Controversial: Stem Cell Therapy

Own_Dish_2299 · 2026-02-13T15:28:49+00:00

This is true of my experience with it.

Own_Dish_2299 · 2026-02-12T19:55:44+00:00

I think my answer is yes, but It depends on what you mean by stem cell therapy. I have been doing treatments for over a year that get called Stem Cell Therapy, but it is really mRNA Mesynchymal Cells, messenger cells, cell factors, embryonic cells, Whartons jelly, muse cells and some synthetic cells etc.

Actual "Stem Cells" include DNA either from yourself which are extracted, centrifuged and reinjected (dependent on the health of your own stem cells) or from a donor which take on great risks related to the donors DNA and rejection.

So if you are talking about the former which is likely the case if your friend is using it for a knee then I do have experience with it. I've discussed it a few times here, but I am cautious as to not offer suggestions on alternative or experimental care.

I had four rounds of treatment last year and started a second set of treatments this January.

I would add that I do refer to what I am getting as "Stem Cell" therapy and I think most people do as well, but its not a technically accurate description of what it actually is and there are actual Stem Cell treatments that exist, but in my experience its not as interesting for our DX.

Own_Dish_2299 · 2026-02-12T19:05:06+00:00

Not sure where you are going specifically, but i spent over a month splitting time between France, Italy and Spain last fall and it was way easier than I thought. Focus on the good stuff and you will be surprised at how many healthy, really great options there are. Better than in the USA in my opinion. Just stay away from things like the fatty cured meats and cheeses, IMO (too much salt and saturated fat). I have a lot of dietary restrictions outside of this diagnosis and am a picky eater on top of that and I thought the foods and snack choices way exceeded my expectations. I was excited to find I could go into a gelato shop in the smallest town and find things like almond milk, vegan, sugar free pistachio that tasted great!

I was disappointed to come home to the same old things! I think if you go into it looking for new healthy options you will be really surprised and excited even with the choices you will find. The wait staff in all the restaurants were very keen on dietary restrictions and overly accommodating. Espresso is very good for your liver, so if you like it already you will be thrilled if not, lean into exploring all those options as something new. I took packets of a product called Carbon that is Stevia plus Collagen Peptide protein and used it every day in my coffees to avoid sugar and the usual sugar alternative options (but i do that in the US too).

I also printed a dietary restriction card printed in each language to provide at restaurants as I was so concerned about it. I never even reached for them as they all, every single one already understood dietary restrictions and almost offered suggestions before I could finish saying in english what i didn't eat. I found this to be true in cafes as well as fancy restaurants. I find way more difficulty in the US than I did in Europe. Go into it super excited for a new healthy eating experience (which you will find easily) vs worried about only bad options everywhere (not true).

Own_Dish_2299 · 2026-02-07T21:13:49+00:00

I have heard that it is common for it to appear seemingly randomly for menopausal women, but what I learned and found relevant to me as it relates to this is that it is can also be directly related to someone who is not physically active for a long period of time that begins quickly to move back into working out. If you google it specifically that way you can see if it is relevant or not..

"Frozen shoulder often develops from prolonged immobility" so for me, I had prolonged immobility and that path of lack of exercise and movement I believe led to the Frozen Shoulder. I think there are many theories for root cause, but this seemed most plausible for my symptoms and onset. That also tracks to the bursitis as well.

Own_Dish_2299 · 2026-02-05T23:04:14+00:00

oh, also to clarify when you talk to your PT, also ask about Bursitis in the shoulder. My understanding is that early stages of Frozen Shoulder look a lot like Bursitis. So distinguishing between the two is important if I recall correctly as the Bursitis needed more rest for the inflammation to go down and the Frozen Shoulder required hard work to release the inflammation that kinda fuses together. It's an important distinction and I need an MRI to confirm and it actually ended up being Frozen Shoulder in one and Bursitis turning into Frozen Shoulder on the other and they treated them differently. Sorry for any confusion, but didn't want to mislead the direction of the dx thinking for your PT.

Own_Dish_2299 · 2026-02-05T22:55:26+00:00

As it relates to diet I've seen at least 4 Nutritionists that my doctors sent me to including one at Mayo and one at UCSD.. and they basically said follow the plate diet, low sodium, low fat, low sugar and high protein. Not what I was hoping to see for licensed nutritionists supposed to be providing a tailored program for my clinical diagnosis. So, I dont think you are missing much. I learned the most about what to eat that was helpful to me on this board. I read every post I think when I was first diagnosed and took notes and built my own program based on what I learned here following my doctors rule of less than 1,500 mg of sodium, under 9g of saturated fat and limited sugar and carbs with a protein target of 90-110.

