diagnosed with cirrhosis

[Liz822]

Hi had fibroscan done today result 11.1.  They told me I had early cirrhosis does this mean end stage liver disease??

[katla]

Glad to hear the biopsy indicated no cirrhosis. My firbroscan was  17 (indicating cirrhosis)  and biopsy 2/2 indicating fibrosis (but no cirrhosis). My hepatolgist was surprised at the difference. I still don't know which is  accurate.

[Liz822]

Hi thanks for all that replied.  I done a biopsy on Monday and got back results saying that i do not have cirrhosis, I have fibrosis.  Fibroscan was wrong!!!
Starting treatment on Monday.

[starshine1ca]

Liz,  I have stage 4 cirrhosis now for over 4 years now and have done treatment 2 years ago, achieved non-dejection but it returned after stopping treatment and I am once again doing treatment and undetectable after 4 weeks..  I have had no symptoms of  ESLD such as ascites, edema, or bleeding varices but they watch me very carefully.   Itching and fatique are my primary symptoms as well as insomnia but being on the new triple treatment, that is also side effects from the tx.   Good luck in getting treatment asap.  I know that when I was told 4 years ago, my doctor made it very clear there was no time to wait to treat and I am grateful I followed his advice.

[orphanedhawk]

There have been people on this forum with beginning cirrhosis who have indeed cleared the virus and their livers have improved.
I also have a friend who did tx in 2003 with beginning cirrhosis who's liver has improved.
How far advanced or what exactly 'beginning cirrhosis' means, I can't say.
Livers regenerative powers are amazing!

[ga1i1eo]

Actually, fibrosis is the place where liver may repair itself with treatment, cirrhosis is where you're past that, liver is scarred permanently.  Treatment is taken to put you in remission or at least slow down the virus.  

[stef2011]

if alt were less than 200 and fibroscan after 3 months is still 11kpa you are probably early cirrhosis, the problem is fibroscan measure fibrosis+inflammation+statosis if present so you should exclude steatosis by US and inflammation by alt monitoring and fibroscan monitoring after at least 3 months

if US shows nodules you can be sure of advanced cirrhosis without any other test, in any case id not confirm with biopsy and go for therapy if available

in any case do not be scared about cirrhosis i was hbv advcanced cirrhosis 16.3kpa with micronodules and 1 focal but making hbvdna undetactable which is almost equal as svr hcv with hcvrna und and usng hepatitistechnologies supplements + healthy life and diet i regressed to 5.6kpa (feb 2012) in 2years 2 months.as a comparator hbvdna can regress cirrhosis in 6 years on some cirrhosis patients not all patients

so if you do svr by therapy and follow healthy diet/supplements any damage can be regressed fast, just making svr doesn t equal reversing liver damage on all patients and paercentage of them remains stable or worsen even after svr if there is no healthy diet/life

[copyman]

Not saying a liver biopsy is always necessary, especially for GT 2's but if I got results from a FibroScan (like an ultrasound) or FibroSURE (blood test) that indicated cirrhosis, then I would want to confirm with a liver biopsy. I would do the biopsy no matter what genotype I was.

[mykids247]

my dr. did a blood test to deternine liver damage. Fibro something, too lazy to get up and look at the report. Fibro scan is like ultra sound right? Of sort? G2 so he  didnt want to do biopsy.

[copyman]

I would not rely solely on a FibroScan for a diagnosis of cirrhosis. Now is the time to have a biopsy and find out exactly where you are at with liver damage. Then meet with a Hepatologist for a plan to start treatment and reverse the damage.

good luck

[johnny679]

Has your fibroscan result been confirmed with a biopsy ? , last september I had a fibroscan and my result was score was 16 , cirhossis I was extremely worried and had a biopsy which showed I was stage 11 fibrosis .  By the way Hector SF your advice and opinions are great , very nice of you , last year when I was stressing alot you really calmed me down with your good words .
All the best to all .

[HectorSF]

I agree with everything OH said.

Cirrhosis is divided into 3 stages according to the Child-Pugh score. (sometimes the Child-Turcotte-Pugh score).
Class A - Compensated early cirrhosis. A patient may have no symptoms at all or some fatigue. They can still treat their hepatitis C, though the chances of cure are lower than persons with less liver disease.
Class B - Some complications of decompensated cirrhosis. The liver is beginning to loose its ability to perform all of its normal functions. This is when a person has developed End-Stage Liver Disease (ESLD). At this point it they will usually be unable to treat there hepatitis C. In time, their liver will fail and they will need a liver transplant to continue living.
Class C - Complications of ESLD are continuous and do not respond to many simple treatments. The patient is usually hospitalized many times over a period of months with life-threatening complications.

"They told me I had early cirrhosis does this mean end stage liver disease??"
- End-Stage Liver Disease (ESLD) is when you start having complications from your cirrhosis. Typical complications are: ascites and edema, bleeding varices, hepatic encephalopathy (mental issues cause by the liver no longer being able to filter toxins from the blood and the toxins going to the brain), hepatorenal syndrome (when liver failure leads to kidney failure), Itching (from the buildup of bile under the skin) and many other complications.

If have cirrhosis, you should only be treated by a hepatologist at a transplant center. So your condition can be monitored and managed safely. A gastroenterologist is not qualified to treat a patient with cirrhosis. There are many changes to your life you must make to stay as healthy as possible. A hepatologist can advise you what to do and what not to do.

Also you should educate yourself about cirrhosis. It is a very serious condition and can be fatal if not managed properly. You should try to get the best medical services that are available to you. This is no time to try to take short cuts.
Here is a good place to start...
http://www.emedicinehealth.com/cirrhosis/article_em.htm

Whatever you do... DO NOT LOSE YOUR HEALTH INSURANCE!!! If you can't work pay for COBRA or file for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) once you decompensate. You will then be eligible to Medicare health insurance in two years. Or file for Medcaid. You MUST have health insurance to get the proper treatment for this life-threatening illness. Cirrhosis is a very expensive disease to manage.

If you have any questions post them here. We have seen many people who quite their jobs and end up with no insurance. That is a nightmare scenario.

Best of luck to you!
Hector

[orphanedhawk]

I guess you could  call cirrhosis the beginning of ESLD.
When speaking about hep C, early cirrhosis can be reversed if you do the treatment and obtain SVR. Even without SVR, many people find during tx, their livers improve.

Whereas once you have decompensated cirrhosis, it's unlikely for tx to be successful and even if it is, the damaged liver may still require a transplant.

Many people here have had beginning cirrhosis and been able to clear the virus.
You are not in a position to wait. ( By this I mean, sure wait for weeks but not months and months)
I'd encourage you to begin treatment soon.