Aa
worried about HCV disease progression...look at my symptoms
hi guys,
i'm kinda down and depressed and looking for some support...i'm actually paranoid that my hcv genotype 3 disease is progressing rapidly.
i havent had a biopsy so i'm kinda paranoid about i've had the virus for less than 4 years.
a lot of people on this forum have been very kind to offer me their advice but i still have to let it out.... so i hope they'll help me again as they ofetn have...
i've been getting symptoms this year...
here's my timeline:
(i dont drink alochol at all)
2003: possible HCV infection with paramedic needle when getting checked for salmonella infection
july 2004: overdose of cannabis by ingestion. ended up in emergency room. one and only episode with drugs, never used before or after.
august 2005: had random episodes of fatigue, diarrhea with fever
may 2006: had episode of fatigue, diarrhea and low grade fever
june 2006: diagnosed with hcv genotype 3, coupled with adverse reaction to ampicillin antibiotic for tooth infection. ALT soared to 216, accompanied by nausea, a "heat-like" feeling in the stomach. ALT normalized to 24, then rose to 103 after a month, then measured at 74 in september. i see increased spider veins on my feet this year. hemoglobin has dropped to 13.5 in a month from 15.5, which is weird. may be due to the herbs im using.
now i still get some symptoms in my stomach...on some days a nauseating, "heat like" feeling that lasts for 4-5 hours.
i'm kinda down and depressed and looking for some support...i'm actually paranoid that my hcv genotype 3 disease is progressing rapidly.
i havent had a biopsy so i'm kinda paranoid about i've had the virus for less than 4 years.
a lot of people on this forum have been very kind to offer me their advice but i still have to let it out.... so i hope they'll help me again as they ofetn have...
i've been getting symptoms this year...
here's my timeline:
(i dont drink alochol at all)
2003: possible HCV infection with paramedic needle when getting checked for salmonella infection
july 2004: overdose of cannabis by ingestion. ended up in emergency room. one and only episode with drugs, never used before or after.
august 2005: had random episodes of fatigue, diarrhea with fever
may 2006: had episode of fatigue, diarrhea and low grade fever
june 2006: diagnosed with hcv genotype 3, coupled with adverse reaction to ampicillin antibiotic for tooth infection. ALT soared to 216, accompanied by nausea, a "heat-like" feeling in the stomach. ALT normalized to 24, then rose to 103 after a month, then measured at 74 in september. i see increased spider veins on my feet this year. hemoglobin has dropped to 13.5 in a month from 15.5, which is weird. may be due to the herbs im using.
now i still get some symptoms in my stomach...on some days a nauseating, "heat like" feeling that lasts for 4-5 hours.
but dont want to paint too sorry a picture folks :)
most of the time i feel fine...my fatigue has improved dramatically sicne i started using homeopathic milk thistle...
i jog almost every day. have a high energy level and good sex drive.
but my stomach symptom i'm concerned about...that "heat-like" feeling. and the spider veins in my ankles. and also the drop in hemoglobin to 13.5.
now i'm using some other herbs too(the ones i mentioned in the thread about ancient remedies)
my dad says i'm probably nowhere near advanced liver disease since i've had teh virus for less than 4 years...and it takes at least 10 yeasr to progress to cirrhosis in the fastest of progressions,...now how true is that?
my doctors also estimated fibrosis stage 1 based on bloodworks and ultrasound. the only thing that actually worries me...is the feeling i have in the stomach...never had that before i reacted to the ampicillin in june 2006!
most of the time i feel fine...my fatigue has improved dramatically sicne i started using homeopathic milk thistle...
i jog almost every day. have a high energy level and good sex drive.
but my stomach symptom i'm concerned about...that "heat-like" feeling. and the spider veins in my ankles. and also the drop in hemoglobin to 13.5.
