Milk Thistle......?

[ras_1961]

I was diagnosed with Hep-c and Cirrhosis on Jan.5th 2015.....both Chronic ? My viral load is 676 , my meld score is 12....I have no idea what any of this means ? I'm 54 years old ! I have no insurance and Ive been turned down from Medicaid 2 times...Which means No G.I. Doctor , in fact no Dr. at all but a Primary Doctor at a clinic here in Savannah Ga. ! He informed me he knows absolutely nothing about liver disease's etc. He has done blood work on me 3 times but he says he doesn't know anything about the readings and to ask a G.I. Doctor , Which sends me right back to my problem in the first place " No Insurance " no Doctor ? My question is this....I bought a bottle of Milk Thistle at the local GNC store, it is 1300 mg a pill , I have heard nothing but good things about this herb/medicine ....even without a Doctor's approval should I start taking this to see if my condition improves...? Im really lost and a bit worried...not knowing is the worst part !!!

[flyinlynn]

You may also want to check out the cirrhosis community they may have additional ideas

http://www.medhelp.org/forums/Cirrhosis-of-the-Liver/show/1390

Good luck

[ras_1961]

Kim ..thank you !!!! ............Ras

[Livelife777]

Hi Ras.  Bummer you find yourself in this situation.  Must say tho, many of us have been in the same boat unfortunately.
I just took a look at the bloodwork you shared and also agree with Can-do and Pooh that you should be seen ASAP.  I understand your without funds but this is not the time to wait it out.  Pooh has provided some good assistance programs in which to follow up with.  Your #1 priority is to be under the care of a Hepatologist and decide later when to treat your Hep C.
You may be able to turn this disease around down the road but you can not do it without the guidance of a Hepatologist.
Congrats on not drinking and smoking.  It is of utmost importance that you do not even consider going back.  Not to scare you but your life depends on it.
Liver disease is not something you want to fool around with.  Please be seen and let your Dr decide what steps to take next.
Really glad you reached out.  We will be there and help you thru this.  
.....Kim

[ras_1961]

I quit smoking and drinking alcohol the day I was diagnosed...73 days sober and smoke-free, which is remarkable for me...I smoked 1 to 2 packs a day for  40 years and "good gracious " on the alcohol I have put away in just about the same amount of time ! Now it's catching up with me...! I am drinking tons of water and eating fresh fruits and vegetables (kale) etc. On my first blood test my MELD score was 14..2 weeks later on my 2nd reading it was 12 ! After reading some of these posts , I looked up these scores on my last blood test...it reads hemoglobin 13.1 g/dl....AST [H] 76 IU/L..ALT [H] 66 IU/L...Albumin serum 4.0 g/dl..bilirubin 1.2 INR 1.4 ..creatinine 1.31 mg/dl  ? The insurance problem is this ...I filed for S.S.I. in December of 2012 for completely different reasons than what I have now...I was denied the 1st time and I appealed the decision and went to an appeal hearing on the 29th of January ,2015...The Judge said at this hearing that I could not even do light-duty work and basically approved me that day BUT said he needed further medical info. on me ? he gave my attorney 10 extra days to produce this information....I got the information the next day..but I received a letter a week later saying this Judge had 30 to 180 days to approve my claim ? So I went to DFAC's and tried to have Medicaid approved to no avail because they also have to hear Judge's decision before they can approve this request...I have been turned down twice ! They said once I'm approved for S.S.I ,I will also receive Medicaid ? My only problem is I may not have that much time (30 to 180 days) to receive treatment...Everyone says I need treatment like yesterday.....Your help on this information I provided is very welcome....Im lost and very worried ....Thank You very much !!!                                                                   ras_1961

[lessismore16]

If you're drinking any alcohol I hope you will stop.  Lost my brother 10 years ago at age 51 to Hep C and alcohol.  We just lost another friend last year at age 54 to the same thing.  Drink lots of water and eat healthy - fresh fruits and vegetables, salads, soups, whole grains.  Get some exercise. I wonder if there is a Hep C support group meeting in your area?   There's a lot of good info online and helpful people.  Educate yourself and keep searching until you find what you need.  There are a lot of publications on different aspects of Hep C that you can read online.  Best to you -

[jules2551]

It would really be great if you could get into Emory.  Excellent teaching hospital.

Good luck!

jules

[pooh55811]

I agree with Can-do that you need to be under the care of a Hepatologist ASAP. You need to be examined and evaluated and be under the care of a specialist before your medical condition deteriorates further.

You live in a large city. Look for a large university affiliated medical center and call them to see what their financial assistance plans are. Most university affiliated medical centers do have some type of financial assistance programs for people without insurance.

http://memorialhealth.com/about-us.aspx

http://memorialhealth.com/financial-assistance-policy.aspx

http://memorialhealth.com/uploadedfiles/content/main/guests_and_visitors/financial%20assistance%20policy.pdf

In Atlanta:

http://www.emoryhealthcare.org/transplant-liver/index.html

[can-do-man]

Before you start calling about meds you need to see a Hepatolgist and be genotyped and have some test run. That is the first and important thing for now.

[Ekkiemom]

This is the # to MYPATH Support path1-855-769-7284. They will answer all your questions
Good luck
Deb

[Ekkiemom]

Hi there Ras, sorry u r having a rough time.  You can go to HepCEducate.org and you will see on the homepage to MyPath and call the 800 number and they will be able to give you the info you need. Info about ways to get treated for free if you qualify.
I'm having a hard time pasting the number right now
Peace
Deb

[can-do-man]

BTW, if it was me I would save my money on the Milk Thistle.

[can-do-man]

You seem to have a really low viral number but at this point that doesn't matter. Having a meld score of 12 tells me you really need to get into a large hospital that does transplants and be seen by a Hepatolgist before thing get worse. Please don't delay this. You need to be seen ASAP.

Wishing you the very best... Welcome here and if you have any questions just ask. A lot of good folks that have been through it here.

[virt111]

There are a  lot of good people here in the forum that have been down the road you're on and I'm sure they'll give you information regarding Cirrhosis and your labs. Your viral load is not indicative of liver damage and is important if and when you should choose to treat the HCV.

In terms  of Milk Thistle, it's not going to hurt you by any means, but don't kid yourself into thinking it's the magic elixir for HCV and Cirrhosis, either. Read this article:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK11896/

You really need to be under doctor's care at this point. First, try and see if there is a hepatologist in your area, or a Gastro who has a sub specialty in HCV. I don't know what to say regarding your insurance situation, but your condition is not going to get better from the use of Milk Thistle.

There are some great treatments available right now that have excellent SVR rates, even for people like yourself who have Cirrhosis.

Best wishes to you.