Living with liver cirrhosis forces you to learn about your own body in ways you never expected. Blood tests become more than just numbers on a screen — they become signals, warnings, and sometimes reassurance. Over the past months I have spent a lot of time studying my labs, trying to understand what they really mean and how they reflect what is happening inside my body.
One of the first things doctors look at in cirrhosis is albumin. Albumin is a protein made by the liver and it tells us how well the liver is still functioning. My albumin level is 4.6, which is considered excellent. That means my liver is still producing proteins effectively. In simple terms, despite the damage, my liver is still working.
Another important marker doctors use is the MELD score (Model for End-Stage Liver Disease). This score uses three numbers from blood tests: bilirubin, creatinine, and INR. Based on my recent labs — bilirubin around 1.7, creatinine 0.87, and INR about 1.3 — my MELD score is approximately 11. This places me in what doctors call the compensated cirrhosis range. It means the liver is damaged, but the body has adapted and is still maintaining balance.
Looking deeper into my results, my AST and ALT liver enzymes are normal, which means there is no active liver injury happening right now. My kidney function is excellent with an eGFR of 103, and that is very important because kidney health is one of the biggest factors affecting people with cirrhosis.
One thing that does show up clearly in my labs is portal hypertension. This happens when scarring in the liver increases pressure in the portal vein system. Because of that pressure, the spleen often becomes enlarged and starts trapping platelets and white blood cells. That is why my platelet count and white blood cells are low. It is not because my bone marrow is failing — my iron stores and ferritin levels show that my blood production is actually healthy.
Speaking of iron, my ferritin level is 128, which means my body has good iron reserves. There is no sign of iron deficiency and no iron overload. That is another reassuring sign that my body is still maintaining balance despite the challenges.
Some numbers are slightly elevated, such as my bilirubin, which sits around 1.7. This can happen in cirrhosis because bile does not move through the liver as efficiently as it should. But the increase is mild and stable, which doctors usually consider manageable.
When I look at all these results together, the picture becomes clearer. Yes, I have cirrhosis. Yes, portal hypertension is present. But my liver is still compensating, my kidneys are strong, and my body is adapting.
What matters most now is protecting what still works. That means staying disciplined with my health, keeping my nutrition strong, maintaining muscle through exercise, and monitoring my labs regularly. These numbers are not just medical data to me — they are a roadmap showing where I stand and how I keep moving forward.
My journey with liver disease has not been easy, but every test result I study gives me more knowledge and more control. I am not ignoring reality, but I am also not surrendering to it. As long as my body keeps fighting, I will keep fighting with it.