Can cirrhosis heal?

[GP7852]

I have stage 4 cirrhosis.Just started treatment for 24 weeks with Harvoni.If I clear and stay clear after treatment can the cirrhosis heal?Can I ever get back to having a normal liver without the worry of tumors?
                                                     Glen

[GP7852]

Thanks Dee
I stopped the drinking a long time ago and have no desire for it at all.I find a vanilla milkshake a lot more enjoyable.I didn't know about the red meat but I hardly touch it due to family history.Guess I should cut it out completely even though it is just a filet mignon maybe once a month.My goal is to be at my twins weddings (they are 23) whenever that happens and since one of them is a girl I must be healthy enough to dance with her.I am 60 and would love to hang around for at least another 10 years.There is still so much to do if you know what I mean.
                                         Glen

[Dee1956]

I know what you mean...most definitely :)

[linda803]

Hi Glen, my husband also is on Harvoni, He is on it for 12 weeks, We were told that because he has had liver cancer there is a chance it could come back, Also the liver can rejuvenate it self after the Hep C has been cured,, That"s what we were told,, But in my husbands case he will still need a liver even after he's cured only because he had the tips procedure. Every person is different depends how bad the liver is,, You should speak to your GI on your next appointment and see what they say,, best of luck

[genotype1a]

Once cirrhosis has damaged the liver it's very difficult for the liver to regenerate back to normal. It is rare that someone does eventually completely heal their own original liver back to normal even though on occasion it has happened. And it has only happened on a few, rare occasions.

Now, that's not to say that some parts of your damaged liver will not regenerate because depending on the severity of damage and how widespread it is and how healthy the person decides to change their lives. Is also a very important factor to encouraging the liver to regenerate. So it's not that cut and dry with respect to the liver regenerating its self back to normal. And as long as the liver wasn't classified as decompensated then there's always the possibility of over 50-50 chance that the damaged liver will repair itself to function better than it did before tx. Once the liver has reached the point of decompensation, the only hope for them is a liver transplant.

And this is why your husband is on the list. The Tips is a procedure to prevent the body from bleeding internally due to the ESLD being decompensated unfortunately linda. The upside is that the Harvoni Tx being given to him prior to the surgery almost guarantees that your husband will not have chronic recurring HCV because the harvoni us going all over his body inside and hunting each and everyone of those dirty little bastards and killing them where they though they would be safe to hide. Little do they know until it's too late that is, how their fate is already being sealed by the harvoni.. After the transplant and once your husband has improved health wise , they will probably order some sort of hepatocellular carcinoma treatment to kill of any hiding cancerous cells within the body.

But remember that repairing is not the same as regenerating and it's very important to distinguish the difference between the two. Only until recently the Liver was thought to be the only organ besides your skin that could regenerate. But recently, it has been discovered that the human Brain has a similar capability of regenerating some of it's damaged cells and repairing other cells not so damaged yet affected by the underlying cause of the damage.

Finally, I'm not a doctor but, I did stay @ a holiday inn last night - yeah
Right!!! if you have time, you can read my bio if you wish.
All the best to your husband and to you and your family. If you have any questions please don't hesitate to ask.
Henry

[almostsixty]

I am svr from gt 1b for about 6 months. My doc says due to my age it would be better if I became de compensated sooner rather than later as I am 60 years old. He tells me it's almost impossible to get a new liver when you reach 70. Didn't really know how to take that. I feel good and have no symptoms. With the hep c gone it may take a while to get to that point. He is so positive I will need a liver. I am scanned every 6 months for cancer. So far so good. It sounded like he was telling me to take up drinking to hurry things along which I would never do. Feeling doomed no matter what. Kind of like a ticking time bomb. Has anyone else been told this?

[hepcandme]

you need a new doctor

that is the worst thing he could have said to you and it is not true either

your doc needs a lesson in beside manners and some ongoing research and study about hepatology