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Chronic Hbe negative HBV for 14 years.. Now raising its head?

(reposted..)

My hbe neg- hbv, has not been showing itself recently in LFT and HBVDNA numbers or u/s or F'scan: (ALT less than 35 for last 3-4 months-has remained between 19 and 44 in last 7-8 months. And hbvdna that was 28,500 cop/ml in July, is UND since September, 2012-checked twice).

However, the news is that:
a) my cholesterol numbers are getting bad. Total cholesterol is 5.5 against max limit of 5.2, LDL is 3.8 against max limit of 3.4, and HDL is 0.99 against min of 0.9.
b) Prothrombin time was 14 sec in Sep, 12 (lab limit 13). Now it is 15 sec. INR is 1.1.
c) Most importantly, kidneys: Creatinine has reached 114 umol/L (upper limit 124), and uric acid is 465 umol/L (limit 420).

This is a dilemma. If I try to control my cholesterol, that might make blood  thinner which will further increase Proth. time. Also how to manage RFT (Uric acid and creatinine)?
I am not taking any medicines etc now. Just green tea 1/day, and honey in warm water 1/day. I am a thin person, and have started walking 2-3 km a day recently.

So what advice do you have please? Does it have to be an antiviral now? with hbvdna und and ALT in and around 30s? Could that be even useful?

(I am thinking to re-start vit D: had stopped it earlier after taking for 2-3 weeks as i thought it is making my kidney function go down, but even after stopping it, the RFT values are still going slightly up instead of down. I am still going to monitor RFT, and calcium). One thing: they say stress can elevate chol. And I have been stressed lately, maybe that explains the cholesterol part.

Thank you very much.
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Avatar universal
Thanks and I am on heptech protocol for one week by now. I plan to monitor by fibroscan as it is available in my country.
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Avatar universal
antivirals are useless when you are hbvdna undetectable (sensibility at least 20iu/ml).in this status immune system is able to keep replication low and pegintf may work very well if also hbsag is 1000-1500iu/ml
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Afraid to go higher dose D3 as i had kidney pain+1 small ureter stone about 1 yr back.

high vit d3 and high vit k2 mk7 have shown to prevent this.kidneys stones are mainly from low vit d, low vit k and high pth

Have stopped dairies but dont know how much Ca is in normal diet.

if vit d is 100ng/ml or more calcium will always be enough from any food and of course toxic from dairies

also remember you are vit d deficient unless intact pth falls in the lowest normal range
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Avatar universal
1. I have low bmi. Am basically a thin person.

2. Have been taking around 4000iu D3 daily for last 2 years or so. Your  good advice as it ended my lethargy/lack of energy and general body pains quickly.  (Baseline vitD was 37). Now, while taking D3, I've been quite energetic despite I take less sleep (avg 5.5-6 hrs a day- dont know how bad that is?)  Afraid to go higher dose D3 as i had kidney pain+1 small ureter stone about 1 yr back. Have stopped dairies but dont know how much Ca is in normal diet. (Anyway 1st week of March, I'll get D3, RFTs,LFTs, hbvdna and u/s etc all checked- and post results). Last checked almost 4 months back- were all ok.
3. I make effort to avoid unhealthy foods: almost no sugar, no soda drinks, no processed foods. but yes, in Pakistan, cooking oils (canola or soyabean oil) are part of almost every meal, so that is there.
4. I am the kind of person who worries much- am thin already and have lost 5-6 kgs in last 2-3 yrs. (now almost constant). I look weak.

Can you also kindly comment/reply on my antiviral question (use and effectiveness while being hbvdna negative).
Thanks.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
also supplements reducing oxidative stress (test it f available in labs in your area) are all of much help

liposomes from maxhealthlabs in paricular and vit d3 10.000iu daily
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Avatar universal
liver damage is not only from hbv but mostly from processed foods, unhealthy foods, low vitamin d levels and being overweight (bmi over 25), fatty liver

do you have any of these?
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Avatar universal
Hi, I have been searching the net for need/effectiveness of antivirals while HBVDNA negative. My intermittent liver pain which was earlier rare and very less noticeable has now increased but still bearable enough that I do all work and go to office), and the pain is not there most time of the day; but definitely increased. I have not been recommended antivirals. I have been hbeag- and hbvdna-. So, if the pain increases or fibrosis tends to start, can antivirals benefit such a person? Some action on inter-hepatic virus, probably?
You have been hbvdna- too and started TNF. So please comment. Thank you.
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Avatar universal
http://www.genomeweb.com/rnai/arrowhead-cleared-begin-phase-iia-trial-hbv-drug

Arrowhead Cleared to Begin Phase IIa Trial of HBV Drug

Arrowhead Research this week announced that it has received clearance from regulators in Hong Kong to begin a phase IIa trial of its siRNA-based hepatitis B treatment ARC-520.

