I had HCV and was successfully treated and have been HCV free for around 8 years. At that time I was diagnosed with Cirrhosis , platelets around 64 000 , enlarged spleen , fibroscan at 22.1.
I have been checked routinely by very good hospitals. My last 3 fibroscans have improved each time .first result 8.1 after I was successfully treated , then improved to 6.8 a few years ago and my last one which was recent came in at 4.9. My spleen is no longer enlarged and liver values are pretty good and my platelets are now around 150 000.
I have been told now that they do not think I have cirrhosis and pretty soon I will no longer need to be routinely checked any more. I thought it was unlikely cirhossis can be reversed. Is this even normal ? Any opinions here dont get me wrong , it is great news but this has dominated my life for so long and feels unusual that I am going to be normal now. Any opinions ?
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searelax
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Well I think if you had not had a biopsy 8 years ago, you might have not had a cirrhosis in the first place (although it had been very likely). Or you can have still cirrhosis now. Or indeed you have reversed it on some level. It is hard to say. Anyway good luck.
From F3 to F1/F0 in 6 months (according to your Fibroscan) I think regarding fatty liver is highly unlikely. Most likely first Fibroscan was false positive (it is not so unusual). But of course it is my opinion and I may be wrong. I know Fibroscan seems to be very accurate and easy to stage fibrosis but I think is not so easy. Good luck.
I think if I were you I’d look at my original diagnosis and if that was 100 % correct at the time. If it was I would still want forever the recommended 6 monthly bloods and scans forever. I think that it is brilliant the improvement that you have made but I’d still be careful about being discharged.
Hi , this is such positive news! I really hope that it has reversed :). My partners Dr says he has seen this in rare cases and this is what we are hoping will happen (his was caught early stages) now the assault has been removed (iron overload) ...so we are waiting and seeing and praying. I would have thought a MRI with contrast would show if there's any irregular nodules on the liver etc to see if it's still there so I'd ask if this test would confirm/ if so can you have it? Can I ask when your bloods went back to normal as my partners have taken a long time and his ALT still outside but reduced from 115 to 70...and hid platelets havs increased to 100 recently. As with the other comments I'd still recommend you be monitored for peace of mind. Again, great news on the improvement though!!!
Bloods can vary , but after I successfully treated HCV , I have mostly in the 40's range sometimes a little higher at 50 something. Platelets took a long time to recover for me.
Good news your partner platelets have improved. I am taking much more care of the carbs I eat which I think is helping by eating less carbs
I was diagnosed in June with cirrhosis and 1 grade 1 varices. My health and bloods have all massively improved, I feel fit and healthy.
I have been abstinent and gave no intention of going back the way. No idea what stage I’m at. Only that I was decompensated now compensated. I have been looking for any kind off success story along with living 20+ years but can’t find any. I’m 43 and have 3 young kids. Do looking for a bit hope to keep me going mentally.
There’s clinical evidence that Cirrhosis can be reversed in the early stages if the cause of fibrosis is removed (or reduced to a level below that of recovery).
There comes a point where cirrhosis is established to a point where regeneration just regenerates scar tissue but certainly lots of evidence early cirrhosis can be reversed. Hopefully that’s you!
I hope so much for you that it has reversed or was never really quite there and the inflammation inflated your first fibroscan...when was that first one at 22.1 and the the next how long after that was 8.1 - what was the time difference? I would have thought they would have investigated if you still had cirrhosis once you hit the 8.1 did they not?
22.1 to score of 8.1 was around 3 to 4 years part. The score of 8.1 was when I HCV free.
I definitely do agree that the score of 22.1 could of been exaggerated as it was prior to treatment and LFT and alt etc were very very bad at the time . Some doctors believe cirrhosis cannot be reversed but some think it can be .
I would like to stop routine checks but I am just worried about the future. I mean my last 2 fibroscans have been 6.8 and the latest 4.9 so I cannot see how I can still have cirrhosis.
I’m thrilled to see your post! Liver does regenerate. It’s a slow process, but it is one of the organs that can heal. As long as we are good to it, I’ve always imagined I could recover. Careful on not only alcohol but al the other toxins like sugar and pesticides. Very happy for you. My numbers are all trending like yours and they’ve reduced my number of GI screenings. Crossing my fingers I can follow suit.
Thank you very much , I am very happy but also confused as I was told over and over prior to last 2 fibroscans that I would need to be checked every 6 months , scans etc for the rest of my life and now I am being told that does not seem to be necessary due to my great results and that it has about 8 year now since I have been HCV free.
I was hospitalised under a year ago with likely decompensated cirrhosis, I had jaundice, ascites and various other issues, all caused by alcoholism. Fast forward a year I’ve went from a liver cap score of over 340 and a fibro score of 22.2kpa to 144 and 9 thanks to a healthy diet, sobriety and regular exercise.
My doctors now seem to think I now have moderate fibrosis and that my liver has made a remarkable recovery and remdoddled itself. I had an ultra sound a few weeks back and that’s come back normal, my bloods which were off the chart are all now normal apart from a slightly elevated ALP, but nothing to worry about.
I’ve never felt better mentally in over a decade and my bloods are the best they’ve ever been in a decade. However, my doctor said they couldn't ever fully rule in or rule out cirrhosis unless they removed my liver and placed it under a microscope.
My scans and bloods suggest it’s now highly unlikely though, but that I obviously damaged it badly, it remains damaged and it remains and will always remain scarred which is fibrosis and that should I ever return to drinking and a poor diet, all the good work I’ve done will quickly be undone and any further damage I won’t be able to undo again.
