Aa
Beginning treatment confusion.
I was diagnosed with Chronic Hep C Apx. 4/17/2009, genome 2b with a viral load 1,880,000 (6.27) I understand I will be doing 6 month treatment (Peggylated Inteferon and Ribivirin) , I have not yet started treatment as of 6/10/2009 , I have a liver biopsy scheduled 6/17/2009 , I believe my insurance company will not "Pre-Authorize" treatment for the inteferon and ribivirin until the biopsy is completed. My dilema is that my Doctor would like to see a 2 Log drop in my viral load numbers after 3 months of treatment to show I am responding to treatment, but I haven't even started treatment yet and I believe from 4/17/2009 (my initial viral load 1880000) could have replicated and be a much higher or lower ( I would assume higher) number. So a 2 log drop from 1880000 would be an ending result of 10000 in my blood, BUT if the original viral load of 1880000 incresed from 1880000 to WHATEVER it is as of today , and I start treatment sometime after the biopsy6/17/2009 with a higher #---- then a 2 log drop from THAT # may not be 10000 that the doc was looking for, but may actually be a 2 log drop from the increased #. I have heard that you initial #s are good for 3 months(Dosent make sense to me maybe I heard it wrong) Looks like I lost before I start, ANY FEEDBACK.
Hello, and to ditto medicmommy....WELCOME to a great place!
A lot of good advice up there also.
I've been MIA here awhile...but....I am confused in this one. I was ...love that word 'WAS" :).....geno 2 b, as said....we are the lottery winners in Hep C with a great SVR rate.
I did 24 wks. tx. To do 'only' 24 wks, tx I thought one needed to be UND by week 4 and if not...to extend to 48 weeks. (Geno 2's)
Am I wrong in that?
I know if not UND by week 12 you need to seriously consider longer tx.
Request 2 & 4 wk VL test. I had 2, 4, 6, 8 , 12 but I was in a trial. Knowing if you've had a 2 log drop by week 2 tremendoulsy increase's your odd's of SVR, as with at 4 weeks. Don't stress so bad on that also, many have high VL's and do get 2 log or more drops.
A note on milk thistle.....I got word last week that Dr. David Nelson (me and Missy's Dr, head of research at Shands, holds 5 tiltles, goes all over the world for seminars, studies) went to one on Milk thistle and it is now being endorsed as very good for Hep c patients, liver functions. This is HUGE for an herb to be endorsed, approved, etc. When I first found out I had hep c I started on it, felt a lot better in those mths. on it and my VL did go down. Research it and decide if you want to try it. It should not be used while ON tx tho.
As said also.....slow down, breath! Until your biopsy comes back at least. If your damage is low, you have time to think, research, decide. I wish you the very best in this and can't stress how much everyone here helped me in the initail shock of dx and through my whole journey in this. The help, knowledge here is tremendous.
LL
A lot of good advice up there also.
I've been MIA here awhile...but....I am confused in this one. I was ...love that word 'WAS" :).....geno 2 b, as said....we are the lottery winners in Hep C with a great SVR rate.
I did 24 wks. tx. To do 'only' 24 wks, tx I thought one needed to be UND by week 4 and if not...to extend to 48 weeks. (Geno 2's)
Am I wrong in that?
I know if not UND by week 12 you need to seriously consider longer tx.
Request 2 & 4 wk VL test. I had 2, 4, 6, 8 , 12 but I was in a trial. Knowing if you've had a 2 log drop by week 2 tremendoulsy increase's your odd's of SVR, as with at 4 weeks. Don't stress so bad on that also, many have high VL's and do get 2 log or more drops.
A note on milk thistle.....I got word last week that Dr. David Nelson (me and Missy's Dr, head of research at Shands, holds 5 tiltles, goes all over the world for seminars, studies) went to one on Milk thistle and it is now being endorsed as very good for Hep c patients, liver functions. This is HUGE for an herb to be endorsed, approved, etc. When I first found out I had hep c I started on it, felt a lot better in those mths. on it and my VL did go down. Research it and decide if you want to try it. It should not be used while ON tx tho.
As said also.....slow down, breath! Until your biopsy comes back at least. If your damage is low, you have time to think, research, decide. I wish you the very best in this and can't stress how much everyone here helped me in the initail shock of dx and through my whole journey in this. The help, knowledge here is tremendous.
LL
your gonna be fine !. medicmommy said a jaw full & all good advice . Im hoping for you to have an undetectable vl in 4 weeks of treatment !! If all else fails ,eat some peppers lol { for those who are curious ,me & him enjoy hot peppers } Im watching your posts . and hoping for a full recovery bob
Make sure you get a PCR right before you start tx....that is the number they will use to determine the 2 log drop at the 12 week point.
I, personally had a PCR done at 4 weeks into treatment to more accurately track my log drop. I am a geno 1a, which is typically harder to treat, but that is still very important information to have in order to make decisions later on in treatment.
Your viral load will bounce around. For instance, mine was 2 million when I was diagnosed in January, 1.4 million the following May and July 31st, the day I started treatment, it was 919,000.
Good luck to you =)
I, personally had a PCR done at 4 weeks into treatment to more accurately track my log drop. I am a geno 1a, which is typically harder to treat, but that is still very important information to have in order to make decisions later on in treatment.
Your viral load will bounce around. For instance, mine was 2 million when I was diagnosed in January, 1.4 million the following May and July 31st, the day I started treatment, it was 919,000.
