New to site - F2 Fibrosis, Please advice!

[hossimiri]

Hello Everyone.

I am new to this community and have been looking for some advice. I was diagnosed with NAFLD (Grade 2 -that's how they call it in Europe) in 2011. My ALT and AST numbers were high at that time. I lost 22 Pounds in the course of 3 years and ultrasound confirmed the lack of NAFLD and things were normal. Unfortunately I gained Wight a lot during last few years (sine 2015) because of anti-depressant which kept my enzymes high. Until recently I did not take it seriously! in Dec I had my last blood test in which my AST level was 30 , ALT was 57 and GGT 66. I had a FibroScan last week which came back with Fibrosis F2 (8.9 kPa). I have been so much depressed since then and really freaking out! I totally changed my lifestyle since two weeks which resulted in losing 7.7 Pounds. My life style modification has been as follow: have totally cut off Sugar and Sugary products as well as White rice and refined grain, have limited my calories and applied strict portion control strategy, eat 15-20 grams Oatmeal (without honey) every morning, 1 cup of low fat milk everyday mainly with coffee. 1 or 2 walnuts. lots of vegetables and plant-based meals and moderate size of fruits (Blueberries, Grapes, tangerine), try to exercise almost every day (cardio and intense walking). I have no history of diabetes or insulin resistance, my fasting blood sugar level always comes back around 84!

Please tell me what I should do or not do to reverse the situation ASAP. Your help and support is much appreciated.

Thanks

Mir

[nash2 Partner]

I would say that you are doing the right things already and just making that your lifestyle permanently should be fine. We would add Some extra virgin olive oil to the mix but you are doing an excellent job. At low levels the FibroScan isn't very precise. You might check you FIB-4 score as one way to cross check that test. Low values on it are pretty accurate. You can see a discussion of scoring and a link here.

fattyliverfoundation.org/no...

Wayne

[hossimiri in reply to nash2]

Hello Wayne,Thank you for the reply and info!

I am actually taking daily one and half tablespoon extra virgin olive oil. I am also taking Vitamin E 400, D3 4000, Omega-3 and Silymarin supplement on daily basis. One question I had about the type of coffee: I drink at least two cups of high quality Starbucks K Capsule coffee everyday. Is true that it would be more effective with paper filter coffee?

I tried to get my FIB-4 score but have no idea what Platelet Count is in my Blood test. I can not find it in my lab result. Is there any other way that I can figure out the FIB-4 score without that?

Also about the FibroScan result, even the doctor was surprised as my AST/ALT ratio is 0.52 and below 1 !

Honestly I have become so depressed about the scan result (8.9 kPa). I thought I am going to die and this is so close to Cirrhosis! I have booked an appointment for Friday to get another test to see a second opinion/test result. Please tell me how bad F2 (8.9 kPa) is in terms of reversibility?

Thanks!

Mir

[nash2 Partner in reply to hossimiri]

On the coffee, there are two chemicals that are harmful for the liver in coffee that are filtered out by a paper filter so that is better than a espresso type drink. The FibroScan reading is not very accurate at low levels like 8.9. I'm very pleased to have mine as low as 9.6 so it is something to pay attention to but you should try to be a little more calm as you have probably got time on your side and that level of problem is a concern but with a good lifestyle it should be manageable. It took time to get there and takes time to see any resolution. It is a good idea to get the second test as there are a lot things that can affect the reading.

Your platelets are part of a comprehensive blood test that your doctor can order for you. If your doc doesn't want to you can make arrangements to order it yourself but there are also more sophisticated tests which can be done if you want to consider them. We recommend the LIVERFASt test.

fattyliverfoundation.org/li...

Wayne

[hossimiri in reply to nash2]

Thanks again Wayne for your support and swift reply.

[hossimiri in reply to nash2]

I just got back from the doctor office. Now, things seem even more confusing!So here is the big picture:

AST= 30 , ALT= 57 and GGT= 66

- FibroScan performed on the 6th of Dec (My weight = 88.5). Result: 295 CAP and 8.9 kPa Stiffness. Scan performed 2 hours after lunch.

- FibroScan performed on the 15th of Dec (My weight = 85.6). Result: 372CAP and 6.1 kPa Stiffness. Scan performed early morning while fasting. for 12 hours.

So I am not sure what is going on here! One thing I am afraid is that maybe I am losing weight too fast so my CAP score went up which means basically liver got fattier!

What are your thoughts, guys?

Thanks!

Mir

[nash2 Partner in reply to hossimiri]

Cap scores can fluctuate quite a bit. The more important value is the kPa which is headed the right direction. I'd say maintain what you are doing and see what the next test shows. Fat can move around quite a bit but is not itself toxic so don't let that throw you off course.

[MLB_77 in reply to nash2]

Are those 2 chemicals in organic? I have been wanting to invest in an espresso machine now I am reconsidering

[nash2 Partner in reply to MLB_77]

they are just part of the coffee bean so all of it has them. I don't recall what they are now but you will get them in expresso. We gave ours up because of it, but I imagine it is an issue only for advanced disease where every little thing is a concern. You don't get a lot in a cup of coffee but we took the approach of asking my liver to do as little work as possible so figured the small things added up.

[MLB_77 in reply to nash2]

What are your thoughts on avacado oil? I use that one more than anything because of the high heat factor, and I just prefer the taste.

I took a straight tablespoon of EVO a few days ago and it was not easy. Hard to get the taste out of my mouth also. Any recs on how to choke it down a little easier?

[nash2 Partner in reply to MLB_77]

Avocado oil is excellent. The taste of olive oil is the phytochemicals which are very beneficial to the liver. I just treat it like medicine rather than food so I take it by the spoonful and don't expect it to taste good. They say that the best oil will make you cough 3 times.

[B3nnen2015]

hi buddy,Yeah it looks like you're on the right track, you know what to do because you've done it before!

I did the same to cure my fatty liver.

Cut waaay back on carbs/sugar and Try Mediterranean style diet.

I supplemented with choline too.

I also did some intermittent fasting which is only eating within an 8 or less hour window of the day.

[grapewizard]

As Wayne says, you're doing the right things, but these things take time. We all want to wake up the next day and have all of this reversed. But that's not going to happen. It can take up to a year. You need to get over the initial shock, as the stress is going to slow down the heal. Use this forum to vent your worries and ask your questions. You'll get there. Hopefully we all will. Don't get scared, get mad. Then turn that into action. Make it permanent.

[hossimiri in reply to grapewizard]

Thanks for the reply! Yeah.... I am gradually getting used to the new lifestyle and diet.

[grapewizard in reply to hossimiri]

Good!!!

[hossimiri]

Thank you so much for your support.

[Ednoral]

Hello, have you cut out alcohol? You didn't mention that. Also if you are taking any liver supplements or cleanses try cutting them out for awhile. It worked for me.

[hossimiri in reply to Ednoral]

Thanks for the advice.

I don't drink alcohol at all. As for the supplement, I am just taking Silymarin pills prescribed by my doc. Of course plus Vitamin E.