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Can I survive with stage 4 cirrohsis ?
Thanks very much to anyone who can give me feedback.
I have had hep c type i for about 40 years. In january of this year i began hep c treatment with interferon , ribovarin and victrelis. I have compensated cirrohsis and my doctor says it is stage 4. My liver is functioning well. my viral load was 160,000 initially and another test indicates i should have a favorable outcome. The hep c cleared my blood after 4 weeks of treatment. It is now undectable. My albumin and bilirubin levels are normal. My doctor feels i will be cured. My concern is the cirrohsis. i do not drink alcohol or do drugs even though i have in the past. Can i live a normal life after completing treatment? Will the scarring get better? How long do i need to be on meds? Thank you
I have had hep c type i for about 40 years. In january of this year i began hep c treatment with interferon , ribovarin and victrelis. I have compensated cirrohsis and my doctor says it is stage 4. My liver is functioning well. my viral load was 160,000 initially and another test indicates i should have a favorable outcome. The hep c cleared my blood after 4 weeks of treatment. It is now undectable. My albumin and bilirubin levels are normal. My doctor feels i will be cured. My concern is the cirrohsis. i do not drink alcohol or do drugs even though i have in the past. Can i live a normal life after completing treatment? Will the scarring get better? How long do i need to be on meds? Thank you
Wow. You are a wealth of info. Thanks for your response and the best of luck and health to you
thank you for your heartfelt reponse. I really appreciate it. the best of luck to you in your recovery
thanks for your response. I wish you all the health and luck in beating this disease. One thing I am sure of this disease is curable.
Thanks for your response, but you know in a strange kind of way maybe i need to be scared in order to take care of myself after treatment. I drank socially up until 2 weeks prior to beginning treatment. This will be a major change for me as alcohol has been a form of social stress relief and so on. In any case, i will find a way to feel comfortable without alcohol. Thanks again for your response and sincerely the best of luck and health for you.
Papimilk, I would not take such a blood test too seriously. See the thread on Fibrosure. I had a Fibrosure blood test which indicated F3, much higher than previous assessments. My doc followed that with a biopsy, the "gold standard" which indicated a fibrosis stage of 0-1. Quite a difference. I followed that with another Fibrosure to hopefully confirm the biopsy and it indicated a stage of F4--cirrhosis. I was quite alarmed and decided to go for a 3rd Fibrosure using a different lab, after fasting, not a drop of alcohol and no Vitamin B complex which I think can irritate the liver. Waiting to see the results still and I will let you know, but I would not make or recognize an assessment of cirrhosis just based on a blood test without at least an accompanying ultrasound or MRI of the liver or, preferably, a biopsy. Good luck.
Mark
Mark
Agree with what many others have said.
Can you survive with state 4 liver disease?
Yes.
Either cure the underlying cause of your liver disease (hep C) or in the worse care if your liver disease progresses to decompensated cirrhosis, get a life-saving liver transplant.
If you can cure the cause of your cirrhosis (HCV), when it is still compensated (still able to carry out all of its functions) your liver disease will partially reversible. And you can live the rest of your life with your partially damaged liver. Many people do. As I think can-do said, you don't need all of your liver cells (hepatocytes) to have a fully functioning liver to live. All body organ are designed with extra capacity to work despite illness and injury.
There are also two phases of compensated cirrhosis. The early stage has no portal hypertension (no varices) and incomplete scaring. The later stage includes portal hypertension (with varices) and a nodular surface on the surface of the liver which indicates a change in the architecture of the liver and its blood supply.
Having less liver damage has better rates of cure (SVR) than more advanced cirrhosis.
When the liver become decompensated it can no longer preform all of its functions which results in complications to other body systems which in time can be become life-threatening. Ascites, spontaneous bacterial peritonitis (SBP) an infection of ascites, bleeding varices, hepatic encephalopathy, hepatorenal syndrome (HRS) renal failure. The only cure for decompensated cirrhosis is a liver transplant.
Good luck with your treatment.
Hector
Can you survive with state 4 liver disease?
Yes.
Either cure the underlying cause of your liver disease (hep C) or in the worse care if your liver disease progresses to decompensated cirrhosis, get a life-saving liver transplant.
If you can cure the cause of your cirrhosis (HCV), when it is still compensated (still able to carry out all of its functions) your liver disease will partially reversible. And you can live the rest of your life with your partially damaged liver. Many people do. As I think can-do said, you don't need all of your liver cells (hepatocytes) to have a fully functioning liver to live. All body organ are designed with extra capacity to work despite illness and injury.
There are also two phases of compensated cirrhosis. The early stage has no portal hypertension (no varices) and incomplete scaring. The later stage includes portal hypertension (with varices) and a nodular surface on the surface of the liver which indicates a change in the architecture of the liver and its blood supply.
Having less liver damage has better rates of cure (SVR) than more advanced cirrhosis.
When the liver become decompensated it can no longer preform all of its functions which results in complications to other body systems which in time can be become life-threatening. Ascites, spontaneous bacterial peritonitis (SBP) an infection of ascites, bleeding varices, hepatic encephalopathy, hepatorenal syndrome (HRS) renal failure. The only cure for decompensated cirrhosis is a liver transplant.
Good luck with your treatment.
Hector
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