Is the Dr. dropping the ball

Question

I have tested positive for hep C - 3 blood test. Haven't seen the results yet for counts.The Dr did say it was low. I have to wait a month to see him, 1st availability, and then he wants to vaccinate me for A & B but did not say anything about treatment but asked if I wanted treatment, I answered yes and then he said make an appt. What should I think? He acts as if I have the flu. Should I get another Dr. and he is the gastro dr.

lynda607 · Answer

A survey of 500 people does not speak for the entire HCV community that has already treated, experienced no long term side effects and moved on with their lives.  There has been no follow-up since the survey was completed in 2007.  It's a source of information, nothing more.  

You have time to wait kwa and even if there was an all oral treatment regiment on the market right now, this very day, you would still have time to wait.  Treatment is a personal decision based on many factors in the individuals life.  If the time is right and you decide you want to treat in the near future because your healthy, you have the support emotionally and financially and everything seems copasetic don't let what you read on this forum deter you from doing so.  For those who decide now is the the right time to treat because of their personal circumstances and don't want to watch and wait there has never been a better time to treat.

curiouslady1 · Answer

Perhaps this is why the would wait (if it were him):

http://www.hepctrust.org.uk/Resources/HepC/HCV%20Reports 
/Post%20Tx%20Survey%20Report%202010.pdf

kwa612 · Answer

Thanks to all of you for your comments, recommendations and suggestions. I hope all will turn out well for everyone.

kwa

kwa612 · Answer

No i have not remained undecided since march. Just had to wait for Dr. I thought I was going to start treatment this week until he said if it were him he would wait for more results from the new treatment. Had liver biop since then, started hep a & b vacs today and go back for additional booster next week and then next month. See the Dr. again in Jan.

kwa612 · Answer

one more thing i guess the disease is factored on a 1 to 4 scale and i am just over a 1.

kwa612 · Answer

i had a liver biopsy in may and it showed no liver damage or any sign of sirosis. i am 57 and the dr said i could live to be 125 and not have to worry about it so he said see him in jan. and we go from there.
getting vaxed to for prevention of hep a and b 2day.
the dr thinks i contracted it 35 years ago per my history.
however i donated blood on a couple of occasions around 2003 and 2004 and they said my results were fine per the mail.
cannot believe it wasnt caught then!
i thought i may have caught in 2010 as i had dental work done but the dr nixed that.
any comments would be appreciated.
ty

curiouslady1 · Answer

You can get a liver biopsy (a bit invasive) or a fibrosure perhaps.  An option if fibrosis is not there or slight is to wait for treatments which are less severe.  In about 5 years they say, there will probably be drugs with a higher cure rate and easier on the organism.  Meanwhile, some of us are going with experimental trials which will set the stage for that.  If the fibrosis has advanced, it is probably not a good idea to wait but your doc will probably advise you.  Have you really remained undecided since March or are we picking up this thread just because?

brianmo · Answer

get a liver biopsy  That will tell you great information. VL comes into play when you treat, if you decide to.

lynda607 · Answer

Do you know if you have mild, moderate of advanced liver disease?  Viral load is not an indication of how much liver fibrosis is present.  That is something I would want to know before waiting too long.

OdinLovesLife · Answer

Excellent advice if your health is currently good and you are monitoring your health regularly with your doctor.

kwa612 · Answer

Have finally met with the dr and it is genotype 1a and my viral level is at 20410. Dr said if it were him he would wait to see results from new treatment before starting treatment. I go back in 4 months to check for changes. What are your comments/opinions on this

James10500 · Answer

I had to wait a month between every step....fwiw

Bill1954 · Answer

Depending on a lot of factors, treatment might not be in your best interest right now. HCV disease progression is typically measured in years and decades, not weeks or months; it often takes months to get an appointment and settle on a plan.

You probably don’t want a doctor that rushes you into treatment decisions; the meds for this aren’t particularly friendly or efficacious at the time. 

Can you tell us what tests were taken? Do you have a genotype (strain) yet? The genotype dictates not only the duration of therapy, but also the odds of success. Speaking very generically, genotype 1 (the most prevalent in North America) requires 48 weeks minimum of therapy with 45=50% odds of success; alternately, genotypes 2 and 3 require 24 weeks treatment with 75-80% success rate. 

Success is described with the term ‘SVR’, or Sustained Viral Response). This occurs after one completes therapy with a negative viral load, then tests six months later without the virus reappearing. If it does, this is called ‘relapse’.

Your doctor might offer liver biopsy at some point. This can help determine urgency; if little to no fibrosis, or scarring is present, a good case could be made to postpone/delay treatment in favor of more efficacious remedies. 

Other drugs are now being studied in clinical trial, and a new class of drugs is expected to reach market later in 2011.

Good luck and welcome to the discussion group-

Bill

willbb · Answer

The result of the blood test that is important to know is what geno type you are..as treatment regimes are approached differently depending on what  type.

To wait for a month to see a specialist actually seems fairly quick.....at least in my part of the world.

Good luck 

WILL