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imaging and nutrition questions

So my husband had his first MRI weds for cirrhosis. He will be monitored every 6 months with imaging and every 3 with bloodwork. Does that ever change? Will it ever decrease if he gets better?? Its very nerve wracking for me and even he seemed worried when i am usually the worry wort. I hate to have to go thru this 2x a year but so be it if it needs to be done!! His md said at last visit he probably will never need a transplant though. I still worry about his lifespan being affected and how this will affect the rest of his life. Hes only 31!!My main question is are there any diet recommendations? ? He no longer drinks alcohol. He has been drinking diet soda I think bc of the carbonation. I worry about the aspartame. We eat a generally healthy diet with lots of lean meats, fruit, veggies. He does indulge in fatty foods at times (esp with the holidays). Any suggestions would be helpful on what may help his disease or cause further issues. I do know he should eat low fat high fiber diet and exercise. He can't work out right now though bc he had a hernia he needs repaired:( we are seeing his hepatologist Friday to review his results of the mri.
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317787 tn?1473358451
Hi, the best person to ask would be the hepatologist but I am pretty sure it should be a high fiber, low fat, low salt diet. Fresh fruits, vegetable.
For me, I don't eat red meat or pork, only chicken or fish.  I try to help my liver work as well as it can.  I only drink water to help it as much as I can.
  I am using protein shakes to make sure I get enough protein and right now I am trying a plant based shake for breakfast.I found a site that talks about the diet for liver health and thought it might help. The woman who runs the below site has cirrhosis too..  Good luck, Dee

http://www.ihelpc.com/liver-loving-recipes/
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Avatar universal
Hi Drea.  Glad to see that your husband has stopped drinking and hopefully is on the road to recovery.  Would not worry about soda consumption as its not in the long run going to hurt him.  The best recommendations would be to limit salt, and red meat.  Everyone is at a different stage with Cirrhosis and its not a one size fits all.  Personally I try to limit fried food, try to stay with veggie proteins, Brocolli esp raw is wonderful for the liver, and keep up with fiber content.   It's been noted that probiotics are good for the gut and you can get a supplement for that or try eating yogurt.  Milk thistle is a vitamin/supplement that has some scientific basis that helps with liver disease.  Basically just eat as healthy as you can with pure foods rather then processed or artificial ingredients.  The good news is that he's paying attention and is making changes in his life for the betterment of himself.
He's lucky to have a supportive loving partner and you need to take care of yourself as well.
Here should you need us
Take care
.....Kim
Helpful - 0
317787 tn?1473358451
Hey there, here is a little information I found and on this site it talks about things that are good for the liver health.  Of course all of this depends on the health of his liver
Good luck

http://www.livestrong.com/article/290597-foods-to-avoid-with-a-bad-liver/
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317787 tn?1473358451
Hi there, I agree with Fntn, I don't measure my amount of salt I just don't add any.  When I started looking at what contained salt or even sugar I was shocked how much was in a "healthy" cup of soup or even milk.  Salt in milk just blew me away.
I think this is where your husband's doctor will be very helpful with his diet.  We are all different and all have different levels of damage to the liver.  So diet should be individualized.  I had read that red meat was hard for the body to digest and it took a while to digest it.  In my mind I thought that meant strain on the liver, I could be wrong.
I guess for so long I have been trying to heal I have focused on little else.
I know that we should eat whole foods as much as possible, processed food like lunch meats are not good for our body.
I will buy a turkey, and use it for meals as well as sandwiches.
I would love to hear what your husband's doctor says about his health and suggested diet.  As for red meats, if I do occasionally have it I make sure it is lean or the best cut available. On another thread where someone asked this question it was said that a heart healthy diet is good.
Please keep in touch,
Take Care
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Avatar universal
Certainly following a good diet should always be a priority while paying attention to sodium. But for myself, I don't get crazy strict about the sodium, just make sure I don't add any extra to foods, etc and I am  decompensated with ascites but controlled. Also, I do eat red meat all the time, steak on the grill. Just listen to your body and pay attention.

The imaging and testing frequency will vary from patient to patient. Again myself, MRI every 3 months but others are done via US every year. I get complete blood work every week, an amazing set of data that I can use myself wrt diet, meds, etc.

Take care.
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