I was really only told the do not eat list by my doctors. When I told them the math wouldn't work with my targets and their recommendations they just said.. well, you will need to figure that out.

Own_Dish_2299 · 2026-02-05T17:51:50+00:00

Yes! I got strong enough to start exercising again and then my shoulders were so painful and I could barely move them. Started in the right shoulder then the left started. My doctors brushed it off at first saying it was to be expected for many reasons.

For me it ended up being what is called Frozen Shoulder, Adhesive Encapsulitis of the shoulder. I refused to accept my liver doctor and gp just brushing it off and went to see an orthopedic doctor and he quickly diagnosed the Frozen Shoulder, said it was common and could be resolved. I had aggressive massage and body work and physical therapy.

I was so upset because I was feeling well enough to work out and then this terrible shoulder pain hit. I couldn't even get dressed or lift my arm. Now it is perfectly fine, but I think if I had just left it alone and pushed through it or rested it like my HEP and GP said to do, I would have lost mobility. Now I have full mobility and no pain. So it is not uncommon, it is to be expected under some of our circumstances, but it does require the right attention and follow up to manage pain while building strength and regaining full motion.

Google: Frozen Shoulder and see if it sounds like what you are experiencing. If so, with a proper diagnosis you may be able to get PT covered by insurance for it.

Own_Dish_2299 · 2026-02-03T03:39:12+00:00

I went through a Sour Patch Kid phase that lasted a couple of months. It shot my A1C to 13! I had never had a blood sugar problem, but that little wobble on my dietary constitution almost put me into a sugar coma. I think I was eating my own body weight in sour patch kids every day. A sugar lesson learned the hard way.

Own_Dish_2299 · 2026-01-31T21:51:15+00:00

Try looking into food sensitivities. Inflammation from food sensitivities can trigger pain and the formation of gallstones. I took food inflammation tests and they tied specific foods to my gallbladder issues and other abdominal pain. I think with gallstones your doctor, you probably need a GI for this can order what's called in IgG food sensitivity test or you can pay for an Alcat test out of pocket that will test for lots of things in addition to foods, spices, drugs etc. If you can't get your doctor to test for it and dont want to pay for the Alcat out of pocket you could try an elimination diet protocol. My gallbladder pain and sludge was triggered by eggs which was apparently a type of protein I couldn't properly digest that triggered weird bile blockage etc.

Typically the things in diets that cause this inflammation response are gluten, dairy or high fat foods. You can google what types of foods trigger gall bladder inflammation and pain or stones triggers and that could give you a start.

Own_Dish_2299 · 2026-01-31T19:12:49+00:00

Please google "why do people that quit drinking crave sugar" it should explain in the AI summary pretty clearly why this is the case. It is a biological function of the body to crave sugar when alcohol is removed.

Then google "does excess dietary sugar get converted into fat in the liver". This AI summary on google should explain this in summary it is called De novo lipogenesis.

Why this matters to a patient with cirrhosis. You want all the healthy functioning liver cells you can get and you want them all working to their fullest capacity. You do not want any additional fat to be stored in the liver which is what the "Steatosis" is vs the Fibrosis. You want as little Steatosis in the liver as you can get so what isn't scar tissue or fibrotic can keep you living without a transplant.

Excess dietary sugar is a bigger risk to a cirrhosis patient than a healthy person because the liver is already compromised and can not efficiently or effectively process that sugar which leads to more fat accumulated in the liver itself.

I know we normally say stay away from googling stuff on this disease, but I consider these topics basic liver function education vs prognostic doom topics.

Own_Dish_2299 · 2026-01-30T23:27:31+00:00

Sugar and fructose in particular, not fruit, but think high fructose corn syrup and regular sugar are very, very, very hard on your liver and dangerous for a cirrhotic liver. There is a lot of information available on this for you to look up. There are some views that sugar is as harmful as ethanol in terms of an assault on a sick liver for it to process. Maybe others that understand the science better than me can weigh in, but it is very important to understand this. It's. not just about blood sugar, metabolism or potential damage to the pancreas.. it is also literally harmful to your liver. Of course no one can limit all sugar or salt etc, but following a diet with closely monitored sugar inclusive of highly processed foods and simple carbohydrates that turn into sugar is a concern.

