Fibroscan: Is it any good?

[mike716]

Hello again, fellow Medhelpers! Greetings from Buenos Aires, where we avidly await the beginning of spring. The winter down here in the Southern Hemisphere has been too long, and some people here think there won't be any summer at all this year. Global warming, melting ice caps, and all that sorta stuff. Argentines are hysterical. But it sure is unseasonably cold.

I hope I am still remembered by y'all with affection in spite of my past weird and occasionally wicked postings. I certainly haven't forgotten any of you dear people. You have been my port in the storm.

To give a quickie update, I am still without Tx, waiting for my hep MD to make up his mind what to do with me. I think these Argentine medics are kinda scared to do anything, afraid of scandal (can you see the headline: "American Tango Dancer Succumbs to Third-World Hepatitis Treatment"?).

The latest, and the real reason for this post (aside from my penchant for aggravating everyone with my dubious attempts at humor), is that they just got a Fibroscan machine at my hospital, trained a young female medic to run it, and I have been one of its first victims...er, I mean subjects.

The results are crazy and scary. It gave F2/F3. Now, just a year ago a biopsy and a FibroTC (tomography analyzed, see my images page), as well as many blood analyses and ecodopplers and whatnot, gave me as being F0/F1. How the heck can someone with almost normal hepatic enzymes (transaminases), otherwise totally normal blood tests, and scores of F0/F1 a year ago, suddenly be F2/F3? Is this possible? Is it credible? Or is their new Fibroscan machine a piece of junk, despite the cute operator?

Anybody out there with an opinion on this, my latest predicament?

All replies will be appreciated, and the one that is most helpful wins a free trip to Buenos Aires (by kayak and Moped) and three free tango lessons from yours truly (if I'm still above-ground).

Hugs.

Mike

[mike716]

Thanks for the good words, jd!

M.

[becksta29]

hey mike,
              The weather in australia has been quite cold this winter too,only the last few days have we had some days that look like spring.
Sorry to hear about your stage 3/4,that would be a shock for sure...thinking all that time you were ok,thats aweful.It has me worried now too,my ast- alts have always been around 50-70 range too,so my doc seems to think i dont need a biopsy cos he thinks my liver is in good nic.

I have heard that a bx can be like a hit and miss...just a guess but could it be possible that the part of liver from the bx was ok but the other parts of your liver was already like stage 2 and now you had this new scan done and it showed what was probably already there way back when you had the bx,that would explain the stage 3/4 in that short of time.

I hope to god that the scan was wrong and you have no damage or at least very little damage and that you treat successfully.I would definitly treat soon,even if you find out you have little damage i just think we never know whats around the corner and the sooner we treat the better condition our liver is(as you already know) and therefor we have more chance,but iv seen,read,heard etc many people get svr with stage 3/4 and even cirrosis,so dont give up.I know you know most of this what im saying but i just thought id throw in my 2 cents.
I dont know how accurate those scans are so im sorry i cant help you out in that area,just wanted to wish you luck and tell you what i think.
Oh **** im way to tired to comment i think,i better get to bed,my brain just is not focusing properly.im on the tx and my brain is foggy as hell today so maybe i shouldnt comment while im on tx lol.i hope all works out with you mike.
good luck with everything.

[Rockerforlife]

How long have you had the C,the only way that i can see anyone going from F1to F3 in one year is maybe if you had it for a very long time ,say like 35 years and now its speeding up  or its the machine giving wrong readings.If you TX now with SOC and dont SVR,your still able to do an extended SOC (72wk) with a diffenent PEG,and you still will be able to do the PI`s

if you want my opinion,i would TX now,but it is s a tough  call


'A jury consists of twelve persons chosen to decide who has the better lawyer'
- Robert Frost

[GoofyDad]

Hi Mike -

Nice to "see" you. Sorry to hear about all the stress. I wouldn't commit to the F3/F4 diagnosis just yet - too much conflicting info. Either way, these things have a way of seettling in, then we deal with it. When I got the cirrhosis diagnosis I thought I was sunk - was shell shocked for days. Then we adapt and get on with it.

It does seem like time to do something - so maybe in a sense this is a good thing since it will get the process moving along while you're young enough to still shake your touche once you're SVR.

Take it easy buddy. It will all work out. In 5 years or so on this forum - I've only heard of a small handful of people getting really sick - and that's out of hundreds and hundreds, including a sizeable crop of F4's.

Do Tango dancers get lucky as often as one would think?

[WriteItDown]

Hi Mike,

I was super-scared, too, when this all began for my husband.  But I feel better now that he's treating.  I'm sure it helps a lot that he isn't having too bad a time of it, but I do think the anticipation is very hard, and once you make a decision that goes away.

In regards to the trial and your fear of being treated in Argentina, I can't speak to that, but I do think the protocol on the trial is closely controlled by Tibotec, so you won't need doctors to help you out with that side of it.  The hard part, if you have inexperienced doctors, would be in controlling your side effects and helping you out with them.  

I would certainly go and try to talk to whoever runs the trial -- maybe they are more experienced than you fear.  

Feel free to send me a personal message if I can tell you anything else.

[Bill1954]

I was stage F3-4, GT-1, diabetes, and now SVR. I treated for a while, but got it. Don't panic; it's Ok.

Bill