Aa
stage 3 with hep c
54 and I have 7 year old,doc just took biopsy have cirrouis stage 3 and wants to treat hep c I don't know if worth it
Hector ,would you please.recall what is approx.SVR for us who were detectable at week 4 but undetectable at week 12.I know I go for 48 wksTx.My last doctor was giving me approx 51% chance of SVR but I thought it was higher than that per research. I am 1b relapser Tx #3 Wishing you the best! Naya
i have been dignosed with hepC in 2003 now days my liver deseas has developed into cirrosis. i resently went int surgery to remove my gall blader, it was difucult times for me but forutnally i feel a lot better. so my question is as follow. do i have the option to seek for hepC treatment? eventough my descompesated cirrosis. i think am an avid expert in the subject, however i there is a lot to learn sitill that is why joinig this forum. in my journey with cirrosis assitis, fluid in lungs and abdomen and leges has developed. nevertheless there is timimes i still concern about if ever going to gaing back at least some of the life and health i had en the past.
Vince Galindo
Vince Galindo
“Is biopsy the only way to determine if you have a healthy liver?”
In the US liver biopsy is still “the gold standard for assessing the stage of liver disease.
“Is it dangerous?”
All procedures have some risk but the risk of any complications is low.
“Can't the doctors tell from your blood test?”
Can a doctor tell the stage of a person’s liver disease from a blood test? No.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The liver biopsy is thought to be the best way to find out how damaged the liver has become from diseases such as hepatitis C (HCV).
Liver biopsies are important for many reasons:
• To rule out any other liver diseases that a patient may have
• To stage and grade – find out how much the disease has damaged the liver
• To help make decisions about the best treatment
• To reassure both the patient and the doctor
• To provide a starting point to compare with future biopsies
This allows the doctor to see if the hepatitis C virus is doing more damage or if treatment is needed.
The most common side effectof the biopsy is pain – only about one out of five people who have a biopsy have mild to moderate pain during and after the procedure. Few people have severe pain. There is also a small risk of bleeding. Problems after the biopsy has been performed are another area of concern. These are not usually common.Only about 1% (1 out of 100
people) have problems after the biopsy is done.
A liver biopsy is usually done in a hospital as an out-patient procedure – it does not usually require a hospital stay. The most common type of biopsy is done through the skin (percutaneous). Ultrasounds (using sound waves to make an image of the liver) are sometimes performed before or during the biopsy to figure out where the biopsy needle should be placed. Some people want to have a medication to calm them before the procedure to make the procedure more comfortable. Keep in mind that the patient must be awake during the procedure. This is done to avoid possible problems. There are three different types of needles used in a biopsy (suction needle, cutting needle and spring-loaded). The patient is given a shot to numb the area (similar to novacaine from the dentist) where the needle will be inserted. The biopsy itself takes very little time to do – usually only a couple of seconds. The size of the sample of liver removed is a very, very tiny piece of the liver about one to one-and-a-half inches long.
http://www.hcvadvocate.org/hepatitis/Basics/Biopsy.pdf
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Cheers!
Hector
In the US liver biopsy is still “the gold standard for assessing the stage of liver disease.
“Is it dangerous?”
All procedures have some risk but the risk of any complications is low.
“Can't the doctors tell from your blood test?”
Can a doctor tell the stage of a person’s liver disease from a blood test? No.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The liver biopsy is thought to be the best way to find out how damaged the liver has become from diseases such as hepatitis C (HCV).
Liver biopsies are important for many reasons:
• To rule out any other liver diseases that a patient may have
• To stage and grade – find out how much the disease has damaged the liver
• To help make decisions about the best treatment
• To reassure both the patient and the doctor
• To provide a starting point to compare with future biopsies
This allows the doctor to see if the hepatitis C virus is doing more damage or if treatment is needed.
The most common side effectof the biopsy is pain – only about one out of five people who have a biopsy have mild to moderate pain during and after the procedure. Few people have severe pain. There is also a small risk of bleeding. Problems after the biopsy has been performed are another area of concern. These are not usually common.Only about 1% (1 out of 100
people) have problems after the biopsy is done.
