Cirrhosis of the liver: What are the signs?

Posted by emns @emns, Oct 1, 2024

I have recently been diagnosed by my local hospital ER with hepatic seatosis (fatty liver) with lowish (in the 60s) enzymes and am assured it's early stage and should be reversable. however i already have edema (for which i've been trying to diagnose for months now) and just recently became worse with swollen inflammed liver and itchyness and extreme loss of appetite. (Which is why i went to the ER) Is it possible I can have these symptoms at early stages? Have I been misdiagnosed? Everywhere online shows that early stages are asymptomatic.

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I don't think so - my eyes still pretty white but I do have fairly olive skin naturally so I can't really tell. My FitFib 4 score was 1.08. I can't get a fibroscan (then biopsy) until the score is 1.1 or over. (I'm in Canada). Diagnosis was 'severe' hepatic statosis, but I've been struggling w/ edema in legs and high WBC for months and now liver puffing painfully into ribs and itchy, malaise and nausea. I've been strict to NASH diet and have lowered my AST a bit now. I've lost 14 lbs averaging about a lb a day. partly from nausea partly from not knowing what all I can eat yet so sticking to mostly vegetables, some fruit and poached fish. I'm thinking of going to Mayo to get the Fibroscan if I can, though my numbers are low. The symptoms are freaking me out!

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@emns my gastroenterologist did a fibroscan 2 days after I saw him because my liver functions were very elevated. The results came back in my patient portal as liver cirrhosis stage 4. That is how I found out I called the doctor but got the nurse and she gave me a little bit of information. But I'm going to message the doctor himself through the patient portal and ask him what to expect since I just found out. I do not have any of the symptoms except I've lost 17 pounds in the past 3 months. I also had severe itching in my PCP nor the dermatologist could figure out why. My gastroenterologist PA put me on the Chloe styromine where you mix it with water and drink it I did that for 10 days and the itching stopped and has not come back. I'm just very scared and I'm having a lot of anxiety. I can't eat I can't sleep I'm having anxiety attacks everyday. My psychiatrist put me on mirtazapine for depression, anxiety and sleep. I am picking it up tomorrow and I'm hoping it will help because it's 12:00 in the a.m. and I'm still awake.

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Have you had an MRI Liver Elastography yet? I scored "High Severe Steatosis" on the NASH fibrosure-plus test in January and then in March did the MRI. The MRI is considered much more accurate than NASH. It came back "MILD Steatosis" with normal inflammation, normal stiffness. In those three months, I did lose weight, but not a ton. The doctor said no action needs to be taken and will monitor annually unless symptoms occur. FYI, I am total non-drinker with high cholesterol and about 25 pounds overweight, my liver enzymes are in the 30's, and in February finished up short-course treatment for endometrial cancer.

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