Aa
Geez, magic...your doctor appts. sound an awful lot like my first appts with a GI after I was diagnosed with Hep C. I am also G-1a.
Before the shock of the diagnosis wore off, this "doctor" started explaining end stage liver disease, liver cancer, liver transplants...they guy had me dead and buried! Hm, and he was India(n), too...
Then, I found this site.
First & formost, There IS hope!. The liver is the only vital organ capable of healing itself, but you have to kill the virus first.
Fire this guy you're seeing & find someone who actually cares about your care. there are plenty out there. I found mine thru my local liver foundation & she is a saint.
Many, many people live long lives after cirrhosis, but it's a major life style change. Remember that everything you take into your body is filtered thru your liver. Thats why no more drugs, no more alcohol, no herbs, aspirin...and, anything that you put on your skin is absorbed & filtered thru your liver. that's why so many here are so careful with the products they buy, lotions, creams, etc. without a lot of additives, without a lot of extra stuff added like scents & aromas.
I have been treating since November. My first test to check my viral load after 30 days is very promising. I have lotsa' people praying for me...it seems to have worked : ) Thre is always hope. !!
We will all be here for you. You need to ask lotsa' questions, here & with your doctors. It's a long process to learn what you're up against,one that all of us here have gone thru, but you get a determination. You reach down deep inside of you & find the strength to do this. You have a few hiccups to clear up before you can treat...so did I.
We will do what we can to help guide. There are awesome people here..
Best of luck on this journey...it'll probably get bumpy...fasten your seat belt.
Peg**
Before the shock of the diagnosis wore off, this "doctor" started explaining end stage liver disease, liver cancer, liver transplants...they guy had me dead and buried! Hm, and he was India(n), too...
Then, I found this site.
First & formost, There IS hope!. The liver is the only vital organ capable of healing itself, but you have to kill the virus first.
Fire this guy you're seeing & find someone who actually cares about your care. there are plenty out there. I found mine thru my local liver foundation & she is a saint.
Many, many people live long lives after cirrhosis, but it's a major life style change. Remember that everything you take into your body is filtered thru your liver. Thats why no more drugs, no more alcohol, no herbs, aspirin...and, anything that you put on your skin is absorbed & filtered thru your liver. that's why so many here are so careful with the products they buy, lotions, creams, etc. without a lot of additives, without a lot of extra stuff added like scents & aromas.
I have been treating since November. My first test to check my viral load after 30 days is very promising. I have lotsa' people praying for me...it seems to have worked : ) Thre is always hope. !!
We will all be here for you. You need to ask lotsa' questions, here & with your doctors. It's a long process to learn what you're up against,one that all of us here have gone thru, but you get a determination. You reach down deep inside of you & find the strength to do this. You have a few hiccups to clear up before you can treat...so did I.
We will do what we can to help guide. There are awesome people here..
Best of luck on this journey...it'll probably get bumpy...fasten your seat belt.
Peg**
I know that fluctuating thyroid functions are a common symptom of HCV and liver disease. I have not heard of restriction of meat and dairy products before, though there may be some reason. I hope things go well for you. I would love to hear what decisions you reach and how it goes. I hope you update your status here or on your profile or something.
Brent
Brent
SORRY IT IS TAKING SO LONG TO GET BACK TO EVERYONE. I HAVE BEEN SEEING LOTS OF DOCTORS AND STILL HAVE DOCTORS EVERYDAY THIS WEEK TO EXCEPT CHRISTMAS DAY. YESTERDAY MY DOC SAID THAT THEY ARE POST PHONING MY TREATMENT AGAIN BECAUSE OF MY THYROID AGAIN . ITS HYPO THIS TIME ITS BEEN HYPER BEFORE THAT. I DON'T KNOW. I JUST WISH THIS WAS OVER. I WANT TO START SO I CAN FEEL LIKE THERE IS SOME KIND OF PROGGRESS.
This is a great thread~ Seeing some answers (brent) I get confused on! Often I think is cirrohis cancer? thanks so much for a great explanation!
Double emphasis on potrann's remark about alcohol. With cirrhosis, alcohol intake is wildly irresponsible. It is a real bad combination. Most transplant centers will not list a patient for transplant (you may end up in that situation) if there is an alcohol or drug addiction problem. So, if this is a problem, you need to see to this first.