A liver biopsy is usually done in a hospital as an out-patient procedure – it does not usually require a hospital stay. The most common type of biopsy is done through the skin (percutaneous). Ultrasounds (using sound waves to make an image of the liver) are sometimes performed before or during the biopsy to figure out where the biopsy needle should be placed. Some people want to have a medication to calm them before the procedure to make the procedure more comfortable. Keep in mind that the patient must be awake during the procedure. This is done to avoid possible problems. There are three different types of needles used in a biopsy (suction needle, cutting needle and spring-loaded). The patient is given a shot to numb the area (similar to novacaine from the dentist) where the needle will be inserted. The biopsy itself takes very little time to do – usually only a couple of seconds. The size of the sample of liver removed is a very, very tiny piece of the liver about one to one-and-a-half inches long.
http://www.hcvadvocate.org/hepatitis/Basics/Biopsy.pdf
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Cheers!
Hector
I am sorry to hear you have decompensated cirrhosis. Commonly known as End-Stage Liver Disease.
Hepatitis C treatment is not advised for persons with decompensated cirrhosis. Your liver is starting to fail and hepatitis C treatment can cause further liver injury or complete failure in which case you would need a transplant very quickly in order to survive. The risk of further liver damage by the treatment outweighs the benefit at this point.
As I assume you have been told by your hepatologist, your focus should be on managing the life-threatening complications of cirrhosis with drugs, diet and lifestyle for as long as possible until you are able to get a life-saving transplant. Only a transplant will save your life and bring back the quality of life that you once had. Unfortunately for patients with End-Stage Liver Disease this is the only option in order to continue living. I am suffering with liver failure myself as well as liver cancer. I plan on having a transplant in the near future as all other options are gone at this point of my illness.
Of course you should talk with your hepatologist about hepatitis C treatment as we are all different and there are exceptions to every rule. I am only going by the data you have provided. Your hepatologist knows that complete status of your health and liver disease so they are always the best source of information.
Are you list for a transplant?
What is your MELD score?
Have you every had bleeding varies or encephalopathy (mental changes caused by your liver disease?
Hank in there. It takes a lot of persistence and inner will power to go through the ups and downs of this disease but it is doable.
Cheers!
Hector
Hepatitis C treatment is not advised for persons with decompensated cirrhosis. Your liver is starting to fail and hepatitis C treatment can cause further liver injury or complete failure in which case you would need a transplant very quickly in order to survive. The risk of further liver damage by the treatment outweighs the benefit at this point.
As I assume you have been told by your hepatologist, your focus should be on managing the life-threatening complications of cirrhosis with drugs, diet and lifestyle for as long as possible until you are able to get a life-saving transplant. Only a transplant will save your life and bring back the quality of life that you once had. Unfortunately for patients with End-Stage Liver Disease this is the only option in order to continue living. I am suffering with liver failure myself as well as liver cancer. I plan on having a transplant in the near future as all other options are gone at this point of my illness.
Of course you should talk with your hepatologist about hepatitis C treatment as we are all different and there are exceptions to every rule. I am only going by the data you have provided. Your hepatologist knows that complete status of your health and liver disease so they are always the best source of information.
Are you list for a transplant?
What is your MELD score?
Have you every had bleeding varies or encephalopathy (mental changes caused by your liver disease?
Hank in there. It takes a lot of persistence and inner will power to go through the ups and downs of this disease but it is doable.
Cheers!
Hector
Oops! Lets try this again.....at 3:20 am ugh...
You are genotype 1b.
Your are a previous relapser? You completed treatment previously with peg-interferon and ribavirin but the virus came back after you stopped treatment. Correct?
What stage of liver disease do you have 0-4.
What type of treatment are you taking? 2 or 3 drug treatment? What drugs?
Thanks!
Hector
You are genotype 1b.
Your are a previous relapser? You completed treatment previously with peg-interferon and ribavirin but the virus came back after you stopped treatment. Correct?
What stage of liver disease do you have 0-4.
What type of treatment are you taking? 2 or 3 drug treatment? What drugs?
Thanks!
Hector
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