Decent Lab Results

[chevygal55]

A few minutes ago, I heard my fax; it was my nurse; she attached this note w/result saying, "These look reallly good but dr hasn't seen. Liver function is awesome & BUN/Creatinine (kidney functions) look great.  Dr will see you tomorrow."  

--

PRE-TX AST 43. U/L  - NOW:  AST 25
  " ...ALT 55. U/L  -  " :  ALT 19  
  " ...RBC 4.23     -  " :  RBC  4.27
  " ...WBC 4.4      -  " :  WBC  2.5
  " ...HGB 14        - " :  HGB 13.1

So anyway, those are pretty good considering tx?  Yes?  No wonder I am feeling a little shortness of breath dropping WBC from 4.4 to 2.5 in 26 days.  Is this pretty much the norm w/ us on tx?  Can some of you give me some of your first 4 to 6 weeks?  That was blood drawn the day before shot 5.  

Chevy, feeling lucky.

[mikesimon]

These look great to me. I doubt that the shortness of breath is from the WBCs. RBCs, Hmg and Hct are ususally the culprit for that side and your Hmg isn't bad at all. Good luck. Mike

[mikesimon]

Your Hmg. did drop almost 1 point and no one can predict how one will feel with a drop in Hmg. Although your Hmg. looks okay to me it's possible it's this drop could cause you some shortness of breath. I wouldn't worry about anything I've seen and to the contrary would be quite enthused were I you. Good luck. Mike

[CARUU]

Here are my beginning a current numbers:

               Beginning         Current
AST               50               34 (2/4/04
ALT               81               37   ""
WBC               4.0              2.3 (2/18/04)
RBC               4.78             3.62  ""
HGB               15              11.5   ""
HCT               43.6             35.2  ""
Platelets         193              146   ""
NEU %             43.6             44.5  ""

My WBC went as low as 1.6 on 2/4/04 and I have had to be on reduced dosage of Pegasys since about week 15.  I've been able to keep my Riba at full dose.  

I definately have shortness of breath.  Can barely walk up a flight of stairs and I have to rest between everything I do.  Bathing and making beds are hard.  I'm working 1/2 time.  It's not bad once I get there, because I'm sitting at a desk...but getting there is a big challenge.  My docs say the extreme shortness of breath is because I've developed silent thyroiditis (hyperthyroid symptoms) more than because of anemia.  

I've had MANY ups and downs with emotions and state of mind.  I really try to stay positive, but things can change from hour to hour (or even minute to minute).  I guess the biggest learning is that I cannot have expectations about what I am going to do each day.  I let the house and yard and relationships and work and everything just sort of happen these days.  Keeping up with my self and my illness is a big job and I've decided that my priority is to get through this and get healthy again.  Have a great day everyone, caruu

[hepcgetlost]

Chevy, I'm doing shot # 11 tonight. My first shot was December 22. Here are my numbers

PRE-TX AST 57; NOW: AST 30
PRE-TX ALT 55; NOW: 19
PRE-TX RBC 4.14; NOW 3.7
PRE-TX WBC 5.6; NOW 3.4 (It had gone down to 3.0 two weeks into tx and now seems to be on its way back up)
PRE-TX HGB 12.5; NOW 11.1

The lab flagged all these numbers, as well as my hematocrit which has gone from 37.0 to 33.0, but my nurse said it was not bad and not to worry. I too am feeling lucky.

How often is everyone getting bloodwork done? Mine was done at 2 weeks, 4 weeks and now every 4 weeks. At weeks 12, 24 and 48 they also check the viral load. Is that about the norm for everyone else too?

Love and good wishes to all of you. I come here first thing in the AM and last thing at night...and especially in the middle of many nights when sleep eludes me. Reading all your posts makes all my days and nights and sides so much easier to manage.
Judi

[Honey15637]

Your numbers look great!!  Haha and when we look at these numbers...we are thinking why do we feel like this right?
Here is mine week 6:

Ast  25
alt  18
wbc  3.8
rbc  3.71
hemog  11.4

what the heck is rdw-cv?  mine is tad bit high  16.3

[Ella Mackenzie]

My first two-week blood draw was last week and I haven't gotten the results yet. I am scheduled for blood draws on weeks 2, 4, 8 and 12 with viral load at weeks 8 and 12.
Ella

[Ella Mackenzie]

My first two-week blood draw was last week and I haven't gotten the results yet. I am scheduled for blood draws on weeks 2, 4, 8 and 12 with viral load at weeks 8 and 12.
Ella

[Is_This_Real?]

testing

[Is_This_Real?]

Well, lets try this again.  I started treatment on 1/16/04 with baseload numbers as follows:

WBC  6.9  (out of normal range of 4.0 - 10.5)
RBC  5.14 (out of normal range of 4.1 -  5.6)
HGB  15.6 (out of normal range of 12.5- 17.0)
Platelets  212 (out of normal range of 140 - 415)
HCV RNA 7,550,000 million IU/ml    (very very high)

Then, on 2/17/04, my doctor did 4 week tests.  I got the results in the mail last week.

