Hi I’m new to this so not sure I can post this here , yesterday I received bad news about my liver , having cirrhosis NAFL metabolic dysfunction related liver disease
I haven’t been given a prognosis however I am so scared , I am an alcoholic and morbidly obese , I have been given guidance ( brief ) around diets and to be abstinent from alcohol
I have a lot of work to do and I don’t know where to start , is there hope for the stages of my conditions and will these lifestyle changes prolong the prognosis.
Any advise personal stories etc welcome
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Charlotteb1991
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Welecome to the forum - you can absolutely post here and that's what it's for. Hopefully we can all give you some good support, advice and answer any queries from a viewpoint as either being people who have been where you are or like me who are supporting loved ones with liver conditions.
There is no one in the world who can give you an accurate prognosis becasue there are so many variables in liver disease.
You can make huge differences and improvements to your condition IF you do make the necessary lifestyle changes. As you say you have an unhealthy relationship with alcohol and are obese then you need to work on both of these 'assaults' on the liver.
The healthier you can live the better chance you give your liver. It is often possible to slow, stop progression of liver disease and even sometimes reverse some of the damage already done.
They also have a downloadable leaftlet on treating NAFLD with healthy diet and exercise at:- britishlivertrust.org.uk/do...
Obviously, already having a diagnosis of cirrhosis it is unlikely to go away completely and you need to keep an eye out for potential symptoms that can indicate worsening. The BLT has information on cirrhosis at:- britishlivertrust.org.uk/in...
Make those lifestyle changes and hopefully you can help your liver recover the best it can.
Hey Charlotteb1991, hang in there. I was diagnosed back in 2017 and I have had 2 set backs of vomiting blood because I refused my medications due to wanting to do this on my own holistically. Although this is a great idea the advice I can offer you is to stay on your meds. Especially the one you are going to have to take for your Portal Hypertension. Yes it is definitely a scary time for you but this is where it's gut check time. PLEASE STOP DRINKING if you ever want the chance at a liver recovery and transplant. When doctors see that the progression of your liver disease has slowed down, they can see the drinking has stopped.
I'll also say that you can now take full control of your life. This is probably something you have been wanting. I lost 100 lbs and have been able to keep the weight off. I would avoid the short cuts with surgeries and do it the right way by committing to the life style change.
A good friend of mine once told me... "Lose the weight and lose the problems." Although I'm not cured from cirrhosis, I am still alive! And so are the others that are posting here in this forum. There is life while having cirrhosis.
Lifestyle Changes:
1. Walking your 10,000 steps a day (put on your ear buds and listen to your favorite music) LOSE THAT WEIGHT! Hallelujah!! 🙌🙌🙌
2. Get your Macros in order (Carbs, Fats and Protein) This will assist you in dropping the weight.
3. Eat cleaner
I hope this helps as it helped me. Although I am down to 150lbs, I still deal with diabetes. And watch your sodium intake. That will also overwork your liver. Please keep this in mind, Always Remember your body doesn't give up on you. It Fights for you!! Give it what it needs to fight. Treat it right and it will treat you right. YOU GOT THIS!
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I joined recently with a recent diagnosis of decompensated cirrhosis: so many questions going round my head, fear, not sure what I should be doing help myself. Stuck in limbo between consultant and GP.
So many people on here with lots of knowledge and so lovely and helpful.
With my limited knowledge, I would say enjoy looking at recipes to ensure eating regularly and heathily. There is great information on the website.
Also, exercise. I’ve always been quite slim (until ascites hit!) and it’s been even more obvious with muscle wastage (not in a good way). I could barely walk a few months ago and thought there wasn’t much point building up. Step by step (ignore the bad pun!) I’ve increased my walking - still way less than it probably should be, but it is definitely making a difference which increases the confidence.
Well done Robert. I really struggled mentally with the muscle wastage. I've always been a big bloke, 5'11" and 15 1/2 stone, about ten pounds overweight but in pretty good, fairly muscular shape.
My upper arms now look like chicken wings, my legs are very lean and my collar bones are pronounced. I was also hardly able to walk and just laid in bed feeling very low. I decided I had to take control of this. I built up slowly and now walk at least two miles a day, which leaves me very fatigued but my legs are improving. I'm going to start low impact weights today to start on the upper body!
It really does help with your mental health. Best advice I could give anyone is, if you're really fatigued, have a nap. I sleep very poorly at night, most days I nap for an hour early afternoon and early evening. I often don't get to sleep but just lying calmly and relaxing really makes a difference.
Hello Charlolette, I too have been recently diagnosed with cirrohosis(5/30/2024).
I was scared also on not knowing how bad I was. After more blood tests, endoscopy, and a ultrasound my results were not as bad as I was making them out to be. I quit drinking alcohol before my fibroscan. (Which was a 14.1 result) . All we can do is to abstain from alcohol and diet and exercise and prey for the best. Its difficult to not think the worst but you need to try. I put my faith in god now. Hoping for the best for you. Keep us updated for any support you might need.
Hello. By hook or by crook you must abstain from alcohol. That is the biggest single improvement you can make.
But caution. If you are still drinking then sudden withdrawal can be dangerous. Your GP in the first instance is the person to see. There are drugs that bring you off gradually.
Once stopped family and friends can be invaluable for support. Perhaps AA. Not my kind of thing but works for some. Two years ago I was where you are now. If I hadn't stopped I'm certain I would not be typing this.
No sugar coating as it's going to be tough at first. In the old days with any excuse of stress I reached for a drink. Now I dont even look at it. Yesterday my son got a first class degree in accountancy. It was worth giving up for that
I wish you the very best. Regards, Paul in Porthcawl
Welcome, you absolutely are in the right place and the replies you have already received will testify to that, I dont need to add anything other than a huge hug and you've got this now that you are able to get advice and input from the wonderful group of people who have been through it you have all the support you need.
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