Aa
hep c
i just had a fibroscan and the result came back at 33.5, the dr then told me i have cirrohsiss of the liver.,but never told me what stage, could you give me more information
Thanks to all of you for writing back to me so quickly. It was really nice to see.
I was diagnosed with hep c only 2 years ago. At the time i was living in Canada. About 6 months ago i thought i would move back to the UK where i was born and raised, since i have been here i have a hepatologist here, and have had alot of blood tests, a ultrasound and the fibroscan last monday.
After the hepatologist done the fibroscan, he basically just told me the kPa 33.5 reading and let the hep c nurse come and speak to me about treatment. The nurse then told me that i am genotype 1 and that normally there is a 50/50 chance of clearing the virus, however with me the chances are more like 10-15% . She also said there is a high chance that treatment wont work and they would have to stop it soon into the treatment.
I have an appt this monday with hepatologist, and will ask him the questions, you all told me to ask.
For the last 8 months it has seemed like i have no energy, I tend to sleep during the day and am up all night. It seems like every little thing is a task for me. I have also gained 60 pounds in the last 8 months i went from 143 - 205 pounds, i thought it was just depession. I have also been getting alot of headaches, it seem like they never go away.
I have also had a sore upper right arm for the past 3 months which just does not seem to go away.
Thanks again to all of you for being so helpful, especially Bill and Hector for giving me key questions to ask the dr, I am really glad i joined this group,
I was diagnosed with hep c only 2 years ago. At the time i was living in Canada. About 6 months ago i thought i would move back to the UK where i was born and raised, since i have been here i have a hepatologist here, and have had alot of blood tests, a ultrasound and the fibroscan last monday.
After the hepatologist done the fibroscan, he basically just told me the kPa 33.5 reading and let the hep c nurse come and speak to me about treatment. The nurse then told me that i am genotype 1 and that normally there is a 50/50 chance of clearing the virus, however with me the chances are more like 10-15% . She also said there is a high chance that treatment wont work and they would have to stop it soon into the treatment.
I have an appt this monday with hepatologist, and will ask him the questions, you all told me to ask.
For the last 8 months it has seemed like i have no energy, I tend to sleep during the day and am up all night. It seems like every little thing is a task for me. I have also gained 60 pounds in the last 8 months i went from 143 - 205 pounds, i thought it was just depession. I have also been getting alot of headaches, it seem like they never go away.
I have also had a sore upper right arm for the past 3 months which just does not seem to go away.
Thanks again to all of you for being so helpful, especially Bill and Hector for giving me key questions to ask the dr, I am really glad i joined this group,
Cirrhosis is Stage 4.
The fibrosis score is also assigned a number from 0-4:
• 0 = no scarring
1 = minimal scarring
2 = scarring has occurred and extends outside the areas in the liver that contains blood vessels
3=bridging fibrosis is spreading and connecting to other areas that contain fibrosis
4=cirrhosis or advanced scarring of the liver
But as Bill said there are sub-stages of cirrhosis and it is very important to know as accurately as possible how advanced your liver disease is. You must she a hepatologist at this point as they are the only doctors qualified to diagnose and treat you. Why do you need a hepatologist? Cirrhosis and it's complication are extensive and can affect many systems in your body besides the liver. You need a specialist. Advanced cirrhosis is a life threatening illness and is nothing to be taken lightly. Just one example the a hepatologist will know about is having imaging performed every 6 months to monitor for liver cancer (HCC). I have recently been diagnosed with liver cancer and I can tell you it is not something you ever want to happen to you. So please listen to everyone's advice here and take care of health now.
The most important thing is that if you have compensated cirrhosis you still have time to stop the progression of your liver disease. Compensated, i.e. meaning no symptoms (except maybe fatigue) as Bill stated then you still have time to treat. You must find a hepatologist as soon as possible and start treatment. The more damaged your liver the more difficult to successful treat. There are new Hep C drugs on the market that will give your the best chance of ridding yourself of the virus before you decompensate and then will need a liver transplant at some point. Depending were you are donor livers are in short supply and it is very difficult getting a transplant.
