Can I ask my GP for a liver scan to find out if I have damaged my health?

[parchedjanuary]

As the title says, I understand that I can ask my GP for a liver scan....but are they likely to agree to this? My GP is aware that I have issues with alcohol, and I have dipped in and out of alcohol recovery services over many years.

I'm wondering if anyone else has done this? And what was the outcome?

I have paid privately for blood tests over the years and they always come back okay. But I know blood tests are much less specific, and much less likely to identify damage than a liver scan.

Has anyone here paid for a private liver scan? How much did it cost? And how did you arrange it?

Any helpful information much appropriated .

I asked my GP (phone consultation) for a fibroscan, explaining that I stopped drinking a couple of months ago and am feeling exhausted all the time. She said she couldn’t refer directly - only a liver specialist could do that - and that blood tests were the first step. Had those done and saw a different GP face to face for results, and she did refer me for a fibroscan (so not sure why first GP said she couldn’t). My results were all within normal range apart from GGT which was 1 u/L over the upper reference limit - GP said nothing to worry about and should come down if I’ve stopped drinking, but I said that I know LFTs can appear normal even when there’s significant fibrosis, and that I’d like a scan to know what the situation is. She was happy to refer.