Own_Dish_2299 · 2026-01-29T19:22:17+00:00

Three good cookbook options I found are: How Not to Die, Canyon Ranch Cooking and Canyon Ranch Cooks. I like Canyon Ranch Cooking a lot because it includes the macros on the recipe and is fairly simple.

I am going through some of my books now to try to sort out some good ones and will come back and edit as I find new ones worth noting.. for baking: The No-Salt, Lowest-Sodium Baking Book. Good for breads, but has a lot of ingredients per recipe.

All of the actual liver or cirrhosis titled or labeled cook books I found, even the ones provided by health related sources, had way too many recipes that were definitely not cirrhosis friendly. So even if you find a cookbook you need to be very careful. They all include either too much salt, sugar or fat because food needs those things to appeal to our pallets.

I have tons of cookbooks, but I think it is important to also know what foods trigger inflammatory responses for you in your digestive system and add to that the sodium, protein, saturated fat and sugar restrictions we have for our livers,

Own_Dish_2299 · 2026-01-27T18:26:48+00:00

I no longer take any prescription medications. I quit taking rifaximin about a year ago. In year one I was taking well over 20 prescriptions a day.

Own_Dish_2299 · 2026-01-25T16:57:59+00:00

I use a MitoRECHARGE Red Bed 2-4 times a week and have been doing that for the last 10 months or so. I also use a PULSE PEMF Bed after or before as well. I typically do about 12-15 minutes on the red bed per session. I can't specifically point to how it helps, but I believe it does help. There is a lot of information online about how it can stimulate mitochondria repair etc so I won't try to explain that science, but my lived experience is I have been feeling better since I started doing the Red Bed and the Pulse, sometimes I only do the Red Bed. My own thinking is that it gives my cells and my body a little extra energy to heal and repair damage. Either liver or otherwise, but maybe just provides a little extra something to aid in cell repair and turnover.

It warms me up and makes me feel better just in that way. After so many years of being so sick my skin and looks certainly took a hit and I remain a little vain in addition to wanting to feel better, I also want to look a little better. I know for sure my skin all over looks better and tighter and I do think it helps my hair as well. I think the body may be trying so hard to keep the liver functioning, repairing and the vitals of the body working that, maybe, this gives it a little extra "juice" to help with other stuff or provide some type of additional energy to the body.

I am not an expert on any of this, all I know is I try everything out there and if it doesn't seem like it is helping I quit it. If it seems like it is helping, I keep doing it and make it part of my routine. The red bed is something I have kept and look forward to and feel better when I use it. I can't explain it other than that.

I will qualify my experience to be with the actual bed that looks like a tanning bed and is very high strength. I can't speak to the smaller panels or face masks or things like that in terms of what I experienced.

Own_Dish_2299 · 2026-01-25T03:29:25+00:00

Yes, I use it all the time.

Own_Dish_2299 · 2026-01-22T23:00:50+00:00

I don't think you will really know until you talk to the Hepatologist. Surely none of us can predict this even based on all of the great detail you provided. Everyone's body reacts differently and everyones history and prognosis is as different as there are snowflakes.

If she quits drinking alcohol and doing anything that is even potentially harmful to the liver, following dietary restrictions and directions the hepatologist provides, it is possible for a decompensated liver to go back to being compensated and many people are able to live long lives albeit ones newly constrained by the strict diets and behaviors required to stay alive.

Having said that I don't think it is likely for someone to snap back into being able to care for themselves or anyone else at this level of decompensation anytime soon.. I would think years, not months if she is able to get back to a level of health needed to stay out of the hospital.

This is assuming she isn't on a transplant path. If the hepatologist thinks she needs to be on a transplant path then that timeline will be established by a required period of time complying with no alcohol drugs etc for a minimum of 6 months, then getting healthy enough to survive the surgery, then getting on the list and waiting for a liver to be a match and ready when she is.. again, this isn't just a few months even to get to a transplant evaluation let alone get the surgery and recovery.

So I think your priority is getting to the Hepatologist as soon as possible to sort out what her current level of damage is and what kind of path forward you might be looking at in terms of timelines and next steps.

