My Teenage Son Has HepC

[TexasMom139]

Hello Everyone,

I have been lurking on this forum since my son was diagnosed with HepC in May 08. I have aquired more information about HepC from everyones post then I have from my sons specialist. Thank You for sharing!
I have an 18 year old son who recieved the dreaded letter from the RedCross after donating blood at his High School in May of 08. After confirmation from his Specialist that he did indeed have HepC he decided he wanted to take treatment. After much debate and prayer we agreed to treatment. I have to say my son is amazing and did very well during treatment. He participated in all his Senior activities in High School (band, decathlon) and never slowed down till graduation. We did have a few emotional bumps but we worked thru them. My son completed his 48 week treatment of Pen-Intron/Ribovirn on July 11th. He had labs done on July 13th and the doctor just called with his results. He is UD. YAHOOO!
The only question I am having and am a little worried about is during his entire treatment his ALT was high between 41-50. It only showed normal range once (27).  His results from July 13th show his ALT is 44 but all his other blood work in Normal. Although his blood levels are a little low due to his treatment just ending. The doctor said that would soon change.  When I questioned the doctor abut his ALT level being high he said he did not know why his level never went down but that it just might  be my sons normal. Although he has been UD since 6 weeks into treatment. Has anyone ever had this happen or heard of it happening. Everything I have read says that if your ALT/AST is high something is not right. I dont know if we should celebrate or be cautious. Please any advise would be very much appreciated.

Thank you Very Much ,
Mel

[frijole]

Congrats to your son on completing treatment.  I would not worry too much about those enzyme levels.

Listen to Bill. He is level headed and knows the ropes.

Let your son relax and enjoy.  He is a remarkable young man for having done tx and decathalons.  WOW.

frijole (Midland, Texas)

[t2622b]

Hi, I don't have any info on your sons levels except that my 4 year old daughters is always in the 40s.  She has not started treatment yet but her hep doc is not concerned about those levels he says they are actuallty pretty good for having active Hep C.  I did want to invite you to message me as I think we have a lot in common.  I have adopted 2 children from a Hep C positive mother. My oldest tested positive for the antibody till well over 2 years old but has been cleared with a negtive RIBA.  My 4 year old did not get that lucky and is genotype 1a and her viral load fluctautes between 125,000-400,00.  She is still considered low viral load and very little to no liver damage so we are trying to wait on the better drugs for her.  Just needed some support since nobody I know is going through this HELL>>>>>>

[annieCinMD]

He's not the only one who had a terrible diet while on treatment! I figured something beats nothing at this point. My doctor agrees. All I wanted was cheese, slim jims, 5 Guys cheeseburgers and other high fat, high sodium and sugar laden junk. He may feel like eating better now that he's done. I had my treatment stopped for a couple weeks and started craving salads and eating veggies again. I'm back on for a few more weeks and trying to do a little better with the old diet. Wishing your son SVR! He's so young, he'll bounce back quick.

[nygirl7]

So I take it he is not on any meds for his heart? Correct?
If not, does he at least take a premed before dental cleanings?


I have  heart murmur and this is now outdated information.
I had a full cardio workup done in the last six months and the heart doctor confirmed what my oral surgeon said......not necessary to take the antibiotics prophallactically any longer.

Just so you know.....cause I remember having to take a whole bunch of them before and then afterwards as well. One time a dentist sent me home because I hadn't taken them (I forgot). But now it's just no longer protocol.
-----------------------------------------------------------

Your son will be just FINE.......Bill is right he should just get about going on with his life now and enjoy a wonderful summer.  It's not necessary to do anything that necessary except live healthy as you would ask any son to do.  I don't think he needs any special restrictions at all other than what would be normal for any child.  The weight will come back on (believe me I wish it hadn't!!!)...time  for you both to just relax a little and enjoy your nice healthy productive lives!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[portann]

Congratulations to you both on your son's successful treatment. My ALT was slightly high at the end of treatment but was in the teens by my four week bloodwork.

Sounds like he's doing fabulously in his life. I've also had a heart murmur since birth and it never impeded me from actively playing team sports or being an avid outdoors person.

