@rosemarya I was diagnosed with fatty liver disease and cirrhosis at the same time. I was activated last year when my MELD hit 26. I remain activated for now.

@rosemarya Rosemary, am I incorrect in thinking if it has progressed to being cirrhosis that it cannot then be reversed? I know that fatty liver can be, but I was under the impression that cirrhosis could not be.
Thanks. JK

That’s what I’ve been told. I continue to be considered a good candidate for transplant and have been encouraged to look for a living donor.

Kim

@kltchrmn There is considerably more encouragement for living donors now even than there was before my 09.2016 transplant. Some hospitals are really encouraging it. I believe it was the University of Pittsburgh that has actually done more living donor transplants in the last year than deceased donors! I hope you are able to find someone who will do that for you. My son and daughter both did volunteer initially but I didn't want my son to because having to lay low for about a month after could have seriously derailed his career, but my daughter could have without that being a problem. I got her the information but then unfortunately she could not do it.
JK

I had a cousin in England who started the process, but was not encouraged by his doctor due to age (57 like me!) and just having given up a 40 year smoking habit. My nephews are only just out of college so I haven’t asked them because they’re just starting their careers.

I am sorry about the confusion that I caused with my previous response.

Here is what I found in the Patient Care & Health Information from Mayo Clinic on Cirrhosis (https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/cirrhosis/symptoms-causes/syc-20351487)
"Cirrhosis occurs in response to damage to your liver. Each time your liver is injured, it tries to repair itself. In the process, scar tissue forms. As cirrhosis progresses, more and more scar tissue forms, making it difficult for the liver to function.
Decompensated cirrhosis is the term used to describe the development of specific complications resulting from the changes brought on by cirrhosis. Decompensated cirrhosis is life-threatening.
The liver damage done by cirrhosis generally can't be undone. But if liver cirrhosis is diagnosed early and the cause is treated, further damage can be limited and, rarely, reversed."

@contentandwell and @kltchrmn , Thanks for bringing this to my attention.

@kltchrmn - Those are encouraging words that you are a good candidate for a living donor. I want to share this Transplant information with a Living Donor and Recipient Toolkit.
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/page/transplant/

@rosemarya thanks for the clarification.
JK

The term that’s been used to describe me is end stage liver disease.

@kltchrmn I was decompensated also. I suspect if you are advanced enough to have a MELD score you must be “end stage” since MELD stands for “Model for End Stage Liver Disease”. I found both of those terms to be very scary.
JK