Biopsy results. Help

[mimi3535]

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]

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

[GoofyDad]

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

[can-do-man]

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

[can-do-man]

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

[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...

[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......

[dyce]

(LOL), no brag ,just fact.

Dyce

[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?

[can-do-man]

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

[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]

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.

[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]

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

[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.

[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.

[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

[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

[can-do-man]

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

[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]

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]

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]

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.

[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.

[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