Good luck to you =)
Hello H-man!
Welcome to the forum! First and foremost..(((((((((((((HUGZ))))))))))))) Okay, now take a breath...now another...Here's some survival info regarding Hep C and treatment...#1The viral load will fluctuate. Period. It's level has little reflection on how well the virus will respond to treatment. Believe it or not, you a lucky in the sense you are Geno 2a...It has an 80+ % chance of responding to the treatment and not relapsing afterwards.
#2. You have TIME. If you don't want to rush into treatment, don't. This is a disease of DECADES. Take time to prepare financially, mentally, and physically. Treatment is very hard on your body. Many people find themselves too weak or ill to work after the first 2 months. Have anything that can potentially cause an infection taken care of before you start txing (treatment) including dental work, bad gall bladder problems, etc. Be sure your heart, liver, thyroid, and mind are as healthy as possible (if you are prone to psychiatric problems, especially depression or thyroid problems, do not start txing before it is managed and talk with your Dr about close monitoring with the possibility of medication changes during tx.)
#3 If you haven't already, cease drinking all alcohol, take as few NSAIDS (tylenol, motrin) as possible (VERY hard on the liver), give your body vitamins and nutritional support, and exercise. Have your own personal hygiene supplies (eg. nail clippers, tweezers, razors, etc to decrease the remote chance of giving Hep C to someone else) During treatment you will need to drink A LOT of water to maintain proper hydration, will be giving yourself a teeny shot once a week in a body area with fat, and will need to be cautious about exposing yourself to illnesses when your white blood cells drop and will have a tougher time fighting off infection...
The thought of treatment can be daunting, but the good news is, most people see a significant drop in their viral load(PCR) within the first 6 weeks of treatment. Many have a RVR (rapid viral response) and have undetectable viral loads at that time. (Mine was "0" at 4 weeks.)
I am a 3a geno, and finished the 24 weeks (6 months) treatment last August. My viral load has continued to be "0" and I feel a significant difference since my body has been free of it...Good luck and keep coming back! We will want to know how you progress! (((((((((((((((HUGZ))))))))))))))~MM
Welcome to the forum! First and foremost..(((((((((((((HUGZ))))))))))))) Okay, now take a breath...now another...Here's some survival info regarding Hep C and treatment...#1The viral load will fluctuate. Period. It's level has little reflection on how well the virus will respond to treatment. Believe it or not, you a lucky in the sense you are Geno 2a...It has an 80+ % chance of responding to the treatment and not relapsing afterwards.
#2. You have TIME. If you don't want to rush into treatment, don't. This is a disease of DECADES. Take time to prepare financially, mentally, and physically. Treatment is very hard on your body. Many people find themselves too weak or ill to work after the first 2 months. Have anything that can potentially cause an infection taken care of before you start txing (treatment) including dental work, bad gall bladder problems, etc. Be sure your heart, liver, thyroid, and mind are as healthy as possible (if you are prone to psychiatric problems, especially depression or thyroid problems, do not start txing before it is managed and talk with your Dr about close monitoring with the possibility of medication changes during tx.)
#3 If you haven't already, cease drinking all alcohol, take as few NSAIDS (tylenol, motrin) as possible (VERY hard on the liver), give your body vitamins and nutritional support, and exercise. Have your own personal hygiene supplies (eg. nail clippers, tweezers, razors, etc to decrease the remote chance of giving Hep C to someone else) During treatment you will need to drink A LOT of water to maintain proper hydration, will be giving yourself a teeny shot once a week in a body area with fat, and will need to be cautious about exposing yourself to illnesses when your white blood cells drop and will have a tougher time fighting off infection...
The thought of treatment can be daunting, but the good news is, most people see a significant drop in their viral load(PCR) within the first 6 weeks of treatment. Many have a RVR (rapid viral response) and have undetectable viral loads at that time. (Mine was "0" at 4 weeks.)
I am a 3a geno, and finished the 24 weeks (6 months) treatment last August. My viral load has continued to be "0" and I feel a significant difference since my body has been free of it...Good luck and keep coming back! We will want to know how you progress! (((((((((((((((HUGZ))))))))))))))~MM
A 2 log drop is a 2 log drop IF I was going to tx I would want a PCR to see my viral log drop in 4 weeks to see if I was responding but the norm is 12 weeks Your Viral load could have gone down and not up it fluctuates If you are concerned you can get another PCR before you begin treatment when I was dx last June it has been a year my viral load was 47,300,000 which is very high When and if I treat I will get another PCR before I begin I believe my viral load has come down considerably with the supplements I have been on for the past 6 months. It is all about viral load when you are on treatment but you will read Viral Load is just a number but having a lower viral load before treatment is better than a high one for success or so I read many more will respond to your concerns that know more than I After your biopsy you can decide to wait or treat now if you do not have much liver damage (viral load high or low is not a key factor in liver damage) then you can relax and take care of yourself with diet and excercise and supplements to keep your viral load down there are many things to take into consideration before jumping in on the treatment journey try to relax and of course stop bad eating habits alcohol try and get on a excercise regime and get yourself in good shape first if you can I find changing lifestyle is very difficult it doesn't happen overnight but worry is the worst for the liver take care and wait to see your biopsy
that will tell you and your doctor what you need to know to decide whether to treat now or later
best wishes to you Baja
that will tell you and your doctor what you need to know to decide whether to treat now or later
best wishes to you Baja
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