was very thin and malnourished and even more so when I come out after almost 2 weeks of diuretics, I lost a stone just in hospital despite me eating, I say eating the food was awful and very salty, the very thing they told me to cut right down on.

The staff were great though and looked after me brilliantly. I just remember my doctor saying when you get home you have to move around. The first month was awful, craving a drink 24-7, depressed and housebound unable to do pretty much anything.

But slowly but surely I regained my strength and appetite, the drink cravings subsided and I started getting better. It took about a month in total for the jaundice to go, the same for the ascites which hasn’t returned thankfully. Although if I over eat and get a bloated belly you always wonder in the back of your head if it’s acsites returning. I constantly check my face and eyes these days for jaundice even though I know it’s unlikely to return unless I drink again or have caused some damage to my biliary tree, which they want to look at in the near future.

Little is understood about the dynamics of cirrhosis it seems other than the obvious as it affects everyone differently and so does alcoholism, both physically and mentally.

[Yorkigirl]

Brilliant news. I agree about feeling healthier after making lifestyle changes, everything is so much better. Well done.🙂

[Nip1 in reply to Yorkigirl]

Thanks for your reply Yorkigirl. Yes it's amazing how much difference lifestyle changes make. Well done to you too 😊

[parkeranger500]

Hi nip, great news about your compensated liver. I was decompensated over 6 years ago with ascites and weight loss through alcohol related cirrhosis, stopped drinking immediately, strangley never a big drinker, but everybody's different. My fibroscan was 22 then 2months later 16. Just had one last week, that 6 years since last one at 16. Hoping it might be down a bit or just the same, but no it was 40, but consultant has no concern about it at all, 6 month scans and bloods all that matters, although bit shocked how it has gone up after 6 years of compensated liver and leading healthy lifestyle

[Grassroots112 in reply to parkeranger500]

I was told your liver stiffness can go up and down like bloods can depending on diet, exercise even, meds taken and what you’ve eaten and drank that day (or leading up to it) if at all. Every time I’ve had a scan I’ve fasted to get the most accurate result as recommended.