Best of luck to you. Keep us up to date with your progress.
Hector
The fibrosis score is also assigned a number from 0-4:
• 0 = no scarring
1 = minimal scarring
2 = scarring has occurred and extends outside the areas in the liver that contains blood vessels
3=bridging fibrosis is spreading and connecting to other areas that contain fibrosis
4=cirrhosis or advanced scarring of the liver
But as Bill said there are sub-stages of cirrhosis and it is very important to know as accurately as possible how advanced your liver disease is. You must she a hepatologist at this point as they are the only doctors qualified to diagnose and treat you. Why do you need a hepatologist? Cirrhosis and it's complication are extensive and can affect many systems in your body besides the liver. You need a specialist. Advanced cirrhosis is a life threatening illness and is nothing to be taken lightly. Just one example the a hepatologist will know about is having imaging performed every 6 months to monitor for liver cancer (HCC). I have recently been diagnosed with liver cancer and I can tell you it is not something you ever want to happen to you. So please listen to everyone's advice here and take care of health now.
The most important thing is that if you have compensated cirrhosis you still have time to stop the progression of your liver disease. Compensated, i.e. meaning no symptoms (except maybe fatigue) as Bill stated then you still have time to treat. You must find a hepatologist as soon as possible and start treatment. The more damaged your liver the more difficult to successful treat. There are new Hep C drugs on the market that will give your the best chance of ridding yourself of the virus before you decompensate and then will need a liver transplant at some point. Depending were you are donor livers are in short supply and it is very difficult getting a transplant.
Best of luck to you. Keep us up to date with your progress.
Hector
If this was done by a reliable source then I would believe I had cirrhosis. The FibroScan is very accurate for stage 4 cirrhosis. Around the same as a biopsy for a diagnosis of cirrhosis.
Not that accurate for middles stages.
Best of luck
Not that accurate for middles stages.
Best of luck
Welcome jonny549
Bill is a wonderful resource here. the fibroscan is used in conjunction with other tests. there are different schemes to classify the amount of scarring in the liver.
Four years ago i had a fibroscan the the result was 48kPa. this week i had a biopsy. the pathologist described it as Bridging fibrosis with incomplete and complete nodule formation. Batts Ludwig stage 3-4/4. i am considering treatment.
Bill is a wonderful resource here. the fibroscan is used in conjunction with other tests. there are different schemes to classify the amount of scarring in the liver.
Four years ago i had a fibroscan the the result was 48kPa. this week i had a biopsy. the pathologist described it as Bridging fibrosis with incomplete and complete nodule formation. Batts Ludwig stage 3-4/4. i am considering treatment.
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Sorry to hear of your recent diagnosis. How are your other labs, including platelets, serum albumin, bilirubin, INR, etc? From here on out, these will probably be the best gauge of how you’re faring.
There are several different ways to ‘score’ cirrhosis; once a clinical diagnosis has been made, often cirrhosis can be graded using the Child-Turcotte-Pugh score, or more frequently the ‘MELD’ (Model End stage Liver disease) score; this is used by UNOS to determine transplant eligibility.
You’ll want to ask your doctor if you have compensated liver disease; this contrasts with decompensate cirrhosis. In compensated disease, while the liver’s architecture has been altered as a result of scarring, it continues to synthesize, filter, and manufacture proteins, hormones, etc.
As the liver decompensates, the patient begins to show overt signs including ascites, hepatic encephalopathy, esophageal varices, etc. These complications often preclude treatment for the HCV; the drugs used can make the patient worse at that point, instead of better.
Good luck; we’ve had a number of patients in here with compensated liver disease that have successfully treated the HCV and will no longer require transplant; and we have members in here that have been successfully transplanted as well.
Welcome to the discussion group, by the way--
--Bill