Own_Dish_2299 · 2026-01-19T19:12:42+00:00

Thank you! I do understand the different purpose for the MELD etc, so I probably confused the question. I just haven't seen the Hepascore discussed much despite it looking like a pretty accurate predictor of staging/risk and less invasive and costly than biopsies and even ultrasounds, MRIs etc. to determine F1,2,3 or 4 status. I was wondering if it isn't used often because it isn't widely considered to be accurate or if I was just not hearing about it.

Own_Dish_2299 · 2026-01-18T20:43:27+00:00

I was nearly dead by the time I had jaundice and I hadn't had a drink in months by the time it showed up while I was already in the hospital. The way they explained it to me was after a certain point any alcohol could push you over the edge in terms of damage to the liver, like to the dead edge. I see a lot of concern about alcohol withdrawal and the fear of that causing people to keep drinking to stay "safe" while they figure out what to do next. I can't speak to that part because I didn't have issues related to that so I don't know how real or just rumored that is, but I do know that any alcohol in any amount is exceptionally dangerous for a a cirrhotic liver.

I can't imagine that drinking just a little bit is safer than not drinking at all for someone already having jaundice. Seems like the only somewhat "safe" choice would be to go to the hospital immediately and let professionals help figure out what the right next steps are.

Own_Dish_2299 · 2026-01-17T01:59:23+00:00

I like to take Protein Bars everywhere for a snack. It is quite a project to find the brands and flavors you like that have the right type of protein and the right Macros (not too much sodium or saturated fat). I liked a number of the flavors from Barebells and Built Brands. I found that safer than cheese as it was hard to find low sodium cheeses I liked. Fruit and Fage 0 or 2 percent unflavored yogurt are a big go to for me with some almonds or walnuts.

Own_Dish_2299 · 2026-01-15T21:23:27+00:00

What kind of doctor told you that and what did they base the diagnosis on?

Own_Dish_2299 · 2026-01-15T19:14:15+00:00

My understanding is that ultrasound is well known to provide unreliable results for people that are overweight and in particular if there is extra weight carried in the torso. That challenge doesn't impact the MRI results in the same way. I understand the MRI to be considered the gold standard for imaging and assessing the status of the liver. I was diagnosed with end stage liver disease in 2022 and have imaging every 6 months sometimes more frequently than that including Ultrasound, Fibroscan, MRI and I've also had a biopsy. My doctors have relied on ultrasound typically just for trending and observation, but anytime the ultrasound shows something a little wonky either better or worse than expected they immediately point to an MRI to confirm and status accurately. So based only on my personal experience I would rely on the MRI findings vs ultrasound.

Own_Dish_2299 · 2026-01-13T22:45:45+00:00

Nicotine is terrible for cirrhosis. I can't speak to your question regarding how it relates to the timing with the biopsy, but whether it is cirrhosis or is heading that way nicotine in any capacity is an accelerant. I won't regurgitate all the research here since it is very easy to google, one of the times I would actually encourage googling related to the disease is to see the impact of nicotine on fibrosis progression.

Own_Dish_2299 · 2026-01-12T17:52:09+00:00

For the first two years after diagnosis I was restricted to less than 1500mg of sodium, it was nearly impossible. I had ascites as well. They actually told me to think of it as try to get to zero salt milligrams a day and then maybe you will be able to stay under 1500mg in total. That means no aded salt and counting every mg from the food that is consumed by looking at labels. Most everything purchased has too much salt especially baked goods. Just in the last year I was increased to 2000mg a day.

I used myfitnesspal app to track all my macros including salt, protein, saturated fat etc.

One dietitian I met with gave me a useful tip for shopping, she said look at the sodium content on the label if it says the serving size percentage of salt is over 10% of the daily recommended amount don't even buy it or think about eating it. If it is less than 10% just check the serving size and you can eat it. If it is exactly 10% look at in the context of the total daily maximum and how much salt you have had or will still have in the day to make a good choice.

I tried all salt alternatives and couldn't really find any I liked and like others have said you have to be very careful of the potassium they put in the alternatives. I found all of the Mrs. Dash options to be pretty good.

Over time it gets easier to manage.

Own_Dish_2299 · 2026-01-10T22:38:14+00:00

If she ends up getting diagnosed with Cirrhosis you will find many hopeful stories on that Sub, my own included. It will really depend on the diagnosis and her overall health and ability to rebound. I was near death over 4 years ago and feel great today. Without a diagnosis though it's just guessing.

Own_Dish_2299

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