Viral load worries

I received my viral load today it is 3,000,000. This seems very high. My liver panel is consistently normal as my ultrasound is okay also. I feel fine. I do not know my genotype yet.Is this a number that is indicative of treatment failure especialy if I'm a Genotype 1? I am a 40yr old in good condition.I am hoping for success.I appreciate any comments.This forum has been so helpful since my diagnose.

[Pdilly]

3m is not all that high.  Shoot there are folks here that have lots higher.  That number also changes...hopefully down when you start treatment.   What geno are you and have you had your biopsy yet?    You will do just fine...everyone gets nervous...its part of the unknown that does it.  Hang in there.

[colts]

I just found out today my viral load and they haven't received the results back for the genotype. The dr will probably take a liver  biopsy after receiving  genotype.

[madbrad]

Ahhh ! don't fret it....I had 12 and half MILLION COPIES when I was diagnosed..With in 4 months on Treatment I was UNDECTABLE or less then 50 copies..But I am a genotype 1..And on full load Tx....And currently still on full load until August...
  You be ok once they find out what type and get you on treatment if you desire to.
  Good luck

[colts]

Thanks for your encouragement it really helps. does your dosage depend on viral load and genotype.And how has it been with side effects.

[theflyjd]

I was at 30 mil the first time and 20 mil the second. # mil is a-ok.

[theflyjd]

opps! 3 mil is a-ok not #mil. Typo.

[madbrad]

Colts,
I do believe your OVERWHELMING yourself with Numbers..Viral Load is not the issue..And I know that the numbers and hearing those telling you thats high gets stuck in your brain.....Don't worry...Its a number that will disappear with treatment...Your concern is Geno type.....Forget the rest...Then concentrate on Tx.

[Myown]

colt,
Mine was 10 million. then it went down to 8.2 million right before tx. I was UND within the first month (thank God)

Try not to worry. You may breeze through this whole tx.
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So Flyjd, howz it going??? How ya been feeling??  Are you in training for April 16th?

[bobbyullc]

i had hcv for 37 years before i chose to tx.  if your liver bx is good 1 or even 2 you may choose to wait till the data comes in from the new drugs in a year or less. it hopes to a be a lot more potent and a lot easier and shorter to take.

[snowbyrd]

I'm genotype 2 my pre tx viral load was 9.5 millon. I was Undetectable at 4 weeks. My  DR said genotype is what they base your tx on. not your viral load.

[returntosender]

200,000 to 1,000,000 low

1,000,000 to 5,000,000 medium

5,000,000 to 25,000,000 high

above 25,000,000 very high

Viral load is not really a factor in treating hep these days unless it is very high and there are some other factors at play which are not the case with you - post transplant for example when the immune system is being suppressed.

My viral load was 5.3 million which is 6.7 logs in hep speak.  Your 3 million is 6.4 logs.  Only a difference of .3 logs from the high to the medium in this case. Considering that this virus replicates about a trillion copies a day I would say your immune system is working overtime. The only use for these numbers is when you start treating and then look for how fast the virus is killed off.  Within a short time of starting tx your viral load should drop significantly like mine did.  

Not to worry, at age 40 you should be able to shake this off like the colts shook off the bears! Need your genotype and degree of liver damage to make an informed decision though.  Those along with ethnicity and age (which indicates perhaps how long the virus was around - shorter the better) will give you far more predictive value than viral load alone. Things you can control before treatment are your weight and your health in general.  Recent studies are looking at the connection between insulin resistance and treatment success. Cigarette smoking is also believed to be a negative predictor.  You have to look at treatment like the Olympics - get a good coach (liver specialist) train your butt off, take a deep breath and then go all out as long as you can.  Good luck.

[colts]

Thanks to everyone who takes the time to give thier wonderful insights.It is trulya blessing to have people like you share thier expierences with this awful desease with those of us that are just starting this journey. Thanks again

[madbrad]

colts
  You'll notice something here,Everyones hands are linked by this disease...Even if we're Strangers,which we all are........LOL I'm just strange..lol

[Harry Potter]

The avg. viral load is actually 3.2 million, so at 3.0 million, you're slightly BELOW average, not high at all!