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Liver biopsy results
Hi, I go tomorrow for my results from my liver biopsy. I am 36 years young & was shocked to find out I have hep.c my genotype is 2B, my viral load is in the mill. I don't remember the exact #. My question is what questions should I ask to have a better understanding of where I am with this. From what I understand I will never be able to know how I got it for sure...i have a tattoo, my ex husband has hep c & my mother passed away at 42 with cirrhosis, I was 15 I always assumed it was from her drinking she was a alcoholic but since I've discovered this about me I now wonder if there was underlying issues she knew nothing about which caused her to die at such a young age...I understand her drinking contributed to it I'm sure. I am exhausted & fatigued now with achy muscles I'm almost scared to start treatment if that's an option. But I also think if there's no damage why not start treatment before the damage web proactive...your thoughts on that? Thanking you all in advance for any & all advice.
hi and welcome really glad that you are minimal damage and it gives you plenty of time to educate yourself on hep c and tx options keep coming on here you will get plenty of help, support and advice get yourself mentally and physically prepared good luck and best wishes
Hey glad your fibrosis is minimal. Stage 1 at least means you have options ~ especially if you aren't having any HCV related conditions. I agree with Ceanothus it sounds like your doctor is presenting you with options. Six months is time to learn about Hepatitis C and what treatment involves should you contemplate what it would be like treating sooner.
Best of luck :)
Best of luck :)
Believe me I'm still debating on what to do. I appreciate any & all the feedback. The more I learn from all of you the better I will be. I'm defiantly waiting the 6 months which is up in Oct. but I'm not sure if I will wait another 6 months & so on.
I'm so glad your biopsy shows minimal damage so far. It sounds like your doctor is pretty on the ball, and is probably giving you good advice. I'm very much in favor of treating early, but in your shoes I would strongly consider waiting a little while in hopes of getting the newer drugs. Yes, you want to treat early, before the damage really gets going, but stage 1 means it is still very early so it gives you a little wiggle room. The interferon tx can be pretty darn tough. I'm sure you know about some of the serious side effects during tx, but it is also thought to cause some long-lasting after-effects in a small percentage of patients. Some people have long term problems that they attribute to the interferon and feel their lives were ruined by it. It's all debatable, with some convinced and others skeptical, and is complicated by the fact that many people (myself included) suffer serious long term extra hepatic manifestations from the virus itself, that can also ruin one's life. I don't think interferon concerns should stop anyone from treating, because the long term effects of the virus can be quite deadly and these outweigh the risks of tx, but I do think it is a reason to think about the timing. If one is still on very safe grounds in terms of liver damage then you have the luxury of being able to choose (to some degree) the timing of your tx. I just wanted to be sure you are aware of these issues so you can make the best-informed decision. Congratulations on still having only minimal liver damage and still having options!
This is great news.
I was genotype 2 and treated with the new drugs w/o interferon (clinical study) I am now cured.
In your case it is wise to take your Dr.'s advice and treat in 2014 when these drugs will likely be approved for use for genotypes 2 and 3.
All the best.
I was genotype 2 and treated with the new drugs w/o interferon (clinical study) I am now cured.
In your case it is wise to take your Dr.'s advice and treat in 2014 when these drugs will likely be approved for use for genotypes 2 and 3.
All the best.
Thank you all. I got my results & I'm very thankful in a stage 1. My dr.reccomends waiting 6 months getting more bloodwork & if the new treatment phase 3 is available he said this doesn't have injections he would want me to do that.
I'm thinking why wait for more damage so I think in 6 months regardless of the treatment I'm going to treat. I have a 80% success rate of getting rid of it. I am also going to go for a second opinion while waiting I figure it can't hurt all they have to do is read my results of the bloodwork & biopsy.
Thanks again all of you, I wish you all the best of luck.
I'm thinking why wait for more damage so I think in 6 months regardless of the treatment I'm going to treat. I have a 80% success rate of getting rid of it. I am also going to go for a second opinion while waiting I figure it can't hurt all they have to do is read my results of the bloodwork & biopsy.
Thanks again all of you, I wish you all the best of luck.
Welcome to the forum! You are getting off to a great start, with having a biopsy done right away and with finding this forum quickly. Many of us bumbled along on our own with inadequate information and little support for years, only to have our lives changed dramatically for the better with the support of this forum. Many people here are very knowledgeable and on the few occasions when someone posts misinformation it is rapidly countered and corrected by one of the better-informed regulars, so if you read through a number of replies you can be confident that you are getting good info. It's a huge help!
You are also fortunate to have discovered the virus while you are still young, as treatment is usually much easier, with less severe sx (side effects), in younger patients. My own experience has been with genotype 1a (one of the more difficult genotypes to treat), and I have treated three times, at ages 41, 51 and 58. I developed cirrhosis after my first attempt but before my second, and I finally succeeded in beating the virus on the third attempt, which was quite recent. I can unequivocally state that tx (treatment) was much harder to tolerate each time than the previous, and I think much of that was due to being older each time, though some of it was also due to my liver starting in worse condition each time. I'm strongly in favor of treating as early as possible, before you have more things like cirrhosis, age or other illnesses that can make it more difficult.
There's a great lecture you can hear at http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/779068 (sorry you have to copy and paste). It is a doctor addressing other doctors on why they should encourage their patients to do treatment. Best wishes for good biopsy results!
You are also fortunate to have discovered the virus while you are still young, as treatment is usually much easier, with less severe sx (side effects), in younger patients. My own experience has been with genotype 1a (one of the more difficult genotypes to treat), and I have treated three times, at ages 41, 51 and 58. I developed cirrhosis after my first attempt but before my second, and I finally succeeded in beating the virus on the third attempt, which was quite recent. I can unequivocally state that tx (treatment) was much harder to tolerate each time than the previous, and I think much of that was due to being older each time, though some of it was also due to my liver starting in worse condition each time. I'm strongly in favor of treating as early as possible, before you have more things like cirrhosis, age or other illnesses that can make it more difficult.
There's a great lecture you can hear at http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/779068 (sorry you have to copy and paste). It is a doctor addressing other doctors on why they should encourage their patients to do treatment. Best wishes for good biopsy results!
Good luck with the results of your BX.
Ihave linked (below ) if you are interested an article that gives much detail about your genotype and treatment for such,explaining also what may be on the horizon for this genotype.
Good luck to you and welcome ...
Will
.http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1478-3231.2011.02710.x/full
.
Ihave linked (below ) if you are interested an article that gives much detail about your genotype and treatment for such,explaining also what may be on the horizon for this genotype.
Good luck to you and welcome ...
Will
.http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1478-3231.2011.02710.x/full
.
Hi and welcome here, as for how you got it that doesn't matter, now its what you do about it... Being your a genotype 2 is great, if one must have hep C thats the genotype to have... A lot tomorrow will depend how how much if any liver damage you have on whether you need to treat right away or maybe wait....... Ask your doctor on his thoughts about that. Sure your worried as we all were but really you will get through this and all will be fine........... Wishing you the best........
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