Going in for a Fibroscan can be a very stressful time in someone’s life, and the results can determine whether or not you are going to have to make major life changes in order to stay healthy and live for a while. If you need to have one then you are obviously concerned for your health and there might be something wrong and the results will determine what changes you need to make to your life. Here are a few tips on how you can be best prepared for your Fibroscan.
What are they?
A Fibroscan is a specialised ultrasound that checks for scarring and fatty changes in your liver. It is commonly used on people with liver disease to find out what is going on and determine whether or not surgery is required to fix the liver and ensure that you digest food properly. Fibroscan results can be used on their own, or with a combination of other tests to help your healthcare provider learn more about your liver disease and give you the best advice to ensure that you can survive.
What to do before
Two weeks before your Fibroscan, you should stop drinking to make sure that any possibility that alcohol is affecting your liver is gone. Alcohol can severely damage your liver and if you have liver disease, then drinking most likely isn’t a good idea in the first place. Any additional damage to the liver can worsen the results of the Fibroscan and it cannot be good for your health.
About three hours before your scan stop eating or drinking any foods or liquids. These can affect the results of the Fibroscan and can make the doctor’s job harder to figure out what is going on in your liver. Drinking small amounts of water is fine, but it is best to avoid drinking any large amount of fluid before your Fibroscan to make sure that the test is done properly.
What Happens During the Scan?
Before you go in for your scan, you will meet with the receptionist and sign in and wait for your turn. During this time, a consultant will come to you and describe what will be going on during the scan and you can ask any questions that you may have about the scan. Once you have consented to the scan, you will be brought to the examination room and have your test.
Once you are brought to the examination room, you will lay on a couch and be asked to place your right arm above your head. The assistant will then search around on your stomach and place a probe above your liver and start the test. You will feel a small bump on your abdomen, this is the probe sending ultrasound waves through your abdomen. These bumps shouldn’t cause you any pain or discomfort. The test normally takes about ten to twenty minutes and will measure how stiff your liver is.
Once the test is completed, then you are free to go. You can go back to working if that is what you have to do, there isn’t any reason why you shouldn’t be able to go back to work. Your doctor will get in contact with you within the next couple of days to go over the results of the test with you. Going through the test isn’t scary at all and should only take up a small portion of your day. There shouldn’t be any reason to stress about the test, and the results of the test are only here to help you get healthier.…
