Compensated Cirrhosis

[acv032408]

  I have just been diagnosed with stage 1-2 of compensated cirrhosis.  I was also told that there was nothing they could do to treat it and it would progress into decompenstated cirrhosis.  At that time, a liver transplant would be needed.  I am having a lot of abdominal pain, bloating in the abdomen and an enlarged spleen.  Is it true that there is no treatment for compensated cirrhosis and if so, how long do I need to wait before I can put my name on a transplant list.  I am 40 yrs old with 4 kids and a wife and do not want to wait until it is too late.

[gtrembley]

I have fibromyalgia and suffer from a lot of the same symptoms you described.  Have you ever been tested for fibromyalgia?  If not, I would recommend you do so.  I also developed Type2 diabetes after I was diagnosed with fibro, and it can give you a lot of those symptoms as well.  Please talk to your doctor about these two conditions.

[liverluv]

I love V-8 but it is very high in sodium.

[rpooo]

You have listed a lot of complex symptoms most of which have little or nothing to do with liver disease that I am knowledgable about.  I'm sorry to hear it will take so long to get back into a neurologist, I have the same issue as well in that area but unfortunately I don't think you'll get many answers until you go see one again.  

Auto-immune disorders cause strange symptoms like you have described, many which can't be diagnosed exactly.  Flare ups are common with auto-immune disorders but I don't know about the fevers.  That seems to be an area of concern and maybe your general doctor can see you in the meantime to make sure you don't need more immediate care.

For now I would highly suggest you see a general doctor, make that appointment with your neurologist, and try posting in other forums on this site better related to your symptoms.

Randy

[woofer42]

Thanks but I don't use any salt except what may be in some foods. I don't eat red meant just chicken,pork and salmon and cod. not much greasy food and plenty of green tea and mint tea

[woofer42]

Thank you I do have several other symptoms which started 7 years ago. I have flareups evry 6 months or so that last from a couple of days to several weeks. I am going through one right now and it seem each flare up brings more symptoms. I was an avid mountain biker uptil 7 years ago.I left for my ride one day and within minutes my legs fels like a 1000 pounds, I kid you not.Just a short walk was near impossible. Just before this started I had a terrible viral flu which literally knocked me off my butt. After the leg part I noticed the outer side of my right hand would suck in and stay that way for several seconds. Shortly after the same thing started in my left hand. My next flare up I still had the same symptoms except for the heavy legs.With the second one I was getting muscles twitching everywhere on my body including my privates and tounge. I saw a nero who orderd an emg and body bone scan. emg was normal,bone scan showed osteoarthritis basically all over my body but couldn't tell if i had it in hands and feet because of positioning during test. Next flareup same again with mild to severe bee like stings in my toes,feet and hands and at times other places. Also began to get mild headaches. about a year ago had a flareup and began getting same things with a severe sharp pain that would stab through my right instep.xray showed nothing. This flare up started about 2 weeks ago and I have to say is really starting to worry me. same things except now i am waking up with mild fever and seems like my blood is boiling. Also getting numbness on face around lips and even lips themselves,also getting sever sharp stabbing pains through face cheek bones from time to time.I had an mri 2 years ago which showed degen dics in neck but normal for 46 year old. other symptoms over the years have beenthe feeling off gushing throuh my muscles,itchy all over and stinging in head area. Also in last 2 years have woke up 4 time shaking uncontrollably tho i was in a warm room. shaking would stop after bout 20 mins and then i would get really hot for 10 to 15 mins,then be fine. There is more but that's all I can think off now. I am wondering maybe MS but to see neuro again will take over a year. Just yesterday my fingers on right hand and hand and arm swelled up for the entire day when severe joint pain in elbow.wrist and arm. I also got this weird sensetation like fingers tapping on my skull with mild fever. I am like I said getting worried.any imput would be greatly appreciated.Thanks

[rpooo]

I just sat back down and opened a can of V8 juice and I thought I should mention this would be a very good addition to your diet. You will find many good nutrients in there :)

[rpooo]

I think the vitamin your pharmacist is thinking of is iron.

"Liver damage is a serious side effect of iron overload in the body. Iron can damage the liver cells and cause cell death. The liver may become scarred, producing a condition called cirrhosis, which may be fatal. Iron may damage the DNA of the liver cells, and increase the risk of developing liver cancer."

Just copy and paste this link into your browser to get a further understanding:

http://www.livestrong.com/article/327747-iron-supplements-liver-damage/

You can take a multivitamin for seniors such as Centrum silver or a generic. Just make sure you read the label to ensure there is no Iron.
A low fat diet and completely discontinue any use of alcohol. before this progresses in to fibrosis or cirrhosis. Prescription medication can also be harmful. I would normally recommend exercise but you apparently have something else going on that’s causing the inflammation and fever. Fever is not a symptom of a fatty liver and I strongly recommend you see your physician right away.

A routine blood test will be needed to monitor the condition of your liver as there normally are not symptoms of liver disease until cirrhosis has developed. Many people live with a fatty liver and don't know about it so at this point I wouldn't be too alarmed just prepare yourself to do something about it since it is critical to your wellbeing. If there's anything else I can help you out with please give me a shout. Take care and get well.