I'm also loving my pizza lately.

Take care and don't take any wooden nickels.

PA

[Bill1954]

Good grief, the kid just finished treatment... he'll be fine. Congratulations to him, but it certainly doesn't sound like he needs any of the restrictions mentioned above, for Pete's sake! And a biopsy isn't indicated; LOL, that's absurd!

Bill

[Marcia2202]

Congratulations on your son finishing tx. I hope he will obtain a big fat SVR and be rid of it forever.

I just wanted to add to all this, that we are not doctors or health professionals here.

[merryBe]

thanks for answering back Mel, yeah the duration was my first concern because we had one dear member who lost her son, who had contracted Hcv early due to his hemophelia.
Even though the progression of the disease may be a long one in most cases, the average is just an average, and so many other things factor in.

So I take it he is not on any meds for his heart? Correct?
If not, does he at least take a premed before dental cleanings? Most dentist require this of all heart patients regardless of the condition...they don't want to start a heart infection...also it's require while on chemo. Even one dose of amoxicillin (usually 2 grams is the dose,2000mg) is enough to raise liver enzymes.

if none of that was going on, and in light of the duration, I would insist on a needle biopsy so you all will know what you are dealing with. Otherwise, because he is so young they may not be looking out for other issues as vigilantly as they should...esophageal varicies for example.

I know it's tempting to pour the fat on, but post tx he will naturally gain the weight back slowly in all likelihood without the fat fest. In one study rats fed high fats had 10 times more liver cancer than those not feed this way. Again hcv patients are at the highest risk for developing this disease.
The advantages to a low fat approach are based on a few studies which have shown that many things factor into why the HCV patient has such a high rate of HCC comparative to the public at large. Amongst the myriad reasons the ones bearing the most prominence in recent studies include genetic predisposition, protein metabolism, excess fat in the diet and rate of oxidative stress to name a few.
I have a rather long study that cover all this if you like, but it's highly technical.
Suffice it to say, that the liver can be used or abused and unfortunately our intake has a lot to do with how well it functions and/or recovers from injury.

Since he's had it from birth he may have more damage than the ultrasound may reflect.
Ultrasounds are better than they were years ago, but not as apt to catch HCC early.
Have you personally seen his ultrasound? Ask to see it. If it has any bumpiness to it's outline, not a smooth even outline,  that means stage 3 or 4. It means he needs regular screen for liver cancer even at his young age.

My advice therefore, so you will be on top of all this, would be to get biopsy and use every caution to preserve his liver's health.
That means no more mercury fillings, resin fillings cost a little more but don't leach mercury into the liver... no summer paint jobs breathing fumes or scraping leaded paint or any other fumes or powders, help him pick occupations that don't involve any fumes or chemical exposures.
watch what he puts on his skin as well, mild soaps and all natural lotion or better yet veggie oil for skin. Don't let him bleach his teeth either, peroxide causes free radicals to form (cancer cells).
Everything he eats, breathes or puts on his skin must be processed and detoxed by the liver. Ergo he needs to become aware of what can be toxic.

How great that you adopted him Mel,
and how great that he wanted to donate blood!!
Sounds like a great young man!!  

Now it's just up to you to get him up to speed on how to keep his liver in shape as I'm sure he knows he must watch his heart as well.
Sounds like he knows some stuff about fats already, but at that age it's easy to forget because they all tend to have an invincibility thing goin'.
anyway, healthy fats you need, like those in fresh fish and veggies, but oil supplements can be rancid and cause more harm than good...the same is true of meats in the freezer a long time...very bad. Never keep ground meat beyond 3 monthss frozen, or solid beyond 6 months. Old fat is the worst thing for us, and thats why processed meats, like on pizza are not a good thing, nor are hydrogenated fats like in crisco or jif or skippy which hurt the liver AND the heart a lot.  PM me if you want more info.

mb

[TexasMom139]

Thank you all so very much for your response, encouragement and priceless information. You have put me at ease with all my mommy worries.  

