Am new and I need your advice

[dilmun07]

Hey folks :)
I just got my HCV results and I have a very high viral load with 6.5 log copies/mL,, the thing is that I am 26 and the only time i have faced blood transfusion was when I was 2 weeks, do you think it makes my case worse since I have had it for a long time? I have also done LFT and every thing appeared to be normal.

[willbb]

Starting with the combo Inf/Riba ,is certainly an option. The success rates are approx. 50% (depending on many factors). You would have a very good idea of how you are going to respond by the 12th week and could possibly make a desicion on whether to you are doing well enough to continue at that point
If you have access to getting the gene test IL28B ,this will also give you some info. on whether the 50% maybe higher or somewhat lower depending on which of the three alelles"s you have CC,CT or CT.

As mentioned before it may be a good idea to talk to the doctor about having a biopsy  or a fibroscan or a fibrosure blood test .This will  ascertain amount of liver damage ,and if minimal ,waiting until  their are the new meds in your country

best to you..
Will

[curiouslady1]

The condition of your liver will also figure prominantly in your decision to go to another country and treat it right away, wait for the drugs on the market to reach your shores or wait for other, perhaps even more efficacious and safe, drugs to be tested and marketed.

[dilmun07]

it didnt reach this part of the world yet hehe i.e. middle east. My doctor suggested I start with the (interferon/riba only),, or just wait for the other one to arrive,, Am thinking of taking it in another country where the medicine is available

[can-do-man]

Under just SOC, (interferon/riba only) you are right. But now there are these new drugs Incivek and Victrelis, adding one of those to the mix your odds are about as good as the other genotypes with about the same amount of time treating............ So all is not lost, hang in there and good luck.

[dilmun07]

I didnt see this coming but yes i have received my genotype results today,, it is 1b i am bit down cuz i have heard that it does not respond to the treatment as the other genotypes,, hopefully it works well with me

[dilmun07]

Cheers :) this is was really helpful! Meanwhile, I will try to educate myself about the disease, and if the medical care is not sufficient in my country I will try to check other places, although, am seeing one of the best specialists in Bahrain. I will take into consideration the points you have listed :)

[curiouslady1]

Dilmun,  In addition to the above, what you do about this finding is going to depend on the availability of medical care and the level of sophistication in your country regarding the diagnosis and treatment of this infection and the correspondent disease.  I would recommend trolling the internet (and this forum) to get a sense of the state of the art in terms of HepC assessment and intervention and pair it with what you come to learn is available to you in Bahrain.  On our forum we have people who are in the midst of treatment with standard treatment on the market, people who are participating in experimental trials,  people who have determined that they will wait for drugs which may have fewer side effects, people who have completed treatment successfully, people who have gone through treatment but still have the virus and are waiting for other treatments.  For what it's worth, I am undergoing treatment with a woman who contracted the infection as an infant.  She is in her thirties and had a substantial viral load but little or no fibrosis prior to treatment.  She has had no more nor less problem than the rest of us with response to treatment.  So, in brief synopsis,  find the best specialist you can, find out the condition of your liver, find out your genotype, go over the availability and efficacy of treatments for your specific viral type with your doc and make your decisions accordingly.

[dilmun07]

yep am thinking of going into tx as soon as I get my genotype results, and will talk about these points you guys mentioned with the specialist. he seems to be taking it easy while am really on edge because of this. Btw i didnt suffer any symptoms, so is this a good sign? thank you so much for your support

[can-do-man]

Agree with will if your planning on treating on biopsy, and if your geno 2 alot of doctors don't do one.......... Your platelet level can be an indicator of liver damage...... Also theres a simple blood test called fibrosure thats cheap and gives a good ideal on early stage or late stage damage

[willbb]

If you are planning on treating now regardless of what shape you liver is in then a biopsy is not always ordered,however if you are planning on waiting to treat ,then the biopsy is really the only way to ascertain the amount of damage
The LFT really doesn"t give a good indication of damage.
Treatments today are approx 75 % successful for all geno types and for geno type 1 there are three drugs used instead of the standard 2

There are also many  HCV drug trials going on currently and things look even brighter for the future ..
Will

[dilmun07]

Thank you guys! hmm I am waiting for my Genotype test to arrive from France in "hopefully" one more week... my specialist told me that my liver is functioning well according to the liver functional test,, but he never mentioned that i need to do biopsy,, will do ask him on my next visit.
I am glad i have been introduced to this place before my tx :)

[willbb]

cando    lynda types faster than both of us..

[lynda607]

Heehee

[can-do-man]

Hey will, :)

Will types faster then me....:)

[willbb]

Hey Cando  :)

[can-do-man]

The only way to really know is to have a biopsy, blood tests can give a doctor an ideal... Some have this for decades with little damage while others it attacks pretty quick.

Your viral load in numbers is 3,200,000 which is high but at this time doesn't really mean anything as for how much liver damage there is, it can bounce around from month to month.

Knowing what your geno type is and what stage your liver is the most important thing at this time........ Welcome here, wishing you the best.

[willbb]

Your viral load of 6.5 log or 3.2 mill. is considered  high ,however numbers like that are very common and seems about average around here.

In relation to amount of time you have had HCV, it also is not uncommon  as most of us have had the infection for many decades.
Your viral load and how long you have had the infection plays very little role on how you will fair with treatment.
The most important factor is what geno type you are 1,2,3or4  and how much if any liver damage (fibrosis) you may have.
You should be seen by a specialist and they would order the appropriate tests(blood test for geno type and a biopsy  or fibroscan) for liver damage and then treatment options would be discussed.
hope that helps and welcome  to the group...
Will