Viral Load Question

[PasoPerson]

I found out today from my doctor that I was to have my labs drawn on the way home from Shands last Thursday (the day I gave myself my first shot).  Now they are going to have to use lab results from last June as my baseline!  So now I've messed up from the very get-go and am stressing out.

I asked her that day, even, what would be used as my VL baseline and she said the last tests done.  I assumed (yes, I know) that meant last June's test.  My husband was with me and he didn't hear her tell me to go that day on the way home, either.

Funny thing was that I must have had women's intuition because on August 11 visit to my GP I asked to have blood drawn for ALT/AST and VL.  Well, they screwed up and gave me ALT/AST and the fact I am Hep C positive, duh!

Question:  Now they are using 14,400,000 from May/June, am I screwed on 12 week if I'm not down to 144,000?  

Thank you ...
Carolyn

[PasoPerson]

This site was very helpful to me when I was first diagnosed:  http://janis7hepc.com/

Second best is this Forum you've found.  These folks are wonderful, well versed in what we are going through, and more than happy to help.  Keep coming back here after you've read more info on the janis7 site.

Best wishes for a quick SVR with this silent killer!!

[juliphish]

Aloha everyone,

I am recently diagnosed w/hepc my Viral load os 6 million something genotype 3a and stage 2 on the biopsy. My Dr is rather unsupportive and says I can do the tratment or not do the treatment at this point. He did say that I may have a better response than most because of the genotype though. But really he just spouts statistics. I was looking for someone to make the decision easier for me... I guess I am on my own. I want to become educated so I can make a good decision. Some things I am going though now are pain in tummy area, hair loss bad nails and skin patches, severe headaches a I am really dingy!! I am single and pretty much alone other than I go take care of my elderly dad sometimes. I am unemployed now which turned to be a blessing in disguise because it lead to my discovery of the Virus. I appreciate any comments or insights

Bless you all,
Julie

[fresnoborn]

NO, I DON'T. I TRIED TO READ IT, BUT MY DOCTORS WRITING IS...WELL VERY DIFFICULT TO READ. THANKS FOR THE INPUT.

[fresnoborn]

HI. I WAS JUST WONDERING...I STARTED TX 8 WEEKS AGO AND THEN MY AUNT DIED AND I WENT TO CALIFORNIA FOR 2 WEEKS AFTER TREATMENT. WHEN I CAME BACK TO NEW MEXICO I STILL DIDN'T GET MY BLOOD WORK DONE. I WENT 4 DAYS AGO TO GET MY FIRST BLOOD DRAWN AFTER 8 WEEKS AFTER TREATMENT. I AM GENOTYPE 1B, I AM IN STAGE 2 OF FIBROSIS, AND MY VIRAL LOAD BEFORE I STARTED TX WAS 500,000. IS THIS THE NUMBER THEY WILL COMPARE IT TO? I HAVE A FEELING WHEN I GO SEE MY DOCTOR HE WILL TELL ME SOMETHING ABOUT NOT GOING FOR MY 2WK, 4WK, AND 6WK BLOOD DRAW. I KNOW I SHOULD HAVE GONE I JUST KEPT PUTTING IT OFF. FOR SOME REASON I THOUGHT: IF IT'S WORKING, IT'S WORKING, IF NOT WELL THEN IT'S NOT. I ASSUMED THAT SINCE MY LIVER WAS HURTING NOW AND I WAS FEELING TIRED AND HAVING SOME OF THE SIDE EFFECTS, THAT IT WAS PROBABLY WORKING AND WHAT WAS THE USE IN GOING FOR BLOOD WORK. REVENIRE_ SET ME STRAIGHT ON THAT ONE, I WAS JUST WONDERING EXACTLY HOW THEY WILL KNOW IF I AM RESPONDING. THANKS ALL OF YOU FOR YOUR MORAL SUPPORT THROUGH ALL THIS. I HAD A BUNCH OF QUESTIONS WRITTEN DOWN THAT I WAS GONNA ASK MY DOCTOR THE NEXT TIME I SAW HIM AND MOST OF THEM HAVE BEEN ANSWERED HERE AT MEDHELP.

