Aa
New here
Dear All
I have found out ab Hep B some time ago. Had all tests done every 6 months. The most recent are Hbv dna 16 000 iu fibroscan normal. Liver in good state. I m 36 yrs old woman. No idea where i got the virus from. My doc thinks probably at birth as it is chronic. Because of the inflamation doc suggests starting treatement. He wants to go for Tenof.
Dear all i m so scared of that virus. So scared of liver cancer..... Can u advice me on long prognosis with that illness?? Panicking and scared as i have a little child. Have noone to talk to.
I have found out ab Hep B some time ago. Had all tests done every 6 months. The most recent are Hbv dna 16 000 iu fibroscan normal. Liver in good state. I m 36 yrs old woman. No idea where i got the virus from. My doc thinks probably at birth as it is chronic. Because of the inflamation doc suggests starting treatement. He wants to go for Tenof.
Dear all i m so scared of that virus. So scared of liver cancer..... Can u advice me on long prognosis with that illness?? Panicking and scared as i have a little child. Have noone to talk to.
See my results: http://www.medhelp.org/posts/Hepatitis-B/My-All-Test-Result-After-12-Months-Treatment-of-Entecavir-I-am-cured/show/2355051
See my story: http://www.medhelp.org/posts/Hepatitis-B/Urgent-Advise-for-Entecavir-Usage/show/2044528
See my story: http://www.medhelp.org/posts/Hepatitis-B/Urgent-Advise-for-Entecavir-Usage/show/2044528
I am totally with you about your fears. I think the same way. I just pray cure will come soon so we can be free from this horrible thing.
HCC can come up anytime and can occur without cirrhosis for HBV. Treatment does reduce HCC risk to an extent, but does not completely eliminate it. I guess we can only do what we can do. Good luck with your decision and we are here to help.
Thank you so much. I keep reading yr post over and over again. Helps a lot.
I ve always thought that it is good that i dont have to treat it yet, was glad that can postpone it. Now i m not so sure. Begin to believe that it is better to have that life insurance. However i read that even treatment dosent reduce the hcc risk completely. Even my doc says that Hcc factor is independent factor in HBV , might occur any time. If I understood well. That was is freaking me out.
I ve always thought that it is good that i dont have to treat it yet, was glad that can postpone it. Now i m not so sure. Begin to believe that it is better to have that life insurance. However i read that even treatment dosent reduce the hcc risk completely. Even my doc says that Hcc factor is independent factor in HBV , might occur any time. If I understood well. That was is freaking me out.
Many with HBV live long healthy lives and the majority of us do not get HCC. I've been told the best thing we can do with chronic HBV is to not ignore just because we feel fine and treat this like any other chronic condition. In HBV, we know to monitor at least every 6 months with scans and blood work. I'm told by several specialists this will help ensure that if anything does show up during this time frame it would be caught early, resected, put on antivirals, and have a high success rate of going on with life.
It sounds like your doctor thinks like mine. You need to feel comfortable with their decision, as it is your body and you are going to be the one taking medication for a long time or life.
For me, I didn't take treatment lightly. I was told about 1 1/2 years ago by a new specialist about Tenofovir. I thought he was nuts, as I always was told I was a "healthy carrier". This is old school and not accurate any longer. Then, in January they found a lesion (turned out hemangioma that was probably there the whole time) and that changed my thinking. It was during that time that I did extensive research on antivirals, HCC, HBV, etc. Until this time I did always do my routine monitoring but never thought seriously about it.
I recently changed doctors to the best at Mayo and again was told to treat. Many doctors are coming around to the idea to treat much sooner than they used to initially, due to the long term positive data that is now out on antivirals. My specialist said he doesn't go on guidelines alone, he treats the individual based on many factors.
Please be aware that antivirals do come with their own set of drawbacks, with long term use and possible side effects. However, I decided for me that I would much rather deal with possible side effects or lifelong medication than really having to have HCC, like I really thought I did have in January. I also know that taking antivirals does not lower my chances to zero, but I'm willing to do whatever I can to lower my chances as much as I possibly can.
