Aa
Needing to understand
My 21 year old daughter was diagnosed with hep C in October 2013. She was pregnant at the time so she didn't get any treatment. She was using drugs(clean for 8 months now) and also had gotten about 10 tattoos within the last year. In January of 2013 she had blood work done and she was free of all deseases. In March 2014 she was told her liver count was 780. They just scheduled her for a liver biopsy at the end of May. However she seems to be getting more fatigued, skinny, rashes on her upper arms and now she has liver spots all over her body. Needing to understand why she's getting worse so quickly. We don't know what stage she is yet but I'm guessing we will find out after the biopsy. I need realistic and truthful information. If it's terminal I just wanna prepare myself now so I can devote myself completely to helping her thru this and ready myself to raise my 4 month old grandson.
I am not doctor and only a doctor can diagnosis any medical issues your daughter may be having. What I do have knowledge of is hepatitis C, cirrhosis of the liver and end-stage liver disease and will tell you the truth as that is what you asked for.
First one blood test is meaningless. Even if your daughter was infected with hep B, hep C or HIV these are all TREATABLE conditions so worrying about end of life is a very misplace notion even if all of your worse fears were true which is highly doubtful.
Secondly, you can put out of your mind any thoughts of her having any serious liver disease from taking drugs or tattoos. She is only 21. It takes decades for hepatitis B or C to destroy the liver. Commonly 20-40 for any infectious liver disease to progress to cirrhosis and then even with cirrhosis people live many years. This is why the vast number of people with cirrhosis of the liver, caused by chronic hepatitis C infection, are now in their 50s and 60s not teens or twenties.
Your daughter could have a hereditary liver disease (such as Wilson's Disease) but that would be ruled out early on and she would have a lot more than one abnormal blood test indicating she was ill.
I am not sure how many people you have seen who are dying but when people are dying from liver disease they are frighteningly ill and disabled. Many of these poor look like people skeletons they are so wasted away. Many of these end-stage patients turn yellow (jaundice), have bellies that look like they are pregnant because of fluid buildup) vomit or defecate blood (bleeding varices), they can go into comas (hepatic encephalopathy). They are hospitalized many times for these life-threatening complications that can last many months and may be bed-ridden most of the time. I assume this is not your daughter’s condition?
“her liver count was 780” Which blood test are you speaking of? There is no one blood test for the liver. That is why the doctors needed to perform a biopsy to learn the condition of her liver and to see if her liver has any damage at all.
“rashes on her upper arms” “liver spots all over her body” are not symptoms of liver disease. “fatigued, skinny” are the symptoms of conditions and diseases that have nothing to do with the liver.
I am not an expert on pregnancy but some doctor(s) must have been following her through her pregnancy correct? How could her health suddenly go from being a mother giving birth in a hospital (I assume) were they are taking blood tests all of the time to make sure there is no problems for her and her baby and finding her “free of all deseases” to now she is now suddenly dying?
I hope she is seeing a good doctor and can come up with a diagnosis very soon so you don’t have to worry yourself over a worse case scenario.
When you get the biopsy results I am sure you will feel better.
Best of luck to you, your daughter and her baby. I am sure you will have many happy years together as soon as they resolve whatever may be going on currently with your daughter.
Hector
First one blood test is meaningless. Even if your daughter was infected with hep B, hep C or HIV these are all TREATABLE conditions so worrying about end of life is a very misplace notion even if all of your worse fears were true which is highly doubtful.
Secondly, you can put out of your mind any thoughts of her having any serious liver disease from taking drugs or tattoos. She is only 21. It takes decades for hepatitis B or C to destroy the liver. Commonly 20-40 for any infectious liver disease to progress to cirrhosis and then even with cirrhosis people live many years. This is why the vast number of people with cirrhosis of the liver, caused by chronic hepatitis C infection, are now in their 50s and 60s not teens or twenties.
Your daughter could have a hereditary liver disease (such as Wilson's Disease) but that would be ruled out early on and she would have a lot more than one abnormal blood test indicating she was ill.
I am not sure how many people you have seen who are dying but when people are dying from liver disease they are frighteningly ill and disabled. Many of these poor look like people skeletons they are so wasted away. Many of these end-stage patients turn yellow (jaundice), have bellies that look like they are pregnant because of fluid buildup) vomit or defecate blood (bleeding varices), they can go into comas (hepatic encephalopathy). They are hospitalized many times for these life-threatening complications that can last many months and may be bed-ridden most of the time. I assume this is not your daughter’s condition?
“her liver count was 780” Which blood test are you speaking of? There is no one blood test for the liver. That is why the doctors needed to perform a biopsy to learn the condition of her liver and to see if her liver has any damage at all.
“rashes on her upper arms” “liver spots all over her body” are not symptoms of liver disease. “fatigued, skinny” are the symptoms of conditions and diseases that have nothing to do with the liver.
I am not an expert on pregnancy but some doctor(s) must have been following her through her pregnancy correct? How could her health suddenly go from being a mother giving birth in a hospital (I assume) were they are taking blood tests all of the time to make sure there is no problems for her and her baby and finding her “free of all deseases” to now she is now suddenly dying?
I hope she is seeing a good doctor and can come up with a diagnosis very soon so you don’t have to worry yourself over a worse case scenario.
