i have a lot of questions but will start with this one

[gatorgirl59]

i have an 11 year old daughter who has hep. c. she has been through the interferon injection thearpy about 5 years ago. that did not work for her. she has been seeing a doctor at shands teaching hospital in gainesville florida since 1994. she has been doing fine but just recently her AST count went up causing her doctor some concern. i don't have a clue what all this means and i am wondering what the AST COUNT means?? i have been told that it could be liver cancer. he has ordered an ultra sound to be done next week. her AST count was 57 this week. is this something i need to be overly concerned about?? i have no clue as to what all this means.. could someone please help me out here.

[gatorgirl59]

hi everyone.. my daughter is seeing dr. gonzalez. he is a pediatric gi doctor. he is very good and he has been seeing her for over 9 years now. i have already put her in the interferon injection therapy and it did not do anything for her. she has had 2 biopsies, one before the treatment and one after.. i am just worried about this ast going up.. she has not had any problems until now. i have no idea what is going on.. i was not prepared as like i said before she has been healthy as she could possibly be.. i do appreciate all your input. and yes i do agree shands is a wonderful hospital. i have been lucky that she has only been seeing one doctor as i know you can be seen by many.. again thank you very much!!!!
GO GATORS !!!!!!

[itsnotover]

I also go to Shands and have found the doctors there wonderful as well.  

GatorGirl:  sorry about your daughter - have you considered getting her into a clinical trial?  They have many at Shands?  Who does she see there?

Scooz:  I was just at Shands two weeks ago for a bx.  Progressed much further.  Would be interested in hearing more about your transplant and perhaps any advice you can give re the red tape over at Shands.  Who do you see there?  Thanks!!

***@****

[girlwithcurl]

normal reference ranges for AST and ALT is 0-40.  Blood enzyme levels increase as cells are damaged and their contents are released into the blood stream.  Since she has HCV, an increased enzyme level although not good, is expected.  Please don't panic.

I have a lot of experience at Shands and can tell you that you are in excellent hands.  Although teaching hospitals can be scary, Shands is one of the best hospitals where you will receieve excellent care and aggresive therapy.  

I suggest you get your hands on every bit of information you can regarding this disease.  Search the internet and you will find excellent sources.  A good place to start is the Am Liver Assoc., NIH or the CDC.  All provide additional links.  Beware of the sites that promise cures.  Therapy such as ribavirin and interferon don't have the best success rates, but many of us are on it now, or have been in the past and have had good results.  I'm one of them.

I wish you both the best.  Go Gators!

[Indiana]

No....it isn't.
One of the "classic: signs of chronic Hcv are occasional spikes in the alt/ast numbers. An ast count of 57 is just barely over the "normal" range. I wonder if the ast number is higher than the alt number? That "could" be a sign of other things.
GIPA is the expert here on the meaning of those numbers and how they relate to one another but from just the info you've given I don't see any BIG problem.
It sounds like your doctors are right on top of this. That should be a comfort to you. You wouldn't believe how many of us have docs that really don't have a clue about this stuff.
One piece of advice....get and keep copies of ALL tests and bloodwork at home. This can be invaluable to you both as you wade through the different tests and doctors.
I wish you both the best......

[gatorgirl59]

well i appreciate all the input.. i have no clue as to what to expect as she has been doing fine all these years.. as a matter of fact when i took her for her last check up the doctor decreased the time in between visits from every 6 months to once a year.. then all of a sudden after this last visit her AST numbers went high.. thus him ordering her to have her blood test retaken.. and the numbers are still high.. and i am assuming by him now ordering a ultra sound he has some concerns.. i am just very concerned as i know very little about hep. c...i tell you one thing i had very little use for teaching hospitals before but i have a whole new outlook now that is for sure.. he is a very good doctor.. he has also talked about putting her in the ribaferen (not sure if i spelled this right or not) and interferon therapy but he said the success rate is not very good... he said as long as she is heathy why take any chances on putting her through all those shots again... and i completely agreed.. now i want to know do these numbers mean liver cancer or what??? thank you again for all your input and helping me put my mind at ease..

[odessit]

AST numbers are not an indicator of liver cancer! AST released into blood from damaged/dying muscle/heart/liver cells. Nothing to worry about, but please check with your Dr.

[Foreign girl]

Please don't panic. You may want to consider to retreat her since there were some advancements in treatment recently.

F.G.

[Steve']

Hi all I know that this little gem has been posted here before but I'd like to urge everyone to download this toy called <b>Ribavenger</b> it has the greatest tool box full of fun things .... Try this, it's my fave, get the "Termites crawling over the screen, then arm up with the "Machine Gun" & shoot those suckers ... it's awesome fun & yes I believe it does relieve us from "Riba Rage Syndrome"
<a href="http://www.mkandrew.com/Ribavenger.htm">Click Here</a> to go to the Ribavenger site ... Good Luck & have Fun!
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[Steve']

Whoops sorry I tried something but it went ass up ... maybe next time it will work .. fingers crossed ...
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[scooz]

Shands is a wonderful place,I was transplanted there.I have been under their care since 1998.Was just up there Wendesday.Great bunch of doc's..They will do you right.Best of luck to both of you.


Steve..

[gatorgirl59]

yes she has had two liver biopsys done. one before the treatment and one after. no she is not my biological daughter. i have had her since birth. her birth mother is a heavy drug user plus a protitute. she got it from her is all we know at this point. thank you for your response.

[Foreign girl]

High AST can mean a lot of different things. Most of the people with Hep. C have fluctuating AST's and ALT's. Did you daughter ever have a liver biopsy done? Did she acquire Hep. C from you?

Foreign girl.