This is just my opinion and what I went through to get me where I am now. At least now I feel like I'm starting to take control of my HBV, rather than making it feel like it has control over me. Anyone with a chronic condition needs to feel as though they have control, and for me this helps my piece of mine and hopefully my liver. :)
It sounds like your doctor thinks like mine. You need to feel comfortable with their decision, as it is your body and you are going to be the one taking medication for a long time or life.
For me, I didn't take treatment lightly. I was told about 1 1/2 years ago by a new specialist about Tenofovir. I thought he was nuts, as I always was told I was a "healthy carrier". This is old school and not accurate any longer. Then, in January they found a lesion (turned out hemangioma that was probably there the whole time) and that changed my thinking. It was during that time that I did extensive research on antivirals, HCC, HBV, etc. Until this time I did always do my routine monitoring but never thought seriously about it.
I recently changed doctors to the best at Mayo and again was told to treat. Many doctors are coming around to the idea to treat much sooner than they used to initially, due to the long term positive data that is now out on antivirals. My specialist said he doesn't go on guidelines alone, he treats the individual based on many factors.
Please be aware that antivirals do come with their own set of drawbacks, with long term use and possible side effects. However, I decided for me that I would much rather deal with possible side effects or lifelong medication than really having to have HCC, like I really thought I did have in January. I also know that taking antivirals does not lower my chances to zero, but I'm willing to do whatever I can to lower my chances as much as I possibly can.
This is just my opinion and what I went through to get me where I am now. At least now I feel like I'm starting to take control of my HBV, rather than making it feel like it has control over me. Anyone with a chronic condition needs to feel as though they have control, and for me this helps my piece of mine and hopefully my liver. :)
Thank u twinboy and everybody for yr messages. It so good to have someone to talk to.
My doc says exactly what yrs is saying Twinboy-treat that treatment like a life insurance. Prevent any damage that might occur rather than treat later.
The thing is that i m so panicking ab HCC, so scared that will end with HCC anyway. I m just very scared.
My doc says exactly what yrs is saying Twinboy-treat that treatment like a life insurance. Prevent any damage that might occur rather than treat later.
The thing is that i m so panicking ab HCC, so scared that will end with HCC anyway. I m just very scared.
There are many factors that go into treatment, many opinions from professionals on how/when to treat, as well as different guidelines depending on where you live. Most doctors I have talked to say to treat over 2,000 IU/ML for eAg negative with elevated ALT (and many now say ULN should be lowered to 19 for women and 30 for men).
I'm 41, HbeAg negative, low viral load (never above 1300 IU/ML that I know of), no fibrosis on biopsy. I have had HBV probably since birth. I've had some specialist that have said no treatment and recently 2 separate doctors say to treat, based on my age and length of infection alone. There is a lot of date that has shown antivirals do lower HCC risk, even with low viral load.
My end goal is to lower that HCC risk as much as I can and try and do everything I can to keep my liver healthy (like all of us with HBV right!). I am okay with taking an antiviral for life and hope they continue to have better treatment down the road. The way I look at is that I would not have a problem taking medication for another chronic condition (diabetes, asthma, arthritis, etc) so why should I be so scared to treat my HBV? Also, due to my age and that alone being an increased risk for HCC (over 40) I want to do everything possible to lower my odds. My specialist (who is highly regarded at Mayo) said getting that viral load to undetectable is the best way to go and gives the best chance to lower HCC risk even more and maintain/improve liver numbers. He said to think of it as an insurance policy, hopefully to protect myself as much as I can and prevent damage that may lead to cirrhosis or HCC. He said it's much better to start now before there are issues, rather than trying to backtrack and fix issues that quickly can change.