Randy

[woofer42]

I have fatty liver. my pharmist told me i should not take a multi vitamin because it contains vitamin which may be harful to liver.is this correct.also can liver disease cause my right fingers ,hand and arm to swell and give me a mild fever from time to time.how can i tell by symptoms if it has progressed without being yested.thanks

[Paderla Anitha, DNB]

Hello and hope you are doing well.

Cirrhosis of the liver could progress with time, you could follow certain precautions. Avoid smoking and alcohol. Avoid drugs like paracetomol and sedatives. Get vaccinated for hepatitis A and B. Take a good protein diet.

Hope this helped and do keep us posted.

[acv032408]

Thank you so much for this information.  You provided more help than I could have anticipated.  Again, thank you very much.  You have no idea how much I appreciate this.

[rpooo]

I have been doing some research concerning cirrhosis from Non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) and though there is no cure for cirrhosis there are changes to your lifestyle as mentioned above and explained in the link below that will slow the progression. This is key to your survival. Further testing isn't needed since and ultrasound can give you the diagnosis for: cirrhosis, enlarged spleen and ascites. Having an MRI could give you a more precise diagnosis as to the stage of cirrhosis. I recommend having this done. Some doctors feel a biopsy can tell more but the risk of infection isn't worth taking the chance. Cirrhotic patients must be careful of infection.

http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/nash/

Copy this link into your browser and once the page has loaded click on treatment. Follow the information provided. In certain cases cirrhosis can progress quickly if no action is taken. As cirrhosis progresses portal hypertension will increase causing the spleen to become larger and your platelet count to drop. The spleen can actually increase 3 times its size. Increases in Bilirubin, AST & ALT will also be expected. Other enzymes will be out of range but these mention are primary.

You should be having blood work (lab testing) on a regular basis. Every time your doctor goes over the test results with you ask for a copy of the lab results. There is normally no charge. Look over the results and learn to read them. Use Google to research the meaning of each one listed. The results will clearly tell you what is out of range. Make efforts to improve the elevated levels. Google can teach you how to do this or feel free to ask if your not to computer savey. Next place the results in a designated folder. Compare one test to the next even log data and build charts if you want to really get into this. Do the same with each visit and you can monitor your own progress and set goals. This can become quite rewarding at times but some things are and will be out of your control. It is important to take your health into your own hands and not trust everything to your doctors as they are only capable of doing so much.

Milk thistle is a OTC natural supplement that helps detoxify the liver. This is commonly used by people with cirrhosis. a multivitamin at some point will be good to take daily also. There is much to learn about cirrhosis and all that intails, it would be good for your wife to get involved with this learning process since in time you may need her guidence depending on what develops. Hepatic encephalopathy is a common side effect of cirrhosis and it will be important for you both to understand this.

This is all I can think to tell you right now but if you have questions please feel welcome to send a private message or post to the group. I'll be glad to do my best to help. Take care and best wishes.

Randy

[TheRealWolfie]

Your replies, even years later, are golden. Thank you for being there. Truly.

[acv032408]

I was diagnosed with Non-alcoholic steatohepatitis of the liver about 7 years ago.  I went to see a liver specialist because of abdominal pain and bloating in the abdomen.  During an ultrasound, it was found that I have an enlarged spleen as well.  As for how it was determined, the Dr. basically felt my liver and went over my medical history.  Not that I would want another liver biopsy but he said we did not need to do one as we know what is going on.  A little confused but he is the Doctor.

[rpooo]

Sorry to here about your diagnosis but you are fortunate to have caught it so early. There are three main causes of cirrhosis such as alcohol, obesity and auto-immune disorder. Do you know the cause of your cirrhosis? What method was used for your diagnosis?

It's strange that you are having abdominal pain since most cirrhotic patients will not experience syptoms of cirrhosis until the have reached the final stage. (stage 4 or C) Perhaps further testing is needed.

In many cases cirrhotic individuals can live many years before a transplant is needed even in the final stage simply by diet, exercise, vitamins and absolutely no alcohol under and circumstances. I'll be glad to pass on more information based on the type you have if possible.

Randy

[TheRealWolfie]

Randy, are you still around? I would really like any information on this. Anything.

I was diagnosed with cirrhosis after "acute fulminant liver failure" caused by food-bourne Hep A from the juice bar. Ascites. Bright yellow. Extreme abdominal pain, gruesome labs (GGT alone was over 930), and I still cannot feel much below my knees. What the hey?

Everything but varices and HE in hospital. The surgeons who did my biopsy accused me of binge drinking which really pissed me off. I am an 52 year old artist with issues due to long term exposure to toxic chemicals (paints, thinners, etc) and foxes (even passing alveolar echinococcosis) prone to parasites, Leptosporisis (which my dog died from) et al. I had not had a sip of as much as communion wine for over a month, and binge drinking was an occasional college thing.

They stood around me in a semi-circle accusing me of this to which I did not relent. They tried to send my husband out of the room as if that would have made any difference. Funding games much? I have not been big on follow-ups. Some rapper dude who drank too much cough-syrup (purple something?) was in the same ward. I think I got badly labeled, but after multiple transfusion and major moderating of electrolytes, I survived. It was a truly close call. They gave me 10 to 30 days.

Still, that was in late April 2016 and I am still here in mid September 2020. We moved in September 2017. There is evidence my husband and I were poisoned in our old residence (of about 15 years), so I am wondering about anything and everything to do with cirrhosis.

Your posts to Misty and Tinker were pure beauty and comfort. Thank you so much.