Brent
Brent
There is a big difference between having HCV (hepatitis c) with cirrhosis and having HCC (hepatocellular carcinoma). Cirrhosis means that your liver disease has progressed to the point that scarring or necrosis (death of the liver tissue) is occuring. It is very serious, but often can be treated without a transplant. People can live with cirhossis for many years, especially if they take care of themselves and the underlying cause of the cirrhosis (in this case, hepatitis c). There are several people on this forum that are treating with a disease stage 4 (cirrhosis).
see: http://janis7hepc.com/home9.htm
HCC is cancer. It will spread to the rest of the liver and other organs of the body. A patient that has this does not have a very good prognosis. If caught early, the tumor(s) can be removed surgically (called resection), but if the cancer is advanced, the life expectancy is not good. I think if you had HCC you would have been immediately referred to a surgeon to see what the possibilities might be. With HCC, transplant is only allowed if t he tumors are small and few in number.
It is a VERY GOOD thing not to have HCC. You still have some options.
You can educate yourself about some of the basics by reading on the janis site and the hcvadvocate site:
http://www.janis7hepc.com/
http://www.hcvadvocate.org/hepatitis/hepatitis_C.asp
Best wishes,
Brent
see: http://janis7hepc.com/home9.htm
HCC is cancer. It will spread to the rest of the liver and other organs of the body. A patient that has this does not have a very good prognosis. If caught early, the tumor(s) can be removed surgically (called resection), but if the cancer is advanced, the life expectancy is not good. I think if you had HCC you would have been immediately referred to a surgeon to see what the possibilities might be. With HCC, transplant is only allowed if t he tumors are small and few in number.
It is a VERY GOOD thing not to have HCC. You still have some options.
You can educate yourself about some of the basics by reading on the janis site and the hcvadvocate site:
http://www.janis7hepc.com/
http://www.hcvadvocate.org/hepatitis/hepatitis_C.asp
Best wishes,
Brent
Early stage cirrhosis does not necessarily, if ever, signify liver cancer:
Follow this link below:
http://janis7hepc.com/home9.htm#stages%20of%20disease%20progression
"It is important to know that once cirrhosis develops, it is critical to avoid further progression of the disease. The consumption of alcohol in any form, including such things as certain mouthwashes and cough medicines, must be completely avoided by people with cirrhosis.
If you just were diagnosed with HCV and have cirrhosis, treatment may eradicate the virus. If you have been putting of treating, this may be a time to reevaluate your treatment goals. If you have not had interferon-based therapy, you may want to consider it or other available treatments that aim to eradicate the virus. It may also be time to look into other means of improving the health of your liver.
Though most people with HCV never develop liver cancer, it is a risk associated with chronic hepatitis C. The presence of cirrhosis and/or having been infected with HCV for more than 20 years further increase the risk. For this reason, frequent liver cancer screening is advisable for people who have cirrhosis."
Follow this link below:
http://janis7hepc.com/home9.htm#stages%20of%20disease%20progression
"It is important to know that once cirrhosis develops, it is critical to avoid further progression of the disease. The consumption of alcohol in any form, including such things as certain mouthwashes and cough medicines, must be completely avoided by people with cirrhosis.
If you just were diagnosed with HCV and have cirrhosis, treatment may eradicate the virus. If you have been putting of treating, this may be a time to reevaluate your treatment goals. If you have not had interferon-based therapy, you may want to consider it or other available treatments that aim to eradicate the virus. It may also be time to look into other means of improving the health of your liver.
Though most people with HCV never develop liver cancer, it is a risk associated with chronic hepatitis C. The presence of cirrhosis and/or having been infected with HCV for more than 20 years further increase the risk. For this reason, frequent liver cancer screening is advisable for people who have cirrhosis."
See my hep c liver doctor was talking about a liver transplant at first. Then he said that he wanted interferon treatments. He told how bad it was but never was clear about anything. Thats why I went and got copies f my records. I'm so confused, I'm not stupid but he is indian and I never understand him compleatly. The reason I ask ya'll all the questions is because you have been there done that and still doing it. Does that make sence.Talking to ya'll is the only way I truly know and understand and trust.