Nobody can make this decision for you, as you will find some on this board that would not treat and obviously others that would. You need to do your own research, feel comfortable with your own doctors recommendations, and then decide what is right for you and your situation. Lastly, antivirals can be expensive and unfortunately for many cost does come into consideration, since once you start you will be on medication long term.
Best wishes and hope this helps!
I'm 41, HbeAg negative, low viral load (never above 1300 IU/ML that I know of), no fibrosis on biopsy. I have had HBV probably since birth. I've had some specialist that have said no treatment and recently 2 separate doctors say to treat, based on my age and length of infection alone. There is a lot of date that has shown antivirals do lower HCC risk, even with low viral load.
My end goal is to lower that HCC risk as much as I can and try and do everything I can to keep my liver healthy (like all of us with HBV right!). I am okay with taking an antiviral for life and hope they continue to have better treatment down the road. The way I look at is that I would not have a problem taking medication for another chronic condition (diabetes, asthma, arthritis, etc) so why should I be so scared to treat my HBV? Also, due to my age and that alone being an increased risk for HCC (over 40) I want to do everything possible to lower my odds. My specialist (who is highly regarded at Mayo) said getting that viral load to undetectable is the best way to go and gives the best chance to lower HCC risk even more and maintain/improve liver numbers. He said to think of it as an insurance policy, hopefully to protect myself as much as I can and prevent damage that may lead to cirrhosis or HCC. He said it's much better to start now before there are issues, rather than trying to backtrack and fix issues that quickly can change.
Nobody can make this decision for you, as you will find some on this board that would not treat and obviously others that would. You need to do your own research, feel comfortable with your own doctors recommendations, and then decide what is right for you and your situation. Lastly, antivirals can be expensive and unfortunately for many cost does come into consideration, since once you start you will be on medication long term.
Best wishes and hope this helps!
The reason why doc suggests treatment is ongoing inflammation. I dont know what to do. Scared of making any decision.
Generally treatment start when fibroscan show a value of f2.with high alat and other tests wich show damage of liver and activation of virus
Thanx Stephen for yr reply. Means a lot. My viral load fluctuates. The most recent was elevated as 16 000 but in the past has been higher , although the last two results were only 6000 and 10000. ALT slightly raised at 34. I have no fibrosis. Fibroscan showed 5.2.
I m HBeAg antibody level positive and hepatitis e antigen negative.
Shall i consider treatement?
Many thnks
I m HBeAg antibody level positive and hepatitis e antigen negative.
Shall i consider treatement?
Many thnks
Chronic Hepatitis B is a very treatable disease, if treated when it is necessary (before symptoms start to appear because of serious fibrosis), the prognosis is excellent, a normal life span can be expected. It just requires regular checking.
You have not given us sufficient information to comment whether you need treatment now. HBVDNA at 16,000 iu/ml, being over 2,000, is considered to be on the high side. So if HBVDNA is not likely to come down on its own, for example, you are HBeAg negative already, or if you have some fibrosis (determined by a FIbroscan), then treatment is recommended. Tenofovir is an excellent choice. Don't be put off by the mantra that you have to take antiviral for life, science will find a cure in the not too distant future.
You have not given us sufficient information to comment whether you need treatment now. HBVDNA at 16,000 iu/ml, being over 2,000, is considered to be on the high side. So if HBVDNA is not likely to come down on its own, for example, you are HBeAg negative already, or if you have some fibrosis (determined by a FIbroscan), then treatment is recommended. Tenofovir is an excellent choice. Don't be put off by the mantra that you have to take antiviral for life, science will find a cure in the not too distant future.
Have an Answer?
You are reading content posted in the Hepatitis B Community
A list of national and international resources and hotlines to help connect you to needed health and medical services.
Herpes sores blister, then burst, scab and heal.
Herpes spreads by oral, vaginal and anal sex.
STIs are the most common cause of genital sores.
Condoms are the most effective way to prevent HIV and STDs.
PrEP is used by people with high risk to prevent HIV infection.