Blessing to all,
Mela

[TexasMom139]

Hi and thank you for the information.
We adopted our son when he was two years old. We do know his birth mother is a drug user. We do not know if she is HepC positive, but more than likely she is. Were assuming he was born with it and undetected till he donated blood last year at school. My son is Genotype 1. No liver biopsy was done, just an untrasound of the liver before treatment and all looked normal, no inflamation. He has never been on any medication regularly. He was never sick when he was younger except for an occational cold. Except for the hepc treatment medication and an occational tylenol after treatment for head pain that is it. He does have a functional heart murmur and a right branch bundle block, but he has had this since birth and except for getting tired sooner than most kids during running he is not limited or on medication for it.
He does not drink or do drugs and being in school activites the school drug test all year long. He exercises and lifts weights weekly before and during treatment.
His diet has been terrible the last two months, he lost thirty eight pounds during the 48wks of  treatment. I purchased ensure, protein shakes anything to get him to maintain his weight but nothing worked. The doctor even told us to give him candy bars and icecream.( he loved that) He said he always felt full no matter what he ate or how much, he aslo compalined that his taste buds were off. Im happy to say that since his last treatment he has gained two pounds and his appetite is back in full swing. We did go out and celebrate the good news tonight with his favorite pizza. And he actually enjoyed eating. He knows it is time to go back to eating a more balanced diet with more fruits and vegtables.
Mel

[alagirl]

He really JUST finished his tx.  Give it a little time and I'm sure all of his enzyme levels will come down.  

[merryBe]

must need a nap...forgot to even mention diet...kids his age love to pig out on pizza and chips right?  But according to everything I've read, and one doctor in here confirmed this also that both amount of food eaten and type of food can really mess with the liver also.
So lean proteins, lot of fresh veggies, fruits, easy on the starch and low fats is best.

Here's a little clip I found on heathy livers...diseased livers are at much higher risk.

One of the most common causes of acute liver failure is drug-induced liver injury (DILI).

Researchers at Indiana University School of Medicine tested patients with DILI to record the specific source of their injury. After testing, information on 300 patients were analyzed, the data was published in the journal Gastroenterology:

Nearly 75 % of the injuries were caused by use of a prescription drug
Antibiotics accounted for the majority of DILIs
18 % were caused by a combination of two or more drugs or supplements
9 % were caused by dietary supplements alone (weight loss formulas and muscle-building supplements accounted for the large majority of these)
Patients with diabetes tended to have more severe DILIs
Cases of acetaminophen liver injury were excluded from the study.

(notice how they excluded tylenol from that warning) (because if the public ever learns the real harm it's doing that will be the end of that company)

[merryBe]

how long has your son had the disease?  Stage? Grade? Biopsy?
If he has had it from birth then that might explain it, but I'd be more wanting to know what other meds he is on. Even tylenol or OTC things, as well Rx''s, pot and alcohol especially, can effect how much liver cell death occurs each day whih is what the ALT/AST reflects. Even 2 medications that both use up the same cytochrome in the P450 group can cause this. It's best to evaluate all of that.
You can PM me his meds if you like and I'll try to help you ferret it out.
I was able to cut my ALT numbers in half by switching to less harmful meds.
Even one wrong med can make your numbers jump 50-100 pts.

mb

[alagirl]

I had acute hcv and I began treatment within 3 months of infection.  My alt/ast had gone from the teens to quite high very quickly.  They both stayed higher through tx and I believe, for a little while after tx.  Now they are back to normal (I'm about 14 months post tx).  Tx must have been amazingly difficult during high school.  I'm happy for both of you that he made it through so well.

[copyman]

Hi,

Congrats! to your son and you. That must have been some journey for both of you being senior year. I commend you both.

Don't let the "slightly above" normal ALT bother you. It is really not that high to be concerned. What really matters is that magic word "undetectable"

If it makes you feel any better my ALT never changed during treatment and still 4 weeks post tx is hovers around 50. My doctor said it could be from slight fatty liver and not to worry.
Best of luck

[banarep]

i thinkyou celebrate.  there is some infor that a ride in alt numbers during treatment may signal a chance for relaps, but it does not sound like his rose, only stayed the same.