I was under theimpression that I had liver cancer as told by my liver doctor. when I got copys of my records because of not understanding him. I took those to my primary doctor to explain to me so iI would understand. He told me i was beginning stages of cirroses. Which is still cancer right? This has been so overwhelming to me .I feel really crazy sometimes.
I didn't see the "liver cancer" in the profile. Is this HCC (primary liver cancer), or another metastatic for from another location? This is surely an more serious concern than the HCV 1A. I would not think that TX for the HCV would even be a consideration until a treatment plan for the cancer were completed first.
Best wishes,
Brent
Best wishes,
Brent
For me, HCV has been very slow-moving and I've had it for forty years.
So I'd normally say HCV may not be as bad as it seems, since many of us have had it longer than you and progress slowly; however, I see in your profile that you said have a history of depression and have LIVER CANCER.
Have you confirmed this diagnosis of liver cancer with your doctor, in addition to HCV? I don't know anything about liver cancer but there are experienced members here who do.
Once you read up a bit more, you'll feel better, I promise, since it's confusion and lack of information that is the scariest part. You can tackle it one step at a time but it's overwhelming at first
As far as treating with a past history of depression, I believe it's universally agreed that you should pre-dose on anti-depressants before starting treatment, which will also give you a chance to tweak the AD's, as well as benefit you while on it. Many doctors commonly prescribe AD's to patients without a past history because the interferon directly impacts your serotonin levels. I do not take them myself but REALLY would never ever consider treatment without AD's, in the case of a past history of depression.
So I'd normally say HCV may not be as bad as it seems, since many of us have had it longer than you and progress slowly; however, I see in your profile that you said have a history of depression and have LIVER CANCER.
Have you confirmed this diagnosis of liver cancer with your doctor, in addition to HCV? I don't know anything about liver cancer but there are experienced members here who do.
Once you read up a bit more, you'll feel better, I promise, since it's confusion and lack of information that is the scariest part. You can tackle it one step at a time but it's overwhelming at first
As far as treating with a past history of depression, I believe it's universally agreed that you should pre-dose on anti-depressants before starting treatment, which will also give you a chance to tweak the AD's, as well as benefit you while on it. Many doctors commonly prescribe AD's to patients without a past history because the interferon directly impacts your serotonin levels. I do not take them myself but REALLY would never ever consider treatment without AD's, in the case of a past history of depression.
If you got to choose your genotype, you would be better off with 2 or 3, but alas, you're in lots of company as genotype 1 is the most common in the U.S.
Treatment protocols are longer for genotype 1 and the success rate of treatment is lower than for other genotypes. Hence the hepatologist's frown.
Treatment protocols are longer for genotype 1 and the success rate of treatment is lower than for other genotypes. Hence the hepatologist's frown.
please go to the link that I posted earlier...it will give you so much great info...taking the unknown out of the equation will also give you comfort.
I am G 1b...when I learned that I had hep c I didn't even know what it was so I hit the internet and learned of the different gt's then hoped that I had gt2 or 3....when I found out I was a 1b I felt a bit doomed...but I also learned about the new meds that are in clinical trials and made a run for one of them...I finished 24 weeks of tx just recently. I have great confidence in the new research and meds coming out soon.
Have you had a biopsy? do you know what grade and stage you are?
I am G 1b...when I learned that I had hep c I didn't even know what it was so I hit the internet and learned of the different gt's then hoped that I had gt2 or 3....when I found out I was a 1b I felt a bit doomed...but I also learned about the new meds that are in clinical trials and made a run for one of them...I finished 24 weeks of tx just recently. I have great confidence in the new research and meds coming out soon.
Have you had a biopsy? do you know what grade and stage you are?
harder to treat, none of it is any picnic, but they have different treatment protocols. They all have concerns. 1a seems to be a bit more virulent, i am not sure worse is the right word. But most hepatologist and GIS, frown when they see it
Good luck
Deb
Good luck
Deb
here is a great place to learn many things about Hep C
www.janis7hepc.com/
Good luck
www.janis7hepc.com/
Good luck
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