Does HEP C cause Water Retention and Weight Problems?

[jewels_ak]

Does hep c if your not on tx cause water retention and weight gain?.  Has anyone had any problems with this?....I don't drink soda.I drink only water and decalf coffee..I do Taebo and walk everyday and I do the South Beach Diet...but have had a horrible time with weight gain...I've gained 20 pounds since last summer with no explanation except the hep c.....If anyone has had this problem can you suggest anything that has worked for you besides...eating watermelons-heard thats a natural diretic...but has not worked for me ...frustrated.....jewels

[maknitwork963]

hello, I also had hepc for about 19 years and I continue to lose weight. I rather gain a little back any suggestions. I am 40 years old and my worst concern is headaches and my digestion system. sometimes I feel really scared. I also work do u think that is a good idea when half the time I can't hardly make it.

[orphanedhawk]

You've posted on a thread from 2006. I suggest you start your own post.

One piece of advice I have for you is to restrict your salt intake.
Read labels and avoid anything with excess sodium.
I'm sick of saying this but your viral load count isn't important, what is important is the condition of your liver.

Again, please post a new thread so others can chime in, instead of tacking onto this old one.

[womeninhell62]

I am exerpencing same symptoms I have had hep C for 20 years active for 2 years trying to get treatment has been hard , Doctors mislead me that my viral load and enzyimes would go down not. my viral load is 30 million and the weight gain is steady feels like water weight been skinny my whople life start treatment in a month hope it helps with this also I am too tired foer exercise and feel like a bloated cow my age could be menapause I am afraid to eat to not gain more weight this has been horrible they checkled my thyroid not that this is water weight not fat I think in certain people women in menapause maybe happens more doing reaserch good luck to you feel your pain and weight being sick then getting overweight with no appetite very scary bless you!!

[ramapo]

It's not unusual for a water/fluid build up in the stomach.  It occurs when the liver delivers cirrhosis.  The condiition causes fluid buildup that the damaged liver cannot hanndle.  The condition is called ascitis.  I've known that I've had HCV for 15 years and my had my first experience with ascitis was late last year.  I went through a process called paracentisis, the pumping out of excess liver fluids.  In 4 weeks weeks I had nearly 50 liters of fluids pumped out of my stomach area.  I'm now taking diuritics(lasix and aldactone) daily and have an IV session where albumin and lasix are loaded into my system.  It all seems to work and hopefully this will keep me going until I get a transplant.  I hope this helps in providing the answers you are looking to receive.

[Forseegood]

hi, acitites is when there is fluid gathering in your stomach, a little like a pregnancy look cept with fluid, I've seen it in my sister...oftentimes people who have this are thinner in the extremeties, but not always...maybe you should go over to the Janis and Friends site and really look it up, they have pretty good descriptions of this, you could just be retaining a lot of water weight due to peri-menopause, etc....so really get thee to a bigger city with a major hospital, see a good hepatologist if you can, and perhaps a good internist, obgyn, etc. We can only speculate and we sure ain't doctors around here...best of luck...

[jewels_ak]

No its mostly in my mid section...I did go to the docter about it but all they gave me was some diretics....its water weight my ankles are swelling to...I mentioned acites to them but they shook there head.... Unfortunatly this town sucks when it comes to docters..... I have decided for sure to get my biopsy done and then decide on tx.... I went into the hospital and asked the dept that does biopsys....asked em how many liver biopsys they do a year...they said ONE! this past year and was hard to do because they had to order all the right stuff for it....no thank you I'll be going to seattle......I feel like I have to do all the research on stuff because the docters dont know ****- the docter i had been to said no you can wait on tx- no you don't need a biopsy blah blah blah...sometimes I wonder if this was happening to themselves if they would have the same damn answers........  well peace to all you people...and sending good vibes :)!

[Forseegood]

your post about rapid weight gain got me to thinking, cause I have gained weight, granted, I eat some more things that didn't usually, and I don't exercise as much, but I'm just wondering...did a google on this and rapid weight gain is associated with "cirrhosis" could this be another one of those hep c symptoms that's all over the place? I know you don't have cirrhosis, anyway, what do you think? If youre around, hopefully youre out enjoying the holiday some way...

[Mister beagle bailey]

What is your HGB now and what was your baseline HGB at start?


What else is making you sick?

BEAGLE

[beamishboy]

hgb pretrx was 16.3 ,went down to 10 something..with weekly procrit i have managed above 11 ...vague #'s outa my addled noggin-don't ask me to spell my own middlename-rbc and wb are low too.....but i am just sick all the time:stomache,bowels,joints again...headaches,brainfog-did i mention brainfog?-weak,outa breathe,kinda dizzy;on occasion paranoid,anxious,angry,manic/depressive;depressed,lonely,worried,in another words 'eyes wide open',,,did i mention massive brainfog??? and missreading social situations,fatigue,screwed up sleep patterns;skin,scalp,itching,itching,hotface hotflashes,,,,bad appetite,little exercise......pain & sickness are my constant companions......But,i take AD's,percocet,weed,water and song....i'm having some great moments,even days and i think more about my life and family and loves-what's important,what really matters most of all...in that way this has been a good trip:an incredble kick in the ass;straighten up and fly right......i am focused and commited and doing so much bettr than others here,humbling to read the straits of some.....It is Doable....sheesh whata answer to a short question,can yu tell i did alittle attitude adjustmnt?? have a good 1

[Mister beagle bailey]

Your having a rough time.  But your HGB even though the #'s are good is still more then a 4 point drop from your baseline, that's why your feeling so bad.  Your body hasn't adjusted to that kind of drop.  With me it was about a 4 point drop from my norm and my HGB was 11.0 before tx.
What has the doc said about the way your feeling?  Also how are your other #'s, like platelets, etc.