When you get the biopsy results I am sure you will feel better.
Best of luck to you, your daughter and her baby. I am sure you will have many happy years together as soon as they resolve whatever may be going on currently with your daughter.
Hector
Hi Bobbie and welcome
You will find a lot of information and helpful people here.
Not sure what you mean by liver count. There is a liver function test but that is several different things they check ALT AST Bilirubin and others. She should ask for copies of all her blood tests so she and you can learn more about what they mean. We can try to help you with that. You also said she has hep c is that correct?
I probably got hep c in 1978 when I was 20. I found out I had hep c in 1990 and treated with what was available then didn't work so I have been living with hep c for possible as long as 36 years. I was diagnosed with cirrhosis in 2008 but I have been trying to take care on my liver as best as possible since then by no drinking no smoking no drugs except prescription and seeing my gastroenterologist and now my hepatologist (liver specialist) and getting blood work done and a abdominal ultra sound every 6 months.
What I am trying to say a person can live with hepatitis c and even cirrhosis for a long time. It is a slow decline into declining liver health that can,but not always, lead to cirrhosis or liver cancer and the need for transplant. But each patient is different and is is very important for your grand daughter to stop any thing she is doing to harm her liver and follow her doctors instruction. Hopefully she is seeing at least a gastroenterologist if not a hepatologist.
The good news is there are new treatments available since Nov & Dec Olysio and Sovaldi that either alone or in combo with the older treatments (interferon injections and Ribavirin pills) have been eradicating the hep c virus in the majority of patients in clinical trials. Also there are several new medicines which could be available later this year that have also shown great promise. The treatment depends on the patients individual situation mostly based on if they have treated before and the specific Genotype (i.e. 1a, 1b, 2a, 2b basically subspecies) of the virus.
I am taking Sovaldi & Olysio together and at week 4 my hep c virus was undetectable.
So there is life and there is hope after diagnosis with hep c.
Get help, get treated, fight hep c!
Best wishes to you and your grand daughter
You will find a lot of information and helpful people here.
Not sure what you mean by liver count. There is a liver function test but that is several different things they check ALT AST Bilirubin and others. She should ask for copies of all her blood tests so she and you can learn more about what they mean. We can try to help you with that. You also said she has hep c is that correct?
I probably got hep c in 1978 when I was 20. I found out I had hep c in 1990 and treated with what was available then didn't work so I have been living with hep c for possible as long as 36 years. I was diagnosed with cirrhosis in 2008 but I have been trying to take care on my liver as best as possible since then by no drinking no smoking no drugs except prescription and seeing my gastroenterologist and now my hepatologist (liver specialist) and getting blood work done and a abdominal ultra sound every 6 months.
What I am trying to say a person can live with hepatitis c and even cirrhosis for a long time. It is a slow decline into declining liver health that can,but not always, lead to cirrhosis or liver cancer and the need for transplant. But each patient is different and is is very important for your grand daughter to stop any thing she is doing to harm her liver and follow her doctors instruction. Hopefully she is seeing at least a gastroenterologist if not a hepatologist.
The good news is there are new treatments available since Nov & Dec Olysio and Sovaldi that either alone or in combo with the older treatments (interferon injections and Ribavirin pills) have been eradicating the hep c virus in the majority of patients in clinical trials. Also there are several new medicines which could be available later this year that have also shown great promise. The treatment depends on the patients individual situation mostly based on if they have treated before and the specific Genotype (i.e. 1a, 1b, 2a, 2b basically subspecies) of the virus.
I am taking Sovaldi & Olysio together and at week 4 my hep c virus was undetectable.
So there is life and there is hope after diagnosis with hep c.
Get help, get treated, fight hep c!
Best wishes to you and your grand daughter
Congratulations on your new grandson. I'm sorry your daughter is not doing well. You said in your post that she had been doing drugs in the past and also got 10 tattoos in the last year. These are risk factors not only for Hep C but HIV. Has she recently been tested for HIV? HIV definitely needs to be ruled out.
As for the Hep C, there are treatments today with high cure rates. But first they need to find out the status of her liver. The liver biopsy will let them know. Then a treatment plan can be put into action. What is her genotype?
Here is a link to a comprehensive report on diagnosing and treating Hep C.
http://www.hcvguidelines.org/fullreport
Please keep us posted. Wishing you and your daughter the best.
Nan
As for the Hep C, there are treatments today with high cure rates. But first they need to find out the status of her liver. The liver biopsy will let them know. Then a treatment plan can be put into action. What is her genotype?
Here is a link to a comprehensive report on diagnosing and treating Hep C.
http://www.hcvguidelines.org/fullreport
Please keep us posted. Wishing you and your daughter the best.
Nan
Have an Answer?
You are reading content posted in the Hepatitis C Community
Learn about this treatable virus.
Getting tested for this viral infection.
3 key steps to getting on treatment.
4 steps to getting on therapy.
What you need to know about Hep C drugs.
How the drugs might affect you.
These tips may up your chances of a cure.
A list of national and international resources and hotlines to help connect you to needed health and medical services.
Herpes sores blister, then burst, scab and heal.
Herpes spreads by oral, vaginal and anal sex.
STIs are the most common cause of genital sores.
Condoms are the most effective way to prevent HIV and STDs.
PrEP is used by people with high risk to prevent HIV infection.
