13 Jul What Is The Procedure For A Liverscan?
Going in for a liverscan can be a scary thought. Is there something wrong with me? Could this be the end? Am I dying? All of these are questions that you might have before going in for a liverscan procedure. There are many reasons why you might need one, and sometimes it might not hurt to just get one to see if there’s anything wrong with it. If you are a heavy alcohol abuser, then your liver might not function the same way that a normal person’s liver functions, and you might want to get it scanned and checked out. Here are some other questions that you might have before you get one.
What is a Liverscan Looking For?
A liverscan is usually done to check for diseases, such as hepatitis, cancer, or cirrhosis. They can also be done to search for cuts along the liver, tumours, or cysts. All of these can be life threatening if they aren’t treated within a reasonable amount of time. Liver pain isn’t easy to go through, but it can also be hard to notice, especially if you are consuming stuff that is damaging it, such as alcohol.
Liverscans can also look for things that are happening in your spleen. Your liver and spleen are very close to one another and scanning both can prove to be quite useful. If something is wrong with either of them, then you will be treated right away. If you go untreated, there is a high risk of a very slow and very painful death. Getting a liverscan can greatly help you if you are dealing with any kind of liver pain and could potentially save your life.
What Does a Liverscan Consist Of?
When you first get to the operating room where you will get a liverscan, you will first be injected with a small amount of radioactive material, that is known as a tracer, into your bloodstream. This tracer will then collect in your liver and spleen, and from there a gamma camera will search for and find these tracers. Using 3D imagining, the doctors will then see how your liver and spleen are functioning. Bright spots on the screen mean that a lot of the tracer is collected in that spot, and dark spots indicate that there isn’t that much tracer in that location.
Preventative measures
Knowing how this operation works can be quite a haunting memory, and you might want to consider making some life changing choices to prevent yourself from reaching a point where you need to go in for one, or worse, have an operation done on your liver.
To start, you should consider changing your diet to a healthier diet. Quit drinking so often, eat more vegetables, eat more fruits, eat less processed foods. All of these things add up over time and your liver health is a direct reflection on how well you have been treating your liver. Eating bad foods and drinking alcohol and soda all the time certainly isn’t helping your liver, add smoking on top of that and you’ve got a recipe just waiting to happen in your liver!
Exercising is another way that you can make your liver healthier. It should go without saying but being overweight and putting extra weight on your liver isn’t doing it any favours. The liver isn’t directly affected by exercise but being in good health through diet and exercise will increase your overall health and make you a healthier and happier person. Your doctors will also be proud of you for making these changes.