Am I relapseing..someone please help

[luvme77]

I am geno1.. I did 48wk treatments and it was undetected..been done a little over 5mths..I'm worried due to the past cple weeks I have been extremely weak, tired, liver pains, sweating ( nightly), just alot of familiar things.. Could I be relapseing? Should I be worried?... I just need some advice..thanks

[orphanedhawk]

What condition was your liver in when you began treatment ?
It's hard to guess knowing nothing about you.

The only proof of relapse is by doing labs.

[luvme77]

I had scaring and inflamation. Scaring level 2, inflamation 1, thats all thet said from my biopsy, it was swollen, my liver enzymes were very off..thats really all from what I remember

[Advocate1955]

With stage 2, it doesn't seem likely to me that you would have symptoms, so I wouldn't take these symptoms as a relapse. You'll probably be doing a PCR in a month, right?
advocate1955

[BigDaddy_59]

Have you had a viral load done since you finished?

I am a 3 time relapser with cirrhosis and even so I would re-do those 3 because I believe it at least gave me and my liver a break. I am halfway through my 4th tx!

It seems to me the symptoms ebb and flow even while on treatment and the virus is undetectable.

What works for me: Every morning that I wake up alive, I know I got another day ahead and look at it as a gift from God - that's why it's called the present!!! My hepa tells me "go live your life".

I also turn all the worry over to Him and He let me know personally that he will take care of everything, not that I will beat this or that I won't be run over by a car, just that everything will be OK :o)

Peace and serenity to you!

Chris

[flcyclist]

Did you have a pcr at the end of treatment?  And at 3 months post eot?  The only way to tell is to do a pcr.  Don't worry yourself needlessly.  

[8nickers8]

did you do a viral load after you finished tx? Like 12 or 24 weeks after to see if you achieved SVR?  I haven't heard of anyone relapsing 5 months out, has anyone else?

[8nickers8]

You write beautifully.

[8nickers8]

By the way, some of us don't know the code words. What is a pcr?

[can-do-man]

The fear of relapse is pretty strong and sometimes we tend to look at everything different and we assume the worst... Only a PCR will tell you, I know its not easy but try not to worry until then... Good luck

[luvme77]

Yes I did all the blood work..everything came back good...they missed my 3mth..so I did it at 4mths..but I have not had anymore blood work...thanks for all the advice..that was my first time ever on treatments and it being undetected for all that time..ppl have told not to get my hopes up cause theres always a chance it could come back...especially since my genotype

[can-do-man]

To 8nickers8.... What is a pcr?

http://www.can.org.au/Pages/Hepatitis_C/Testing/PCR_Testing.aspx

[pooh55811]

"Definition: PCR, which stands for polymerase chain reaction, is a biochemical technique performed in laboratories. There are many medical, legal and research uses for PCR, including virus and bacteria identification, forensic matching and diagnosing disease (such as genetic disorders).

For hepatitis and HIV patients, one important use of PCR is determining the viral load, which is the amount of virus in the blood. Another use is finding the genotype of viruses, such as hepatitis B or hepatitis C. "

[can-do-man]

From what you wrote it looks like you had a pcr at 4 months post treatment and all was good, the odds are much more in your favor that you have not relapsed, not 100% but at 4 months that is very good.

[luvme77]

Thank you can do man!!!...actually thanks everyone..its hard to talk to some ppl when they have no clue what we go thru

[orphanedhawk]

The reason I asked about your liver damage is although our livers can improve during treatment, it takes time to heal. The familiar symptoms you're having may have more to do with the condition of your liver than with the virus.
If you were undetected at 4 months post treatment, it is indeed a very good sign, to echo my good friend can-do.

[Ironpony]

Congratulations on finishing treatment.  As the other members have mentioned your last UND PCR at 4 months is a great indicator of success.

I am also having some pain and night sweats after ending triple therapy. I recently looked up past posters who felt this side pain post treatment...I was very relieved to see most SVR'd after fearing relapse. So while I am not exactly sure what causes this ,it did not seem to interfere with the success of others who had treated.

I understand these last blood tests can cause a lot of anxiety. ...I hope you will feel better soon and hear UND from your next PCR.. And then...it's just SVR :)

[JasmineT]

We all have fear of relapse post tx and we all have moments where we think it may be back.  Try not to worry, like others have said that 4 month post is a good sign.  The best advice for pain is probably seeing a doctor.  I did have some pain post tx in my right side.  I started drinking a few glasses of apple juice a day and it stopped in two days, may have been a coincidence but apple juice is unlikely to be be a problem so thought it safe to mention in case it helps. Water is always good and enough fiber.  Hope you feel better soon and of course svr :)

[JRenquist]

I know exactly what you mean.  I had an undetected pcr 3 months after the end of treatment and learned ( through the informed people here ) that that  was over 90% predictive of a good outcome, but I was still a total panicky mess the last week before the 6 month results.  Awful pain in my side.  But it was all fine .  sVR official!  So try not to worry, but if you do worry, know that you' ve got company.   Just about all of the symptoms you wrote about can be from nerves .  Best of luck to you

[luvme77]

Thanks all I'm not as worried as I was.. Like I said before its hard to talk to ppl who have never been in the situation.. I'm so thankful I found this site...SVR to everyone..it is a battle but I'm never giving up and hope noone else does..good luck everyone!!!...;)

[BoceprevirGal]

  Good luck at your 6 month post viral load test, luvme!  I am 6 weeks post Tx, and I can totally relate to your question.
   I am also Stage 2, and I always felt like it was hard to determine
just what was my Hep C symptoms, and what was normal aging pains, as I am 50 yrs old.
   I was thinking that my intolerance to heat (heat exhaustion on hot days)
was due to the fact that my liver was inflamed w/fibrosis, but I recently read that is a sign of aging.
   My hot-flashes did go away, during Tx, so I thought they were a Hep C
sign as well, but they are now back. Of course, my first thought was, "oh no, my virus is back (havent had a vl test since eot) but I checked around. Other women on here in my age range, who have obtained SVR, are still flashing/flushing,  due to hormonal change, etc
   Hopefully all us Heppers will achieve SVR, good times are ahead :)

[marco126]

You have the right attitude Big Daddy,
                        Be in it, be in to it and I pray as much grace as God will let me on you stay positive,win,win.