Biopsy results. Help

We are having difficulty figuring out what my husbands liver biospy results mean.  He  has hep C 1b.  The GI MD says its cirrhosis, but won't explain anything else.  This is what the report reads.   "chronic hepatisit wth the following features: Moderate interface inflammatory acivity (grad III/4).  Bridging fibrosis and focal nodular regeneative changes (stage III-4/4). A hisotry of hepatitis-C".  I have gone to the sites that have been sugguested "Janis and Friends Hepatisis C Support" and it sounds like its not as bad as the doctor is making it out to be.  We would really appreciate any feedback.  Right now my husband has just completed his 3rd injection, 2nd week of ribovirin.  WBC are falling fast.  They are now at 3.4. BUT he has been real lucky and has had no side effects from the medication.  We were ready for the worst and so far all he had complained of is feeling tired....but he'e been feeling tired even before the treatment started.  We just want to thank all of you for all the posting because the information we have gathered here has been far more than any other site.

[can-do-man]

Hello, just got up and saw your post. Yes your doctor is right. Matter of fact your husband bx. Reads real close to mine. He is at cirrhosis. His WBC doesn't sound like its real bad to me. You say he's being seen by a GI? Have you talked with this doctor about what we call "rescue" drugs? The one you want to watch his is HGB. My HGB started out at 17.2 but has held study at around 12. Glad he's having few sides, and your not alone theres a few of us here with those results. Curious though did your gi have your husband have an upper gi endoscopy? Unless your Doctor has tx lots of hcv patients i would be looking into a hepatologist. Just remember its not the end of the world we just got to work a little harder. Best of luck to you and hope to see you back. Feel free to ask questions were all in the same boat. Take care

[dyce]

As cando said the wbc isn't to bad yet but if it takes 4 to 6 weeks to get to hemotologist it could get pretty low before they can get him on the blood boosters if needed. Hope the best for you both.

Cando whats up? Hope your sx's are easy today! Ha thats cool your hmg. is holding up, thats encouraging to hear, especially for folks like mimi's hubby, who have more advanced fibrosis.I don't feel to bad today but this riba does mess with me.

Have a good one,Dyce

[can-do-man]

hey, how ya doing? Shot night last night can't, complain though i've had worse. Mine and mimi bx. really so close to the same. Sure hope my HGB holds up. But as you know it can go down real fast. Setting here at home pretending im at work. More fun that way. I'll make a few calls check things out. Might be the best they get out of me today. Take care

[Mister beagle bailey]

mimi---Welcome, both can-do and dyce are right so there is nothing to add.  just remember to drink plenty of water and keep an eye on your HGB, mine is holding at 8.7 and will find out tomorrow if it went up. If you have any questions just ask.

Dyce --- How are you feeling today?  Hope sx's are not bad and I know what you mean about the riba it's h**l. Sx for me today is good, looks like it will be a good week.  Tomorrow I fly back to Fl. for 6 days, it can't come fast enough.  Hope your day is a good one.

can-do---Your HGB at the start was really high at 17.2, mine was 11.5 at start and holding at 8.7.  I think you may fly through without procrit, etc. Glad your sx are not bad today mine are good too, for me that means I'll have a good week. Hope you have the same.

         Beagle

[friole]

http://courses.umassmed.edu/genpath/GIAccessory/index.html

The address above is to an index of liver biopsy slides. Mimi -- if you will take your husband's biopsy report and cut and paste the address above, you can look at actual pictures of the various stages of liver disease.  These were very helpful to me when I was trying to understand my biopsy report.

As everyone else pointed out, Mimi, just keep an eye on theose blood counts --- the hgb - hemoglobin - is the one to watch for with the red blood counts, and the ANC (on my CBC called NE#) the absolute neutrophils - is what they are most interested in with the white blood cells.  My WBC hoovers at 1.6, so your hubby's looks pretty good to me.
frijole

[mimi3535]

I want to thank all of you for your feedback. His RBC count is acutally higher than when he started!  So I'm happy about that.  When your WBC & neutrophils go down real low, is anyone placed on some form of isolation?  Like walking around with a mask or staying home away from other people?

[can-do-man]

No they just give you a shot of Neupogen. Theres nothing Contageous about it. Just a booster drug. Theres never a need for isolation or masks with HCV Most people with hcv never needs it.  your WBC will bounce around alot on tx. So don't let that worry you. Just make sure your doctor keeps is eyes on his lab work. Take care.

[can-do-man]

I should of added though its not real wise to be around people thats real sick with the flu though.

[NYgirl]

I try to make sure to wash my hands a LOT and not to forget after grabbing door handles and stuff lately - I figure the best advice for a compromised immune system of any kind is the old fashionned advice. Stay away from sick people and wash hands often.

