hepatitis worry!!!

i am a 55 yr old woman who has recently been diagnosed with a non-viral form of hepatitis, and am waiting for a liver biopsy.
i am very worried about my physical and mental state of late, as i am unable to walk, without the aid of a stick, and even then i can only make a few paces before i am worn out. I cannot leave the bed or chair without being pulled up by a family member and feel generally unwell all of the time for the past eight or ten weeks.  I was disheartened to find next to no information on the type of hepatitis that i have, and am very anxious and baffled as to how i contracted this disease. I have so many questions but do not know where to start, My main worry is how long am i going to be disabled for?  what drugs will help me restore my good health? please help a very worried and confused woman.!!!

[Tallblonde]

There are others on this board who are much more knowledgable than I am, but it sounds to me like you're talking about autoimmune hepatitis.  The treatment protocol is completely different from the treatment for viral Hepatitis C, which is what most of us here are inflicted with.  The biopsy will tell you the extent (if any) of damage to your liver. Severity of symptoms don't always correlate with severity of the disease.  In my case, for example, I have quite a few symptoms, but my disease (viral Hepatitis C) is very mild.  So try not to panic.

If it makes you feel any better, I asked my GI last month which is worse...having viral Hepatitis C, or having autoimmune hepatitis.  He told me that autoimmune hepatitis is a much "better" disease to have.  So keep that in mind.  

Best wishes to you.  Try not to be too afraid.

Susan

[lackalustre]

if you click on search at the top of this page then type in autoimmune hepatitis there are many posts and information on this website.   i tried to highlight and paste them here but it didnt work.(im not too good at that)  but there are many things to read.  let us know how you are doing....  will send prayer for you..

[mother of three]

Sorry to but in, but I had Dr. app. today , and I,m very worried .My platlet count on11-5-03 was 104 and 11-19-03 reads 85, so my gi wants blood work every wk,starting today .all other blood work thats for the liver is great. Can someone please tell me what might be happening. Today I did shot 6 ,I have been pretty weak.  I hope everyone has a happy holiday.

[hph5477]

Here's something I found on platelets.  My doc gets concerned if platelet count drops to 50 or below.  Your doc is probably just making sure you/he ward off any problems before they may occur.

Platelet
A platelet is the smallest type of blood cell. Platelets are the body's first defense against bleeding. They help the blood to clot (coagulate) by collecting at the site of a wound and clumping together to help stop the flow of blood.

Hope this helps some.  Don't be worried.  Checking your blood weekly is probably a good thing.  I've often wondered how much my counts can drop between blood checks -- it will be 1 month between my blood checks by the time I get it drawn again.  I do shot #7 this Friday so we seem to be on about the same schedule.  And I, too, get very tired easily.

Keep your spirits up, don't worry yourself, and have a good holiday with family and friends.  Remember you have a lot to be thankful for these days.

[Space Coast]

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!!!!

[mother of three]

I thank you so much for your info.I hope this doesen't sound to stupid, but Are you saying I could have something going on inside..it really upsets me that ,the Dr didn't explain this more . Its 4:30 in the morning and i'm still worried ,I don't want him to cut back on my shot even a little. Happy holidays everyone..

[Bodie]

From what I gather, and I am no freaking expert, so put down those keyboards, there is a corelation w/liver and the platelet count. I encountered a person at the Dr that was saying her platelets were down and was taken off tx. Don't freak! Her's were lower than yours. Mine were around 100 and they were barely concerned. My cbc's and platelets dropped while at a regular GI. He stopped tx and sent me to a transplant clinic. Don't freak! They only sent me there because they are better equipped to handle the the low cbc's. I am on tx and platelets are responding and so is liver enzymes. I am on week I don't know cause I don't know how long I have to be on it, so I don't count. somewhere around 15-18. Started first Friday in Aug.
Have a little shot of faith and hope from the board!
Platelets can be "packed". Don't know what this means, so don't get on me, but that is what the lady I met at the Dr was there for info on.
Try to relax. Have a good Thanksgiving and save the worry for later, although I know that is hard.

[mother of three]

Ok, i'll try not to worry, but that just scared the hell out of me. All of my hepatics, came back great.So my Gi was really happy about that. as a matter of fact platets and wbc are the only bad ones. I don't seem to have any unusal brusing or bleeding , maybe thay just made a mistake. The day I did get my blood ,they took it and i went home, then I got a call to go retake blood work .... Thats what I'm hoping .. Thank you for responding..Jill

[couchpotato]

My husband has been on tx for 3 months now and has had many problems with his platelet count. As low as 30. His doc didn't want him to take his shot if they went below 40 but now he is taking 1/2 shot when they are at 33. We are worried that these missed shots will interfere with his success but his enzymes levels are responding so maybe he will be okay.

[hph5477]

Sounds like you got some good responses here.  Keep up your spirits, enjoy the holiday, and remember all the things you have to be thankful for.  Above all, try not to worry (easier said than done, I know) and you'll enjoy the time with friends and family so much more.

Have a good Thanksgiving holiday.

[mother of three]

I'm with you, I don't want my dose cut I wish there was something we could do to help this .I take 40mgs of protonix a day . I recently that some stomach meds can effect the blood thank you for all responses.....JILl