Has anyone taken blood test for the liver?

[memarcie]

Has anyone taken blood test for the liver?

Beatle, you most likely are clear of cirrhosis if you blood work is normal. But, Cirrhosis is the last stage of liver damage. I don't want to give wrong information and say if your blood work is fine your liver is fine. This may or may not be true. I have a friend who had normal results and nothing showed on ultrasound either but she was stage 3 which is fibrosis, one stage below cirrhosis.

[beatle]

Has anyone taken blood test for the liver?

How did she find out she was stage 3? Are ther any other ways or signs besides biopsy? Does fibrosis always develop into cirrhosis?

[memarcie]

Has anyone taken blood test for the liver?

She found out through a biopsy and No, fibrosis does not always develop into cirrhosis. It depends on the situation.

She thought she was fine no symptoms at all, she did have hep C. Other things such as alcohol can do the same damage as Hep c. I don't want to worry you, I just wanted to give you all information. You can research liver stages and liver disease at hcvadvocate.com While yes, they are geared toward HCV, they also have great info on the liver in general.

[beatle]

Has anyone taken blood test for the liver?

Thanks. I'd better do some research so I can either ease my mind or get going on more testing. Thanks again for all the valuable information.

[memarcie]

Has anyone taken blood test for the liver?

hcvadvocate.com, hcvanonomyous.com and hcvsupport.com are good places to get liver info

[MissyMouse]

Has anyone taken blood test for the liver?

Greetings all,

I'm Marcie's friend with the Stage 3, Grade 3 liver damage. Maybe I can help explain the liver damage thingy for ya'll. My name is Missy. I have hepatitis C with Stage 3, Grade 3 liver damage, which is a snail's breath away from cirrhosis. I have not had a past history of excessive alcohol use but I am the product of an alcoholic mother.

I have NEVER had a symptom from my liver damage and most people don't until they are nearing end stage disease. There are blood tests that they can perform which would alert them that something fishy is going on with the liver. These tests may show an elevation in the LFT ("liver function tests"). The most common of these tests would be the ALT and AST. Despite the severity of my liver damage my AST and ALT were not elevated most of the time or were just slightly above normal. In essence, the extent of liver damage cannot be determined by a blood test. A blood test can only raise a red flag that something's amiss.

An Ultracound or CT of the liver does not show pictures of cirrhosis or fibrosis. They are radiographic studies used to show tumors and abornmalities in size of the liver. They do not show scarring.

The only true way to know the extent of liver damage (fibrosis or cirrhosis) is by way of a liver biopsy.

In a nut shell, myself, like many others walked around with absolutely no sypmtoms that we had liver disease, or blood tests were either normal or just slightly off and our radiographic studies looked fine. It is not until the actual biopsy is performed that extent of liver damage can be determined.

Hope this helps.

Missy

[Determinator]

Has anyone taken blood test for the liver?

excellent info Missy..thank you!
not to pry but is your stage of the disease recoverable? is corrhosis recoverable?
please don't answer if that is too personal of a question....I'm just very curious about this.
thanks again. and welcome to the site.

[5thaday]

Has anyone taken blood test for the liver?

I've had a full liver panel done on several occasions, each time coming back normal, thankfully. My doctor told me that unless there is something seriously wrong with the liver, test results will be normal. For peace of mind you might want to request an unltrasound of the liver- it's non-painful and non-invasive, and can determine if your liver is fatty, inflamed or worse. Basically, I wouldn't rely on blood tests alone if you're seriously concerned. Not to alarmy you, but I have a family member currently battling cirrhosis and her blood tests only became abnormal in the last 12 months.

[beatle]

Has anyone taken blood test for the liver?

Missy, thank you so much. That was very informative and very kind of you to do that. I hope you are doing well. Is there anything you can do to heal yourself?

It seems that if I am really concerned, I need to have a biopsy. I'm not sure how to get that.

It also frightens me. Is it horrible and painful? Will it tell for sure how much liver damage one has?

Is there anything one can do about it if it is discovered there is extensive liver damage?

Sorry for so many questions. I'm really rather worried.

[MissyMouse]

Has anyone taken blood test for the liver?

Determinator,

The liver is a very forgiving organ if you take care of it before it's too late. As far as my damage being "fixable" there is a lot of debate as to wehther or not late stage fibrosis can get better once the damaging element is removed (in my case the Hep C). I'm going to believe that it will eventually get better and be very kind to my liver. As far as cirrhosis, I do not believe cirrhosis can be reversed. However, both the progression of fibrosis and cirrhosis can be stopped in their tracks if the offending disease/element is cured or removed.

Beatle,

Yeppers, the liver biopsy is the mainstay of determining if there is any liver damage and the amount of that damage. There are other tests out there such as a Fibrosur but they are not as accurate as the biopsy.

The biopsy itself was not painful for me. The anxiety thinking it would be was worse LOL.

Hey, Ya'll take care of my Marcie girl. She's special ya know.

Missy

[Determinator]

Has anyone taken blood test for the liver?

Missy, thank you so much...have you heard anything about sulfasalazine for reversal of the myo fibroblasts?

[beatle]

Has anyone taken blood test for the liver?

Missy, thank you so much for this. It is so very helpful. I wish you the best and hope your liver gets all better.

We are taking as good care of Marcie as we can. She is a tough cookie but she sure has had a lot to deal with lately. She knows we all love her though... she's in good hands here--I think =-).