Sorry about the diagnosis on your husband. This disease really sucks but there are some great people in here to give support.  See if you can get him to come on too and question things - the more you ask the more you learn and the better equipped you are to deal.

[mimi3535]

I have been trying to get him on here for days.  I'v been reading and then having him read good advise and support, but so far I haven't been able to get him here alone.  BUT I WILL NOT GIVE UP!  He needs all of you!!! He just doesn't know it yet.  He's been so depressed and tired all the time, its been a battle to get him to do much of anything these days.  The fatigue started along with the depression, so he's now on Lexapro and we're just waiting to see if that helps him get out of this depression.  You know its bad when the man turns down a good game of golf!

[NYgirl]

Ah the Paxill I am on took about a month to really kick in but it helped a LOT.  I only know that because I decided I didn't need it and went off it and cracked up LOL.

Thank God he is taking the Lexapro!

You know you just have to be supportive and tell him that you love him and are there for him.  What you are doing online is ABOVE and beyond and eventually he WILL appreciate it when he gets over the shock at what is going on.  

Let me tell you, we've ALL been there!  But in time...hopefully he will get curious and want to talk to others who KNOW what he is going through.  That - for me - has been the greatest gift of tx.  just being able to talk to people about the things that seem so STUPID (ie: oh no my hair is falling out! oh no this rash makes me look dreadful! etc etc) I mean stuff that doesn't change the WORLD but whenyou post it and people say "AH i know it's so horrible isn't it?"
it makes you feel more like a credible person again and it gives you back some of your SELF ESTEEM to know you are NOT alone.

I knew nothing about this disease when I got here - and everyone was so PATIENT and KIND and UNDERSTANDING that I honestly felt I could deal with whatever was to come as long as they were honest and I knew in advance.

Have patience - it's a really big shock to his system to find out all of this at once.  You are a WONDERFUL wife and I am so sure he appreciates every bit of what you are doing...even if he doesn't really know it yet.

:)

[Dale_Ray]

You hit on something very important - washing those paws in hot water with good soap as often as possible. With our immune systems as they are during treatment the last thing you want is to give a germ an opportunity to jump on board. I stay away from crowds completely unless I have to go through an airport but otherwise I stay clear. I had a pulmonary infection a few weeks ago and it was super bad. Keep the common sense coming NYGirl. DR

[can-do-man]

you said..... He's been so depressed and tired all the time, its been a battle to get him to do much of anything these days. The fatigue started along with the depression.
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Just hearing the news of hcv is hard enough, but then to find out how bad it has effected your liver is a double whamy. I know exactly how he's feeling. Glad he got on AD's though. Once the shock wears off i'm sure he will feel better. Until then all you can do is keep being understanding. Good luck to both of you.

[can-do-man]

depression is one tough cookie, i never went the AD route but after finding out all this at that time i wish now i had.

depression to me is like driving down a one way street. And the farther you drive the harder it is to turn around and head back. And if people's luck is like mine is. As soon as you turn around and head the other way, there will be some durn cop there just waiting to give you a ticket.

[NYgirl]

You know, I was never much of a fanatic about hand washing until now. It seems that every door I look at to open has finger prints all over it here at work. Then I started thinking about bannisters which I always used to grab going on stairs -

I mean people cough and are proper and use their HANDS to "cover their mouth" but there you go! All those germs aren't then washed off each time someone coughs are they???

I don't know what has happened but it's made me really mental about it!

I was actually thinking about getting some of that antiseptic hand rub something until I realized...I really have such an obsessive personality that if I keep going I'll soon be looking like Michael Jackson ... so it's time to slow down.

Gloves and a face mask just don't seem to be my sort of fashion statement ;-)

[can-do-man]

Help me here ok. You go to the restroom and wash your hands, then you start to leave but grab the handle. So then you turn around and go wash your hands again. Does the madness ever end?

[NYgirl]

LOL I've gotten so bad I don't touch the handle any longer...all those GERMS!!!!!!  YUCK!

Did you hear that they tested a lot of surfaces for germs and junk and the thing that had the most colonies of germs growing was shopping cart handles?  Who would think that?

That's what made me start off on this anti-germ phobia - I'm sort of worried I wont be able to get off of it after treatment.

Just what I needed - something to be MORE wierd about right?

