DIAGNOSIS WITH ULTRASOUND

Question

I WAS JUST DIAGNOSIED WITH CIRRHOSIS I HAVE HEP C AND TWO YEARS AGO THEY SAID THAT I HAD STAGE 3 LIVER DISEASE AFTER A BIOPSY I TRIED THE HEP C TREATMENT BUT BECAUSE I HAVE SYSTEMIC LUPUS I JUST COULNDT HANDLE IT I WAS TAKING PLAQUENIL AN IMMUNE SUPPRESSANT WHILE THE TREATMENT BOOSTS IT SO NEEDLESS TO SAY I DID NOT FOLLOW THROUGH, OKAY I FOLLOW UP WITH THE HEP DOC AND HE GIVES ME A QUICK TEST TELLS ME GREAT YOUR LIVER IS FUNCTIONALLY NORMAL GIVES ME A NUMBER 45 DONT KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS THEN A FEW DAYS LATER I GET A CALL ASKING ME TO GO FOR AN ULTRASOUND THEN THEY SAY I HAVE CIRRHOSIS BUT I HAVE NO LESIONS I JUST DON'T KNOW WHAT TO EXPECT HOW LONG BEFORE LIVER DISEASE I ALSO HAVE SEVERE MIGRAINES AND BOWEL PROBLEMS NO APPETITE DOWN TO 95 LBS THROAT HURTS VOICE GOES IN AND OUT PAIN IN FEET WITH SWELLING DON'T KNOW WHAT TO THINK JUST SCARED ANY HELP? HOW CAN THEY TELL WITH AN ULTRASOUND?

HectorSF · Accepted Answer

As pugdaddy says you need to see a hepatologist at a large university or liver transplant center. They are the only type of doctor that can help someone with SLE and cirrhosis. It is way beyond the knowledge and experience of any gastroenterologist or any other doctor. The hepatologist will coordinate with other medical specialists when needed. 
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Foothills Medical Centre
Southern Alberta Transplant Clinic, North Tower, 5th Floor
1403 29 Street NW
Calgary, Alberta
T2N 2T9

Telephone
403-944-4280

Getting there
Several buses stop on the Foothills Medical Centre site. These include bus numbers 20, 40, 91, and 419. Foothills Medical Centre is located one block south of 16 Ave (Trans Canada Hwy).

Service hours
Monday 8:00 am - 4:00 pm
Tuesday 8:00 am - 4:00 pm
Wednesday 8:00 am - 4:00 pm
Thursday 8:00 am - 4:00 pm
Friday 8:00 am - 4:00 pm
Closed statutory holidays and weekends.

Physician referral required.

Adult patients are followed through the Foothills Medical Centre and pediatric patients are followed at the Alberta Children’s Hospital; patients are followed in collaboration with the Edmonton Liver Transplant Program. Liver transplant surgery is performed in Edmonton.

Wait time for assessment depends on patient status and the availability of specialists. The wait time for transplantation varies depending on many conditions such as: transplant recipient medical condition, blood type, donor availability, and donor organ size.  
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You have cirrhosis. You have advanced liver disease. Cirrhosis takes decades to develop so your probably have been infected with hepatitis C for at least 20 years. If you don't treat your hepatitis C soon your liver disease may progress to the point where it will be too late to treat your hepatitis C. At that point the only options will be a liver transplant or death. Cirrhosis of the liver is a serious and sometimes fatal disease and should be taken seriously. If not management properly, it can be fatal.

Get an appointment with a hepatologist at Foothills Medical Centre ASAP. Don't delay. Your doctor can give you a referral to get you the appointment.

Hector

ivgirl · Answer

i found out through the hep team at the foothills . because i tried the treatment but could not tolerate it because of the lupus. i am scared because i have alot of pain and taking narcotics to deal with it plus have anxiety and sleep trouble i have a rheumatologist a gastroenterologist and the hepatologist. i injured myself doing construction work and they put me on that stupid Oxycontin i developed what they called a narcotic bowel i got off those dumb things but soon had to return to a different pain killer my stomach has gotten worse  but i have so much pain now in my neck arm lower back tmj .(jaw joint )he switched me to Percocet then put me on Hydromorphone i also tale sedatives and stuff for anxiety i read up on it and its all bad    right now the pain in my lower back is so bad and my arm and face wrist i just don't who to turn to i cant get to my doc out of town cause of the roads but am having a telephone call appointment this afternoon what should i ask him i also suffer from migraines and take a hormone patch because of an early hysterectomy which i hear is also bad a few days ago my headache was so bad i nearly dialed 911 my hair is falling out in clumps i am 98 lbs now and to top it all off i have recently split with my ex due to abuse and my mom has been diagnosed with chronic lymphatic leukemia.i feel like i am on the end of my rope any help at all drs you might know taking mew patients they all say my case is too complicated  thank you so much it looks to me like you know what you are talking about and just that helps me so much   my family does not understand they want me to go back to the ex but he is a screamer and hostile  what am i going to do i am living on 300 a month from welfare the house is in my name but he wont leave and i have gone to legal aid they say mediation but i am so sick i guess a little poor me attitude but if he doesn't pay the mortgage i am well u know plus all my credit cards are run up because of all the renos on the house he thinks i should go bankrupt and he should keep the house  crazy crazy world

pugdaddy · Answer

cirrhosis can rarely if ever be diagnosed with ultrasound alone. 
headaches, swollen feet, bowel/digestive problems and poor appetite - all four of these can be symptoms of liver disease;  what does your doctor say about these?
you have many questions unanswered: 

are you seeing a hepatologist (not a regular gastroenterologist)?
what are your test results that are being interpreted as normal function?  much (but not everything) can be concluded from CBC and liver panel results;  if you want to post those here, then we can "weigh in" from our own personal knowledge and experiences - however of course this does not take the place of your doctor's input and guidance. -