I don’t know if I had cirrhosis, because it can’t be reversed, but what I do believe is that my liver went into a state of cirrhosis where it was scarring (the fibrosis part) and on the verge of no return, where any scarring would grow and grow until my liver stopped functioning and eventually died and with it I would die too as a result.
But by cutting out the source of what was damaging my liver - the alcohol and poor diet - I gave my liver time to heal, time to try and regenerate and remodel which it’s capable of in the right conditions and circumstances and that’s exactly what it has done. Much to my amazement, my doctors and of course much to my eternal gratefulness because I was dying and would not have survived another month of heavy whiskey drinking.
I have some issues but most are alcohol related like nerve damage and brain foggy ness at times, although having tested positive for covid 3 times, I’m sure that’s playing a part too and general muscle aches, cramps and muscle mass loss (this is likely why my ALP levels are elevated) and weirdly I have spider nevi too which is consistent with cirrhosis and especially cirrhosis with portal hypertension which I don’t have as my US revealed my portal vein is normal.
My doctors had hoped I’d go from decompensated to compensated, but it seems I’ve done a massive 360 in reversing everything. They did say what was always promising in terms of my liver was my platelets, INR, creatine, albumin, sodium etc. we’re always normal or within a normal range even when I was in hospital with jaundice and ascites hence why they first termed my liver’s state as alcoholic hepatitis, but again likely decompensated cirrhosis because of the jaundice, ascites and initial fibro scan score.
I’m obviously very lucky and feel grateful, but at the same time kind of sad too and angry that despite my good fortune or good news, I know it could have easily been the opposite as that’s the state my drinking allowed myself to get into, that I allowed, never again though.
I shall treat my liver as if it’s not mine, that someone had to die to give me a new one , because that’s what I feel I’ve been given, a new chance of life, and certainly a new lease of life. I’ve never felt better, happier, more hopeful and just more full of life.
An MRI a year ago also revealed I had diffuse colitis, polyps, kidney stones, IBS and potential gallbladder issues, all that has now been resolved or reversed. I used to get terrible heart burn too, I’ve never had it since I stopped drinking. My skin is much better and although I’m thinner than I’d like to be, I went down to under 11 stones when in hospital, I’m now 13 stone.
I also had a bad pain on the right side of my upper rib cage consistent with liver disease, that has gone totally, but only in the last 2 months, I used to itch badly all over too and that’s almost gone and my palms and face were red and blotchy all the time, now they are not. My nails aren’t normal though, not quite Terry’s nails, but not normal. That could be alcohol related, long term damage as could the poor hand grip I suffer with and of course those muscle aches and pains and muscle cramps.
Anyone out there on here reading who is starting out in a similar situation I did, don’t give up, well, give up the booze and bad diet if it’s down to that, but you can get better, your liver can heal. You can go from being yellow with ascites, an extreme fatty liver, bloods off the charts and a high fibro score like me to a full on turnaround.
Hi and thanks, yeah I have another appointment in 5 months time with my hep doctor, but long-term they are looking to discharge me as an outpatient. I’d carry on getting my bloods done regularly anyway at my local GP or privately just to keep on top of my health as they can reveal a lot, good and bad.
I’ll probably request another fibro scan when I next see my doctor too. I want to get it down from a 9 to even lower if I can. My turn around has come about through staying sober, a healthy diet, regular excercise and a positive mind towards my health and life.
I do consider myself very fortunate, however, and that me being on the verge of cirrhosis and catching it early so to speak, was a blessing. Another few weeks of drinking and I may not even be here today and had I went home after hospital and carried on drinking or restart drinking today and I know the damage it does won’t be able to be undone.
I’m also aware that because I have a compromised liver that isn’t 100% and may never be that I still have to be careful around certain foods, watch my salt intake and sugar intake and to keep keep fit and strong physically to ward off infections or be able to better fight them, that and good hygiene is imoortant too.
When I was a heavy drinker, I think my hygiene wasn’t the greatest as a shower just got in the way of drinking, that and I was too drunk to even consider having one.
I still smoke, although I’ve cut right down, and my doctor is adamant I have to quit sooner rather than later, which I know I have to as it’s toxic for the liver and of course one’s general all-round health.
That’s a great problem to have ! Congratulations !
What is your spleen size and platelets? My spleen size has decreased to 10 cm in a recent ultrasound. Also from nodular to smooth surface contour. I am hopeful to be re-diagnosed in the future to non-cirrhosis, as well. 🙏
Stick around on the forum if you get officially reversed, so you can inspire others recently diagnosed that there is hope. 😊
It’s been a while but came on to get an update on someone. Regarding the fibroscan and a lower kpa after an initial high reading, That doesn’t mean you no longer have cirrhosis. An MRI, with extensive blood work would be much more reliable to determine if it has reversed enough to no longer be considered cirrhosis.
Even then hepatologists will likely treat you like you still have it. I mention this because as a former drinker over 2+ years sober with compensated cirrhosis it’s important to maintain sobriety and a healthy diet. I just caution former drinkers that it would be a mistake to think your liver is now normal and go back to doing the very thing that wrecked your liver.
I am very optimistic there are more reversals than are reported but it’s still rare.
To the person who was told it was reversed, congratulations! That is amazing news and that gave me further hope I will one day be told that! Take the win and don’t look back except for your check ups!
Hopefully they find an alternative long term treatment option outside of liver transplant soon. The mental gymnastics of the disease alone are exceptionally difficult. Best wishes to all and keep your livers healthy!
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