sudden weight gain, can it be from hep c?

Hi, newbie here. Found out a few months back that I have IT too. Very bummed out for a while, seemed to have sent alot of stress hormone through my body. Noticed that what was originally just my ankles that were swollen, legs got some fluid and now weight gain around stomach. Finally got to see liver specialist and he said it's not fluid in my stomach, but subcutaneous tissue. Guess he was saying "fat" in a nice way. Crazy thing is I'm not a fat person. I'm thin.This literally happened in days! I had felt,.. get ready,.. this is wierd..fluid or water or whatever, originally in my ankles,then legs. Now my arms are "chubby." This is creepy, scary. Kind of sad when you start to think, "boy I wish I just had plain old hepititus C." How depressing is that?? So, I don't know whether I caused so much estrogen, cortisol and every other hormone to run crazy in my body because of the original fright of being diagnosed(I'm dealing much better now) Also my thyroid seems to be hypo, not according to lab results, but from signs, low basil body temp, usually between 94.6- 97.4 and now and then during the day it becomes normal and then goes down. I am not fatigued, but am horribly constipated daily, which is not good because your body then reabsorbs the estrogen, which might be my problem. If anyone has heard of this let me know. Thanks guys!I

[fishdoc]

sorry for your weight gain, but I would be looking at some serious doc time!  What are your stats?  Have you had a biopsy?  I think advanced liver disease can cause water retention, but so can a lot of other things...no chance youve taken steroids for something else?

love the name, I know where my t!ts went (south), where are yours headed?

[SJL]

Only you could make me laugh today! Keep em coming!

[lilmoma]

LOL!!!

I think she actually meant "Got it too"

But I think I like your spin on it better!!!
I didnt even catch that!!! Brain fog.

[Mister beagle bailey]

Hey can do, how are you doing?  Have you had any sxs from the procrit yet?  Have not seen Fisheress and Dyce on the forum, hope they are alright.
Was thinking of getting a pool party together for the 4th of July, what do you think?

Beagle :) ;)

[fishdoc]

Ok, now I can't get the picture from the SciFI channel, the little redeyed monsters standing on top of each other with the big hooded overcoat on...out of my head!  I feel like I look a little demonic these days... feverish looking eyes, with suitcases underneath......

hope you feel better, whats your blood pressure doing?

[sfbaygirl]

Yeah, I am peachy! I went to get my 11week PCR today and the receptionist said I looked good! I know she was lying like a dog. Probably paid to say that to everyone.

Actually I am NOT having bone pain today, so I am thrilled. Just the low temp and fatique--pretty normal.

How are you doing? Has that Riba increase had any effects?

[fishdoc]

yeah, its draggin me down, can't walk across two rooms without stopping to catch my breath, do another bloodwork on friday, then I am going to see the dr. or I will run out of riba...gleeeppp that would be bad, JMJM help me!!!

May the lab gremlins bless you with undetectible....

[sfbaygirl]

I sure hope they are paid to tell me I'm UND. I asked how long it would take and they said 2 days. That doesn't sound right.

Sounds like that Riba is hitting your Hgb. You may be going down! That's how I felt when I have anemia. Maybe you should try and get the blood test earlier.

[sfbaygirl]

I have low body temps, like you do and have no idea what is going on. Noone seems to know. Could it be thyroid? Since I have been on tx it has never been above 99. The low is 94. From what I have read I should be dead with that low of a temp.

[fishdoc]

you aint dead, your "cool"...;)

[sfbaygirl]

Yeah, I'm 'cool' all right, but my red eyeballs are hot! I can feel their heat.

I look real cool with my wool cap, 6 blankets and gloves on under my comforter in the middle of summer.

Just making a fashion statement.

[Kalio1]

Welcome to the forum, sorry you have been diagosed with HCV.
It was a list of symptoms for diagnosis I foud i a doctor's blog on the net that had listed the "sudden weight loss or sudden weight gain" as a symptom as well as the "red spots"
I lost and gained 30lbs. a couple of times in one year without changing anything, I thought it was from going through menopause.
Both the "red spots" and the weird weight gain/loss stopped after I began treatment. The "red spots " were indeed spider nevi. I wish I had saved that list, I have tried to find it again with no luck. It had a lot of symptoms you don't normally hear of besides the typical ones, pale stools, dark urine, fatigue. At the time the doctors were having trouble figuring out what was ailing me and these clues helped to get diagnosed.
Glad you found the forum, when you get your geno info, please post it.
HCV does seem to mess with your hormones quite a bit. I am the "normal" age to be going through menopause so it is hard to tell if it is just normal or being contributed to by the HCV.
My cycle had completely stopped prior to treating but it started up again in the 8th month of treatment. I know it can stop and start all thorough menopause even without HCV.

