Coverage of Digestive Disease Week--5/20--5/26 2006article - by Ira Jacobson

[Mister beagle bailey]

The Digestive Disease Week held in Ca. the week of 5/20-5/26 2006 (DDW2006)

The articles Ira Jacobson co- written are on the web site:

HIV AND HEPATITIS.COM

Alot of good reading.

Beagle

[goldyn]

im so thankful your biopsy went really well,as you seem to be in good spirits I Pray that the weekend will fly by for you,and your worries be light until you find out something on monday....

                          Blessings

                              angie

[strator]

Hi Mike - Your insightful comment

[couchpotato]

So glad to hear the bx was a "walk in the park". Always thought mine was too but some people seem to have a tougher time of it. You sure you should be messing with your tach dose? I don't know Mike, docs might take exception to you taking things into your own hands. That being said, I'm happy you are sounding more like yourself and have at least this behind you. Take 'er cool through the weekend and rest up for Monday.

Be well
Mattie

[can-do-man]

Glad you posted and all works out well. needle 18 inches long? That right there would have put me out. I hope your able to rest easier this weekend. Can't even imagine the stress you and your family has been going through. Hoping you the best going forward. You deserve it.

[mikesimon]

I had the biopsy and it went easy. My surgeon, a noted liver pathologist and I will look at the slides Monday and determine how to proceed. I suspect the blast of steroid but FK (Prograf) dose adjustment may be an option. I upped my FK dose today figuring it could do no harm and might do some good. I always like to play doctor and with me as a patient I have no legal exposure. Those ultra sound guided biopsies are a walk in the park. They are nothing at all like the bedside biopies when the doctor comes to your bed with a tray with three needles on it, the largest being 18 inches long. Now that's an eye opener, believe me! The other 2 are for anesthesia but the big one hits pay dirt - and gets there through the rib cage. This one was nothing. All my best to all of you who havd been so wonderful to me. Thank you all. Mike

[amirtracy]

Good luck to you mike. I know you'll be fine.

[mikesimon]

I am going for my biopsy right now and should be back late afternoon. Thanks for all your support. Really, this is probably not a big deal - I mean it can get fixed easily, I think. Mike

[honey11]

I second what NYgirl says and will be checking in late this afternoon to see how you are doing..

[NYgirl]

We're waiting.....it's going to be a long day but I  just know you did fINE and so I am not even going to be thinking or worrying. There is just no need. I am sure! SURE you hear me SURE!

(All of the best prayers/thoughts are with you anyways :)

[goldyn]

Yes everything turned out just fine she is doing great raising her grandchildren once in a while she has a little episode and has to go into the hospital,but everyday she appreciates the ten extra years God gave her and she is still pluggin along just fine......

[OnAPrettyPoison]

Mike, I sure hope that this works for you.  I know you are glad to be doing something besides wait.  How long does your immune system stay down and what do they do next if it works?  You are in my prayers!

[Bill1954]

Mikesimon

I haven

[honey11]

Hi Forsee,,,,Glad to hear David is doing so well now and I also truly believe a positive attitude helps so much!  

haha I want some of what you have from your brisk walk!!

[Forseegood]

Good to see you here Honey! and Mike, David is open and willing to talk to anyone who has had a transplant that's a friend of mine, it would be easily arranged if you wanted to...just keep that in mind if you'd ever want to...

David has an amazing story...he was a special effects guy and doing well in his career but he had cirrhosis to esld, took him a long time to get the first liver, went down to a very low weight...

He was on a movie shoot in Chicago, and his first liver went kind of bad...they flew him out here to UCLA to get another one, but then his kidney failed as well and he had to get one of those...

He had some bumpy times those first few years, but he just has the best attitude and he got himself through it, he always stresses to me that he thinks his attitude counted for A LOT, he just kept thinking as positively as he possibly could and still does...and then everything just settled down, and he's been really good for years... like I said, he rebuilt his house a few years ago, and has had a good life with his wife and works a lot...he's got a wonderful sense of humor and sends me the best jokes...

[jmjm530]

All the best, we'll be praying and pulling for you. While what you say makes sense, I still think we'd see more relapses deep into post treatment if the immune system was the guardian of SVR. But if the immune system is involved, what makes sense to me is that it's a one-way switch. All the best.

