Diagnosed with early cirrhotic changes

[azz101]

33 male drinking like a manica..... 1 L of bottle or vodka every few weeks without food. Ultrasound shows early cirotic changes but can this be only confirmed with a fibroscan?. I never would of thought I would end up at this stage?

Please help me

[AyrshireK]

Hopefully you do only have early cirrhotic changes and you have a chance to reverse some if not all of the damage done. Obviously sobriety is going to be essential along with healthy diet, exercise and generally looking after yourself.

You've had the warning so now it's time to make the difference to your lifestyle in order to give your liver the best chance of recovery.

The BLT website has all manner of advise about living with a liver condition, about healthy diet, exercise and the potential symptoms to look out for as well as the care you should receive in order to support you on your journey.

Maybe the first page to look at is the diagnosis and care page to see what tests might be run and explain some basics and then make sure you educate yourself about the condition and what you can do to treat yourself going forward.

britishlivertrust.org.uk/in...

Katie

[Sunnyskies33]

Hi. A Fibroscan would definitely be helpful to determine what degree of scarring you have, if any. However alcohol can throw the results off so best done when you have stopped drinking for awhile. Blood tests can be helpful to see the current state of your liver. What is your doctor recommending as follow up? And, yes, please don't drink now that you know as that will worsen the situation..I am hoping you are in the stage where complete recovery is possible...it sounds like more info is needed. Check out the info Katie mentioned on the British Liver Trust. Wishing you the best.

[azz101 in reply to Sunnyskies33]

Do you think the scarring is 100% a conformation with the ultrasound?. I mean I drank a lot and hard but I don't tbink to the point of cirrhosis.... I'm really shocked. Could the ultrasound being taken 10 hours piror to drinking heavy show this perhaps? . I mean I had an ultrasound in Feb and it was mild fatty liver and the doctor did not even care about this.... Just asked me to lose a little weight. I've also had a fibroscan a few years ago around 2 and it was 3.2kpa.

[Sunnyskies33 in reply to azz101]

My understanding is that an ultrasound without a stiffness measurement (such as kPa from Fibroscan) can show some features that may suggest cirrhosis but that it needs to be measured by Fibroscan or biopsy to get the level of fibrosis. So I would want a Fibroscan once you have stopped drinking for long enough that it won't affect the test (inflammation can cause a higher scarring score that recedes when inflammation is gone).

[Sunnyskies33 in reply to azz101]

There are several levels of fibrosis prior to cirrhosis. Those earlier levels can sometimes be reversed by lifestyle changes.

[azz101 in reply to Sunnyskies33]

I'm going to stay sober for a long period of time now if not forever. I have cashed to much mayhem and trouble for myself. I see there is a british liver trust road show near me around the london area on the 30th of April. Do you think 3 weeks sober with a strict diet will also give me an accurate score?. The hospital has also arranged a fibroscan for me which a letter in the post should arrive withing 4 weeks. I have also been told I will probably be seeing a hepatologist after the fibroscan takes place.

[Sunnyskies33 in reply to azz101]

I 'm not sure but you can call the British Liver Trust hotline and ask how long to wait. The main thing I think is that the liver is not inflamed as that can measure as scarring even though it isn't. Eating a Mediterranean diet and getting exercise if you are up to it will also help your liver to heal.

[Smegmer in reply to azz101]

Ultrasound isn't ideal for determining scarring. It would be very odd to go from 3.2kpa to Cirrhosis in a couple of years, though.

You say 1 litre of vodka every few weeks? I don't think that would cause it, either.

[EdtheDead]

I was on 1L of Vodka a day. I nearly died after a month in Hospital. No surprise I have Cirrhosis. I've had it now for 11 years. I stopped drinking completely.This is your wake up call and total abstinence is really the only way forward.

Lead a healthy lifestyle with plenty of exercise.

I was given warning about the state of my Liver years before I was admitted to Hospital with almost complete Liver Failure.

Please listen to the health professionals and take their advice.

If you take action now the damage may be reversable. The Liver is a truly amazing organ with the remarkable way in which it can regenerate itself if it's looked after.

I wish you well in your journey.

[Smegmer in reply to EdtheDead]

Well done sir !

[Aotea2012]

It’s good that it’s been picked up now. If you refrain from drinking alcohol then there’s every chance you could reverse some, if not all, of the damage. If you combine this abstinence with a healthy diet and exercise then you are giving your liver the best chance of recovery. Many on the forum, including me, have managed to get things under control and found that their liver function improves to allow them to live normal lives.

[BritishLiverTrust12 Moderator British Liver Trust]

Hi Azz101,

We are sorry to hear of your situation. There is a lot of support out there to help stop or reduce alcohol if it affecting your life or your health. Please take a look at this page to find services local to you - nhs.uk/nhs-services/find-al...

We also have a nurse-led helpline if would find it useful to talk things over, it is open Monday to Friday 9am to 4pm on 0800 652 7330 excluding bank holidays.

Best wishes,

British Liver Trust