Aa
Advice on current condition
I'm a 58 year young male.Outside of being diagnosed with HCV 5 years ago I'm in excellent shape.I'm 5"10 190lbs with a 34' waist.I go to the gym 4 days a week and bench press close to 300lbs.While my endurance is not what it was that could very well be due to age.
Anyway,I'm a geno1 and had my first bio 5 years ago and it came back 0.I had my last Bio last week and I'm waiting for results.I eat very healthy,no alchohol,don't smoke,and little red meat.
Having said all this positive stuff my Viral load has gone from 1 million to 33 million in the past 18 months.My doc says there is not necesarily a relationship between my VL and degree of inflamation of the liver,hence my Bio last week.
Like most,I do not want to start meds at least until the results and side effects have improved alot.My doc says if the results of the bio are less than 2 then he would not recommend meds given my physical condition.
My alt and ast are slightly raised.
So,in advance of my results I'm hoping to get some thoughts as to what the board thinks I should do given the info I have provided and under various results from the Bio.
Thanks in advance..Dave
Anyway,I'm a geno1 and had my first bio 5 years ago and it came back 0.I had my last Bio last week and I'm waiting for results.I eat very healthy,no alchohol,don't smoke,and little red meat.
Having said all this positive stuff my Viral load has gone from 1 million to 33 million in the past 18 months.My doc says there is not necesarily a relationship between my VL and degree of inflamation of the liver,hence my Bio last week.
Like most,I do not want to start meds at least until the results and side effects have improved alot.My doc says if the results of the bio are less than 2 then he would not recommend meds given my physical condition.
My alt and ast are slightly raised.
So,in advance of my results I'm hoping to get some thoughts as to what the board thinks I should do given the info I have provided and under various results from the Bio.
Thanks in advance..Dave
Don't want to come up "short" again LOL debating with the expert, but I was pretty sure Vertex's last web cast talked about preliminary SVR data in the second quarter of 06. I'll try and find it later or maybe you have it at hand.
-- Jim
-- Jim
LOL NO you are CERTAINLY no Popeye! :)
However you do look to be in phenomenal shape that is not debatable. I have to figure that it will help you big time with the disease somehow.
Have you always been such a health nut? I have always been thin and worked out but sadly ever since I last saw my twenties (a few years ago - (what a liar I am) I've not taken the time to take care of myself as I should.
One good thing about this disease is that I have found out again that this is the ONLY body I've got and taking care of it is REALLY the utmost priority.
It's nice to mee you Dave - there are so many fabulously caring people in here in the same boat it's mind blowing. And so lovely NOT to be alone on Hepper Island any longer!
Debby
However you do look to be in phenomenal shape that is not debatable. I have to figure that it will help you big time with the disease somehow.
Have you always been such a health nut? I have always been thin and worked out but sadly ever since I last saw my twenties (a few years ago - (what a liar I am) I've not taken the time to take care of myself as I should.
One good thing about this disease is that I have found out again that this is the ONLY body I've got and taking care of it is REALLY the utmost priority.
It's nice to mee you Dave - there are so many fabulously caring people in here in the same boat it's mind blowing. And so lovely NOT to be alone on Hepper Island any longer!
Debby
Thanks Debbie for the kind remarks.I was your typical 90lb weakling up until I was 15,a few years ago...see,I can lie too LOL.I started lifting weights and have never stopped.I'm paying the price today of lifting very heavy weights as I have advanced arthritis in my right shoulder and very limited range of motion.Just putting on a belt can be a struggle.I also have a large bone spur which feels like a dageer in my tendon when I move it the wrong way,I had arthoscopic surgery 5 years ago to remove the scar tissue and the bony cyst.I went through 6 months of rehab which helped but now the cyst is back bigger than ever.I can't throw a ball overhand and can't lifts weights over my head..so,my exercises are confined to bench presses,curls,dips etc and of course all the ab and leg work i care to do.