The single-dose, dose-escalation trial is designed to determine the drug's ability to suppress hepatitis B surface antigen in combination with the oral antiviral agent entecavir in chronic HBV patients.

Single doses of ARC-520 will be evaluated at up to two ascending doses of 1.0 mg/kg and 2.0 mg/kg, Arrowhead said. At each of the two dose levels to be evaluated, a cohort of 8 patients will be enrolled with 6 being dosed with ARC-520 and 2 being dosed with placebo.

With the regulatory approval in hand, Arrowhead said it expects to begin dosing patients "shortly," and that top-line results from the study will be available in the third quarter of the year.
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Avatar universal
Thanks.

1. Any comment on my HBsAg that has come down from around 2600 to around 1800 in about 10 months?

2. What important factor made you start antiviral since you had HBVDNA und and had got cirrhosis under control using heptech products?
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Avatar universal
dont worry about gcmaf, too expensive and only available by gcmaf.eu or saisei japan, useful only if nagalase is so elevated to make immune suppression

to test it you need to ship frozen  blood to redlabs.com or http://www.europeanlaboratory.nl/

so it is difficult, you also need a lab to draw blood and ship frozen with dry ice or proper type of shipment.i mean if you are at very high risk for hcc it makes sense to test it
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Avatar universal
Nagalase monitoring is not available in any hospital / lab of Pakistan that I have checked online or visited. Also, gcmaf for treatment seems to be not available. Are these very special/expensive? An idea about gcmaf's price?

Can any member tell me if gcmaf is avl in India or UAE.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Fibroscan History / latest: Have had total 3 so far: Went for the first one in Sep, 2012 after the temporary re-activation of my old inactive HBVDNA : result was 3.3. I started vit D3, green tea and all the diet care (exclusions) as you advised me. After about 5-6 months, the repeat Fib result was 4.4. I continued with the same diet etc and thank God, in Dec, 2013 I was again at 3.3. (Fibroscan responds late?)

HBsAg Quant (Abbot Architect): Done 2 times so far. In Feb, 13 it was 2674. Recent, in Dec, 13 it is down to 1820.

Kidneys: taking baking soda (less than advised though, as more gives me upset stomach). Kidneys have shown slight improvement (creatinine remains less than 100)

HBVDNA last checked in Nov was -. Has remained negative last one year.

I have noticed a trend of liver area (and under ribs) pain. It comes for few days and then goes away on its own. Started again yesterday, intermittently- is bearable though.

My last u/s was ok. hemangioma size etc remains same. AFP last checked in Nov: is just within limit.

Any comments?

Question. You are HBVDNA- too. What made you start antiviral? Good to avoid HCC risk?
HCC is really scary, but I cannot increase D3 intake (current 5000) as it tends to increase serum Calcium. Will go for D3 test end of the month, but I am sure it would be just around 40 or so going by my previous trend. Will post result.

Thanks
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Avatar universal
Thanks for the advice. CoQ10 was once advised by you for helping my kidneys, but I am convinced now its better to avoid it for now.

yes it is very helpful maybe brands like solgar can declare where it is from

1. I think I cannot try fish oil because it thins the blood. Because my PTT had gone upto 15 sec, but I repeated (at a better lab) after 2 months and it showed 12.9 sec.

i think you are getting messed up by the methods and range:
PT norm range 12-15sec
APTT <40sec
PTT 0.8-1.2 but this is not in seconds

if you take vit k1 you get normal factors but i dont think they are abnormal
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Avatar universal
Thanks for the advice. CoQ10 was once advised by you for helping my kidneys, but I am convinced now its better to avoid it for now.
  Well, so far my kidneys are borderline ok, maintaining creatinine around 1.2. I am trying to keep it there with baking soda (taking just a pinch in water daily, 6 days a week). Next few months will show the trend.

1. I think I cannot try fish oil because it thins the blood. Because my PTT had gone upto 15 sec, but I repeated (at a better lab) after 2 months and it showed 12.9 sec.
2. Heptech/fibroguard not avl here and I cannot afford either. :)
I will update my latest F/scan, U/S and bloodwork tonight or tomorrow, and discuss some alternatives I have in mind.