[can-do-man]

Me thinks you been out west to long, While i do make good bacon, where i live dairys still use cows..:)

[Dale_Ray]

So why don't they make bathrooms in public building where you can just hit it with your shoulder and the door goes out and there is no need to touch the handle. If you are in one with electric drying only then you don't have the option of grabbing the handle with a paper towel. Nygirl I just remembered Micheal Jackson only wears one glove. So is he right handed or left handed? I'd go with left handed:) You go through all this treatment sides and you do develop phobias about things. But **** I had a real phobia about the hep c and being overly caustious so no one would get that from me. Howard Hughes had the right idea about having multiple phobias he lived on a morphine drip. Dale

[friole]

I am glad you found this forum too..   It sounds like your hubby is getting anemic even if the blood counts don't show it yet.  Even a 2 point drop over a week will be very noticable even if it is in acceptable range (12 or over).

When my WBC and ANC dropped my doc did say stary away from churches, malls and places with a lot of people.  The research says hep C patients can withstand much lower ANC than cancer patients - As low as .4 - but  it is best to be careful.    It is not the WBC that is making him tired, tho, it is the RBC drops.

Please ask him to stop in and visit with us.
frijole

[NYgirl]

Said he lived on a morphine drip.

Ah I bet I wouldn't even be worried about germs if I was like HH and could do THAT ;-)  Probably wouldn't even care about the Hep LOL.

I just went to wash my hands and had to laugh I seriously never thought about it until today's postings...I'm surprised I don't squirt myself with Lysol in the morning instead of Channel #5!

This disease REALLY has the potential to make us all CRAZY - never mind the RibaRage I think we need a new name for the crazy things too.

[FlGuy]

Pre-tx: tired and lethargic. On TX: tired, lethargic, obstinate, cranky, disinterested in things that used to be of interest, changed appetite, headaches, disinterest in usual weekly golf - too much effort.  That was my MO. Although he may not feel significantly affected by tx he likely is but perhaps mildly in several areas.  Knowing you have this disease and the **** that goes along with tx is depressing in itself.  Your hubby is not alone - lots of others feel what he feels.  It's great that you support him in the ways you do.  Although family members may not be infected, they have the disease too. Remind him that a bad day of golf is better than a great day on tx.  Three months after tx I'm back to weekly golf, coaching girl's softball, digging holes in the backyard, staying awake past 9pm. gaining weight.  There is life after tx and after hep.  It's a haul but it's doable. Good luck to you both. p.s. during the dog days of tx (months 2-6) I'd sort of seclude myself and kick back with mj (not the hoopster) and just chill on the lousy weekends without a to-do list.

[can-do-man]

says...This disease REALLY has the potential to make us all CRAZY......... You making up excuses again?

[GoofyDad]

<i>then you start to leave but grab the handle. So then you turn around and go wash your hands again<i/>

Whatrudoin grabbing your handle in a public bathroom, Homey? Show some self restraint, fer cryin' out loud! And, BTW, what do you do, carry your Gold Bond around in your hip pocket for these magic moments?

[can-do-man]

ny says....LOL I've gotten so bad I don't touch the handle any longer...all those GERMS!!!!!! YUCK!
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Goof.....Well at lease i havn't let this hcv take away all the fun in life.

[dyce]

Ha guys, I too can relate to the hand washing phobia. I must wash my mits 50 times a day. Lately I've been using my shoulder, feet , knuckles to open doors. Maybe I'll just use my head! Wifey says it's hard enough. I work at a big gulf resort and I'm around a ton of people everyday, many are exchange students from 3rd world countries (YIKES). I know ,I'll hire somebody to follow me around and open the doors a head of me.

Dyce

[can-do-man]

Besides have you not seen that commercial on the 36 hour thing, you know when the moment is just right?

[can-do-man]

you say.........Maybe I'll just use my head! Wifey says it's hard enough.
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Summin just don't sound right there, or you just doing some bragging?

[dyce]

(LOL), no brag ,just fact.

Dyce

[GoofyDad]

That is SO great. I see a commercial with you tooling along in your milk van, white milk man's hat and all. As you pass a nasty gas station (with a nastier jon) you pull a U-turn and head into the parking lot. Next shot, from outside the locked stall, you're inside the stall with your (milk bottle) shorts at ankles. Next is a satisfied milkman climbing back into his van, fade to an orange sunset.....when the moment feel right......

[fishdoc]

If your young and agile like my 23 year old son, that just assumes everyone is a pig (or being a male, maybe he knows something we girls don't about mens bathrooms), he uses his feet to open the door......... He said he gets some wierd looks, but he's pretty buff and hairy, and not really someone to mess with....not to mention armed.... we are out west ya know...

[can-do-man]

Sorry no milk van here. Company provides a very nice car thank you. But do have plenty of milk cartons. :)

[can-do-man]

We love you just the way you are. PLEASE don't go the Michael Jackson look.

[GoofyDad]

Dude! 36 milk cartons and sayonara grimey gas station! Hope you got tinted windows and cruise control.....

[can-do-man]

Bet you think i play that tune....My ding a ling?