One day i will have shoulder surgery but thats a long rehab and my energies right now are on the Hep C..if I get a good bio report I may consider the long and laborious shoulder surgery.
I have eaten very healthy most of my life...I had 1 bad fault and I was a heavy social drinker...that stopped immediatelly when I learned I had hepC...I used to have an occasional beer or glass of wine but when my VL went to 33 million I totally stopped.
I have no idea how I got the Hep..no transfusions,no tattos,no drugs etc..someone told me it could have been from a mosquito bite..we have lots of those in South florida in the summer time and they have always seemed to like me alot...never heard of that as a possibility but I suppose if a mosquito bit an infected person and then bit me it would be possible..Anyone ever hear of contracting the Hep c through a mosquito bite?
Nice meeting you too Debbie.
One day i will have shoulder surgery but thats a long rehab and my energies right now are on the Hep C..if I get a good bio report I may consider the long and laborious shoulder surgery.
I have eaten very healthy most of my life...I had 1 bad fault and I was a heavy social drinker...that stopped immediatelly when I learned I had hepC...I used to have an occasional beer or glass of wine but when my VL went to 33 million I totally stopped.
I have no idea how I got the Hep..no transfusions,no tattos,no drugs etc..someone told me it could have been from a mosquito bite..we have lots of those in South florida in the summer time and they have always seemed to like me alot...never heard of that as a possibility but I suppose if a mosquito bit an infected person and then bit me it would be possible..Anyone ever hear of contracting the Hep c through a mosquito bite?
Nice meeting you too Debbie.
I agree with your doctor.
Just make sure if you decide not to treat to stay with what appears to be a very healthy lifestyle and be followed by your doctor on a regular basis. You might also want to take a yearly Fibrosure test and yearly Fibroscans when they become readily available in this country which hopefully will be in a year or so. As your doctor may have told you, better treatments are hopefully on the horizon. BTW using my treatment experience as a guide, you'd be lucky to bench 100 lbs by week 24 of treatment. Interferon loves muscle tissue alsmost as much as the Hep C Virus. LOL.
-- Jim
Just make sure if you decide not to treat to stay with what appears to be a very healthy lifestyle and be followed by your doctor on a regular basis. You might also want to take a yearly Fibrosure test and yearly Fibroscans when they become readily available in this country which hopefully will be in a year or so. As your doctor may have told you, better treatments are hopefully on the horizon. BTW using my treatment experience as a guide, you'd be lucky to bench 100 lbs by week 24 of treatment. Interferon loves muscle tissue alsmost as much as the Hep C Virus. LOL.
-- Jim
Hi DSG, welcome.
given your age, and the fact that you are in fairly good health, chances are that your liver will not deteriorate rapidly. Of course, there are people that no matter what they do, be it good or bad habits, the body will not follow the average statistics. Some with bad habits will still be well, and some with good habits will progress to severe damage, I think genetics is the foundation for the response, and maybe the quasispecies of your particular strain. If you are not at stage 2 or above, new drugs might be available in 5-7 yrs according to some hepatologists, but no one knows if the side effects will be better than present meds.
If you choose to wait, watch out for other HCV related conditions, since this virus is a blood disease, not just liver. To learn what other conditions to monitor, do a web search of extrahepatic manifestations, if you have not done so already.
good luck on the results
given your age, and the fact that you are in fairly good health, chances are that your liver will not deteriorate rapidly. Of course, there are people that no matter what they do, be it good or bad habits, the body will not follow the average statistics. Some with bad habits will still be well, and some with good habits will progress to severe damage, I think genetics is the foundation for the response, and maybe the quasispecies of your particular strain. If you are not at stage 2 or above, new drugs might be available in 5-7 yrs according to some hepatologists, but no one knows if the side effects will be better than present meds.
If you choose to wait, watch out for other HCV related conditions, since this virus is a blood disease, not just liver. To learn what other conditions to monitor, do a web search of extrahepatic manifestations, if you have not done so already.
good luck on the results
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