Info

[waoula]

Hello Everybody ,anyone knows about the milk thistle  ?

[katch20]

Gi.PA you certainly asked good questions.  I have made up my mind and DR. agrees to biopsy pre tx.  

new-sojourn-  my heart goes out to you.  you are in my prayers

[GI.PA]

It is not standard of care to biopsy post treatment.  We know from the studies that fibrosis usually improves. But the biopsy has real risks and the knowlege isnt going to change anything...

If the biopsy was worse but the virus gone, would you retreat?  If the biopsy was better but the virus relapsed would you hold treatment?  If the biopsy was unchanged but the virus gone, would you classify this as a treatment failure?

GI.PA

[britgirl]

Here in the UK they biopsy everybody prior to tx. Since tx was successful, they will not biopsy me again, nor will they do a PCR again. That is fine by me.

[oldhippiechick67]

http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/techinnovations/2003-12-01-hep-c-db_x.htm

[new-sojourn]

Stress in all areas that culminated in the events of 9-11-01.

I've always considered myself a fall out victim of 9-11-01.

And I mean extreme stress mentally, emotionally, financially, spiritually, 2 close, close deaths and certainly teenage suicide attempts, on going litigation and a bed-ridden mother in her 80's and going thru menopause.

Some people have heart attacks, b/my weakest point was my liver.  Something had to give.  And it did, on 9-12-01.

[katch20]

You were 3a as well, if I remember correctly.  Did your fibrosis go away?  did you do a biopsy post tx?  My doc said with 3a they usually don't bx pre tx, but after.  Any thoughts?

[britgirl]

I would say it depends more on how resilient you normally are to illnesses and how well you tolerate drugs generally. I had hoped my side effects would not be too severe because I had taken all kinds of medication that affect some people out without experiencing any problems: I mean things like Larium (the anti-malarial), the contraceptive pill, various vaccinations, etc. Also I was hardly ever ill; vary few colds,never had flu, that kind of thing. Also mentally; I had never suffered from insomnia or depression/anxiety. And I was right; I found tx relatively easy to handle, worked every day, no ADs, no loss of appetite. So, even though I had quite a lot of fibrosis and high ALT/AST it wasn't too bad an experience.

[katch20]

Were you drinking a lot?  What do you think brought you to liver failure.  Were you feeling badly?  Please share what happened.  I think I got this about 18 years ago.

[new-sojourn]

I went into complte liver failure before I was dx.  That's about as sever as you can get w/o actually dying and not coming back-which I did.

My sx's were very mild, which I treated homopathicly, naturally and otc's.  No rages, rashes, etc.  I exercised and traveled and attended concerts and gardened and shopped the Farmer's Markets.

My other was totally committed to the tx and to me.  He even gave me all my shots-3xwk, 24wks.

I'm now 14mo post-tx, still SVR.  I cl@3wks.  I landed in the ICU 9-12-01, bad transfusion 7-12-79 during emerg c-sec.

[katch20]

Does the severity of side effects depend on ones state of health prior to tx?