Hi
This is my first post since being diagnosed with the above condition. I have now stopped drinking. I am confused with the staging element. I would be grateful for clarification in layman terms. I am awaiting an MRI of my liver and heart. I have also recently been diagnosed with dilated cardiomyopathy which I understand can be caused by liver disease but I do have Atrial Fibrillation.
I look forward to receiving information.
Kind regards
Cirrhosis is F4 or end stage fibrosis. Sometimes you hear (like you have) of stages within cirrhosis. Some decriptors will just say two stages - compensated/decompensated.
Compensated means the liver although scarred and damaged is still able to do the majority of it's 500 jobs whereas Decompensated means it is now struggling and often even not coping with some of the 'essential to life' functions that it has and a great many more of the serious symptoms can be present.
What stage of cirrhosis you have can be determined base on symptoms present.
A chart i've seen in the past refers to the following as regards staging.
Stage 1 Cirrhosis - No Varices, No Ascites (Compensated)
State 2 Cirrhosis - Varices, No Ascites (Compensated)
Stage 3 Cirrhosis - Ascites, +/- Varices (Decompensated)
Stage 4 Cirrhosis - Bleeding, +/- Ascites (Decompensated).
Hope that helps a bit, hopefully if you are no longer drinking you can improve your liver function a bit and stop any further deterioration.
The British Liver Trust page on cirrhosis may be a useful read for you.
britishlivertrust.org.uk/in...
Katie
Thank you so much Katie for clarification. I will read the British Liver Trust page on cirrhosis.
Kind regards Jenny
Katie has given a perfect reply so I won’t try to explain more about the various stages. The one thing I will add is that the liver is pretty forgiving if you treat it well. It can improve even if you’ve been diagnosed with cirrhosis as long as you take away the thing that’s damaging it. It’s great to read that you’ve stopped drinking. That will help keep you in the early stage of cirrhosis you’ve described. Sadly, even the liver has its limits so it’s easy to slip up a few notches on the scale if you continue to drink. So it’s important to remain abstinent now for the rest of your life. I’m now at the same stage as you. 3 years ago I was very sick with acute on chronic liver failure brought on by a deep rooted infection. I very nearly didn’t make it out of hospital. I now live a very normal life and have no symptoms. I’ve not touched alcohol since I was admitted to hospital 3 years ago. I’ve just had a routine checkup with my consultant and everything is fine. Normal bloods and well compensated and stable.
Thank you so much for your encouraging reply. I stopped drinking early March and I am determined to remain sober for the rest of my life.
I sincerely hope you continue to enjoy good health. Congratulations on your 3 year abstinence of alcohol .
Kind regards
Jenny
The only thing that I would add is to make sure all your doctors know about your heart condition. I have right sided heart failure that caused my cirrhosis (cardiac cirrhosis or congestive hepatopathy are the terms). Anyway, just be sure you’re also doing everything you can to take care of your heart. They are very much interconnected. Wishing you well. Oh…although I never drank, I eat a liver friendly diet. That also helps. I am compensated and was diagnosed in 2018.
Thank you so much, I will make sure they know. May I ask if you receive regular scans to check for any progression
best wishes
Jenny
Yes, I receive scans every six months plus AFP testing at Duke University Medical Center in the US.
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