BEAGLE

[beamishboy]

my reaction to hep c pre-trx was weight loss...and i can hardly keep water in my body long enuff to warm it up...see your doc about these symptoms pronto ,goodluck&keep postin
chev-always a voice of reasoned sympathy;the man is hurtin&lashin out ...don't make it easy to help him -does concentrate our own Anger ,sheit,he's just askin fora fite.....i suggested inna post(that i did not send) that maybe mr spacecoast should visit a rough,tough tavern;pick out biggest,meanest fella at the bar and get in a bone shakin brawl-pik on someone who can Really fite back...mite just dissapate the underlyin feelings of anger&helplessness?
Mr bb-yeah,missed crossin posts last nite,,i am weak,sick and doin just FINE....i want some of that new blood.

[Mister beagle bailey]

GOOD MORNING GUYS, HOPE YOU ALL HAVE A GREAT WEEK END.  CAN'T BELIEVE IT WILL BE JUNE NEXT WEEK.  SORRY I STOPPED POSTING LAST NIGHT AS I NEEDED TO GET SOME GOOD SLEEP. THE NIGHT BEFORE COULDN'T SLEEP TILL 3AM BECAUSE OF NEW BLOOD THAT DAY.  HOPE ALL IS WELL.

BEAGLE

[beamishboy]

soup,what soup? that outa a movie?.....as for my fondness or fondest...can't dance w/ the anemia and it's too wet to plow,whatelse can a guy do to take his mind off the meds and feelin like misery dipped in sh!t........? hope your dreams are sweet..

[Forseegood]

you are a discerning cat my friend, out of one of my favorite movies of all times..."Withnail and I", if you haven't seen it, please, please rent it, it's a must...

[beamishboy]

thks for the tip...is it english?...i just watched' Everything is illuminated'-best in awhile & i'm a movie watchin fool of late...check it out...i think it was a dual recommendation..maybe kalio???and somebody else?"?thanks/i can't rem sh1t anymore..

[NYgirl]

I lost a LOT of weight when I started treating really fast and I was very skinny to start.

Then my thyroid was killed off by the interferon...now I am steadily gainning weight a little every week even though I am on the synthetic thyroid replacement pills for the rest of my life.

Having a HYPOthyroid can do all of the things that you asked about.  Maybe ask the doc to test for that...because straight out HepC or Treatment didn't have me gain an ounce at all.

[Forseegood]

I'm not sure she meant that kind of weight gain, she didn't indicate that it's pooling in her stomach like acitites which indicates pretty far along in the disease...If I'm not wrong, she meant that she's gaining all over..which sounds to me like menopause, though she got me thinking, I wonder if Hep C does contribute to weight gain with low liver damage...I'll research that, it's just that I know for sure that menopause and peri-menopause does...

though I don't know anything about her stats...do you know your stats Jewel?

[dyce]

Ha brother, got up to get the blood flowin , 4or 5 hours in the rack , the ole bod gets a achin. Took my lortab , a few stretchin exercises I'm ready. It's 2 am here, thats usually when I take the pain med , get numbed up then back down for more zzzzzz's. Started the paxil lastnite , hopin it will shave off some of the bummed out feelins tx causes.

                   Shot 13 tonite guy , hope your sx's are easy this weekend. Think a free weekend of all premium channel on the tv are in order . Direct tv is doin it , so maybe we'll catch some good gut busters. Later .

[HCA]

Getting back to your question,which hasn't been properly answered,yes Hep C does cause water retention and weight gain.
Its called ascites and happens when low albumin occurs.
See your doctor

[Forseegood]

Like Napoleon Dynamite says...LUCKY!!! where's my fondness for getting laid? you got soup? Why didn't I get any soup? Where's my soup!

[beamishboy]

yeah i remember multiple manifestations...and i useta enjoy most of the banter-still do-i was sorry to see him go last time,felt like we was makin progress-lol-this desease & these toxic meds should allow us a lotta leeway on the behavior charts...i am certainly no mother teresa...i merely chimed in cuz,well ,my procrit must have kicked in!!!

[Forseegood]

ha ha, so you figured that one out too! ha ha, like I've said before, you don't have to be Columbo to figure that one out...anyway, you take care and stay well...no more transfusions, for you, okay??? just surf to the finish line, we're all pulling for you!!!

[Mister beagle bailey]

I hear what your saying.  You may remember him as Kalio2 months back.  I offered him help and he's go's under ground.  Just don't get it.  

BEAGLE

[beamishboy]

hey dawg..you probably aren't running no rabbits...hgb gonna hold til the end?? i read yur progress reports-Fresh blood!!! i want some of that..i don't care what the spacecoast posts..." life is nasty,brutish and short"...pity pots don't hold water and we generally reap what we sow...heck how bout "too often the courage about dying is cowardice about living".......but if i had a choice i would rather hear a good joke then be told to "buck up" or suck it up or whatever....either way and all things being equal,my own behavior is greatly affected by my fondness for gettin la!d.......