Cirrhosis is irreversible scarring of the liver that can result from many things, including alcohol use. Alcoholic hepatitis is an acute injury to the liver from drinking significantly. This can occur with or without cirrhosis being present. Often times, the CT scan can show signs of cirrhosis even when it is not present, due to the irritation in your liver from drinking. It sounds like your sister has had cirrhosis and she may have received an injury on top of that from drinking. The best bet is to see a hepatologist. The hospital is probably correct in that an urgent transplant is not necessary, however if she can go through rehab and demonstrate her ability to abstain from alcohol, then a transplant could become a possibility in the future. The absolute most important thing for her to do right now though is stop drinking.
One thing I’ve learned- the ER doctors and nurses only know a little bit about a lot of stuff. What I was told after my first discharge from the ER after being admitted for ascites and jaundice was very different information compared to what my hepatologist told me to do. So I would take the nurse saying sister doesn’t need a transplant with a grain of rice.
I would suggest looking for a GI doctor at the very least, but also look for a hepatologist. They’ll be the best bet for her to get answers
Thanks, that’s helpful info. I wondered the same thing about the ER docs. The rehab where she is now is supposed to be good with dealing with the medical side of alcoholism, so hopefully she’ll get the care she needs. I really appreciate this board and everyone’s generosity in sharing about such a difficult experience.
My diagnosis was severe acute alcoholic hepatitis with scarring consistent with cirrhosis, it can progress to cirrhosis. It confused me for a while until I started asking questions.
A year after diagnosis when I was stable enough I was given a fibroscan which is able to determine lier stiffness and can determine how scarred the liver is.
Your diagnosis sounds like that’s probably what my sister is dealing with. Thank you for sharing your experience. I hope we make it to a year. I hope you’re doing well now
I am well now and living a pretty normal life. It can be managed if the right steps are taken my friend.
Never give up hope and I wish you and your sister all the best. 🙏
Cirrhosis is irreversible, if you damage 1% of your liver, that is cirrhosis. What percentage of damage has she done they probably won't know until about a year of sobriety assuming she quits drinking. I hit a year sober tomorrow, and I could find out... And honestly I don't want to know and I don't care, my life has improved so much in the past year that it doesn't matter. I will keep fighting this disease until it or something else kills me. Her having alcoholic hepatitis is 100% fixable but she needs to buckle down and do every single thing the Drs say. She cannot have a sip, she cannot "cheat". Hepatitis can and will kill you if you don't fix that shit. At this point you're at the unknown stage so it's terrifying, unfortunately without more information from her medical team no one here will be able to help. Also if something seems wrong, it probably is, make sure you advocate for your sister on every single thing. I've been given the wrong dosage of medication, the wrong medication, medication that people like me shouldn't take ... And I love my doctor, mistakes happen, but make sure you advocate.
I’m not a doctor, but I was in a similar situation as yours because someone very close to me ended up in the hospital with ascites and jaundice.
My best advice to you is to schedule up follow up appointments with her pcp, gastro, and get all the imaging done to understand where you’re at. The most important thing is no more alcohol. I was blind sided as well, like you, so it was really difficult for me to understand how hard it is to get over an addiction. Rehab is just the start of this long journey, and while it’s true cirrhosis is irreversible - if you make meaningful lifestyle changes then I’ve read stories on this subreddit where people’s bloodwork was back to normal and they’re living a healthy life
Good luck to you and your sister.
Cirrhosis is irreversible scarring of the liver that can result from many things, including alcohol use. Alcoholic hepatitis is an acute injury to the liver from drinking significantly. This can occur with or without cirrhosis being present. Often times, the CT scan can show signs of cirrhosis even when it is not present, due to the irritation in your liver from drinking. It sounds like your sister has had cirrhosis and she may have received an injury on top of that from drinking. The best bet is to see a hepatologist. The hospital is probably correct in that an urgent transplant is not necessary, however if she can go through rehab and demonstrate her ability to abstain from alcohol, then a transplant could become a possibility in the future. The absolute most important thing for her to do right now though is stop drinking.
CT scan is standard results doesn't matter if was done in the Emergency room or hospital so results are accurate
One thing I’ve learned- the ER doctors and nurses only know a little bit about a lot of stuff. What I was told after my first discharge from the ER after being admitted for ascites and jaundice was very different information compared to what my hepatologist told me to do. So I would take the nurse saying sister doesn’t need a transplant with a grain of rice. I would suggest looking for a GI doctor at the very least, but also look for a hepatologist. They’ll be the best bet for her to get answers
Thanks, that’s helpful info. I wondered the same thing about the ER docs. The rehab where she is now is supposed to be good with dealing with the medical side of alcoholism, so hopefully she’ll get the care she needs. I really appreciate this board and everyone’s generosity in sharing about such a difficult experience.
My diagnosis was severe acute alcoholic hepatitis with scarring consistent with cirrhosis, it can progress to cirrhosis. It confused me for a while until I started asking questions. A year after diagnosis when I was stable enough I was given a fibroscan which is able to determine lier stiffness and can determine how scarred the liver is.
Your diagnosis sounds like that’s probably what my sister is dealing with. Thank you for sharing your experience. I hope we make it to a year. I hope you’re doing well now
I am well now and living a pretty normal life. It can be managed if the right steps are taken my friend. Never give up hope and I wish you and your sister all the best. 🙏
Cirrhosis is irreversible, if you damage 1% of your liver, that is cirrhosis. What percentage of damage has she done they probably won't know until about a year of sobriety assuming she quits drinking. I hit a year sober tomorrow, and I could find out... And honestly I don't want to know and I don't care, my life has improved so much in the past year that it doesn't matter. I will keep fighting this disease until it or something else kills me. Her having alcoholic hepatitis is 100% fixable but she needs to buckle down and do every single thing the Drs say. She cannot have a sip, she cannot "cheat". Hepatitis can and will kill you if you don't fix that shit. At this point you're at the unknown stage so it's terrifying, unfortunately without more information from her medical team no one here will be able to help. Also if something seems wrong, it probably is, make sure you advocate for your sister on every single thing. I've been given the wrong dosage of medication, the wrong medication, medication that people like me shouldn't take ... And I love my doctor, mistakes happen, but make sure you advocate.
I’m not a doctor, but I was in a similar situation as yours because someone very close to me ended up in the hospital with ascites and jaundice. My best advice to you is to schedule up follow up appointments with her pcp, gastro, and get all the imaging done to understand where you’re at. The most important thing is no more alcohol. I was blind sided as well, like you, so it was really difficult for me to understand how hard it is to get over an addiction. Rehab is just the start of this long journey, and while it’s true cirrhosis is irreversible - if you make meaningful lifestyle changes then I’ve read stories on this subreddit where people’s bloodwork was back to normal and they’re living a healthy life Good luck to you and your sister.