Aa
Very Depressed
Hello , I am in melbourne and I am 33 , I have had hepatitis c approximately 25 years . 7 years ago I had a liver biopsy and I had no damage last year I had a fibroscan and I had a score of 8.1 , now around a year on I had a fibroscan with a score of 16 . The doctor will book me in for a liver biopsy in 2 weeks and he is confused also .
I am so worried , 2 weeks ago I was bouncing out of bed , eating well , happy and 2 weeks on I do not eat much I feel sickly . I have been very into health , fresh juices , supplements , selenium , alfa lipoic acid , milk thisle and this year started nac also , I dont drink or smoke I cant understand this I dont know what to do I will have to wait . I am usually a very calm positive guy but this has really upset me . If the fibroscan was correct and I do have stage 4 cirhossis , what does that mean besides severe irreversible liver damage , can I still live a normal life expectancy ? The doctor says if the fibroscan is true I can still live my life with this damage . I will start treatment next year regardless to hopefully get rid of Hepatitis c . I just really hope the fibroscan was a little off and it is not as bad , has anyone had anything similar happen ? . I wrote a similar question recently I am sorry if I repeat myself just going crazy . Thank you .
I am so worried , 2 weeks ago I was bouncing out of bed , eating well , happy and 2 weeks on I do not eat much I feel sickly . I have been very into health , fresh juices , supplements , selenium , alfa lipoic acid , milk thisle and this year started nac also , I dont drink or smoke I cant understand this I dont know what to do I will have to wait . I am usually a very calm positive guy but this has really upset me . If the fibroscan was correct and I do have stage 4 cirhossis , what does that mean besides severe irreversible liver damage , can I still live a normal life expectancy ? The doctor says if the fibroscan is true I can still live my life with this damage . I will start treatment next year regardless to hopefully get rid of Hepatitis c . I just really hope the fibroscan was a little off and it is not as bad , has anyone had anything similar happen ? . I wrote a similar question recently I am sorry if I repeat myself just going crazy . Thank you .
Thank you so much for your reply , I should of checked with teh doctor regarding the supplements I was taking I tried once and he sort of laughed at it . I took milk thisle , selenium , alpha lipoic acid and more recently nac , I felt great until the news , if these supplements did the damage I just think I would of had some kind of side effects but I have had none whatsoever .
I go in for a biopsy in 2 weeks , lets hope I am not to bad and the stage 4 fibroscan was a mistake
I go in for a biopsy in 2 weeks , lets hope I am not to bad and the stage 4 fibroscan was a mistake
If your depression continues or worsens you may want to think about seeing a psychiatrist so you can get an anti-depression medication.
Hepatitis C and possible advances liver disease is plenty for one person to handle. You don't want to be dealing with depression too.
Hector
Hepatitis C and possible advances liver disease is plenty for one person to handle. You don't want to be dealing with depression too.
Hector
Hi Johnny. Welcome.
Sounds like your having a tough time.
You have been trying to stay healthy which is great. That is what you have control over. Staying away from things that are toxic to the liver (drink & smoke) is also the right thing to do.
Try (I know it is difficult) not worry too much and anticipate the worse, the biopsy will tell you for sure how much liver damage you really have. One comment....I would be very careful about supplements and some of the other things you may be taking as some ingredients could be hurting your liver. If you have a gastroenterologist or hepatologist you should clear anything you are taking with them.
"If the fibroscan was correct and I do have stage 4 cirrhosis , what does that mean besides severe irreversible liver damage , can I still live a normal life expectancy ? "
First to go from 8.1 to 16 in one year at your young age is very unusual unless something else besides HCV is really damaging your liver. OK lets take the worse case, you have developed stage 4 cirrhosis. It is NOT the end of the world. I've had cirrhosis for at least 5 years and I'm still kicking. You could still live for many years with cirrhosis. The bright side for you is you still have time to treat and cure your hepatitis C, save your liver from further damage and save your liver and lead a normal life!!! Cirrhosis is not irreversible in the early stage. This is very important! If you should find out from the biopsy that you have cirrhosis, in my opinion you should start treating as soon as you can. Every day your HCV is further damaging your liver. If you should wait too long and your cirrhosis progresses beyond a certain point, then it is irreversible. You DON'T what that to happen as you won't be able to treat your HCV and in time you will need a liver transplant to continue to live and it will alter your life expectancy. The time to treat your hepatitis is soon. The long you wait the less chance of the treatment working if you are stage 3 and especially stage 4.
I know it is a tough learning curve at first. We have all been there. People on this forum will help you plan and get through treatment. You came to the right place!
I am sorry for this possible turn of events. But you still have a lot of options if you act soon.
Hang in there.
Hector
Sounds like your having a tough time.
You have been trying to stay healthy which is great. That is what you have control over. Staying away from things that are toxic to the liver (drink & smoke) is also the right thing to do.
Try (I know it is difficult) not worry too much and anticipate the worse, the biopsy will tell you for sure how much liver damage you really have. One comment....I would be very careful about supplements and some of the other things you may be taking as some ingredients could be hurting your liver. If you have a gastroenterologist or hepatologist you should clear anything you are taking with them.
"If the fibroscan was correct and I do have stage 4 cirrhosis , what does that mean besides severe irreversible liver damage , can I still live a normal life expectancy ? "
First to go from 8.1 to 16 in one year at your young age is very unusual unless something else besides HCV is really damaging your liver. OK lets take the worse case, you have developed stage 4 cirrhosis. It is NOT the end of the world. I've had cirrhosis for at least 5 years and I'm still kicking. You could still live for many years with cirrhosis. The bright side for you is you still have time to treat and cure your hepatitis C, save your liver from further damage and save your liver and lead a normal life!!! Cirrhosis is not irreversible in the early stage. This is very important! If you should find out from the biopsy that you have cirrhosis, in my opinion you should start treating as soon as you can. Every day your HCV is further damaging your liver. If you should wait too long and your cirrhosis progresses beyond a certain point, then it is irreversible. You DON'T what that to happen as you won't be able to treat your HCV and in time you will need a liver transplant to continue to live and it will alter your life expectancy. The time to treat your hepatitis is soon. The long you wait the less chance of the treatment working if you are stage 3 and especially stage 4.
I know it is a tough learning curve at first. We have all been there. People on this forum will help you plan and get through treatment. You came to the right place!
I am sorry for this possible turn of events. But you still have a lot of options if you act soon.
Hang in there.
Hector
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