My hope is that you get checked out ASAP -- as far as concern for encephalopathy, your doc should be able to order a quick blood test to check for ammonia levels.
Also, perhaps you could discuss the possibility of transjugular liver biopsy with your health providers -- my husband was on blood thinners and he was able to undergo the transjugular biopsy by stopping meds for just 5 days before the procedure, and it all went smoothly -- perhaps it might be a possible option for you. (Ultrasound and CT Scan are poor diagnostic tools, imho, when it comes to assessing liver disease progression -- my husband has Stage 4 that went undetected by imaging: no apparent cirrhosis, ascities, etc.)
Good luck and best wishes,
~eureka
This possibly could have been a TIA - sort of a mini stroke and not encephalopathy at all. Glad you are getting it checked out. Please write back and let us know how your are doing. My prayers are with you.
That would also frighten me, Mike is a good person to ask, best idea is yours go find out.
Bill also
Best of luck to you,
Deb
Thanks. I did find a Nov 5th Mike Simon Post that explains things in more detail.
I don't know my stage of fibrosis, as I cannot have a biopsy due to blood thinners. MRI's, CT Scans, Ultra Sound show no enlargement, No Acities. My Viral Load has remained steady at 2,300,000, all other enzymes are normal.
That episode scared me, so I will make an appointment and check everything out.
Steve
As far as I know, Lactulose is still the first line of defense for encephalopathy; I believe it’s quite harmless as well, being essentially a synthetic sugar. I believe the biggest side effects are gas and diarrhea. I’d definitely want a doctor to rule out other causes such as TIA, stroke, etc. just in case.
Sorry to hear of your experience. What is your stage of liver disease? I understand that encephalopathy is practically unheard of in compensated disease.
Maybe someone with more experience with this will stop by with more info for you.
Good luck—
Bill