[PasoPerson]

I feel SO MUCH BETTER now.  Thanks y'all!!  Knowing it's common to not have one right at the start, phew!!

Hiya - So far (less than a week) I'm doing fine.  Very mild flu-like on shot day (Thursday), so I covered myself up (head and all) with a blanket and went to sleep for a couple of hours.  It made the rest of the afternoon and evening go faster, lol.  However, I'm told this is the honeymoon period before the ribavirin effects kick in.  

Friole - Thanks for the point about getting my 4-wk done using my 'script from week one.  I'm going to ask my doctor to bless that one, I think she will.  They are testing "the whole 9 yards" Weeks 12, 24, 36, 48 and if needed 60 and 72.  They are checking my CBC every other week through week 12, too.  Thereafter, it's every four weeks.

Sorry for two posts in two days or so, won't be doing that all the time, I promise.

Hope all of you in Katrina's path are safe and sound.  

God bless -
Carolyn

[BronxRican007]

It don't matter! The stress won't help your levels. Just let your docs know of your concern...according to the oldtimers VL fluctuates widely from one test to another. Calm down and take it all in stride.
Bronx

[Tonyz]

<font size="2" color="#6600CC">Like the others have said...Don't start stressing this...
Your viral load can change up and down dramatically from week to week.
If the meds work, you will be Virus free by 12 weeks most likely before then...

Remember that the meds can make you stress easier.


              GOD Bless!

               TonyZ</font>

[cuteus]

they usually do not check the vl that often, the blood work is most likely to monitor the cell count, to make sure your reds and whites are not dropping too fast. Some people become severely anemic early in tx.  Most GIs check the vl at wk 12 for the first time.  do you know exactly what the script was for?

[friole]

Yea, my GI gave orders for 5 CBC's - to be done every 2 weeks at LabCorp.  But then he said I didn't need to do the pre-treatment one because they would use the one from my physical in May.  So, I already used one extra one when I felt rotten, about week 3.  Now I am having my bloodwork done at the hemotologist's office (which I like better because they have the results before I leave).  So I figure I still have 3 "ace in the hole" CBC orders at labcorp, if I ever need them.  Ya got to do what ya got to do.
Kathy

[hiya24]

Hi Carolyn, I agree with the others here. Try not to stress out too much over it. I was not titered just prior to starting treatment either. Actually the last one was 4-5 months before I started treatment. As many have pointed out in other posts, this number can fluctuate significantly day to day so although having goals is really helpful sometimes (i.e. the at least 2 log drop at week 12), just try to stay focussed on taking care of yourself and getting through the treatment process. If you are a responder, the drugs will go the rest.  

How are your side effects so far?  
Anna

[jmjm530]

Like Kathy said, no reason to get stressed. I'm sure most people don't get a PCR the day before the first shot. So your case must be pretty common. Try by all means to get that week 4 PCR using a test with sensitivity of at least 50. Isn't it horrible you can't even trust your doctors to follow through? But you can't. :)

-- Jim

[friole]

Carolyn,
No sense in getting stressed.  Your VL could very easily have been higher last week, you know. They never told me to get a retest, so my baseline is the VL done 6 weeks before I started.  Seems to me the most important thing is to get the most sensative tests possible from this point forward. The way VL goes up and down randomly without treatment, I don't know how much salt there is to this 2 log drop anyway.  Who is to say that it is not that random fluctuation.  I (personally) think it is the progression downward (hopefully) from the point of starting that matters.

If I were you I would be wishing I had had that test too, but just think of all those virons you killed this week.  Are you going to be able to get a 4-week pcr?  Since the lab has orders, seems that you could use them as a back-up whenever (that is, if they give you a 4-week pcr order, maybe you can use the orders for the one you didn't get last week for an 8-week pcr).
Kathy