now i'm using some other herbs too(the ones i mentioned in the thread about ancient remedies)
my dad says i'm probably nowhere near advanced liver disease since i've had teh virus for less than 4 years...and it takes at least 10 yeasr to progress to cirrhosis in the fastest of progressions,...now how true is that?
my doctors also estimated fibrosis stage 1 based on bloodworks and ultrasound. the only thing that actually worries me...is the feeling i have in the stomach...never had that before i reacted to the ampicillin in june 2006!
reveneire,
i'm pretty sure it happened due to ampicillin in june 2006. but the thing that bothers me is...does a normal person, without cirrhosis, react liek that to antibiotics? my ALT went to 216 just cuz of that antibiotic, then came down to 24 in 15 days.
(my hcv was, coincidentally, discovered a day after the antibiotic episode.)
i'm pretty sure it happened due to ampicillin in june 2006. but the thing that bothers me is...does a normal person, without cirrhosis, react liek that to antibiotics? my ALT went to 216 just cuz of that antibiotic, then came down to 24 in 15 days.
(my hcv was, coincidentally, discovered a day after the antibiotic episode.)
I think your ALT can spike due to infection, I don't know about the antibotics...I could be wrong, but I know mine spiked when I had an infection.
Niceguy I can't remember are you on treatment? I assume so or I can't imagine why you would have a LowER hemoglobin (cause 13 isn't very low at all really). Taking the ribavirin causes our hemo to go south but if you aren't well 13 isn't so bad anyway...but would say something is going on to affect your bloodwork!
I had liver enzyumes in the 200s before I started treatment but as soon as I did they dropped to normal. I can't understand what this "heat" thing is because your liver is not related to your stomach at all. More likely it's a reaction in your STOMACH to the antiobiotic maybe.
Have the biopsy. It's easy and almost completely pain free. Our minds just tell us it's not.
I have had this disease for 25 years and I am a Stage 3 so I'm lucky I found out by accident I had it. However I drank and did drugs as frequently as humanly possible in the olden days - all during those 25 years I was compounding the effects of the hep VASTLY.
If you have only had it since 2003 - I would imagine your liver is in just fine shape and nothing is going on at all yet, however there is no guarantee.
GET THE BIOPSY it is the only way you will know what is what.
All else would be guessing.
I had liver enzyumes in the 200s before I started treatment but as soon as I did they dropped to normal. I can't understand what this "heat" thing is because your liver is not related to your stomach at all. More likely it's a reaction in your STOMACH to the antiobiotic maybe.
Have the biopsy. It's easy and almost completely pain free. Our minds just tell us it's not.
I have had this disease for 25 years and I am a Stage 3 so I'm lucky I found out by accident I had it. However I drank and did drugs as frequently as humanly possible in the olden days - all during those 25 years I was compounding the effects of the hep VASTLY.
If you have only had it since 2003 - I would imagine your liver is in just fine shape and nothing is going on at all yet, however there is no guarantee.
GET THE BIOPSY it is the only way you will know what is what.
All else would be guessing.
PS HErbs and things can GREATLY GREATLY increase your liver enzymes. If you are taking anything aside from the milk thistle...stop. It might be what is messing you up.
People "assume" that they are good for them but..........not necessarily so.
Considering an aspirin can change your enzyme level ...
You do understand what a high liver enzyme level means right? It means something is killing the cells of your liver. It's up to you to see if it's anything aside from the hep...antibiotics don't usually raise enzymes that bad (I am on one now and no problems).
PS There is no guarantee how long it takes anyone to get cirhhosis but after such a short time your dad is probably right. I've had it 25 years and don't yet. And I had EVERY factor under the sun that could have contributed (which again is why I am stage 3).
One more time - GET THE BIOPSY. ;)
People "assume" that they are good for them but..........not necessarily so.
Considering an aspirin can change your enzyme level ...
You do understand what a high liver enzyme level means right? It means something is killing the cells of your liver. It's up to you to see if it's anything aside from the hep...antibiotics don't usually raise enzymes that bad (I am on one now and no problems).