[gotit2]

Got-it-too. Nothing about anatomy. Didn't have biopsy yet. Just had blood test for genotype.Waitng for results. This may be due to something has been going on with my thyroid and also virus seems to have pushed me into menopause, was peri. From what I heard the peri lasts a while, but mine didn't, it suddently stopped. Liver has a big part with hormones and can cause imbalances if there is something wrong with it, from what I read.
Albumin and bilirubin is normal. liver specialist seems to think my liver is functioning fine, but I guess not until biopsy will we know.Okay, I just wanted to know if anyone has experienced this. Thanks anyway.

[gotit2]

Just found an answer to the weight gain on  2/26/2006 from Kalio1. She says her doctor had a list of symptoms and on it was "sudden weight gain and redpolka dots". (not spider nevi). I have some of those dots also. Some people loose weight I guess, which I did initially, but then it may at times fluctuate.

Got-it- too!

[52TELE]

There is this big black box in my kitchen that has two doors. The right door leads me to health and happiness and the left door leads me to the freezer and the White Chocolate macadamia nut  ice cream , Bluebell , 1/2 gallon.If I go to the left door too often , I start to swell up around my mid section also. I'm pretty sure it is caused by my HCV treatment , I dont know what else it could be? LOL :)

[tulsatime]

Hi, and welcome. I too have gained weight. I am running about 30 lbs heavier than normal. Even with treatment I just keep gaining. The treatment swelled me too. My face didn't look like me. But after treatment my face looks normal. But the weight won't budge. Most people lose weight on treatment. What happened.. I guess I missed that train. Hope to get on the train next treatment. HEEHEE Take care. Keep coming back

[gotit2]

Thanks for the welcome, needed that! Thanks for answering my question. I think  some other people have to realize that jokes and getting off subject, just to chat to someone other than the person who asked the question is not the best thing to do when responding to a newcommer. The newly diagnosed person is still most likely going through alot of mental trauma over the diagnosis.People with the same disease should think back to how they felt in the beginning. It's bad enough that sometimes we feel the doctors aren't giving us the needed time and attention to answer our questions. Maybe those that answer new people should try to take this into consideration. But I thank you 2 guys and any other who answered me in the post. Sorry if I sound as if I was lecturing, but I feel it was necessary. Thanks

[Forseegood]

Hi, I tried to answer you last night but I guess the site goes down sometimes on Sunday nights, and I'm pacific time...

I know what you mean about the newcomers posting and our behavior, but also keep in mind that so many are treating here, most in fact....(I'm in the much lower percentage of people who are not presently treating, though I keep on reading more and more that they are finding that just the virus itself can alter a patient's mood considerably, along with menopause, yikes!!!!!)...

I guess treating with the meds can become so awful for some at times that people try to get a "gallows humor" just to take their minds of it and connect with others...please don't take it personally cause I'm sure it wasn't meant personally, not to speak for others, sorry if I am, but that's just my take on it after being here for awhile....

As to your questions, I too have pretty bad fluid retention, and "I" think your right on the money, for we women, Hep c can become complicated with the hormonal changes that come with peri-menopause and just plain old menopause...I don't often here of men getting these mass amounts of fluid retention and weight gain, though I'm sure it happens....Here are some really good articles on Hep C symptoms from Janis and Friends, another website...http://janis7hepc.com/Symptoms.htm#Fluid%20Retention

If you see, lots of fluid retention *is* in the non-cirrhosis category, (whew!!!) though I'm sure that individually, people can have have symptoms that are all over the place, and only a biopsy can tell you for sure exactly where you are at, thought there are some other blood marker tests out there....you need to get to a really good hepatologist to speak to him/her about all these issues and testing procedures....