WBC  3.3  (normal range of 4.0 - 10.5, so low ... but not bad?)
RBC  3.56 (normal range of 4.1 -  5.6, so low ... but not bad?)
HGB  11.1 (normal range of 12.5- 17.0, so low ... but not bad?)
Platelets 222 (normal range of 140 - 415, actually went up?)

And the big one ..... after only four weeks,

HCV RNA    40  IU/ml   (5.47 log drop)

[MajNeni]

The "standard" tx blood test schedule is CBC/usually with chems; at baseline (just before starting tx), 2, 4, 8, and 12 weeks into tx, usually every month or 6 weeks thereafter.  The VL is checked usually at 12 weeks, 24 weeks, end of tx, 6 and 12 months after tx.  The blood is monitored more often if a problem (low RBC/anemia, low WBC/neutropenia, or low platelet count/thrombocytopenia) is suspected.  
Befud, your hemoglobin and platetlets have been heading south; keep and eye on those.  Low Hgb brings on the breathlessness, etc.; low platelets may make it take longer to stop bleeding, or may make bruises happen easily.  Your doc/nurse will watch those numbers, too.  Statistically, many tx patients head south in the beginning and then stabilize at acceptable levels; others will need the help of Procrit or Neupogen to stay on full dose tx.  (Procrit for low RBC/HGB; takes 2-4 wks. to show effect; Neupogen for low WBC/ANC, and works faster.)  
For low platelets I've read of one medicine, Neupena; it is highly controversial, as it has severe side effects.  Most docs won't use it, but will lower your meds or take you off tx if you get to dangerously low platelet levels (#'s are a matter of the doc's opinion, but usually lower dose below 75, stop tx below 50...).  Some docs will recommend a transfusion of packed platelets; they might buy you a few weeks until your own platelets pick up, and let you stay on tx.
It's good to get that off my chest.  Keep up the good job, all.
Maj Neni

[Honey15637]

Ok...you have my attention on that viral load drop!!  Yeahhhh!  haha I also started with high viral load of 8 mil but...is that 40 thousand or 40?  I didn't really understand that and how did you get that test at week 4?  My dr is doing a 12 week!!  Wow you should be 0 at 12 weeks/

[Is_This_Real?]

yeah, that is 40 ( as in forty).  As for how I got that test, well.... my doc just ordered it.  She apparently just likes to check it to see how things are going.  (She told me of one patient who actually had an increase at 4 weeks, so I was very anxious and frightened to open the letter, but am I ever glad I did!)

[Ella Mackenzie]

Wow, congratulations on the viral drop. I Just got results of my CBC and my platelets are at 95 but my hematologist isn't worried at this point. My WBC were low already and now they are at 2.1. Keeping my fingers crossed.

[Honey15637]

Ella...those platelets are low..Are you being able to operate and your wbc is pretty low also.  I'm thinking you must feel bad??

[Revenire]

Your numbers ARE really great and they are pretty much the norm for us on tx, if we're responding. I've seen some people's ALTs/ASTs spike on tx, as the medications can do that. The shortness of breath is due to the ribavarin and the anemia it produces.

You're doing GREAT! You should be happy.

[Indiana]

KICK A$$ GIRL!!!!!!! You're doin GREAT !!!!!!! Keep on truckin just like you are. You are kickin some "seroius" Dragon butt now! Just turn on the cruise control and lay back and "Cruise"..........

[Indiana]

KICK A$$ GIRL!!!!!!! You're doin GREAT !!!!!!! Keep on truckin just like you are. You are kickin some "seroius" Dragon butt now! Just turn on the cruise control and lay back and "Cruise"..........

[cuteus]

You are absolutely right in your second post.  We all have OUR normal range which may vary from the lab normal, and we may get symptoms although our results are within their range.  Just a tad of a drop in my RBC will give me shortness of breath.  If I skip a week of Procrit (because the darn thing BURNS when injected) I will feel the skipped dose. The stairs become a chore then.  It is hard to predict who will get symptoms and at what level of a drop.

GL all
Ive

[SusanF]

Hi. I am a genotype 2 and just started a 1/2 dosage of interferon and reduced dosage of ribavirin treatment (Pegasys) for 6 months for my Hep C in a new study being done at NIH in Bethesda, MD. If anyone is interested in hearing about the protocol or about how TX has been for me, please let me know. My e-mail address is ***@****, and I'll be checking this site periodically to see if anyone is interested. I've already dropped from a viral load of 27,000,000 (yep, that's right) to 62,500 in 4 weeks. I hope to hear from anyone!

Susan
York, PA