Fibroscan: Is it any good?

[mike716]

Hello again, fellow Medhelpers! Greetings from Buenos Aires, where we avidly await the beginning of spring. The winter down here in the Southern Hemisphere has been too long, and some people here think there won't be any summer at all this year. Global warming, melting ice caps, and all that sorta stuff. Argentines are hysterical. But it sure is unseasonably cold.

I hope I am still remembered by y'all with affection in spite of my past weird and occasionally wicked postings. I certainly haven't forgotten any of you dear people. You have been my port in the storm.

To give a quickie update, I am still without Tx, waiting for my hep MD to make up his mind what to do with me. I think these Argentine medics are kinda scared to do anything, afraid of scandal (can you see the headline: "American Tango Dancer Succumbs to Third-World Hepatitis Treatment"?).

The latest, and the real reason for this post (aside from my penchant for aggravating everyone with my dubious attempts at humor), is that they just got a Fibroscan machine at my hospital, trained a young female medic to run it, and I have been one of its first victims...er, I mean subjects.

The results are crazy and scary. It gave F2/F3. Now, just a year ago a biopsy and a FibroTC (tomography analyzed, see my images page), as well as many blood analyses and ecodopplers and whatnot, gave me as being F0/F1. How the heck can someone with almost normal hepatic enzymes (transaminases), otherwise totally normal blood tests, and scores of F0/F1 a year ago, suddenly be F2/F3? Is this possible? Is it credible? Or is their new Fibroscan machine a piece of junk, despite the cute operator?

Anybody out there with an opinion on this, my latest predicament?

All replies will be appreciated, and the one that is most helpful wins a free trip to Buenos Aires (by kayak and Moped) and three free tango lessons from yours truly (if I'm still above-ground).

Hugs.

Mike

[WriteItDown]

Roche itself says Valium use is contraindicated in patients with "severe hepatic insufficiency."  They also state that in people with chronic Hep C the half-life of the drug is increased; with cirrhosis it's increased 2-6 times.  This would personally give me pause about taking it routinely, but I guess everyone's level of caution is different.

[Rockerforlife]

The Two Step Detox Process

The liver converts drugs in a two step process called Phase 1 and Phase 2 pathways into substances that can be more easily excreted in the urine. For most drugs the liver uses the route that will get rid of the chemical as rapidly and safely as possible but in cases where the preferred pathway is not working efficiently often other pathways can be used with the danger that it is not eliminated so quickly or efficiently. The result here is that toxin stays in the system longer, may get turned into a more toxic form or may not get completely detoxified so it can cause damage to health.



http://thedetoxspecialist.com/blog/2009/07/01/how-drugs-damage-your-liver/

[Bill1954]

(Sigh…) Mike, despite the negative implications of the truncated paper posted above regarding diazepam (Valium), it continues to be prescribed worldwide to HCV patients by some of the most advanced, cutting edge clinics .

Everything we ingest has a degree of risk; our doctors weigh these risks and determine what’s in our best interest. I took alprazolam (cousin of Valium) for 15 years prior to diagnosis and treatment for HCV. I had significant liver damage, and the drug was readily approved for my continued use.

As always, beware of advice on the internet. Let these forums drive your questions, but consult your doctors for decision power—

Bill

[Rockerforlife]

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC301753/

[mike716]

Why can't you do another trial with a PI if you've already done one?

[Rockerforlife]

Here you are ,im not trying to scare you or anything,im just trying to help

http://resources.metapress.com/pdf-preview.axd?code=q38u428408225621&size=largest