If you want to confuse yourself even further, ha ha! Here is a really good menopause site where you can look up symptoms from a hormonal angle, and see that these issues are shared by women who just have plain old menopause, so maybe our theories are somewhere in there (and I've heard docs say this too) that are symptoms are being aggravated by the hep....also, there are some good studies out there saying that estrogen can actually help protect a woman from the virus, you can find those out by putting hep c, women, hep c virus in a search engine, don't have time to do it right now...hope this helps, and please try not to panic and go step by step finding things out, you'll feel better for it...good luck!!!!

[Kalio1]

I hear you about that but this forum seems to function with lots of "thread jumping" because it is sometimes not possible to open a new thread, there are so few available each day or used to be anyway. Lately there seems to be a lot more threads available but it creates so many threads it is hard to follow and answer queries. It can feel like you are being ignored if you are new here, I know I was new once too. Sorry if you felt that way, or anyone does but it is "the way" of this forum and not meant as a slight to the poster. Sometimes new posters post a question then wonder why no one answers, but usually it is because no one is aroud at that time or no one KNOWS the answer and not because you are being ignored.
One thing I have learned on the net is to try not personalize what you read here and take it with a grain of salt. Always back up anything you read with your own research and a chat with your doctor too. Glad you joined us!

[gotit2]

Hi and thanks for clarity. Your right. I know sometimes people joke to lighten things up, and thats fine. I don't know whose who yet on this site, so I don't know the personalities, but I am saying people should just try to be a little extra cautious in responding to "brand new" people. And after thinking about it all, I guess there "would be" chat going back and forth that doesn't pertain to the question because I am sure this is the only communication people have between each other. It just hits you funny as a new person. But now I know, no big deal. Thanks for your input.

[GoofyDad]

Gee Forsee, my fluid retention started back in high school, before I even got Hep C. I found relief when I started dating Back Seat Betty. That's when I 'got it too'!

Please don't mind me, gotit2, I'm just an idjit in the Peanut Gallery.....

Happy Fourth everyone!!!!!

[gotit2]

Thanks Kalio 1.
You guys are right.(forseegood) I don't know the ropes yet, but I appreciate your concern in taking the time to get back to me. i guess its just the anxiety of it all. So many questions in the beginning and I guess in the beginning you don't want jokes just answers, but actually the refrigerator joke was funny. lol thanks again. i'll be back a million times, I'm sure, as things get rolling. i pray everyone going through clears. thanks again!

[Forseegood]

Forgot to say welcome, and point taken about a newcomer and their first questions, I think we should all go easy, my opinion...

Although I should point out to you that the way the forum is set up, there are only a few threads opened every day, so as not to pile tooooo much work on the nice people who manage the board...

That's why you'll see a lot of hijacking (meaning some people will come on a thread you originally opened, and talk to others about different things, not related to your topic, etc...) I remember when I first came here, that took me back too, I thought it might of been a dis to me or whatever...and it's true, when your new to a board, you are feeling vulnerable...just so you know, it's not personal...

[Forseegood]

now, I hope youre wife told you to you shouldn't light those firecrackers unless you are supervised...we don't want any burned goofy fingers do we?  God knows you need your goofyfingers!

[tulsatime]

Forgot to add this, But I was so swollen, I had my PCP do an ultra soud on my stomache, I was sure I had ascites, but it wasn't. My stomache has gone down a lot but it was swollen for about a year. I couldn't even wear a bra, I had to buy sports bra's. Thank goodness that is gone. But It could be back next time I treat, don't know. I guess we will see... Take Care

[fishdoc]

Sorry you are going through this, but personally, I think you'll survive treatment a lot better with a sense of humor.  I will not bother you again, and best of luck to you.

[gotit2]

thanks for info, appreciate it.

[gotit2]

Yes I agree with laughter. Laughter does help the immune system, so it stands to reason that laughter will help during treatment, but first I need answers. Haven't been getting any answers to anything lately at MD's, so I turned to this site for some. And, you weren't bothering me, so lets put this behind us.

[Forseegood]

hey, just occured to me that I didn't post that really good menopause site so you can cross check some things, it's called
PowerSurge, (ha ha, really funny huh?)

http://www.dearest.com/intro.htm

Hope everyone is having a great 4th, I just had to report some geniuses who were blowing off fireworks in the middle of Griffith Park, oh well!!!