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Should i get a liver biopsy done??
i have had hep c for 12 yrs and have had no treatments or anything but liver enzyme tests every few yrs. i also have bi-polar disorder and am on prestiq 100mg a day and terazodone i think its called 50mg once a day. should i be asking my dr to refer me to a liver specialist and get a liver biopsy done? i feel i have been left to fall through the cracks of healthcare....
Yes going tomorrow to pick up your labs is a good idea. I guess I should have added one more thing since it is perhaps one of the most important habits it is crucial you adopt: from now on obtain copies of every lab, exam, report or other documentation that is related to you.
Your medical records are yours.
There are lots of people on the forum who have the experience and insight to help you when you have questions - sometimes even in a more timely manner than the doctor's office.
Be sure to call tomorrow. You could have them fax, email, snail mail your labs - or you can offer to pick them up. Whatever is easiest so long as they know you expect them soon. I hope they have a suggestion on hand of a liver specialist you can see. My GP sent me to a good GI (I had three or four duds at first) I should have asked her in the first place!
Try not to worry over much. You are doing all the right things to get started. Don't let not knowing mess with your head. I was diagnosed in 2003 and didn't really get it together until 2006 or so. Then suddenly I was driven and determined to find out where I was in the disease process.
Things will start falling into place now that you are ready.
Best of luck to you.
Be sure to let us know how things work out.
Your medical records are yours.
There are lots of people on the forum who have the experience and insight to help you when you have questions - sometimes even in a more timely manner than the doctor's office.
Be sure to call tomorrow. You could have them fax, email, snail mail your labs - or you can offer to pick them up. Whatever is easiest so long as they know you expect them soon. I hope they have a suggestion on hand of a liver specialist you can see. My GP sent me to a good GI (I had three or four duds at first) I should have asked her in the first place!
Try not to worry over much. You are doing all the right things to get started. Don't let not knowing mess with your head. I was diagnosed in 2003 and didn't really get it together until 2006 or so. Then suddenly I was driven and determined to find out where I was in the disease process.
Things will start falling into place now that you are ready.
Best of luck to you.
Be sure to let us know how things work out.
i actually just last week got my results back from another hcv test, (i have not had one since i was first diagnosed in Nov 2000) the Dr did not tell me what genotype i am or my viral load. and yes it is Trazodone i am on but not too concerned about that. i have my bi polar in order and things are good except i feel tired all the time or i cannot sleep at all for a night or two in a row. but yes, i want to know where i stand with my hep c so i will definitely be going to see my family dr tomorrow and requesting more of my info and a refferal to a liver specialist. thank you. i look forward to learning all i can on this site!
Yes you should have your doctor refer you to a liver specialist, an ideal doctor would be a hepatologist. They would be the best to decide whether a biopsy is needed. Alot would depend on rather you was wanting to treat, genotype, or maybe wanting to wait on newer meds that are in the pipeline.
Best to you, and welcome to the forum.
Best to you, and welcome to the forum.
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Based on what little you said it sounds more as if you are ready to deal with your Hepatitis C than like you have fallen through the cracks. It has really only been in the last few years there has been rapid and promising advancement in the treatment of Hepatitis C. It seems like doctors and the public are slowly becoming more aware and vigilant.
Do you by any chance mean "Trazodone." A few people on here have taken it. But anyway first things first: I would not start out worrying about the meds you are currently taking. Start out by stop drinking alcohol if you happen to do so.
Yes should either ask your doctor for a referral to a good Gastroenterologist or Hepatologist or look on the web or ask on here. Trust me you do not want to waste your time with a doctor who does not routinely treat Hepatitis C.
It can take a while to find the right doctor meanwhile you could have your current doctor perform a complete recent set of labs and a physical. Either way your GP will probably need to be in the loop at some part of the process. Have another HCV test and find out what your genotype is. I think they tell you your viral load on that test whether you want to know or not.
In addition to know what your genotype is eventually you will want to assess how far your fibrosis has progressed. To my mind this would be one of the determining factors of how soon you need to treat. If you are early in the disease you might have more treatment options.
Although I had two biopsies over the past ten years and am glad I did I would be remiss in not mentioning there are noninvasive ways to evaluate the state of your liver (FibroTest, Fibroscan, and biopsy):
http://www.jhep-elsevier.com/article/S0168-8278%2811%2900663-5/abstract
http://www.medhelp.org/posts/Hepatitis-C/Fibroscan-vs-Biopsy/show/1800504
In the mean time start learning about the virus. Read lots and lots of posts on here as well as other on line posts:
Here is one post that has lots of doctors. I like to see it re-posted every now and then so it stays current:
http://www.medhelp.org/posts/Hepatitis-C/Who-is-your-good-doctor-/show/1715783
Another by Orphaned Hawk:
http://www.medhelp.org/user_journals/show/360204/guestions-for-doctor-for-newbies-to-tx?personal_page_id=17823
I know there are lots of general info sites on the web but the only two I can think of are these:
http://www.hcvadvocate.org/
This is the VA but there is lots of good info here:
http://www.hepatitis.va.gov/
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There is a lot of ground to cover and I do not want to overwhelm you so I would start with recent lab work :)