-- Jim

[mikesimon]

If I am in rejection, as I suspect, the solumedrol halts the rejection - it's supposed to anyway. I posed the question about re-emergence of the virus once the solumedrol in administered and the response was that it is unlikely. But, I don't think they have a good handle on that possibility because there are not a lot of transplant recipients who have cleared the HCV and then had a rejection episode and got treated with the "blast", as they affectionately refer to it. We'll see how it goes but I will be real mad if the HCV rears its ugly head again. Mike

[jmjm530]

I got stuck today and I believe we're doing the same test which is Quest's HCV RNA Qualitative TMA aka Bayer Versant? My best understanding is that this particular test is run only at the Nichols Institute in Cupercino, CA, on Tuesdays and Fridays -- therefore it looks like while we've never met in person, our blood may meet up with each other this Tuesday. How's that for finishing up at the same time. LOL. BTW I added the real-time quantitative PCR to the mix as well.

-- Jim

[DoubleDose]

I agree, it is one positive to the treatment you will receive.  If your immune system goes down, I would think that if there were lingering persistent HCV, or occult HCV, this would provide the opportunity for it to reemerge.  I do not think you will see this happen though.  I am starting to think that the re-emergence of the virus is indeed very rare, if it happens at all.

What is the Solumedrol for exactly, and what is your prognosis.  I am sorry that I am not up to speed on your recent situation, so please feel free to update.  I hope all goes well.

DoubleDose

[FlGuy]

It's good to reach for a word and actually come up with it.

[mikesimon]

This is a short thread so I'm gonna bust in and say some things. The first thing that comes to mind is how wonderful you all are when a member is in need. I have bickered and said some mean things, as have a lot of us here, but when the chips are down we all come through and this is a fantastic place to come for support, information, courage and compassion. I'd also like to tell a quick story. Shortly after my transplant my sister was visiting me in the hospital and I wasn't feeling too well. She blurted out without thinking "my head ache is killing me". Then immediatelt she started to apologize for her insensitivity to complain about her head ache when here I was with a Mercedes emblem carved into me. I said what is perhaps my most insightful line ever - "hey Pam, it's cool, there's no pain like your pain". And that's so true. You guys probably see me as some real tough guy but I'm just like you. Your pain is your pain and it matters not what anyone else is going through insofar as your feeling of well being is concerned. It is hard when we aren't well and I just admire all of you more than you  can probably imagine. I don't feel as though my situation in any way diminishes yours - your pain and your fear are real and there is no pain or fear like your pain. Get well and stay well everyone and I'll try my hardest to do the same. Mike

[Forseegood]

yeah, you and me both Susan, got me to thinking, my girlfriend says the only thing she gets from Alenia is hot flashes, h*ll, I can handle those, BEEN handling those, ha ha! And of course I attribute at least *some* of our relatively good experience with this disease to our respective regimens (but keep it low though, I don't have my crash helmut on and I don't know if you do either, ha ha ha!) We'll get through this one way or another, kiss one of those goats for me!!!

Jim: yeah, I've often heard it said Tea Tree Oil was good for the skin, supposed to be good for ichy scalp and dandruff too, guess it'll give you an overall lube job! ha ha! Never tried it myself...


sorry I'm so silly right now, just got in from a long brisk walk and the endorphins make me silly, or sillier that is...hope you all have a good weekend...(Jim, give the aloe vera a try, rub it right on your skin, and drink it if you can, okay promise I won't tell you again...don't hit me...ha ha ha!)

[Tallblonde]

Good to see you, too.  I felt compelled to jump back in today after reading Mike's news.  Couldn't let another day go by without wishing him well.  Hope you're doing well.

[Pdilly]

I will be praying for you.

[honey11]

Mike,,with the prayers and wishes here,,,lots of people are on your side so I have a good feeling about this!
This is nerve wracking to say the least but I can see everyone is pulling together here for support and we have Willing and Tnhep in the building to answer lots of questions.  Mike,,,I just know everything will be fine! (((hugs)))

Angie,,,how is your friend doing now,,,the one that had the transplant.  Sounds like all turned out ok!

Susan,,,I can honestly say it is really nice to see you here today.  I was getting worried since you had been gone for so long and truly am sorry.  I hope there is no hard feelings and this will find you doing well!  :)