FibroSure and biopsy

[MarkFly1]

Last summer or thereabouts, I had a Fibrosure test which indicated a score of F3 which was quite high compared to previous assessments of my liver.  My doc then decided we should do a liver biopsy which showed a fibrosis score of 0-1.  We decided to do another Fibrosure test 2 weeks ago which I discovered yesterday was F4 Cirrhosis.  Yikes.  Well, I did a little further digging and discovered that the Fibrosure test requires 10-12 hours of fasting ... no one had told me this and in both cases I had eaten regular meals.  Would digesting food skew the results so dramatically?
Because of this last test, my doc wants to start me on Telaprevir+PegIfn+Ribavirin.  Only prior treatments were with regular Interferon and Ribavirin.  I have the IL28B allele CC.  Should I go ahead and do the TPR treatment or wait for Sofosbuvir or do another Fibrosure test this time after fasting?

[MarkFly1]

Wow Ceanothus, you've cut me to the quick!  You are a tenacious one and I'm very impressed.  I'm so happy for you now that you're SVR and I really appreciate your support.  Yes, I've worried and it's not clear what state my liver is in and now it's only a few months away from either Simeprevir or Sofosbuvir and yes, I've kicked myself for part of the miscommunications with my doc and not clarifying my views more clearly, and not starting the triple therapy 2 years ago.  But I also know that during those two years the medical community has become much more aware of the potential hazards of the telaprevir and now know how to better evaluate and observe patients for possible adverse events.  Had I started two years ago, given my strong drive to rid myself of these freeloaders (my history of 8 months taking interferon even though I was non-responsive on the 2nd attempt) I probably would have tenaciously continued taking the telaprevir even if I did have adverse reactions.  Patients who did that are now dead!  So, in the end, things are looking up.  It will interrupt a few baseball seasons this summer and fall, but I think having this thing for 30 years is long enough!
What genotype were you?  Again, thanks for your support and all the others who have contributed to this thread.  I fault no one as everyone has helped me to make this decision.  Those who are already clear are especially noble to take the time to help others!  I hope that I'll be in a position to do that also and have the character to continue making a contribution regardless of my status.  Thanks again!

Mark

[ceanothus]

Mark, you are an amazing guy! I missed this whole thread until today, but just read all of it and I'm really impressed with your ability to calmly handle a fair bombardment (at least it looks that way when you read it all at once) of strong views, mostly seeming to tell you what you didn't really want to hear. Bravo to you for your very open manner in discussing it all and listening to the other views without getting upset. I laughed at your wife's saying you "pre-worried" – that's the same thing I say to my husband! It is frustrating for those of us who can take things as they come, but it seems to be a deeply embedded part of a person and not easy to change.

I agree with all the great advice you've gotten from the regulars above, and I also agree that its a very good time to treat, mostly because you are clearly eager to be done with this virus. Best wishes to you, and be sure to read up on the sx so you can be prepared if they do hit you. Btw, I had HCV from 1984 on, failed an early tx with just interferon, was dx'd with cirrhosis (by biopsy) in 2004, did 15 months if tx with interferon and ribavirin and relapsed, then finally did 48 weeks of triple tx and achieved SVR. I'm now 8 months post-EOT. You can do it too?!

[Willy50]

Good luck Mark!

[LN55]

Good luck to you and hoping that your sx are minimal. I think your reasoning is very sound. If there is treatment available now that has a good chance for success why wait? That was the reasoning that came into play for me. Even though newer drugs are around the corner, there is something that can be done now. Best wishes for success.

[Bali05]

Sounds good , nothing like having a plan.
Wishing you minimal sides and a great response to tx.
You are a CC so that`s a big plus.
You will be just fine you will see.
Just go with the flow and make sure you take your
meds on time and that you run the bloodwork correctly.

All the best

Cheers
b

[MarkFly1]

Well folks, my doc and I agreed that I should start on Triple therapy.  If I tolerate it and it's effective, great.  If not, then the newer drugs will be available as a backup.  I know some of you might think I should wait, but assuming I have some fibrosis, it is best to arrest it now before it gets any worse.  I want to get rid of this before my 30th year of having it on July 7.  I must say I feel excited, yet kinda glum at the same time.  Why didn't he push me to do this 2 years ago?  N-e-way, the sooner I get rid of it, the happier I'll be.  Did anyone see the new paper on reversing cirrhosis?

Best,

Mark