Grateful.
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Avatar universal
they also prohibit use of salt nacl. to reduce bleeding in advance cases.
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Avatar universal
never saw a human trial to prove such idiocy, my blood pressure is very normal...maybe the food and the vit d deficiency which make metabolic diseases are the problem

we are very lucky we have mediterranean diet in italy as part of our culture and very difficult to change which protects us so much more than the rest of the world, we just have vit d deficiency anyway here due to indoor life
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Avatar universal
here docs strictly say to about soda as it has sodium which increses blood pressure in vessels and increases chances of bleeding.i m not very sure.
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Avatar universal
definitely data about radiation in japan is not true, there has been many data hidden and it is worst than thought, even sea has been contaminated and this has been confirmed lately while it was hidden since today

i myself stopped coq10 totally after the radiation pollution there, it is not important at all for the liver or hbv infection
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
i got a coq10 brand called Awardin plus from Werrick. I am unable to find where the CoQ10 in it was originally made. You advise to avoid CoQ10 from Japan. Any advise? How important is CoQ10?
Thanks.
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Avatar universal

by the way forgot the news on cofee or even better green coffe extract and simvastatin
the action of simvastatin on cancer prevention is activation of apoptosis of cancer cells (the cancer cells suicide themselves)
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Avatar universal
it is definitely a benigne tumor type, no worries of any kind about it but it is best to keep hbvdna und and hbsag as low as possible

in the meantime a way of healthy life keeping low ph, active machrophages and so on it is the best choice for all of us on HCC prevention, so suggestions:

keep good vit c levels
keep good vit d3 levels
keep good ph around 7 (check urine ph easier than blood ph)

maitake and gcmaf can keep machrophages activated so if any cell turns in to tumor one it gets eaten by the activated machrphages, an example of what gcmaf does to machrophages in the presence of cancer cells:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D1WZrnCcH24

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Avatar universal
Sorry..
I am due to have fibroscan next week. My second ever; had one about 6 months back, was ok (f0-f1).

Thanks.
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Avatar universal
The latest..
The mild intermittent in liver area pain made me undergo an ultrasound last week.
Turned out I had a liver hemangioma. That was the first time I ever heard the word, and when told its a tumor, I got scared. Anyway, radiologist said it appeared benign. Liver texture was smooth. Portal dia 7-8 mm.
I underwent a CT scan, and it turned  out to be benign, God be praised.

I have been reading about hemangiomas and especially in Hep B patients. Not a lot of info is available. Some suggest it should be left alone. Some say it should be surgically removed if there are symptoms, but that involves risks. No consensus on what causes them.

Can they be reduced using diet / natural means? What happens to them in the long run.

My AFP is slightly raised but still within limits (upper limit 5.5, mine is 4.9). Alt is 29, bilirubin is 16 (upper limit 17). I am generally ok except 1. slight intermittent pain in various places liver area, and 2. headaches that come down to teeth/jaws (bearable but annoying).

Any suggestions please?
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Avatar universal
"I normally recommend a 1:1 PRO to CHO ratio, eaten at the same time, spaced 2.5-3 hrs apart. This allows the PRO to buffer insulin response.."

Could you please elaborate what these are? Thanks.
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Avatar universal
The great results I was referring to was a noticeable increase in energy and cognitive abilities. I also just feel better all around...less overall inflammation in my body...including brain...No more fog head!

The best part was the decrease in my FibroScan as it has dropped over 8 points in the last four years...I am hoping to retest this summer.

Regarding the above diet posting...Please always choose low glycemic Index foods which in-turn will reduce the amount of insulin your liver has to manage. Increased energy levels go hand in hand with stable blood sugar levels.
I normally recommend a 1:1 PRO to CHO ratio, eaten at the same time, spaced 2.5-3 hrs apart. This allows the PRO to buffer insulin response, which again will help stabilize energy levels. Optimal macro-nutrient breakdown 40/40/20 (CHO/PRO/FAT).

The other very important aspect of supporting liver health (via detox) is proper hydration. Most people do NOT drink enough H20 per day. Sorry coffee does not count, it actually is a diuretic and has the opposite effect on the body. There are two ways to calculate hydration the first is by metabolic rate, and the second is using ones body weight...I find this method much easier. Our bodies require 30 - 40 ml. of H20 for each kilogram i.e. a 100kg person would require a minimum of 3 liters, and a maximum of 4 liters per day...You would be surprised how many people don't come close to achieving proper hydration everyday, which in-turns impairs or slows metabolism (the rate at which all cellular functions occur).

Please take the time to run these basic calculations on yourselves and I know you will be shocked by the endpoint.
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