PS There is no guarantee how long it takes anyone to get cirhhosis but after such a short time your dad is probably right. I've had it 25 years and don't yet. And I had EVERY factor under the sun that could have contributed (which again is why I am stage 3).
One more time - GET THE BIOPSY. ;)
you could take so much out of the guessing, if you had the biopsy, but since you are still listening to dad, and he knows best, we will skip that test and continue guessing with you.:-}
the truth is, no one knows if that is a normal spike for folks with or without cirrhosis, because most people do not get a liver profile while on them. I never have, and I have been on tons of antibiotics of all kinds. For all I know, I could have spiked in each one of those treatments, or not.
there is no way to guess what the burning feeling is, or to Attribute it to hcv, liver damage or herbs.
maybe you can have an endoscopy and colonoscopy? never too young for that one!
if you are not going to have procedures done to rule out certain conditions, you are not going to get answers. blood work can only go so far.
the truth is, no one knows if that is a normal spike for folks with or without cirrhosis, because most people do not get a liver profile while on them. I never have, and I have been on tons of antibiotics of all kinds. For all I know, I could have spiked in each one of those treatments, or not.
there is no way to guess what the burning feeling is, or to Attribute it to hcv, liver damage or herbs.
maybe you can have an endoscopy and colonoscopy? never too young for that one!
if you are not going to have procedures done to rule out certain conditions, you are not going to get answers. blood work can only go so far.
I had ind. n reflux but went away after i quit smokin last yr. this heat is not heartburn.its more like a hot flash but on the inside
I had that same heat from rib cage to abdomen. I could hold my hand an inch away from my body and feel it radiating. I had just been diagnosed a few months earlier and thought it was my body fighting the virus. My vl had dropped from 2ml to 350,000 somewhere through that time. I have no idea what was really happening, it doesn't seem to happen to many. But whatever, it was a good healing period for me. Lets be positive!
I had a bad reaction to anti-biotics myself...haven't treated yet, I even had a bad reaction to a flu shot, either that or a coincidence, cause I had a flare-up (where I actually have symptoms, I usually don't except for fatigue) right after that lasted a few weeks...me thinks the liver doesn't like anti-biotics unless youre on treatment already treating your liver, but what do I know, just speculating...
so, nice, are you going to go for tests or are you sticking to more guessing with the help of the members?
honestly, do you really expect to find these answers with this thread? an endoscopy can offer more conclusive insight, please consider it.
honestly, do you really expect to find these answers with this thread? an endoscopy can offer more conclusive insight, please consider it.
Go get a damn biopsy, and quite guessing every week whether or not your gas and itchy underwear are HCV related or caused by Cirrhosis.. Every week you post something and every week everyone tells you to get a biopsy to put your mind at ease.Yet you just keep asking the same questions in which NO ONE can give you an answer... If you are not gonna get the proper tests, quite asking for opinions!!!
My tummy hurts tooo...Does that mean I relapsed? No, maybe I just ate something that upset it... Every body ache and feeling is not HCV related. I was born with HCV and NEVER once had any symptoms, not a single one..
Get a biopsy!!!!!
My tummy hurts tooo...Does that mean I relapsed? No, maybe I just ate something that upset it... Every body ache and feeling is not HCV related. I was born with HCV and NEVER once had any symptoms, not a single one..
Get a biopsy!!!!!
I know biopsies seem scary but when you have one through a hospital, you're given pain meds and they really are quite uneventful. I actually even enjoyed the recooperating time in the hospital where you get pain meds if you need them and just completely relax for 2 - 3 hours. There really is nothing to be afraid of except for the results. Everyone goes through this prior to getting a biopsy partly because we're all afraid to learn the truth. Thing is, you just have to bite the bullet and do it....it's really the only way you're going to know for sure. Good luck with it and post as often as you need to while you're getting up the courage to do it.
Char
Char
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