Guest guest Posted March 24, 2007 Report Share Posted March 24, 2007 During the lap-chole, the surgeon saw what he reported to be 'macronodular cirrhosis' and he took a biopsy. When I saw the PCP to follow up, she had talked directly to the pathologist and asked him to give it a number, and he said 'im sorry to say, but it's a definate four.' At that point we cried. So my PCP said " well maybe he took the biopsy from the worst spot " So when I was at the surgeon's office getting the stiches out, I asked him, and he said no, the liver looks the same all over. Question for Bob Bob, Did you say you had a biopsy? If you did, did they tell you what stage of cirrhosis? Or did they assume this because of the gallbladder surgery? I was reading an article and remembered you said they saw it during your surgery but couldn't remember if they ever biopsied it. If not, do your doctors plan too? MaC ________________________________________________________________________________\ ____ Expecting? Get great news right away with email Auto-Check. Try the Yahoo! Mail Beta. http://advision.webevents.yahoo.com/mailbeta/newmail_tools.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 24, 2007 Report Share Posted March 24, 2007 Man, that's tough. Did they say if it was compensated or not? I don't mean to pry or anything. When I read articles about cirrhosis,and do a little researching, I can't help but think about you and others here. I always hope I will come across something that may help. And besides... your a brethren of sorts. MaC Bob Aragon wrote: During the lap-chole, the surgeon saw what he reported to be 'macronodular cirrhosis' and he took a biopsy. When I saw the PCP to follow up, she had talked directly to the pathologist and asked him to give it a number, and he said 'im sorry to say, but it's a definate four.' At that point we cried. So my PCP said " well maybe he took the biopsy from the worst spot " So when I was at the surgeon's office getting the stiches out, I asked him, and he said no, the liver looks the same all over. Question for Bob Bob, Did you say you had a biopsy? If you did, did they tell you what stage of cirrhosis? Or did they assume this because of the gallbladder surgery? I was reading an article and remembered you said they saw it during your surgery but couldn't remember if they ever biopsied it. If not, do your doctors plan too? MaC __________________________________________________________ Expecting? Get great news right away with email Auto-Check. Try the Yahoo! Mail Beta. http://advision.webevents.yahoo.com/mailbeta/newmail_tools.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 24, 2007 Report Share Posted March 24, 2007 I hate to hear that news Bob. I truly hope you get hooked up with a decent doctor soon. Make sure you get those biopsy results and that they say the stage to SSI and you should get the disability in pretty quick order. What are they saying about a liver transplant ? Can you get on a list ? Question for Bob Bob, Did you say you had a biopsy? If you did, did they tell you what stage of cirrhosis? Or did they assume this because of the gallbladder surgery? I was reading an article and remembered you said they saw it during your surgery but couldn't remember if they ever biopsied it. If not, do your doctors plan too? MaC __________________________________________________________ Expecting? Get great news right away with email Auto-Check. Try the Yahoo! Mail Beta. http://advision.webevents.yahoo.com/mailbeta/newmail_tools.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 24, 2007 Report Share Posted March 24, 2007 My hepatologist says that it's compensated, I have a very low meld score, But what I don't understand and neither does my new pain doctor, who is a physiologist, how the clinic notes say 'well compensated' ' portal hypertension' 'end stage liver disease' 'hepatic encephalopathy', 'no danger of dying currently' all in the same sentence.Everything I've read says that compensated liver disease means asymptomatic , no complications, and that portal hypertension is a serious complication, and that encephalopathy is a sign of decompensation. Whats your oppinion? Question for Bob Bob, Did you say you had a biopsy? If you did, did they tell you what stage of cirrhosis? Or did they assume this because of the gallbladder surgery? I was reading an article and remembered you said they saw it during your surgery but couldn't remember if they ever biopsied it. If not, do your doctors plan too? MaC ____________ _________ _________ _________ _________ _________ _ Expecting? Get great news right away with email Auto-Check. Try the Yahoo! Mail Beta. http://advision. webevents. yahoo.com/ mailbeta/ newmail_tools. html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 24, 2007 Report Share Posted March 24, 2007 Hi . I kinda don't know what to do at this point. I don't think My hepatologist is a bad doctor, in fact I think he is probably a very good one, But I think that he thinks that because I watched my best friend die from cirrhosis that I'm expecting everything that happened to her to happen to me. I'm not. She continued to drink, and was in some stage of liver failure most of last year. I have a meld 9 and cp 6. The thing I'm afraid of is that I'm on pain medication now, I couldnt live with the pain anymore, and I have some clinical signs that things arent as rosey as this doctor would want me to believe. And I want to live. So I want to take Abijanns advice and get on the list as soon as possible. Maybe I'll go visit another state after Sharon's surgery, and get a second oppinion. Question for Bob Bob, Did you say you had a biopsy? If you did, did they tell you what stage of cirrhosis? Or did they assume this because of the gallbladder surgery? I was reading an article and remembered you said they saw it during your surgery but couldn't remember if they ever biopsied it. If not, do your doctors plan too? MaC ____________ _________ _________ _________ _________ _________ _ Expecting? Get great news right away with email Auto-Check. Try the Yahoo! Mail Beta. http://advision. webevents. yahoo.com/ mailbeta/ newmail_tools. html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 24, 2007 Report Share Posted March 24, 2007 If your biopsy came back macronodular then that would confirm cirrhosis. It is possible to be at end stage liver disease and be compenstated. All that means is that your liver is functioning well for the stage it's in. No jaundice, PT time normal, other test close to normal. The portal hypertension is probably causing your encephalopathy. And that can be reversable with diet and medication. If you don't have varices, that's a good sign as well. If your liver is postnecrotic cirrhosis (macronodular) and is compensated, that is a good sign. It means that the liver is still functioning. But we both know that can change in an instant. So, I would want to be evaluated now by a transplant center, especially if I had signs of encephalopathy. MaC --------------------------------- It's here! Your new message! Get new email alerts with the free Yahoo! Toolbar. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 24, 2007 Report Share Posted March 24, 2007 I was very glad to hear " compensated " , but I'm not very trusting after the pcp said " trust me , you DONT have cirrhosis. This is the same for me. At CU, at least, INR is from 0.9 to 1.1 and I was 1.1, and platelets are from 150 to 400 and I'm 150 and have hard to control nosebleeds. My BUN is consistently low at 3 and that minicourse in liver disease said low BUN equals high ammonia and I have high ammonia. The lactulose works when it gives me lose stools but sometimes it doesnt give me lose stools, so they upped it to 45ml 3x a day. the encephalopathy still waxes and wanes. So I was wondering why I have encephalopathy if my liver function is so good, and then I discovered something on my CT scan report. The appearance of small collaterals, so I looked it up and all of a sudden I'm seeing the word collaterals all over the place, and these collaterals form when the portal pressure is a 10 or 12 or something like that and how that portion of the blood doesnt get filtered, so It's starting to make some sense, but I have a suspision that these small collaterals are possibily the beginnings of varicies, and I'm scared to death, cause my spleen is definately enlarged to 16cm so I just don't understand how this is considered to be totally compensated. Besides, the doctors are supposed to tell me that i have portal hypertension, not I ask him and he says " yes, you do " . oh, well... Re: Question for Bob If your biopsy came back macronodular then that would confirm cirrhosis. It is possible to be at end stage liver disease and be compenstated. All that means is that your liver is functioning well for the stage it's in. No jaundice, PT time normal, other test close to normal. The portal hypertension is probably causing your encephalopathy. And that can be reversable with diet and medication. If you don't have varices, that's a good sign as well. If your liver is postnecrotic cirrhosis (macronodular) and is compensated, that is a good sign. It means that the liver is still functioning. But we both know that can change in an instant. So, I would want to be evaluated now by a transplant center, especially if I had signs of encephalopathy. MaC ------------ --------- --------- --- It's here! Your new message! Get new email alerts with the free Yahoo! Toolbar. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 25, 2007 Report Share Posted March 25, 2007 I associate decompensated with actual liver failure and compensated as a damaged liver that's still functioning. And portal hypertension happens in almost all cases of cirrhosis. If you start developing ascites, that's a poor sign and may be an indicator to liver failure. MaC Bob Aragon wrote: I was very glad to hear " compensated " , but I'm not very trusting after the pcp said " trust me , you DONT have cirrhosis. This is the same for me. At CU, at least, INR is from 0.9 to 1.1 and I was 1.1, and platelets are from 150 to 400 and I'm 150 and have hard to control nosebleeds. My BUN is consistently low at 3 and that minicourse in liver disease said low BUN equals high ammonia and I have high ammonia. The lactulose works when it gives me lose stools but sometimes it doesnt give me lose stools, so they upped it to 45ml 3x a day. the encephalopathy still waxes and wanes. So I was wondering why I have encephalopathy if my liver function is so good, and then I discovered something on my CT scan report. The appearance of small collaterals, so I looked it up and all of a sudden I'm seeing the word collaterals all over the place, and these collaterals form when the portal pressure is a 10 or 12 or something like that and how that portion of the blood doesnt get filtered, so It's starting to make some sense, but I have a suspision that these small collaterals are possibily the beginnings of varicies, and I'm scared to death, cause my spleen is definately enlarged to 16cm so I just don't understand how this is considered to be totally compensated. Besides, the doctors are supposed to tell me that i have portal hypertension, not I ask him and he says " yes, you do " . oh, well... Re: Question for Bob If your biopsy came back macronodular then that would confirm cirrhosis. It is possible to be at end stage liver disease and be compenstated. All that means is that your liver is functioning well for the stage it's in. No jaundice, PT time normal, other test close to normal. The portal hypertension is probably causing your encephalopathy. And that can be reversable with diet and medication. If you don't have varices, that's a good sign as well. If your liver is postnecrotic cirrhosis (macronodular) and is compensated, that is a good sign. It means that the liver is still functioning. But we both know that can change in an instant. So, I would want to be evaluated now by a transplant center, especially if I had signs of encephalopathy. MaC ------------ --------- --------- --- It's here! Your new message! Get new email alerts with the free Yahoo! Toolbar. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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